May/June Newsletter - The Tampa Bay Inventors Council

Transcription

The
Tampa Bay
May-June 2014
3D Printing:
The end of
Intellectual
Property
Rights?
Page 8
Wayne’s Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Recap of Recent Meetings . . . . . 3
Patent Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Sites Built for Inventors . . . . . . 12
Visit our website: www.tbic.us
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JOIN US EACH
2 AND 4th WEDNESDAY
EVERY MONTH!
nd
MEET WITH US AT:
Tampa Bay Innovation Center
7887 Bryan Dairy Rd., Ste. 220
Largo, FL 33777
“Inventors Helping Inventors”
The Tampa Bay Inventors Council is here to help you succeed, forge ahead, maintain your
purpose and achieve what you intend to. Everyone in this group is behind you.
A Message From Our President
S
peed kills!
You
have
heard
this
as a warning about
driving too fast
but in some ways
it also applies to
Wayne Rasanen
inventing.
The
difference is the only thing killed is your
dream or chance for success. The
danger isn’t only in trying to go
too fast, rushing to the market
with a shoddy product or
loading up on inventory you
can’t sell, but it could also
be trouble if you go too slow.
If you spend too much time
thinking about your idea and not
doing anything, it’s like trying to
merge on the highway doing 5 MPH!
Due diligence is required when formalizing
your intellectual property and if you don’t
do anything about building your product
you may be branded as just a patent troll.
Your only goal was to secure protection and
profit when someone violates your patent.
The idea of the patent system was to secure
the exclusive rights to build and market an
invention, not to block the development of
new and useful products from ever coming
onto the market. Another way that going too
slow kills is the simple fact that everything
changes. What might be a brilliant idea
today could be irrelevant tomorrow when
something new changes the landscape.
The successful inventor needs to adjust the
speed to develop and make sure that
progress matches the market.
A number of failed products
were introduced “before their
time” and others missed the
opportunity to succeed when
its market crashed.
On the road there are signs to
help you adjust to the right speed
so you don’t drive at 100 mph in a
30 zone or crawl on the expressway (although at times that is all you can do)! For
inventors the signs are in market research and
careful analysis of trends. It isn’t as clear cut
but with the right effort and determination, an
inventor can merge and safely get the show on
the road!
Wayne Rasanen, President, Tampa Bay Inventors
Council
Need to Reach TBIC?
Office: 727-565-2085 or call: 727-251-4056
George Mouzakis g.mouzakis@chicagobooth.edu
Mailing Address: 7752 Royal Hart Dr. New Port Richey, FL 34653
Website Info www.TBIC.us
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Monthly TBIC meetings are held every 2nd and 4th
Wednesday of EVERY month.
All meetings start at 7 p.m.
at Tampa Bay Innovation Center, 7887 Bryan Dairy Rd., Ste. 220, Largo, FL 33777
Information and articles printed in this newsletter are not necessarily endorsed
by the TBIC and may not be applicable to everyone
Page 2
Tampa Bay Inventors Council • May-June 2014
General Meeting Summary
March 12, 2014
Past Meeting Summary
Communicating with us remotely via Skype,
first guest speaker Matthew Yubas covered “The
Invention Roadmap from Product Idea to Product Success.” For over 25 years Matt has been
teaching fortune 500 companies and individual
inventors how to appeal to businesses interested in licensing, and he has written a number
of books on the subject. He has a bachelor’s in
electronics engineering and a master’s in business administration.
First, do not patent your idea early in the project. Instead, objectively determine its marketability long before spending a dime on patenting. During all the pre-patenting steps, protect
your idea by using non-disclosure agreements.
Apply for a patent later IF AND ONLY IF the
invention is marketable. If it’s not marketable,
dump the idea and work on another.
Your invention is marketable when:
It solves a problem. Sometimes people have
grown so accustomed to dealing with a problem
that they don’t even notice it. Sometimes the
problem is so slight that people don’t even care
about it. Does yours solve a noticeable problem
that actually matters to people?
It meets a need or want. Needs vs. wants is
all about necessities vs. luxuries. And that’s all
about the customers’ priorities. Necessities are
high priorities, luxuries are low priorities. To
solve a high-priority, necessity-oriented problem,
your customers must feel that they NEED your
product. To solve a low-priority, luxury-orientated problem, your customers must feel that they
WANT your product. Determine which it should
be - need or want - because this will be the biggest influence on your marketing strategy and
your entire business strategy. So, how high of a
priority can your product reasonably be to your
target customer?
It overcomes competition. Does your invention really solve the problem better than the competition does? “Better” can mean faster, cheaper,
more simply, more thoroughly, etc. How is yours
better?
It does not infringe anyone else’s IP. Significantly improving someone else’s patented
invention, then patenting the improved version
yourself, is perfectly legal. But the hard part is
determining how much of an improvement is
“significant enough.” Does your patent agent/attorney feel that your invention does not infringe
any patent?
People are actually willing to pay money
for it. Price matters. Even if the product passes
all the above hurdles, people may not choose
to spend money to solve a tiny problem. Or
more to the point, they may not choose to pay
as much as you are hoping for. Perhaps the max
price they are willing to pay is too low to cover
all your costs of patenting, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, etc. So, are people willing
to actually buy the product, and if so, are they
willing to pay a high enough price to make your
business profitable?
But how does a typical independent inventor
– not from a marketing background – perform
all the research above? By hiring a market research firm. However, you can do at least part of
it yourself by doing surveys. Today’s social-media networks make this affordably possible. You
can then take your survey results to a market
research professional for deeper analysis. Also,
communicating your invention concept with
people through social-media enables them to
give valuable suggestions about how they want
the product to be designed...their preferred
look-&-feel of the product.
But this opens you up to being ripped off;
right? Not necessarily. You can conduct all interaction with people over the internet by first explaining that you are asking for feedback as part
of a new product’s development. Then send paper non-disclosure agreements to all who are interested. Then only work with those who signed
the agreements and mailed them back to you.
After that, the communication between you and
them is sort of like crowd-sourcing. Using the
internet crowd as a source of information about
what the idealized version of your eventual product should be like, how much they really need/
want it, the appropriate selling price, etc.
After getting the preferred design worked out
and approved by the crowd, take everything
to a product designer. For most products, the
retail price is usually 4 times the manufacturing cost. So take the suggested retail price that
your crowd agreed upon, divide it by 4, then
ask the product designer: “Can this thing be
manufactured for this dollar amount per unit?”
If no and it’s way over cost, dump the invention
and start on another. If no but it’s close, work
with the designer to tweek the design to bring
down costs.
After the tweeking is done, it’s time to apply
for a patent. You are patenting the final version
Continued on Page 4
Page 3
Past Meeting Summary (Continued from Page 3)
of the thing, not your original idea. This is good
because before contacting the crowd or hiring
a marketing firm, you had only a vague idea of
what your product should really be like. But now
you are patenting exactly what the people want.
Next comes manufacturing or licensing,
whichever is right for you. But Matt’s point is:
Find out what people would really prefer your
invention idea to be like BEFORE spending a
fortune on patenting and/or - worst of all - manufacturing a warehouse full of a product that
nobody wants.
Matt Yubas and his business can perform all
the market research for you. They can orchestrate all the focus-group activities on your behalf. This is a nice alternative to you performing tons of social-media activities and research
by yourself. He also offers product coaching to
assist you at evaluating your idea, licensing or
selling your patent, getting your product into
retail and more. He offers his numerous books
and training seminars too. Go to www.ProductCoach.com.
Second guest speakers Sara Hand and Stan
Schultz described the upcoming BarCamp
Bradenton-Sarasota event. BarCamp is an “Unconference;” a conference without a predefined
agenda, without a fixed schedule and without
remorse. BarCamps take place all around the
country. The open format offers attendees a
unique opportunity to network, learn, and communicate about whatever topics they are most
passionate about. They do this by attending 30minute presentations given by other attendees.
Several discussions take place simultaneously in
several different rooms. Don’t like what you’re
hearing? Leave the room and pop into another!
At BarCamp it’s perfectly O.K. to walk out in
the middle and into another anytime. No remorse. This goes on all day for two days, and
it’s free! Several TBIC members have attended
BarCamp events in the past and raved about
them! The upcoming event is the weekend of
05 & 06Apr2014 in the new Manatee Technical Institute campus. Find out more at http://
bcsrq.com.
Sara and Stan gave us even more good news:
A business incubator is opening up soon in Bradenton! South of the bay has long lacked such
a resource, but not for much longer. Expected
to open this summer in the heart of downtown
Bradenton, it’s to be called SparkGrowth, and
Sara & Stan are involved with it. Go to http://
SparkGrowth.net.
Page 4
March 26, 2014
Club President Wayne Rasanen opened the
meeting with a show-&-tell demo of early nonworking prototypes of his own invention project,
the In10Did Keyboard®. It’s a computer keyboard that is very small and compact. The full
keyboard is contained on only ten keys, and the
entire unit is about the size of a bar of soap. He
made the prototypes long ago out of hardened
clay, and each was slightly different. Slightly longer, shorter, wider, thinner, etc. Each key’s letter was painted on. While passing them around,
Wayne was asking “Which one feels best? Which
one do you like best, and why?”
Ergonomics is an important consideration in
his keyboard project. Making several “looks like”
prototypes out of inexpensive clay, then asking
people’s opinions about them, was a simple
focus-group exercise he did early in the project.
From the feedback he determined the exact dimensions to make the keyboard.
Wayne’s demo tonight was to show us that
focus-group input is not hard to arrange, and a
series of simple non-working “looks like” prototypes is not hard to make. None of it revealed the
proprietary inner workings that he doesn’t want
the world to know about. A clay model can be
a simple and inexpensive tool that any inventor
should not overlook. A tool to communicate the
invention’s concept without revealing its principle of operation.
The brand name of clay he used is Sculpey®.
Inexpensive, available in all craft stores, art supply stores and even some toy stores, Sculpey can
be popped into your kitchen oven for 20 minutes for permanent hardness. After cooling, it
can be sanded, primed and painted. It’s easy to
clean up and leaves no oily residue. The unused
portion will not dry out and/or harden. Sculpey
is easier to work with than classic modeling clay
or sculptor’s clay. Cheaper too.
After developing your clay model to nearenough perfection, you can take it to a product
designer. He/she will put it on a small turntable
and aim a digital scanner at it. That’s a sophisticated camera that captures the exact dimensions
of the model. From the scanner, the data goes
into the computer and into the designer’s 3D
CAD (3 Dimensional Computer Aided Design)
software. Now the designer can modify and refine the design farther - on screen - to your apContinued on Page 5
proval. This includes drawing the inner working
‘guts’ into the design, and incorporating all easeof-manufacturing improvements and tricks.
Speaking of product designer, tonight’s speaker was our own member Erik Heidt. Erik earned
his degree from the Savanna School of Industrial
Design. Tonight he gave a demo of SolidWorks®,
the most well-known 3D CAD program on Earth.
SolidWorks has always been the Ferrari of CAD
programs - the best of the best; and ultra-expensive. Erik loves working with SolidWorks.
Erik is currently selling his invention product; the Drummer’s Leash®. It’s a pair of finger rings worn by a drummer which clamp to
his/her drumsticks, preventing the drummer
from dropping the sticks and enabling him/her
to twirl them rapidly. For tonight’s CAD demo,
Erik handed out a component of the Drummer’s
Leash, then drew it on screen. Everyone got one
small, plastic, round bearing holder that Erik had
mass-produced in China. The holder was about
3/4 of an inch in diameter, black, with slots, indentations, an internal lip and a rounded edge.
Beginning with a blank SolidWorks workspace
screen, Erik went through every step while ex-
plaining everything. He made it look easy. But in
actual fact, CAD programs are very complicated
with a long learning curve. The absolutely most
complicated programs that high-end personal
computers can handle. Nevertheless, Erik deftly
created on screen what we were holding in our
hands.
This demo was important for us because we
often hear about CAD, but many of us have
never actually used it or even seen it. 3D CAD
is the backbone of much more than just design;
most engineers and manufacturers are using it
extensively nowadays. CAD has replaced paper
blueprints and drawing-boards completely. Although inventors need not learn to use CAD, we
must be familiar with it because we often utilize
the services of professionals who specialize in it.
CAD has become an important part of the invention innovation process, and it’s here to stay.
Erik Heidt is a designer on the staff of Inventor’s Launch Pad, a local product development
business. Launch Pad can not only take your
chicken-scratch drawings or clay models and turn
Continued on Page 6
PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING
COMPLETE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
¸
3-D CAD DRAWINGS Drawn for the Injection Molding process
¸
PROTOTYPING
Rapid Prototyping in days, not weeks
¸
MANUFACTURING
Short runs or high volume
¸
ASSEMBLY
Component and Product Assembly
¸
PACKAGING
For the retail or wholesale market
¸
SHIPPING
Directly to your buyer or distribution center
800-509-2920
Email: sales@delaneymanufacturing.com
Web: DelaneyManufacturing.com
"LAIKIE#OURTs3ARASOTA&LORIDA
Page 5
them into 3D CAD files, they can even get them
manufactured. But before doing that, Launch
Pad can perform the market research necessary
to determine if your invention idea will actually
sell. Inventor’s Launch Pad is owned by the DV
Strategic Group, which is a venture capital firm.
That means, if it looks as if your invention will
sell, the investors in DV Strategic can come up
with the funding for design, patenting, manufacturing, shipping, warehousing, distribution, etc.
So check out www.InventorsLaunchPad.com
and www.DVStrategic.com.
April 9, 2014
The business incubator in which our club
holds its meetings is the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Its staff includes several business
mentors, and one of them was tonight’s guest
speaker. JJ Roberts is a serial entrepreneur who
founded and sold three successful technology
start-ups of his own, before becoming an advisor
to the Innovation Center.
Why do you want to invent things? JJ says if
“To start a business” is on your list, entrepreneurship is the path you must follow. This is true if
you intend to manufacture and sell the invention
yourself, but it’s also true if you intend to license.
That’s because few corporations want to license
a patent from an individual; they want to license
from a business. You can be a very small company, but a business entity nevertheless. So get
used to thinking like an entrepreneur. This is the
only way to make money from an invention.
Think about whoever will buy your product.
In order for that person to actually use your
product and benefit from it, will he/she need to
make major changes to habits/routine, lifestyle,
business practices or even thought processes? If
yes, that’s bad. Your invention’s success will be
quite challenging.
JJ says, for an entrepreneurial team just forming a start-up, a big part of business success is: Everyone on the team having the winning attitude.
And the winning attitude is: The Game of Work.
See, it’s a game. Patenting, licensing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing, selling...it’s a game.
And the goal is to WIN. The entire start-up team
should think like a professional sports team: “It’s
a game that we train very hard for; we each put
extremely intense effort into making the team a
success. The effort hurts; it’s an exhausting grind.
But we put everything we have into winning the
game. It’s a game and we love it!”
Page 6
The team doesn’t even think about failing,
only about winning. Thoughts about winning
the game must crowd out thoughts about how
much it hurts, how much time, effort & money
it costs to even compete - let alone win. Eventually, thoughts about winning morph into enthusiasm and excitement for the game and team.
If your start-up needs funding (as usually the
case), investors need to sense this enthusiasm
& excitement, this winning Game of Work attitude; from you and your team. No matter how
great the product or its business plan, ultimately
it’s the team that the investors must have faith
in. Accredited investors and venture capitalists
who are looking for a project to invest in, typically investigate dozens before settling on one.
And it’s always a red-hot product and a red-hot
plan, coupled with a red-hot team which lives
the Game of Work lifestyle; that wins.
When preparing to pitch to investors, in addition to having and displaying the winning attitude, you and your business team must think
about what might set your venture apart from
all the others that the investors are considering.
Besides having a great product and a viable business plan, what else can a start-up do in preparation for an investor pitch?
How to prepare for an investor pitch:
1) Learn everything about the investors. A
pitch must be custom tailored to the specific
investor or investor firm. There is no standard
pitch for all investors, so focus on your specific
audience. Find out ahead of time what each venture capitalist wants. This can be ascertained by
looking at previous ventures each has funded.
Also, it’s perfectly O.K. to ask each investor, early
in the pitch, what he/she is looking for. A quick
return, long slow dividends, perhaps even improving the world by supporting certain technologies, etc. But the answers given can influence
the direction of your pitch, so keep your mind
flexible. A skillful salesman knows how to customize the direction of his sales pitch according
to the prospect’s answers. You can do that too. If
done right, this really impresses investors.
2) Include no glitz. A plain PowerPoint about
ten minutes long, keep it simple but informative. Walk them through the spreadsheets and
financial projections. Be sure the numbers and
column labels are clear and easy to understand.
Don’t rush through the calculations. Avoid psycho-babble and techno-babble. Use laymen’s
Continued on Page 10
Selling a Patent that Doesn’t Infringe... Yet
U
by Jason Frankovitz
nless you’re one of the fortunate few who
lucked into the patent equivalent of a
Golden Ticket, you’ll need a variety of skills
to show that the your invention has enough value
in the future to be acquired in the present.
If you believe what you read in the popular
press about patents and patent infringement, it
seems like it’s easy to write a patent that infringes
a popular product and then demand a licensing
fee from the infringing company. Or you can easily get the infringing company to buy the patent
(because your patent covers their product exactly) and they want to protect their position, right?
Well, not exactly… and not even very frequently. It’s not common that an independent
inventor’s patent is a slam-dunk for a widely
used, highly profitable technology that isn’t already owned by the company deploying that
technology. What is much more likely to happen
is that you have an invention that anticipates an
interesting or potentially valuable development
during the lifecycle of a particular technological
niche. You’re officially ahead of the curve; you
have invented something pretty great and useful,
it just happens to not exist yet.
Assuming you want to make some money
from your invention, you can either sit around
and wait for the world to catch up to your genius, or you can position your patent so that a
company will want to buy it… even though that
company’s product doesn’t infringe your patent
currently. When that happens, you need to position the value of your invention in a way that
shows its potential future value in a credible way.
This is what I call the “ecosystem sale.” In an
ecosystem sale, you are making the argument
that your invention is an important part of a system of technologies, and is a natural fit for your
acquirer’s product roadmap going forward.
So what’s a product roadmap?
Put simply, a product roadmap is a specialized
calendar for all the planned features of a product.
Covering all the details of a product roadmap is
beyond the scope of this post, but a good overview can be found here. Suffice to say that the
roadmap is how a company keeps track of what’s
going into future versions of their product.
Hopefully, you already understand the market and major players related to your invention,
because that will provide you with your list of
desired acquirers. When you pitch these potential acquirers, your ecosystem sales pitch will be
much more compelling if you do three things:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the company’s current roadmap,
2. Hypothesize a credible scenario for the
product’s future development, and
3. Illustrate how your invention fits into that
credible scenario.
If this sounds more like product management
or market research than intellectual property,
you’re right. Unless you’re one of the fortunate
few who lucked into the patent equivalent of a
Golden Ticket, you’ll need a variety of skills to
show that the your invention has enough value
in the future to be acquired in the present.
Previously published in “IPFrontline”, the newsletter of
PatentCafe®. www.ipfrontline.com www.patentcafe.com
PatentCafe® is the leading provider of intellectual property
asset management (IPAM) software and informational
resources. Reprinted with permission
USPTO Launches Program to Promote Clarity
The United States Patent and Trademark Office
announced the launch of its new Glossary Pilot
Program as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen
the patent system. The pilot runs June 2 through
Dec. 31, and is designed to enhance claim clarity in the specification of software-related patent
applications by encouraging and gauging the use
of glossaries by patent applicants.
In June 2013, the Obama administration issued a series of executive actions concerning
high-tech patent issues. One of those actions
charged the USPTO with finding ways to improve claim clarity, including through the use of
glossaries in patent applications.
Participation requires an applicant to include
a glossary section in the patent application
specification to define terms used in the patent
claims. Applications accepted into this program
will receive expedited processing and be placed
on an examiner’s special docket prior to the first
office action, and will have special status up to
issuance of a first office action.
For more information about the Glossary Pilot
Program, please visit www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/
glossary_initiative.jsp.
Page 7
3D Printing & Intellectual Property
P
by Tim Mount
rinting with multiple layers of material
(instead of two dimensional dots or lines
of ink) is commonly known as 3D-printing,
because the resulting print-outs are threedimensional objects. These objects will need to
be printed from digital templates either produced
from virtual models or from digitized capture of
existing three-dimensional objects. The material
used is typically plastics, but experiments are
ongoing with metals also.
3D printing is suddenly a very sexy subject, and
is being talked about all over the place with emotions ranging from adoration, through excitement,
to fear. Even people unconnected with any part of
the industries that have been using the technology
(for years) are suddenly aware of it. Let’s imagine
a 3D-printer printing another 3D-printer, and before long you have a world limited only by raw
materials, energy, and ideas.
Media madness
At the moment all sorts of positive stories about
3D-printing are whirling around the internet and
traditional media, about all sorts of 3D-printing,
from the April Fool’s imminent release of a PlayDoh 3D-printer, to rumors of NASA funding research into a 3D food printer, that could promise
an end to world hunger and is at least marginally
more likely than ‘food replicators’ in Star Trek.
Doctors in the field in particular are showing
the way with positive column inches of 3D-printing, with 3D-printed medical devices such as a
recent splint for a baby’s airway, expected to degrade into the baby’s body as the body heals itself.
Joints and bones have already been replicated by
similar process to date.
And bubbling below these stories are thoughts
of what unchained and unshackled individuals
might be capable of, when the Industrial Revolution and the Age of the Individual mesh, and individuals are given their own means of production.
It seems that in the not too distant future we
could all possess our own factories, in our own
homes, and deshackle from the command and
control economies of yesteryear.
But in the negative, there has been an ongoing
recent media storm on both sides of the pond, also
recently raised at high levels in Australia, about a
3D-printed firearm and the problems such a technology and possibility might cause. Just in case
you missed the story, the firearm is undetectable
to scanners and therefore unable to be controlled,
in ownership, use, transport or manufacture.
Page 8
So what happens when production is taken
away from identifiable, and controllable, entities?
Those in power, and those who worry about who
is in power, fear that if anyone can make anything,
who profits? And how do we control what happens in such a world?
Intellectual Property?
Some are born into families with property like
aristocracy, others make enough money to buy
property like yachts, but ideas (intellectual property) are the only form of ‘property’ we all have.
And partly to ensure that ideas, entrepreneurship
and investment in production are not wasted,
ideas have been treated as controllable property
since perhaps around the fifteenth century.
Traditionally a system of
property rights has developed to help reward and
control ideas, allowing
people to profit from
ideas without others
stealing them. These
systems are collectively
known as intellectual
property rights (IPR).
These IPR are typically
split into patents which
protect ideas and inventions, copyright which
protects works of art,
registered designs or design patents which protect the appearance of
something, and trademarks or trademarks
which protect branding.
But what does 3D printing mean for the future
of intellectual property and IPR? And how closely
are the subjects related?
In summary, if you have currently around
£3000 (US $5,000) you can go and buy a 3Dprinter. You’ll need to design something to 3Dprint first, but there are ways of achieving this
stage relatively cheaply and a lot cheaper than all
traditional routes to manufacture. And let’s say
you are skilled enough in design, or really not that
interested in the design of the resulting object (like
those firearm designers by the looks of it). So you
can botch together a 3D design to give your printer something to print, and print it out.
So, in a soon-to-come world when 3D-printers
are available at a fraction of today’s prices and
... Friend or Foe?
widely available and used, and in a world where
we can all dream up, design and manufacture our
own objects, what will happen to the basic notion
of intellectual property, i.e. the notion that when
we have ideas ... we can protect them?
Will it be worth filing for intellectual property
protection, now or in the future?
Design
Perhaps systems will arise to reward product
designs more than underlying ideas and traditional manufacture’s relevance as a route to market
will need to up its game. On the plus side over
the last century quality design and
manufacture has become increasingly widespread across much of
the world as choice increases,
consumers become more discerning, and manufacturing
costs lower. Assuming that
quality home printing in
a variety of materials and
with professional finishing
is still a long way off, a natural consequence is that
even if you can print your
own homemade version,
shop-bought versions will
remain significantly more
attractive, complex and
better-finished for some
time. Perhaps reduced
manufacturing costs for
traditionally manufactured
objects may mean they also
become more reasonably
priced.
Perhaps ideas will become commodities sold like
digital music, under a system similar to barely enforceable copyright, freely passed around by some,
and pretty much reliant on honesty payments and
general convenience of acquisition. Going by the
model shown by copyright this seems to have led
to less money being made by some, but greater
choice and maybe greater equality of reward.
The developing world
Although many nations are in various stages
of development, it seems unlikely that many of
the individuals in developing countries will be
materially wealthy enough, or weary enough with
the traditional methods of production to want
to make the step from empowered consumer to
home manufacturer. And that remains a very large
market, and will be for some time.
Commercialize or die
Perhaps all intellectual property will become
like Pirate Bay and pirated as soon as bought. The
patent system as it stands in particular is ‘a bargain’ whereby you show the world your idea in
return for a time-limited protection over that idea
in a territory. It is already important to recognize
that for example there is nothing to stop you making something (that is patented and successfully
selling in Botswana) in Denmark if there is no patent protection in Denmark. So what actually happens if you can’t prevent free and uncontrolled
dissemination of your idea across the world after
you publish it… will much change for companies
or individuals unable to afford a whole sack of national patents?
Intellectual property rights traditionally protect
those who own the intellectual property from others making, importing to, exporting from, selling
or offering to sell in a particular territory. But there
is also typically an exclusion from all of these for
private purposes. 3D-printing will undoubtedly
make it easier for much larger numbers of individuals to fall under this exclusion, by introducing
a new reality that even those without their own
factories can now use this exclusion to their advantage. But it won’t change the simple fact that
intellectual property regimes are to stop others
commercially exploiting your idea, and will continue to do so. So if someone is making money
by 3D-printing your product and selling it, you
could still stop them. You won’t be able to stop
the guy in Nebraska making his own paperclip.
But you never could... it’s just that there will be
more of them.
It is still likely to be difficult for some to be
able to produce larger or more complex items at
home. And it is likely to still be difficult to produce well-finished products in interesting materials for some time too. The upshot may be in the
medium to long-term simple small items can be
home-produced and therefore will have little value
for intellectual property rights. But on the upside,
a greater spread of designers and manufacturers is
liable to lead to greater creative and inventive output across all fields. Following the theory of the
‘wisdom of crowds’ this in turn is likely to lead to
better inventions and designs for all of us.
Previously published in “IPFrontline”, the newsletter of
PatentCafe®. www.ipfrontline.com www.patentcafe.com
PatentCafe® is the leading provider of intellectual property
asset management (IPAM) software and informational
resources. Reprinted with permission.
Page 9
terms, except for business nomenclature - investors understand biz terms.
3) Have a well organized pitch. Start with an
attention-getter. That’s usually a description of
the problem your invention solves. Then cover
only the main points of the product, the business plan and the value of the venture. Only the
main points; don’t tell every detail. Leave the
details in the paperwork packet you’ve given
them. Don’t worry, if they’re really interested in
your venture they will scrutinize every detail in
the packet. Don’t stumble along and never read
from a script. But read exact numbers, don’t try
to memorize them. Rehearse over and over; individually and as a team. Transition smoothly
from one speaker to the next. That is, have the
inventor describe the problem and the solution
product, the financial wizard walk them through
the numbers, the engineer outline the manufacturing challenges, the sales guru explain the marketing strategy, etc.
4) Put the team’s passion on parade. Each
team member must allow his/her Game of Work
winning attitude, enthusiasm & excitement
about the product, company and venture to
shine through. Remember, the product is the
horse, the business plan is the track, but the
team is the jockey. Be animated and energized
while using straight talk to emphasize the most
important points.
5) Be ready for Q & A. Put yourself in the
investors’ shoes. How would you feel about risking a fortune on the team in front of you? How
is this team, its product & biz plan better than
all the others that the investors are considering?
You will give better answers if you keep thinking from the investors’ perspective. Also, predict
every possible question beforehand and practice
the answers, preferably using the PowerPoint
documentation as references. Especially predict
negative questions, because investors always ask
them. Practice beforehand by playing Devil’s Advocate.
JJ gave us a tip: Investors always ask “Where
do you want to be in three years?” If each team
member gives a different answer, the team is
sunk. So prepare beforehand by having each
member answer that question individually, then
brainstorm to come up with a co-ordinated answer representing the entire team. And rehearse
the answer. Also, the team’s answer to that question will greatly affect the company’s entire business structure and direction. So brainstorm the
question EARLY in the formation of the start-up.
Page 10
BTW, that’s always the first question asked by
business advisors, mentors and consultants, plus
bank loan officers.
Venture capitalists HATE to hear:
n“We plan to flip this company quickly.”
n“Everyone will buy this!”
n“No one else is doing this, we have no competition!”
n“If we just capture 1% of the market, we’ll be billionaires!
”
n“We’re not quite sure how we’ll get this part of the
plan accomplished.”
TEAM TALENT is the key. A start-up team
should initially be about 3-5 people. Must be
well selected, diversified, experienced and seasoned. Venture capitalists must see this. Forget
about the “lone genius inventor/entrepreneur...”
investors must see a talented team!
JJ Roberts and the Tampa Bay Innovation Center are here to help you start and grow a business
around your invention. Check out www.tbInnovates.com.
April 23, 2014
Last week President Wayne toured the future
site of the Community Innovation Center, annexed onto the John F. Germany Public Library
in downtown Tampa. The Center is being set up
now, but when it opens this summer it will be
a fabrication lab for tinkerers like us. A 10,000
square foot state-of-the-art space containing machine shop equipment and a hands-on
workshop, electronics and computer labs, learning and entrepreneurial centers, plus an arts &
crafts center and much more. This is a fantastic
boon for inventors in this area because we can
now fabricate our own prototypes ourselves and
save big bucks! The Center will teach us how to
use all the machines and equipment it has. Get
more info at www.LI4E.org/programs/li4eCommunityInnovationCenter. Wayne said the staff
invited us to hold our meetings there, either occasionally or permanently. We might take up the
offer. Stay tuned.
Next, we’ve heard it over & over before. The
lone inventor never makes a dime from his inventions all by himself. To earn income, the inventor must form a business, and that means
putting together a team. And we’ve heard about
the importance of team building. The right mix
of talents, each member’s weakness should be
another member’s strength, the perfect mix of
creative heads and business brains, etc. We’ve
heard that to find people who might make good
candidates for our biz team, we must network.
That is, meet people who seem to have the right
talents, then hope the pieces will fall into place
and end up with everyone on the team happily making a lot of money while improving the
world.
But the part about the pieces somehow falling
into place; we haven’t heard much about...how.
How can we assess our own strengths and
weaknesses? How can we assess the strengths
and weaknesses of candidates? How can we figure out which person or talent is missing? How
can we find the RIGHT teammates?
Tonight’s meeting was all about a unique new
approach to team building. Our guest speaker
was Stephen Supe, southeast managing partner
of BOSI Global, LLC. As a business consulting
firm, BOSI’s mission is to help new start-ups
put together teams, and to analyze existing companies’ management teams then make recommendations for improvement.
Traditional business schools have always
taught that entrepreneurs are a unique sub-species. Supposedly they possess certain traits and
characteristics than no one else has, and they all
have the very same traits and characteristics. But
the BOSI concept believes that entrepreneurs
do not possess anything special and are not all
the same. BOSI believes there’s an entrepreneur
in everyone.
So BOSI proposes replacing traditional onesize-fits-all entrepreneurial training with a new
approach. The theory is that, insofar as business
is concerned, everyone fits into one of four basic
archetypes: Builders, Opportunists, Specialists,
and Innovators. That’s what the letters “BOSI”
stand for. An ideal business team must contain
all of the four archetypes, and each is clearly
identified and contributes from his/her archetypal standpoint.
The four archetypes:
Builder - Starts a business, grows it and
grows it. Might sell out and start another (in the
same industry or in another) or continue with
the same. Defines success by the size of the
business and/or its possessions (big fancy office,
large number of company trucks, employees,
branch facilities, etc.). His/her only conception
of improving the business is to make it bigger.
Great at starting businesses that actually survive
the first few years. An extroverted charismatic
Pied-Piper, but leaves behind a trail of bodies...
enemies, angry former colleagues and spouses.
Opportunist - Always looking to be in the
right place at the right time, get in on the
ground floor of the next big thing. His/her
goal is to get rich quick, then retire early and
relax permanently. Considers the business he/
she starts as a mere vehicle to accomplish that
goal. Drops one half-finished project as soon as
a more promising one appears. This includes
dropping all employees and other stakeholders
attached to the project. Great franchise owner,
salesman, multi-level marketer or house-flipper.
Often makes a fortune from one project only
to loose it in the next. Into multiple streams of
income. Extroverted, irrationally exuberant and
always optimistic, but has a lack of judgement
from juggling so many things at once.
Specialist - Doctor, lawyer, accountant & engineer are the most well known fields, but also
includes self-employed tradesman, service provider and corporate bureaucrat. Remaining in a
single industry throughout entire career, hates
writing business plans, marketing plans and
strategies. Driven by efficiency and very analytical; prone to “analysis paralysis” from trying to
make every decision perfect. When his/her business has brought him/her the desired income
level, becomes comfortable and loses interest in
expanding or improving the biz; just maintains
it on the plateau.
Innovator - Not driven by money, but by how
much his/her product can improve the world.
Efficiency & detail orientated, prone to “analysis paralysis.” Introverted and preferring things
instead of people, usually “locked into” the
lab or workshop. Hates business management,
business operations & marketing. Has a neverending supply of product ideas, but no concept
of how to profit from them. Sometimes spends
entire life’s savings developing one product idea,
then never brings it to market successfully.
Obviously all the above have their good
points and bad points. None is any more or less
virtuous than the others. It’s not about virtue;
it’s about talent. Each has talent confined to certain categories or situations. The trick is to cast
each into the role he/she is suited for, and set up
checks-&-balances to limit each one’s power;
including your own.
Stephen says it’s very common for a person
to have a major tendency toward one arche-
Page 11
WEBSITES
Brief descriptions in parentheses.
U.S. Gov’t.
U.S. Gov’t. General Information Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FirstGov.gov
USPTO Depository Library (UCF, Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://library.ucf.edu/GovDocs/PatentsTrademarks/default.php
SBIR/STTR (gov’t. wants inventions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir
Nat’l. Standards (gov’t. helps inventor’s business) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nist.gov/tip
D.O.D. Tech Match (military R&D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DODTechMatch.com
Patent Offices, Patent Search
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uspto.gov
European Patent Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.epo.org
Google Patent Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.google.com/patents
State Gov’t.
Florida Department of Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.state.fl.us/dor
New Business Start Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sunbiz.org
USF Technology Incubator (free help to inventors; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.incubator.usf.edu
Tampa Bay Innovation Center (STAR TEC, business incubation; Largo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tbInnovates.com
Gazelle Lab (biz incubation; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://GazelleLab.com
Inventor’s Education, Advice, Books, Lessons, Info, Etc.
Edison Inventors Ass’n. (non-profit inventors’ club; Ft. Myers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdisonInventors.org
Inventors Council of Central Fla. (non-profit inventors’ club; Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorsCouncilCentralFLA.us
World Intellectual Property Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wipo.org
National Inventor Fraud Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorFraud.com
United Inventors Ass’n. (large nat’l. org.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.uiaUSA.org
Inventors Digest (magazine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorsDigest.com
Pantros IP (patent research) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.PantrosIP.com
InventionScore(evaluation service, Patrick Raymond) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MyInventionScore.com
Inventor’s Blueprint (training, Ryan Grepper) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorsBlueprint.com
EdisonNation (education, contests, info) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdisonNation.com
Everyday Edisons (P.B.S. show, contests) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EverydayEdisons.com
Idea Next Step (on-line contests) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaNextStep.com
From Patent to Profit (Bob DeMatteis) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FromPatentToProfit.com
Inventor Mentor (Jack Lander) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventor-mentor.com
The Basics of Patenting & Innovating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventors.about.com/od/firststeps
Ask The Inventors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AskTheInventors.com
Inventions.com (inventor’s directory) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inventions.com
Lloyd Marketing Group (Lisa Lloyd) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.LloydMarketingGroup.com
InventNet - Inventor’s Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventNet.com
MIT-Lemelson Inventors Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://web.mit.edu/invent
Intnat’l. Federation of Inventor Ass’ns. (Budapest, Hungary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-ifia.ch
Intnat’l. Development Enterprises (nonprofit, 3rd world inventing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ideorg.org
Innovation TRIZ (problem solving method) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.innovation-triz.com
ASIT (inventor’s problem solving method) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.start2think.com
Invention Machine (R&D problem-solving software) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-machine.com
KeyWord Patent Search (workbook) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.USIntellectualPropertyAttorney.com/PatentSearching.html
Stephen Key (inventor’s blog, coaching) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://StephenKey.com
Product Design, Prototyping, Manufacturing
Source Direct (design, manufacture, distribution; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TheSourceDirect.net
Evo Prototyping (rapid prototyping; Ft. Lauderdale) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EvoPrototyping.com
EMS, Inc. (rapid prototyping; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ems-usa.com
Complete Product Development (Randy Landreneau; Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CompleteProductDevelopment.com
R&R Associates (product design, prototyping; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.RnRAssociates.com
Invention-Aids (rendering & virtual prototypes, Mal Greenberg; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.invention-aids.com
Duracon, Inc. (Voytek Beldycki; Venice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DuraconInc.com
Delaney Manuf’ing (Injec’n molding, product des., prototype; Sarasota) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DelaneyManufacturing.com
Chapman Mold (Brooksville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chapman-mold.com
Oaks Partners, TAEUS (design strategy, Dan Messick; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.opLLC.us
Trident Design (product design, prototyping, licensing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.trident-design.com
eMachineShop (product design, prototyping, free CAD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.eMachineShop.com
Machine Design (rapid design & prototyping info.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://MachineDesign.com
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://chapters.sme.org/159/homepage.htm
Marketing Services
Innovative Product Technologies (Pam Riddle-Bird; Gainesville) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventOne.com
Hill, Coniglio & Polins (market research, planning, ads; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.HCPAssociates.com
My Marketing Dept., Inc. (Allen Jernigan; St. Pete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MMDept.com
Grapple Hook Marketing (mkt. research for industrial products; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.GrappleHook.com
My Cool Inventions (radio show, marketing; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MyCoolInventions.com
Package Management Group, Inc. (packaging & marketing; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pmg-packaging.com
Market Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MarketLaunchers.com
Idea Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaVillage.com
Wal-Mart (new product contests) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.GetOnTheShelf.com
Impama (invention marketplace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.inpama.com
One Stop Invention Shop (Don Debelak) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://OneStopInventionShop.net
Page 12
Licensing Agents
Invention Home (household products) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventionHome.com
DaVinci Legacy Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DaVinciLegacyGroup.com
Next Techs (patent sales broker, venture capital) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.NextTechs.com
Patent Lawyers, Patent Agents, Legal Services
Suzett Marteny (reg. patent att’y.; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.MartenyLaw.com
Ed Dutkiewicz (reg. patent att’y.; Dade City) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EdDuke.com
Dave Kiewit (reg. patent agent; St. Pete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.patent-faq.com
Smith & Hopen (reg. patent att’y.; Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.SmithHopen.com
Stephen Powers (patent agent; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.GulfCoastIP.com
Mike Colitz (reg. patent att’y.; Dunedin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.colitz.com
Brent Britton (reg. patent att’y.; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ssd.com
Inventor’s All-In-One Services
Inventors Launch Pad (Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventorsLaunchPad.com
Veritek EMP (Colorado) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.veritek.com
Big Idea Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.BigIdeaGroup.net
Widgeteer, Inc. (home and kitchen gadgets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://WidgeteerInc.com
Quirky (crowd-sourcing, evaluation & assistance) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.quirky.com
Idea Connection (innovation hosting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IdeaConnection.com
Innovative Consulting Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.biz-consult.com/ICG/
Jetta Co. (toys, electronics; Hong Kong) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jetta.com.hk
Trade Shows
Invention Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.InventionConnection.com
Trade Show Nat’l. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tsnn.com
ERA Invention Showcase (Electronic Retailers Ass’n.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://retailing.org
Catalogs, Mail Order
Nat’l. Mail Order Ass’n. (info. about catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nmoa.org
Catalog Link (info. about catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CatalogLink.com
Catalog Times (learn to sell thru catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CatalogTimes.com
Tilbury Direct Marketing (agent representing many catalogs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://CatalogRep.com
Business Data & Info.
SCORE (Service Core Of Retired Executives) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.score.org
Small Business Development Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.asbdc-us.org
Small Business Administration (loans & loan info) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sba.gov
Entrepreneurial Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.entre-ed.org
Start Up Nation (business education) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.StartUpNation.com/topics/11/Inventing.htm
Florida Women’s Business Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.flwbc.org
World’s Market Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.WorldOpinion.com
Thomas Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ThomasNet.com
Hoovers On-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hoovers.com
Industry Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://Research.ThomsonIB.com/
Funding, Angel Investors, Venture Capital
Angel Capital Ass’n. (angel groups, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AngelCapitalAssociation.org
Alliance of Angels (angel groups) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://AllianceOfAngels.com
National Venture Capital Ass’n. (VC groups, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nvca.org
Florida Venture Forum (VC education, non-profit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FloridaVentureForum.org
Quintic Capital, LLC (angels, VC, coaching; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://quintic-capital.com
Go4Funding (angels, VC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.Go4Funding.com
AngelList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (secret website) http://angel.co/
CEO Space (international networking club) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CEOSpace.net
ClickStartMe (donation & equity crowd-funding, Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ClickStartMe.com
FundAGeek (crowd-funding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.FundAGeek.com
KickStarter (crowd-sourcing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.KickStarter.com
Indiegogo (crowd-funding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.IndieGoGo.com
CrowdFunding Boot-Camp (June Hollister; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CrowdFundingBC.com
TIE Tampa (Intnat’l. biz network; Tampa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TieTampa.com
CAD Software (Computer Aided Design)
CAD Std (free 2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cadstd.com
Alibre (free 2D & 3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.alibre.com/promos/online/personal.asp
CoCreate (free 3D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CoCreate.com/products/PE2/ModelingPE2.aspx
Parts, Supplies, Materials
Don’s Salvage Yard (used stuff; Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.DonsMarineSalvageYard.com
Skycraft Electronic Parts (new parts, Orlando) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.SkycraftSurplus.com
American Science & Surplus (mechanical & electrical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sciplus.com
W. M. Berg, Inc. (small parts supplier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wmberg.com
McMaster-Carr (industrial supply) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.mcmaster.com
American Plastics Supply (supplier & manf’er.;Clearwater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.AmericanPlasticSupply.com
ADVERTISE WITH TBIC!
TBIC is now accepting advertisers for the TBIC Newsletter! If you would like to place an
ad please contact the TBIC Main office at: 727-565-2085
Page 13
Past Meeting Summary
(Continued from Page 11)
type, and a minor tendency toward another.
Most inventors are major innovator and minor specialist, though some are the reverse.
Also, a person’s archetype(s) can change over
time. Typically about ten years. And a person
can deliberately change archetype, if he/she
chooses to, studies the basics and sticks with
it. Sometimes circumstance forces one to
change.
Stephen’s advice to innovators like us:
nUse non-disclosure agreements with people
outside your team.
nUse buy/sell agreements and operating agreements with partners inside your team.
nIn addition to having a paid business team
(board-of-directors), also get an unpaid boardof-advisors. Check business incubators for
them.
nResist the temptation of hiring or partnering with
people who love your invention. Instead look for
people who can get the job done.
nBe on guard against over-paying people. Inventors are prone to doing this.
nKeep thinking about use of funds. What is the
biz going to do with the next round of investor
money? With early revenue? With later revenue?
Be very specific.
nBanish all thoughts of “everyone will want this.”
The entire world is not your market. It’s no one’s
market.
nBefore you start looking for team members,
clearly figure out if you want to manufacture or
license. Then build a team accordingly. Don’t
build a team and then argue about which direction to go.
As mentioned earlier, the ideal business
team contains members from all four archetypes. This means each member’s weak point
is another member’s strong point. Stephen
says innovators tend to hire innovators, specialists tend to hire specialists; and that’s bad.
Also, builders and opportunists tend to hire
whomever they need at the moment to reach
their own goals; but drive them crazy. That’s
bad too.
BOSI Global offers training and consultation to assist start-ups and established businesses with putting together well-rounded
management teams. Stephen Supe is the regional managing partner, and he’s headquartered in Sarasota. Learn more about this new
approach to entrepreneurship at www.BOSIglobal.com.
Page 14
TBIC Members are entitled to
receive Discount Subscriptions
to Inventors Digest Magazine!
Inventors Digest is the official publication of the United
Inventors Association. TBIC
is an affiliate member of the
U.I.A. and therefore TBIC
members are entitled to a discount on the price of Inventors Digest subscriptions.
Regular Price Discount Price
$36 for 1 year$27 for 1 year
TBIC Members can get this
discount when subscribing
(or renewing) ONLY by phone or
snail-mail, not through Inventors
Digest’s website.
Phone: (800) 838-8808
Ask for the Account Manager
and explain that you are a TBIC
member and ask for the discount.
Snail-Mail: Send your check and a note
that explains the above to:
Inventors Digest
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Officers &
Board of Directors
A Student Member at the $25.00 rate
must be an active student enrolled in
an accredited school. They may attend
meetings and receive the Newsletter.
Officers &
Sustaining Member
Wayne
Rasanen
President
Board
of Directors
A Sustaining
Student
Member Member ($75.00 per yeargoodharbinger@yahoo.com
President
see
below)
enjoys
the
benefit
of
attendA Student Member at the $25 rate must be an active student
Wayne Rasanen
ing meetings,
seminars,school.
socializing
andattendAndrew
enrolled
in an accredited
They may
meetings Yauch
and - Vice President
Vice President
networking
with
other
members,
receivreceive the Newsletter.
Pam French
ing the Newsletter and participating as
Gayla
Kilbride
Treasurer
Sustaining
Member
Secretary
a reviewer
in our Focus Groups. They
A Sustaining
year- see below) enjoys the
Rob Aiken
are
allowed toMember
present($75
theirperprotected
Robert
Aiken
Secretary
benefit
of attending
meetings,
seminars,
socializing and networkproduct
to all of the
various
companies
Treasurer
ing
withas
other
members, and
receiving
the comNewsletter and participat(such
informercial
catalog
Mark Peterson
Board
Members;
ing
as a reviewer
in ourtoFocus
Groups.
to pres-Beldycki Board Members
panies)
that come
the TBIC
to They
find are allowed
Wojciech
new
products
forproduct
the market.
Members
ent
their
protected
to all of
the various companies
(such
Voytek Beldycki
Earl
Deen
find and
other
members
with that
thecome toKirk
asusually
informercial
catalog
companies)
the TBIC
to
Brad Bridgham
Hamlin
prototyping
knowledge
they need,
and usually
find
new products
for the market.
Members
find Jernigan
other
Allen
Diane MacKay
pay
that
member
for
their
time
and
for
members with the prototyping knowledge they need,
and
pay
Mark
Peterson
Joe Navarro
prototyping
materials
used.
that
member for
their time
and Sustaining
for prototyping materials used.
Jeff Tyszko
members
may
ask
to
have
a
free
Focus
Sustaining members may ask to have a free FocusFounder
Group done
Ron E. Smith
Group
done onandtheir
producttoand
are their product in our
Founder
on
their product
are allowed
display
allowed
to
display
their
product
in
our
Ron
E. Smith
designated display area.
designated display area.
Dues Descriptions
T.B.I.C. Prorated Sustaining Membership Dues Schedule
$75 per year, prorated.
Renewal date: 01 January.
People
who join
in the
month
of:
pay this
amount:
until...
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May June
July
Aug. Sept. Oct.
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...until the following Jan. 1st.
Then they renew their membership for a full year at $75.
Visitors Welcome
Welcome
Visitors
The Board of Directors of TBIC
wants
welcome
all visitors.
AdThe toBoard
of Directors
of TBIC
mission for visitors is $5.00 per
wants
to
welcome
all
visitors.
meeting, unless accompanied byAdan
mission
for visitors
is $5.00
per
active member.
We hope
that you
meeting,
unless
accompanied
can see the
benefits
of becomingbya
an
active Our
member.
We
hope
that
member!
Bylaws
allow
visitors
you
can see
benefits
of becomto attend
twothe
meetings
without
obliing
a member!
gation
to join. Our Bylaws allow
visitors to attend two meetings
without obligation to join.
Please Respect
Respect the
Please
theOther
OtherMembers
Members
At a recent Board Meeting, several members said
At ahave
recent
Boardcomplaints
Meeting, about
severaltalking
members
they
received
in thesaid
backthey
have
received
complaints
about
talking inis the
back of the
of the
meeting
room while
the meeting
in progress.
Somewhile
of our
hard
of hearing,
room
themembers
meetingare
is in
progress.
Someand
of as
oursuch
memfindare
it difficult
to hear the
is competbers
hard of hearing,
andpresentation
as such findifititdifficult
to hear
ingpresentation
with talking ifinitbackground.
acknowledge
the
is competingWhile
with we
other
noises. While
that networking is vital for all of us, we ask in the future
we
acknowledge
that
networking
is
vital
for
allthe
of preus, we
that our members try to network before or after
ask
that ourIt members
to network ifbefore
or after the
sentation.
would alsotry
be appreciated
all cell-phones
presentation.
It would
also be
appreciated
if all cell-phones
were put on silent
answer
during
the meeting.
were put on silent.Thank you! - Your Board Of Directors
Thank you! - Your Board Of Directors
Members are invited to write letters for inclusion in the newsletter. Email to robertraiken@verizon.net or
aletha@alethalady.com, fax to 727-547-5490 or mail to TBIC at our office address. Letters should be brief, to
the Members
point, andare
be invited
accompanied
byletters
member
email
and phone
number.
Letters may be edited forfax to
to write
forname,
inclusion
inaddress
the newsletter.
Email
to robertraiken@verizon.net,
clarity,
taste andorlength.
will
printed
as room
permits.
727-547-5490
mail toLetters
TBIC at
ourbeoffice
address.
Letters
should be brief, to the point, and be accompanied by
member name, email address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.
Letters
Page
15 will
be printed as room permits.
Newsletter Staff
Executive Editor George Mouzakis
Contributing Editor Robert Aiken
To submit articles, send emails to: robertraiken@verizon.net
Submissions must be received by the first Tuesday of odd months.
The Tampa Bay Inventor’s Council (TBIC) is a corporation as
defined in Chapter 617, Florida Statutes, as a not-for-profit. The
corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, educational
and scientific purposes. The TBIC is a 501(c)(3) charitable
corporation, which allows the receiving of tax deductible
contributions of goods and services. There are over 150 active
members willing to share their expertise and experiences with
fellow inventors.
Page 15
I n d u s t r i a l
J o e
&
M e c h a n i c a l
N a v a r r o
Principal
Design
D e s i g n
J r .
Consultant
Over Twenty Five Years | Design | Engineering | Manufacturing
Product Design
Concept to Production
Design for Manufacture
3D CAD Design
CAD models for Visualization, Prototype & Production
Rapid Prototyping (3d printing), Tool Making, CNC, Analysis,
Graphics, Patent Drawings
Extensive Experience
Consumer, Commercial, Medical, Industrial,
Military, & Aerospace
Plastics, Metals, Composites
3D CAD design using Pro/Engineer
www.ptc.com
N a v a r r o
D e s i g n
I n c
| Mobile: 727.421.1941
| joe@navarro-design.com
PO BOX 2628 | LARGO | FL | 33779
Office: 727.581.0766

May/June Newsletter - The Tampa Bay Inventors Council

Transcription

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