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March 2022

Whether you are an experienced inventor or a newbie who just came up with your first big idea, the Inventor Smart Monthly newsletter is for you! You will find valuable tips, useful resources and words of wisdom that can help you move your invention forward!

From Inspiration to Success
Bryan Alintoff and Sink Spinner

Bryan is a single dad and after years of scrubbing out his son’s messy bathroom sink, he decided to do something about it. His son had a third grade “pitch project” and that is when the idea for the Sink Spinner was born. Bryan invented a simple device that attaches to most existing bathroom faucets. Once attached, the spinning mode creates a vortex of water that washes down the toothpaste, shaving cream, whiskers, makeup, and anything that makes our bathroom sinks a mess. Best of all, the Sink Spinner uses a 1 gallon per minute aerator, which means it is super eco-friendly!

This simple device saves time, money and the never-ending cleaning up of the dried mess. You never have to look at a dirty bathroom sink…again!
sinkspinner.com

**Congratulations to Bryan for making it into the Inventor Spotlight on National Inventor Club homepage!

Spotlight on Learning
Ways to Get Your Invention Out There: Marketing
Deciding how to bring your invention to the next level can lead you into different directions. You may need to pitch your soon-to-be product to retail buyers, licensees, agents or representatives and should take the time to evaluate what may be the best options for you. Do your research and make sure you are not pitching a shovel to a kitchen gadget company! Here are some ways on how you can market your invention out there!
  • Infomercials Company – Pay attention to infomercials you see, get a sense of how they are delivering their pitch and what type of audience they are focused on. Notice that most follow the pattern of problem-solution ideas. Ask yourself if you think your invention could be demonstrated in a way that the TV commercial delivers the message and evaluates the price points.
  • Presenting to Your Invention’s Industry – If you want to pitch an industry specific product, look for the leading brands by visiting their websites and/or call their office and find out what their process is to pitch or submit your invention. Make sure your invention idea is relevant to the company’s product line.
  • Catalogs and Inventions – Catalogs are looking for unique, specialty products to insert into their print and online catalogs. When you contact them and they accept your product, they purchase finished goods from you and do not license it from you.You need to be ready with inventory to ship from or a date when your product will be ready to ship to their warehouse. Be prepared to send samples to the catalog buyers after you make contact and they are interested.
  • TV Shopping Channels and Inventions -Home shopping channels may also be a good way to gauge interest and make money when launching your invention. Spend some time watching the format of these channels and look at their schedules for the show times that are similar to your product. Go to the shopping channels direct websites and sift through the required product submission process or call someone that already has a relationship there that can make the process easier and quicker to get to the appropriate contacts. Finished products, demonstrations and pricing should be available to present to the buyers when called upon for next steps.
Bright Idea: Inventor Tip from Brian Fried Tips on Getting Your Product to Retailers So, you just manufactured a gazillion units of your invention and they are in your garage. Hopefully, you had a game plan on where you were going to sell them, or you already had purchase orders to fill. If not, here are some helpful ideas… ● Look for upcoming trade shows that feature the industry your product is in and see what it takes to have a booth with your product ready to be ordered. ● Look up the manufacturers’ rep groups, which usually sponsor their industry trade shows, and make some calls to them. These reps will look at your product, ask for samples, and take your product along with the other products they represent to buyers they have relationships with to try and get purchase orders. They get a commission and you get an order and a new account to sell your product in! You should have your product ready to go, have various packaging options ready if necessary. Also, ask these reps you find and consider hiring a few questions and do your research:
  • what region they cover, what type of retailers they present to
  • what their commissions are.
  • ask to see their agreement or discuss their terms in advance,
  • ask what product lines they cover and what their commitment is to your product to make sure your expectations are met.

Think about talking to big-box retailers, online retailers, catalogs, specialty stores, shopping channels, street fairs, etc. No matter how you sell your product, the greatest feeling is seeing your invention for sale, watching people use it, and making some money from it!

Question: 

What does Licensing Mean?

Answer: 

Licensing means finding a manufacturer with an existing distribution chain. The manufacturer with distribution is called the Licensee and the person presenting their invention is called the Licensor. You are looking to give this licensee the rights to your intellectual property or idea for them to rent or buy and bring to retail for you with little risk for you. The Licensee can have their own manufacturing facility or outsource their manufacturing, but ultimately, they control what products they are producing. The Licensee can have a built-in distribution team that presents the products to their current retail accounts or pitches new accounts for distribution. If they choose not to have an in-house sales platform, they can hire Sales Reps or Sales Agents that have established accounts in specific categories and industries.

During our February NIC meeting, we heard from Cathy Ma of Thomasnet.com on how they can help inventors to source local manufacturers and suppliers for their inventions. She showed us how to find manufacturers, factories, suppliers, services in the US, and how to navigate through their website and the vendor websites.

Thomasnet.com is an industrial sourcing platform and marketing powerhouse. They serve professionals on both sides of the industrial buying process to create solutions that inform, support, and empower the industry.

Our guest speaker, Cathy Ma discussed how Thomasnet.com can help you search, evaluate and connect with potential suppliers and manufacturers. Their platform has advanced search filters to easily find data that we are looking for by category, location, for example. The user can evaluate the data by shortlisting them and exporting the data. Users can also request quotes or additional information from the manufacturers, factories, suppliers, etc.
Cathy also shared with us the 5 helpful resources for inventors from Thomasnet.

  1. Thomas Inventor’s Guide eBook – take your invention from concept to fruition with their actionable and practical guide.
  2. Thomas Technical Guide – expertly researched long-form Guides to industrial sourcing.
  3. Thomas Industry Update – register on Thomasnet.com to receive a daily newsletter delivering key news updates and actionable insights on the industrial landscape.
  4. Injection Model Services – get custom plastic molded prototypes and production parts in as few as 10 business days.
  5. The Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing – this guide outlines 3D printing, its basics, getting started, and the top commercial 3D printing processes and materials used today.

We also heard introductions from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. We heard from new members and our featured inventor on our Inventor Spotlight.

National Inventor Club is one of the largest communities for inventors, innovation, and service providers that support invention and continues to provide a nationwide platform for great guest speakers, networking and connections founded and moderated by Brian Fried, who has been running inventors clubs for over 15 years.
To become a member, free or paid for inventors and service providers, please join us National Inventor Club: https://nationalinventorclub.com

In case you missed the February 2022 NIC meeting or you’d like to hear it again, visit this link:
Click to Watch February's Meeting
Become a Member

The Got Invention Show

The Got Invention Show features 30-minute interviews where an inventor promotes an invention, seeks a licensing deal or looks for distribution opportunities. Host Brian Fried focuses on his guest’s challenges and solutions. He asks about their journey, where they are right now, and what will come next. He invites guests to offer words of wisdom to viewers and listeners.

Brian had an amazing interview with David Klein, AKA The Candyman and the inventor of Jelly Belly Beans! Listen to how he came up with the idea, got creative with building a following and brand name and how the tables quickly turned on him, and his lessons learned and sharing lessons for aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs. He also gives us a sneak peek at what he has been working on and what is in the future for him. David was born in Syracuse, NY, and grew up in the Los Angles, California area. After getting a law degree, David decided his passion for candy was much stronger than any other ambition he had. In 1976 David created Jelly Belly® jelly bean and marketed it nationwide. He has appeared on the Mike Douglas show, the Regis Philbin show, and on the cover of People Magazine in his iconic bathtub of jelly beans photo. David has been a philanthropist all his life and has mentored many entrepreneurs to astronomical success. His love for people is shown in everything he does. 
Watch the full interview on Got Invention Show CLICK HERE
Follow David on his Gold Ticket Facebook page

**Congratulations to Got Invention Show, now seen on Amazon Fire, RokuTV and YoutubeTV and the podcast can be heard on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Google and Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.! 
Inventors can schedule their interview on www.GotInventionShow.com

Click to Watch Interview with David Klein

To schedule your interview on the Got Invention Show, please visit
www.gotinventionshow.com

Quote from the Inventor Community

“Contrary to what some people say, in my experience success doesn’t happen overnight. If you have an innovative idea that you believe in, surround yourself with the right people, be receptive to their feedback, and watch your dream take flight.”
-Dr. Ryan Letts, DBA

Dr. Ryan Letts, DBA is the founder of Cleonmaye Corp.Management Consulting & R+D, located in Jamaica, Queens. https://cleonmaye.com/

News from the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) 

In the history of inventions, there are cool inventions that were granted a patent during this month.  Check this list of intellectual property history for the month of March

6| Patent No. US 6199042 was granted to Raymond Kurzweil in 2001 for a “reading system” that allowed the computer to translate words into voice.

10| Patent No. US 5725395 was granted to Su-Lan Yang Lee in 1998 for the “universal serial bus connector”(USB).

16| Patent No. US 5194299 was granted to Arthur Fry in 1993 for “repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet material”(post-it note).

19| Nike, 0978952. 1974

29| Patent No. US 4733665 was granted to Julio Palmaz in 1988 for the Palmaz Stent for cardiac care.

Source: https://www.uspto.gov/kids/coolip.html

About Brian Fried 

Brian Fried, serial inventor, is an award-winning authority in the invention industry, a sought-after celebrity guest speaker and an advocate for the invention community. As Chief Invention Officer of Inventor Smart and Expert Inventor Coach, Brian represents inventors at every stage of the invention process, project managing new up-and-coming inventions from idea to manufacturing or as an invention licensing agent to secure deals with major brands and earn royalties for inventors. 

Brian is the founder of the National Inventor Club where guest speakers focus on topics of interest to the inventor community.

Brian is a 2x author and his 3rd book is expected to be published in May 2022. He also hosts Got Invention Show and Radio where you can watch on RokuTV, Amazon Fire, YouTube TV, and you can hear his podcasts on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music Google and Apple Podcasts. Brian recently launched a new merch line with various designs for inventors, InventorMart.com

You can visit Brian’s personal website at BrianFried.com

Invention MasterClass is now available! If you want to evaluate your invention, find out if licensing or manufacturing is the right decision for you, sign up for an eLearning course at InventorClass.com. National Inventor Club Members receive a discount. For inventor resources, more information and additional inventing tips visit Inventor Smart

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