Welcome to this podcast where we get a peep into the world of patents and business ventures. Whether you’re here out of curiosity or considering your own entrepreneurial journey, I hope to provide you with insights into the processes involved. Join me as we discover what it takes to navigate these domains and empower yourself with knowledge

Step 1. Ask yourself these questions?

Do you have an idea? Have you ever dreamed of inventing something or starting your own business?  What is stopping you?  Instead of asking why, ask why not; and start it.  You need to make sure that what you are inventing is going to sell. Is it useful? Does it solve a problem? Is there anything else like it?  Is it Unique? Are people going to buy it?  Is it manageable in size for mailing and shipping? These are just a few questions you need to make sure and answer before setting out on this adventure.

There is so much information nowadays from books, and online and if you start getting the right network, there are many willing to answer questions and get you pointed in the right direction.  This smaller group of entrepreneurs and manufacturers are willing to help you out and answer questions. I never called anyone that was not willing to point me in the right direction.  I felt like this group of entrepreneurs is a unique group and so different than working in the corporate world of some people willing to step on others to get where they want to go and not caring who they step on.  I don’t like that type of character or attitude in co-workers, and it makes it hard to know who to trust and do they have your best interest in mind.

Working at a school system was better in that everyone had their own classroom and you helped support other teachers in the teaching profession, and teachers don’t go into teaching for the pay, they teach because they love the kids.  This dives into a whole different podcast or blog that we will touch on later.  Hopefully, this information can get you on the right track or help explain what the process is and what to expect for a patent or starting your own business.

Step 2. It takes time to move forward with a patent, make sure you have the funding

Getting a patent started is a timely process so you will need to have funding available.  The time it takes for an engineer to find the correct design, prototype, create the mold for the prototype, and start marketing took me almost three years and I am told this is typical.  Now you also need to understand this was right as COVID hit so you can take or leave about a year as everything was shut down for at least four months and then companies and schools started getting back to person-to-person meetings and lots of Zoom meetings. I was amazed at how hard it was to try and explain my invention, even with samples provided and showing them exactly what I wanted.

The problem was finding the material to use.  This product had not been produced before so there was nothing to show as an example.  I am not an expert on what materials were available.  The engineer tried several different prototypes that were not working, saying that he wouldn’t be able to find something strong enough for the “pin” or sharp end part of the prototype of the TAGit product and trying to put metal into plastic or completely out of metal would be too expensive.  After several “fails”, with trying different designs and materials we ended up talking to a plastics manufacturer and he showed us how hard the plastic was on sheetrock anchors and how thin they could get the edge of those anchors.  The straight pin had not been used with the plastic, but he felt we could get there.  I still was not being understood that the “pin” part of TAGit would have to penetrate fragile material.  This pin would have to be very thin, able to penetrate fabric and connect on the other side to hold it together.   

Trying to explain what I needed was frustrating.  When the engineer told me that basically it couldn’t be done, I ended up going to the Dollar Store, found a plastic motorcycle and cut the spokes out of the wheel to show the engineer and manufacturer what I was looking for.  Showing that the spoke on the motorcycle wheel was the diameter and length I was needing and if China could make it happen on a child’s toy; why couldn’t we make it happen? What I had in my head for the design, was not easy to explain, or the engineer and I were not seeing eye to eye.  Research and be ready with as much information as possible about the design and materials you are planning to use.  Keep asking questions, keep explaining, and keep talking with everyone involved in the process to make sure they clearly understand what is needed.  This is going to be your product, keep challenging them, if you don’t…no one will. 

Step 3 Gather all information on how to start the process of obtaining a patent

I started first on my journey by searching YouTube for videos on patent information. I also purchased the book Invent it, Sell it, Bank it!, by Lori Greiner, known for her role on Shark Tank.  This book had good basic information on how to get started on the process and checklists to provide examples.  A suggestion I would add to the process would be to contact a patent attorney in your area and ask if they know of a reputable business helping inventors access this process.  The patent information I found took me to research manufacturers and patent attorneys on the internet.  This took time and this process started to become overwhelming due to all the information out there.

I felt I was going into a black hole and didn’t know where to start because there began to be too much information, just as I was about to can this idea and give up,  I came across Oklahoma State University’s New Product Development Center. This is the institution I graduated from in my state.  The university uses engineering students to help with costs and I was excited at the thought of working with my alma mater. I called to see what the process was and how this center worked. The New Product Development Center helps to provide engineering technical assistance, research, and development support with inventor assistance programming.  They use engineering interns to experience if the product can be produced and provide a CAD drawing.  They connect businesses, manufacturers, and inventors with university resources that help develop new technologies to impact Oklahoma.  Students engage with “real work” experience, so the cost is low, and they benefit from the real process. The process for every patent is different and the journey is different for everyone.

This contact with OSU was able to provide real support and put me in contact with others who made this reality happen. The application for the New Product Development Center was $150.00 for an initial search to see if there was something already out there similar to what we were looking for with the TAGit product and the report is intended to assist in understanding the market and help you to decide on whether to move forward with your invention.  Some may find that their product is no longer worth pursuing because of prior art issues, or the market you are looking into is too saturated with competition.

To recap today’s discussion:

Step 1 – Just do it!  What is holding you back, start researching and asking questions.

Step 2- Make sure you know what to expect, hopefully, I can help explain this process to you in this and future podcasts and how are you going to move forward, maybe working as a side hustle until things get going or at least until you roll out the product after a website has been set up

Step 3 -Before you start talking to anyone, make sure you get your idea as close as possible to the correct materials and design you are planning to use.  The TAGit originally had a piece of ribbon that would wrap around the edge of the garment so you could see it better, but we couldn’t find a way to attach this to the design so we realized we didn’t even need it as the tag would be showing the color.

I will be continuing this process in the next podcast, and I want to encourage you to ask yourself pivotal questions as I share insights into the importance of persistence, setbacks, and the power of networking.

As Shannon Wilburn, CEO and now turned coach of Shine Executive Leadership Coaching shares in her blog  “Founders and entrepreneurs are the risk-averse crowd that the rest of the world needs. We need creative and innovative people to try and fail, and try and fail, and try and fail so the rest of us don’t have to. We need the enthusiasm and irrational positivity of founders who have a love for creating something from scratch, from an idea, from nothing!!!”  Thank you Shannon for giving my job a “Title” and yes, you are welcome for my irrational positivity!

Now go and get creative!