Overcoming Obstacles - Secrets to Success

Use networking to develop a pool of resources to move your invention forward. “Twenty years ago, a stay-at-home mom might have daydreamed about a better diaper bag but often had no clue how to produce or sell such an item. Today, that same mom is likely to be someone like Roberta Greenspan, a Belmont [California] software executive who had worked at startups like Napster. Staying home with her first child, Greenspan was frustrated by how her daughter's plastic sippy cups invariably leaked and left her purse soaking wet. She used her tech industry experience to figure out how to start a business selling juice boxes filled with water. ‘Being in high tech and living in Silicon Valley taught me the importance of networking,’ said Greenspan, whose product is called Wateroos. ‘I set out to ask people, 'Who do you know, who do you know?' One person led to another, and all of a sudden I had a pool of resources. They ended up educating me, and then I ended up hiring them in my first year.’” (Ilana DeBare, Chronicle Staff Writer, “Innovations inspired by kids,” San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, November 26, 2006)

Join an inventor’s group and work with its inventor members to act as a sounding board for your invention. “[Toy inventor Mary Ellroy’s] first visit to an inventors' club happened just six months after starting on her first game. Her goal was to meet ‘soul mates, people who had been through what I was going through [so I could] bounce ideas off [them].’ The spirit of camaraderie is strong in most inventors' clubs, and that's what keeps even experienced inventors coming back. Says Ellroy, ‘They enjoy being with other people who work outside the box.’” (Don Debelak, “Get by with a little help from your friends at an inventors' group,” Entrepreneur, May 1, 2003) Discover the many books by Don Debelak on the topics of entrepreneurship and inventing.

Are you looking for an inventor's group? Would you prefer to learn about the invention process from veteran inventors seasoned with first hand experience? Inventors Workshop International (IWI), a nonprofit organization that has been providing inventor help services for more than 35 years, may be able to help. The organization specializes in personal mentoring and one-on-one counseling. You can email them or call them at 805-879-1729

Learn as much as you can about the invention process. "The biggest mistake is people just jump into things too quickly. You really should learn as much as you can about the process before you spend a dime. … [Inventors] need to really know their thing is going to do something before they put [their invention] out there." (Joanne Hayes-Rines, senior consultant with Inventors Digest, quoted in Tim Lemke, “Invention + market savvy = successful product,” The Washington Times, April 16, 2001) Learn about the inventing process. Discover the latest fascinating invention tips revealed by experienced inventors by subscribing to Inventors Digest or by reading invention guide books.

Develop a working model of your invention, if possible, before you patent it. “Shelley Hunter, an inventor and stay-at-home mother from Danville, [California] said she was naive when she began. ‘I did everything wrong. ... I had incorrectly gone to apply for a patent before I got a working model of my product,' she said. 'If you underestimate anything, you have to redo it.’ Because of mistakes, Hunter didn't get the patent on her hands-free cover for baby carriers for two years.” Advice for inventors of baby products. (Shelley Hunter, mompreneur inventor of Shoe Clues quoted in Thuy-Doan Le, “Entrepreneurial spirit starts to pay off for Sacramento, Calif.-area inventor,” Sacramento Bee, December 12, 2004) Discover other innovative baby products.

Make and sell your invention on a small scale first to improve your licensing chances. "You have a better chance of getting a licensing agreement if you first make and sell your invention on a small scale." (By Courtney Price, “Inventors need good strategy to sell products,” Denver Rocky Mountain News, March 29, 1998)

Invest in researching, attending and showing your invention at trade shows attended by your target buyers. "Tradeshows [sic] are hard work and can be tedious, not to mention very expensive to attend. However, they are …necessary in getting a product the proper exposure; it's possible to meet all the key people in a product category in a matter of days. It's important to hit every tradeshow in an invention's product category and hold meetings with manufacturers at the show. It's also very helpful to have a booth, where a product can be presented to buyers who walk the tradeshow floor. (Business Wire, “IP&R Shares the Top 10 Reasons Patent Holders Fail,” January 16, 2007)

Attend invention conventions to get feedback about your invention. “Attending invention conventions is a good way [to assess the marketability of an invention]. At conventions, inventors get feedback about their inventions, network not only with people in the relevant industry but also with a cross-section of consumers who may be able to help indirectly, and generally learn more about the invention business. Conventions and shows are also good for finding sources for legal advice, prototype building and manufacturing.” (Yeang Soo Ching, “Reaping rewards from inventions,” New Straits Times, December 24, 2000)

Attend small regional trade shows to find potential distributors of your invention. “One of the major ways hardware stores find products to buy is by attending small, regional shows featuring products from distributors and manufacturers. Because he runs his own roofing company in Long Island, New York, [Wayne Willert, inventor and founder of Gutter-Bolt Inc. in Port Washington, New York] didn't have time to attend many shows. But at the shows he did attend, Willert made contact with distributors such as Allied Building Products, Do It Best and HWI. As a result, Willert was able to strike deals with these companies to carry his product.” DIY gutters and gutter cleaning inventions. (Don Debelak, “Spread It Around - Find the best way to distribute your product, and you'll rake in the profits,” Entrepreneur, June 2004) Discover other innovative home improvement products and inventions.

Discover more tips from veteran inventors on how they succeeded with their inventions and licensing agreements.

Read books about licensing inventions and negotiating licensing agreements. “Then [Kim and Larry Perea] began the serious work. They read invention advice books. ‘How To License Your Million Dollar Idea’ by Harvey Reese was the most valuable book the Pereas read. They learned to expect skepticism and learned what to demand including liability insurance paid by the company that buys the product, a set payment schedule, production time constraints, approval of changes to the product and reviewing the company's financial records.” (Darren G. Brown, “Bike Toy Inventors Ride An Old Idea,” Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA), July 11, 1999, p. D03) Bike toys. Order licensing and invention advice books by Harvey Reese.

Attend licensing trade shows. “When his company [Buffalo Games of Amherst] is unable to work with an inventor, [marketing manager Chris Thorpe] has other suggestions, including an annual licensing show in New York City.” (Michele Deluca, “Bright Ideas: Local inventors explore ways to market their ideas,” Niagara Gazette, November 1, 2007)

Be thoroughly prepared with prototypes, patents and perseverance. “By the time [Inventor Lonnie G. Johnson] went to Larami [in 1989 with his Super Soaker invention], he was prepared, not only with the prototype but also with the paperwork that protected his rights. He learned from experience [before he achieved his success with his Super Soaker invention]. A molding company had told him it would take $200,000 (which on an engineer's salary he didn't have) to set up tooling. His next foray into the toy-and-game market was a license agreement with LJN Toy Co., a subsidiary of MCA Records, on an altogether different product - a water-propelled airplane called Jammin' Jets. Johnson didn't have much luck there, either; even though LJN spent $1 million on television advertising, the toy lost money. The false starts Johnson experienced are typical of the roadblocks individual inventors encounter when they deal with the business side of product development. They were the reason he played it cool at the 1989 Toy Fair, and also the reason he filed new patent applications every time he changed the engineering on Super Soaker. ‘Persevere,’ says Lonnie Johnson. ‘That's what I always say to people. There's no easy route. Nobody's going to step in and dump a lot of money and make it easy. Unless you have a lot of money, you have to pay your dues and make a personal sacrifice.’” (Lonnie Johnson, highly successful inventor of the Super Soaker and president of Johnson Research & Development, quoted in Caryne Brown, “Making money making toys: how black inventors are bringing innovative ideas to the toy market,” Black Enterprise, November 1, 1993) See the full range of Super Soaker products now available. Find out how much in invention sales revenues have been generated for Johnson's Super Soaker. Discover books about inventor Lonnie Johnson.

Understand the needs of the corporations that market inventions. “[I]nventors need to understand the needs and the dynamics of corporations that can license, manufacture and market their inventions. While independent inventors still get tens of thousands of patents each year, the vast majority of these never produce a dime in sales. The reason… …is that inventors often suffer from a myopia that prevents them from understanding the broader challenges of moving from the garage shop to the marketplace.” (Richard C. Levy, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cashing in On Your Inventions and Inventing and patenting sourcebook: How to sell and protect your ideas, cited in Edmund L. Andrews, “Inventor Offers Advice On Ways to Market Ideas”, N.Y. Times News Service, The Journal Record, September 5, 1992)

Sell through rack jobbers if you have an invention that is sold through retail distribution channels. “Sell through rack jobbers, wholesalers that lease shelf space at large retailers. The rack jobber buys inventory to furnish products for that space and gets paid by the retailer when the products sell. Retailers benefit because they keep low-priced products stocked, and there's no risk if the product doesn't sell. …Not all industries have rack jobbers — wholesalers that lease shelf space at large retailers like The Home Depot — but most consumer products have them. To find a rack jobber for your product, attend trade shows or check out Douglas Publications' buyers directories. The directories are expensive ($200 to $400 each), but they can often be found in a library's reference section. Trade magazines are another good source for distributors. Do a Google search for the type of store you are selling to by searching under "hardware store trade magazines." You can also check out the Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, available in larger libraries.” (Don Debelak, “Spread It Around - Find the best way to distribute your product, and you'll rake in the profits,” Entrepreneur, June 2004) Discover other publications by Don Debelak.

Throw many darts. "How do you hit the bull's eye? You just have to throw many darts... The more ideas we generate, the greater chances of getting hits. Once you hit the bull's eye, the enterprising businessmen will come to you.” (Ramesh Pillai, manager with TCM Sdn Bhd quoted in Yeang Soo Ching, “Reaping rewards from inventions,” New Straits Times, December 24, 2000)

Consider locating your company in an incubator. “Or consider locating in a technology-based incubator designed to help inventors commercialize their products and launch new ventures. To find a technology-based incubator in your area call the National Business Incubation Association at (614) 593-4331.” (By Courtney Price, “Outsourcing helps inventor bring product to market, Denver Rocky Mountain News, November 2, 1997)