You try a rough prototype, and experiment.

FORBES: Curiosity Didn't Kill The Cat, It Created The Mousetrap

For most of them, the amount of money it would take to experiment, to prototype, to try some things is insignificant compared to what they have in the bank.

FORBES: The No. 1 Reason Companies Don't Innovate

He built his first prototype in 1993, buying shale from an abandoned mine to experiment with.

NPR: Squeezing Oil Out of Stones in the Rocky Mountains