Advice

(c) Warner Bros.THIS IS SPARTA! If those three words haven't echoed through your family room over the last few weeks, you haven't been watching much TV. "300" is tops at the box office, with the highest March opening for a film ever. And while the movie itself, with its hyper-stylized violence and groteque baddies, may not be your cup of tea, within the movie is a message about being true to your vision and values, and not letting those be corrupted, no matter how great the reward...an important lesson for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking for their big break. So strap on that leather loincloth and grab your shield. In this latest installment of "What I Learned From..." we're going to Thermopylae. read more »

Yes, I know, "There's no such thing as the perfect trademark search." That's the favorite caveat of every searcher and trademark attorney (just in case they flub-up). But you and/or your professional search team have done the most thorough trademark search you could do... The time has come. File that trademark application!

I hope that the actual filing will not be anticlimactic for you, because the Trademark Office has made applying so easy with the new TEAS Plus application.

Still, I have a few tips to make it even smoother.... read more »

What's the worst part of relying on WiFi to run your business? The unpredictability! Many stores and restaurants advertise as being WiFi-ready, but you never know until you show up whether or not it actually works the way you need it to, or worse, whether or not you have to pay! Enter FON, a Spanish company backed by the likes of Skype and Google to develop a community-based WiFi network that literally spans the globe. And with limited penetration in the U.S., FON presents a unique opportunity for enterprising minds looking to make a little money on the explosion of wireless connectivity. read more »

The innocents do a Google or Yahoo search for their trademarks. Then they visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office, enter their favorite trademark in the blank box and no results are returned. Hurrah! Voila! This clever, creative, boss, rad, cool, hot trademark is all mine!

 

Little do they know... read more »

Need a better way to do market research?

Patrick Misterovich, our Guest Blogger, is a stay-at-home dad to three young boys and spare-time entrepreneur. He created the PEZ MP3 Player and
helped create the Helmet MP3 Player. His one-man company is Lincoln West
Studio, LLC. He wanted to share some helpful tips with the inventors and entreprenuers at AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article
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How do you know your great idea is really great? read more »

Have an invention idea? Need help and advice about your invention?

Ed Zimmer has written what I think is one of the best articles on the web for inventors, "New Product Licensing" on his helpful website The Entrepreneurs Network.

We published Part I and Part II earlier this week. Here's Part III of his article: read more »

Have an invention idea? Need help and advice about your invention?

Ed Zimmer has written what I think is one of the best articles on the web for inventors, "New Product Licensing" on his helpful website The Entrepreneurs Network.

Yesterday, we had Part I. Here's Part II of his article: read more »

Have an invention idea? Need help and advice about your invention?

Ed Zimmer has written what I think is one of the best articles on the web for inventors, "New Product Licensing" on his helpful website The Entrepreneurs Network.

I thought is was one of the best distillations of the challenges of the invention process and it offers priceless advice for inventors. Here's Part I of his article:

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You have a new product idea that you believe would sell very well were it only available on the market -- but you don't have the time or resources to "venture" the product, i.e., to manufacture it (or have it contract-manufactured) and sell it yourself. What now? read more »

Realistically, the best advice you could be given is to forget the idea -- and get on with your life.

So you finally make it to the big presentation. That big sales call. Or you find yourself standing before a panel of judges in a contest. What do you do? How should you approach the situation? How do you get inside their heads? How do you convince them that your idea has value? Let's see what a recent film about one of the deadliest and most depressing battles of WWII has to say about the issue. read more »

Thinking about manufacturing your product overseas?

Our Guest Blogger, Ashton Udall, is a partner at Global Sourcing Specialists , a product development and sourcing firm that assists businesses, inventors, and start-ups tap overseas resources to succeed in the global economy. He has helpful advice on finding Asian manufacturing partners for the readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article:

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Today, Asia is a hot topic amongst small businesses and inventors who want to benefit from the cost-savings there. If you are taking a product to market that will compete against products that have been on the market for some time, you might have no choice but to begin manufacturing overseas. Whatever your impetus, it's a topic that's worth becoming familiar with when you assess manufacturing options for your product. read more »

Any marketer can get a product placement into a movie, TV show, or video game. But if you're really clever, you'll do just the opposite...find ways to turn fictional products into real ones. In this post we look at the new product development strategy called "reverse placement". read more »

I wanted to name my massage tools "Knuckles" because they are based on shiatsu massage, often accomplished with the knuckles of a massage practitioner's hands. But the word "knuckles" looked funny to me. When I transcribed "knuckles" more phonetically, the brand perked up! "Nukkles" said "fun," and "feel good," and it was zippy, and yes, it said the product feels like knuckles! read more »

Here are 10 tips to help you reach the perfect brand name for your new invention!

I'm a big believer that what you find to be true in one area of life often has far-reaching implications for other areas of your life. So I'm starting this series on little nuggets of truth, advice or experience that I come across that are relevant to the world of inventing, small business and entrepreneurship and that I hope will give all of you who have joined me in this often crazy, unpredictable and dangerously fun world something to think about. And what better way to start than with a little anarchy... read more »

Inventors need partners highly skilled in their fields, but flexible in their approach. Good listeners. Adventurers. Partners who create a plan for the product, not squeeze a product into a plan. read more »

For some of us, it's really hard to take the invention reigns into our own hands; we tend to feel so beholden to a company that's interested in our product. But licensing is a business, and you have to behave like a business person in order to protect your interests. If a company is offended by you requesting the information you need, consider yourself saved from a bad or incredibly bad licensee! read more »

This Sunday, on the LifeTime Television show Health Corner hosted by Leeza Gibbons, Jodi Pliszka, inventor of Headline-It and one of the top twelve finalist on the American Inventor television show, will be featured at 9:30 a.m. / 8:30 a.m. central. Please make sure to catch the show if you can.

Jodi Pliszka is our special Guest Blogger today. In anticipation of the upcoming auditions for Season Two of American Inventor, she had some helpful advice for inventors interested in auditioning.

Here's her article: read more »

It's hard work being an inventor!Patent, schmatent. You don't need one right now. You want to just get your idea to market! Ok. I am finally turning my attention to the entrepreneurs among you. I warn you I'm not letting you totally off the patent hook, but I sympathize with your impatience. Actually, my most successful products, those in the Nukkles® line, were marketed while I was in the patent process, and I used the money from their sales to pay for the patent! But whether you eventually decide to go for a patent or not, if you're serious about getting your product on the market, you will have to put on the entrenpreneur's cap sooner, I advise, rather than later. So, let's get started! read more »

 After you have reviewed, assimilated, and discussed the results of your patentability opinion with your patent attorney, you will have enough information about your idea to make some informed decisions about the direction of your invention.

 Having that information gives you a real sense of accomplishment and power. From this point until your product is selling, you get to feel power and accomplishment... ah... not that many times. So enjoy it!

 Here's a glimpse into what to expect from the full patent process, as well as ways you can use the patent work you've already done to get more marketing information... also crucial to your decision to go for the full patent.

  read more »

Do you know when is the best time to send out your invention?

Our guest blogger Roger Brown is a freelance Inventor who has successfully marketed tools, toys and a kitchen utensil without the aid of an Invention Submission Firm. You can see some of his inventions at rogerbrown.net. He graciously agreed to share with readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com some valuable advice.

Here's his article: read more »

A professional patentability search and opinion provides invaluable information to help you decide whether or not to apply for a patent. If your own research has indicated you've got a hot idea, then find the money to commission a qualified patent attorney in your field to do this paper for you.

Read about what a patentability search entails and what to expect from the patent attorney's opinion.... read more »