How to find a driven business partner like Steve Jobs?

[mikeselectricstuff]

A major problem is to reach the right people within large organizations with such suggestions. Most such email requests go straight to the waste-basket since the gate-keeper doesn't understand and thinks it is spam.

Perhaps hiring a booth at some kind of convention / trade show could help to get more contacts. It is a long winded process but knowing the right people and thus creating contacts in large firms takes time.

Some trade shows also run talks/seminars alongside the exhibition. If you were to do a talk about protocol analyzers, which happenned to use your products as examples of applications, benefits etc. it may attract some interest  from potential customers and/or potential companies wanting to get into the market.
Similarly, writing technical articles in the trade press may offer a similar opportunity. My guess is that trade publications are always interested in primarily technical (as opposed to sales) content - could be worth a try.

[Corporate666]

A major problem is to reach the right people within large organizations with such suggestions. Most such email requests go straight to the waste-basket since the gate-keeper doesn't understand and thinks it is spam.

I have found that engineers are often/usually quite helpful towards other engineers (and overly antagonistic towards any type of sales/management person).  I've also found it quite easy to get the name and email (and often phone) of people within organizations that would be your users.  The names/emails/phone are often listed in technical presentations, press releases, datasheets, app notes and such which can be found online.  Contacting them directly and bypassing the gatekeepers should prove fruitful.

Some YouTube videos with how-to's on your products which are also posted on your website will also help... especially if it's "how to use the new XYZ from ITIC to <insert common use case here>".

Don't forget to ask for the sale - always.  So if the person you reach isn't the one you need to be talking to, ask them for the name/email/phone of the right person... done in a friendly way, engineer-to-engineer, I've had pretty much a 100% success rate in doing this.

Like I said - engineers trust (and want to help) engineers.  Just don't belie that it's a sales call

[Galenbo]

Nahhh you forget one thing: any problem can be solved by throwing money at it. If you hire someone with the right sales contacts anyone can create a succesful business. The biggest problem usually is getting the money but once you have that you are more than half way there.

Reminds me of the company where I worked around Y2K. Started there as employee #8, nice people, good niche product, small business mentality.

And then the owners did what you mentioned.

2 years later all 42 employees had to look for another job. The best ones already left before the explosion.

I would sign directly for a job the same as the situation of the beginning, and would refuse to earn 100K in the situation at the end.
 

[Alexei.Polkhanov]

Money can keep mediocrity alive but when money is combined with incompetence and stupidity you just make failure more spectacular, louder and brighter nothing more. "BOOM!!!" with shit flying all over, Wikipedia articles and TV news like "XXX filled for chapter xx!!!".