I'm pretty sure that the first thing you would want to do is contact a patent attorney. They can help you apply for patents on your design. You would definitely want to do this first to protect your invention otherwise someone else can steal the idea, patent it themselves and then your screwed. I believe you need either a working model or technical drawings of your idea in order to get the patent. Again, the attorney can answer these questions. I hope you have <font color=green>$$$</font id=green> because the patent process isn't cheap from what I've been led to believe.

Once you have the patent or at least a &quot;Patent Applied For&quot;, you can proceed with building and selling them. Or you could try to license the design to companies already building treestands. Lots of options for you at this stage.

HTH,

-Mike