"To be successful, you must be responsive to the end user," explained Ron Farquharson, the president and owner of Texas Assistive Devices LLC, a small O&P supplier company based in Brazonia, Texas. "We've gained the majority of our product ideas from direct contact with the field."

In fact, the first product idea Farquharson had was a result of his own needs as an O&P amputee.

He lost his right arm below the elbow in a work-related accident in the early 1970s. In need of a more functional prosthesis, Farquharson developed the N-Abler, a prosthetic device that accepts myriad tools and instruments and has 360 degree rotation.

He launched his business in 1992, and within two years, he'd re-engineered the N-Abler with the help and engineering genius of manufacturer Johnnie Rouse, who owns Reactive Metals in Angleton, Texas. The two have an informal, but extremely loyal supplier/manufacturer partnership.

At Texas Assistive Devices, Farquharson also sells a five-function wrist device, a hands-free tool changing system for the N-Abler line, and several other O&P products. He prides himself on taking the ideas he's received from the field over the years and producing practical, durable O&P products.

"We have a reputation that if someone has an idea, we'll make it and try it out," he said.

Q: As a business owner, what is the most important thing to remember?

A: You have to keep an open mind, and listen and respond in a positive way to feedback. If you don't listen to the end user, you're going to get stale. You have to keep innovating, building new things and improving what you have.

Early on, I started taking Johnnie with me to the regional trade shows and AOPA's [National Assembly] to learn about the field, talk to people and get feedback.

We went to a convention with occupational therapists in Indianapolis one year, and they asked what we were doing to help the person who has partial or no hand function. So, we went to the drawing board and created the N-Abler 3, which acts like a prosthetic wrist unit. It's been a big seller.

Q: What is your greatest business challenge?

A: To do a good job every day, to be on spot with your order and make sure the orders go out quickly, to make sure your ads look good, and your phone is answered.

We have a good business base, but our customers are limited sometimes because of our lack of having the L codes. So, we're in the process right now of trying to acquire L codes for the N-Abler 2 and the A Wrist.

L codes are now essential. I would love to get to the point where all our products have an L code applied to them.

Q: How do you market your business to the O&P field?

A: Trade shows are big. Going to regional and national shows and talking with the practitioners is very important.

We also advertise in magazines, like the O&P Almanac, and those do us a tremendous amount of good. When you put an ad in a magazine, you can count on feedback. You have to make the ads really look good, though. We have a great professional artist that we use.

Our Web site [www.n-abler.org] also helps. And direct mail, such as our catalog.

Q: What would be your advice to new O&P suppliers?

A: My advice would be, it doesn't matter how gloomy things look, just go for it. There was a time when I wanted to give up, and my wife said, "Why don't you give this your best shot? Just do whatever it takes."

And then, all of a sudden, it just started working. And it was because we started going to trade shows, like the Assembly. You have to put yourself out there. It costs money to make money.

You also have to keep the practitioners happy, with new, good products and proper packaging and quality control. When I first started, I thought I was selling to the end user, but I learned that lesson quickly enough!

Q: How do you capitalize on being a smaller business?

We're a small enough company that we can act and respond to requests and needs very quickly and do it on a personal basis with no big-company bureaucracy involved. We listen and we're open to suggestions.

We also respond immediately to people. There's no, "Well, I'll get around to that." We ship our orders the same day they come in, and if we can't, we make sure to apologize.

We also have a loaner program, where we lend out a nice demo kit with products to practitioners. The patients can come in, put the device on, play with it—and the product sells itself.

I'm not afraid for patients to try a product first. If it doesn't work for them, they shouldn't have it. I'm trying to sell something to help somebody.