Dr. David Gruder Talks the 7 Proofs to Success and Making Integrity Profitable

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hi everyone and welcome to inventors
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Launchpad roadmap to success I am Carmine
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Denisco your host for this edition of
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inventors launch pad and today on the
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show we have an inventor he's an
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innovator he's an entrepreneur the great
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thing about this particular guest is he
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donates a huge portion of his time to
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United inventors Association he is
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actually the president of the uia and
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his name is Warren Tuttle we have on the
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line and I'm honored to have him on the
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show hey Warren are you over there i am
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here thank you hey Warren thank you for
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being on the show today and before we
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get started I want to thank you
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personally for using your time in
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donating so much time to helping
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inventors I don't know how many people
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might thank you but I really really want
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to thank you for doing that for the
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events that are out there well that's
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really nice comments thank you kindly
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you know we have all been touched by
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this industry and I've been fortunate to
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meet a lot of wonderful inventors and
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makers innovators and have had a lot of
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hip products so it's my pleasure really
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to give something back you know and I
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think I think for many of us I'm sure
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you feel the same way you know giving
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back is in what you're doing here in
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hand hosting these shows and educating
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people it's all it's all part of a
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family of giving back so thank you come
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oh no no criminal I I totally agree and
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that's what it is I mean as we talked
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about and I know you probably say no one
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really does the thing that is great
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alone and I think that just you helping
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out and doing things just that little
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bit of information that little jump that
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little push over that fence can really
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help those innovators those inventors
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and real quick how did you get started
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with the OIA was it something that you
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joined years ago where they approached
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you well good question i am not sure how
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far back i should take it crab fritters
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but if you're talking about offline
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before you know i started my career in
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retailing out of college many many years
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ago as a new york-based brooklyn-based
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harvest or called Abrahamic Strauss
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doesn't exist any longer today but one
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of the one of the great stores in
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America one of the great fire training
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programs many of the people that start
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at Bed Bath came out of a net Adriana
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Strauss is a a lot of people I still
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work with today it was Lizzie was a
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great great training ground back in the
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day so I learned retailing then I
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started my own businesses just shooting
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through the years I had six of my own
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stores called the complete kitchen that
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were similar to williams-sonoma stores
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this is after i was a buyer to NFS end
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up here up in Connecticut Westchester
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County and then I started a food
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business called the good food store and
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at a cooking school on kitchen design is
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I had about 65 employees at one time in
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only the locations and one day and
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inventor walked in off the street
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literally and he had a product called
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misto the olive oil sprayer and I think
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I told him I didn't have time to see him
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go he wouldn't take no for an answer
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here's a classic inventor probably the
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first real inventor but this is back in
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the 90s and once he showed me the
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product I fell in love with it was ended
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up being called mr. Leal grill for me
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olive oil sprayer and i ended up teaming
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up with Tom rishta to we went out and
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sold millions and millions of Miss toads
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and it was it was an inventor that
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developed this in his garage and came in
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with the prototype and we ended up
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taking it to market together and he was
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a phenomenal experience and pretty soon
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I lost interest in my source if I
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decided that I like this world of
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launching products so I got involved in
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several other products launching them
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with other inventors my next one was a
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total failure we won't talk about that
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there's not enough time today to therapy
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are you saying are you saying not not
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every product is a home run I was so
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lucky out of the gate to be associated
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with Tom and it was a hit product and he
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had developed it and and well it became
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a hit product every week we told the
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first pieces but it was I look back down
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and realized we were very fortunate at
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the time you're right i thought
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everything was everything was easy you
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know and but but the next product we
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won't talk wheels a saucepan stirring
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devices it was a brilliant brilliant
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brilliant plan but
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it failed and and in the meanwhile I had
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a guy another inventor who kept ringing
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me a product over and over and over
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again cults that ended up being called
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smart spin and I kept telling him I
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didn't have enough time for him because
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I was trying to clean up you know the
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problems with the earlier one so he
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waited about almost a year and then
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finally i finished my obligations
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financial obligations to my other
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partners and I called them up and we
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took smart screen to Margot and we were
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right back in the rodeo yet we saw we
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put on the RTV and result I think over
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10 10 10 million so so anyway I don't
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know if you can see my hand but my
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career was kind of going up and now and
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I was you know I you know was stabilized
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a little bit i had a couple of other
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products that worked on it we're okay
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and I mean why I learned a lot a lot a
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lot a lot a lot of valuable lessons
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about how to do things not to do that
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means self-taught and but I pretty much
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knew the retail landscape pretty well
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and and and learned a lot about
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development and so forth and then a
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large company hadn't housewares business
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called lifetime grants to notice of what
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I was doing and asked me if I could help
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them with a manager on their program was
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the first time I thought well maybe I
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could team up so ten years ago i started
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a what we call an open innovation
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program with lifetime brands i'm an
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independent outside contractor
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consultant and i work very closely with
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the management the company and we funnel
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in thousands and thousands of weeds
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every year to left I brands and I invest
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them and I pull them together in a
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lifetime license eight or ten of them a
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year and we want to do that program so
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and so I sort of vetted in a long the
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way so the answer your question back
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five minutes ago wait a min I i asked
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the question so coming back around drew
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so along the way as I was learning more
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about product development and getting
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things that I noticed that there was a
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local inventor club in my area called
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unit called the Venice Association
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connecticut and i joined it and i
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started going there meetings and meeting
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other and inventors of product
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developers sister and i ended up getting
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on getting involved in it and for this
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parallel path and then eventually I got
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notice by the National Board there is
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naturally nine minutes ago so they asked
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me eventually we come on board and then
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next thing you know it I became
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president so so this parallel path of
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helping inventors and then helping the
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company and developing the company part
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when in parallel with with this
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nonprofit mission of giving something
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back to inventors and it's been a real
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pleasure to do both sides simultaneously
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Wow well it's amazing to me yes that you
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had no thoughts about being an inventor
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until this gentleman walked in your
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store yeah yeah yeah and I need to be
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honest with folks i am not a good
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inventor oh I am NOT I suck as a runner
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really i really respect inventors
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because i can relate to a minute and i
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know the process and I know it's
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involved in product development but I'm
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like a chef who has no taste you know
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I'm like a baseball player that can't
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hit a curve ball what I am really good
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at spotting I'd be a good general
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manager in this one brecon spot talent
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and because I can relate to inventors
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and all that they go through and I've
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been in my own business many many years
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I relate to them so I realized that my
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role was more in helping inventors
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represent them advocate for them
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understand them and then try to try to
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translate what it is that they're trying
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to say often so that big companies
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because I I'm not wearing a student I
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today but I can put the suit and tie on
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like tomorrow I'll be a lifetime brands
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all day and I can I could play that role
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so because of my background so I'm I'm a
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hybrid and and and I perform a unique I
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have a unique role yeah well you know
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with what was interesting about what you
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said is that what your role is is super
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important and a lot of inventors may not
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realize that but just like golfers and
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and every every professional athlete has
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a coat that coach might not be great at
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the game but they can coach and just
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like pro golfers have a coach or whoever
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so what inventors don't realize is that
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they need that helped a lot of times and
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and having you is probably super
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important yeah yeah it is and
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and a lot of people you know come in to
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the arena and don't have a lot of
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knowledge or background and there and
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there and what you're doing is wonderful
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with the podcast to give them a
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collection of different viewpoints on
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that but then a lot of times not sure
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where they should go they end up you
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know either going to companies are
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paying money or hiring folks and and and
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spending a lot of money on that and they
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may get good information they may not
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it's so if they can be helped by people
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who are on the ground and want to
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dedicate their time energy like I do and
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there's other folks out there than that
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that's that can be a real big help books
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yeah I agree now is there a few things
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that that you would you know what else
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about would give an inventor some advice
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like one a couple things or it and maybe
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after that something that you can pick
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out right away something you look for
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right away sure well first of all you
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know inventors and ni and I and I
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brought in to turn these days to also
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include makers you know innovators
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product developers designers you know
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but particularly in Venice we have a
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soft spot they they one of the
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characteristics that runs through all
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inventors is they all have this great
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desire to solve problems and make things
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better and I find that you know only
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certain people are touched by this
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venner bug and and and for a lot of them
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they can't stop you know thinking of new
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ideas and so it's a unique background
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unique individual so one of the first
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things I think for an inventor is to
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recognize that they are an inventor and
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that's who they are as it's okay you
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know it's okay you thought about you
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know doing things it takes a bigger
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group sometimes sometimes people have
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all these thoughts or through their head
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and they don't realize that they're sort
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of unique individuals the thing is is
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that a lot of times that what drives
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them to be a great inventor and this
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thought process and this uniqueness that
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they have because I'd say it flicks
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about 5% of society you know that they
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really feel us are not necessarily great
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skill sets
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or running a business or negotiating
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with a company because they tend to be
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very free thinkers very out-of-the-box
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thinkers creative independent don't take
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no for an answer you know all the good
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things that you need in life as a
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pioneer to you know to go west young
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minute but ya and settle you know what's
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tell people that men do lives but if
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someone told me once a lot of times and
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pioneers get the arrows settlers get the
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land so what with the hard thing is a
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pioneer is to shift gears so what I try
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to do is get to know the inventor of up
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front look I don't have time to speak to
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everyone I get many thousands of lives a
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year but I have a pretty easy question
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and people fill out that I start to get
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a feel for them a little bit of who they
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are just the way they answer the
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questions and so forth and then I like
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to know once I got to feel how far along
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are they in the in the process and how
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far up the food chain are they and two
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things really jump out to me they may
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have a great idea that's fine but have
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they turned that into a functioning
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prototype that proves function and
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that's a big step okay it's one thing to
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have an idea it's another thing to make
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it work okay and it doesn't have to look
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pretty it can be handmade you can be
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made in the basement so that's something
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I usually you know get into with folks
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and then I usually see have they checked
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out electric properties you know patents
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particularly utility patents at least to
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know what else is out there and they
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they vetted the marketplace to
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understand you know what's going on and
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pursued that so so one I want to get to
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know them a little bit who they are are
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they are they really an inventor that
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they really think out the box and then I
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want to know specifically have they
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taken these steps that they haven't done
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I advise them you know to go in that
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direction yeah oh no that's that's great
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advice because it sounded again we speak
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with a lot of great inventors they call
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their very excited and you're you're
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exactly right a lot of they're so
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excited they believe because they had
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the idea that it hasn't been thought of
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before and and hopefully it hasn't put
13:10
you you know you want them to spend that
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time not only make sure it's not it's
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not been invented before
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also in your idea feasible does it work
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so totally agree well that's right
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because a lot of times people will send
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me sketches or sometimes they'll do
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fancy CAD work you know assisted
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drawings which are cool to look at but
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they don't prove function and and and
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sometimes they can't be built and then
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we get into the issue and we can talk
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about a little bit conectate produce for
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the right price but as an entry level
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it's exciting you have an idea and you
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bet that idea a little bit by talking to
13:45
friends and family you know you get some
13:47
good feedback but eventually you have to
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convert that idea into something and and
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and and so the companies that I
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represent you know you can't even get to
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first base unless you get there now I
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know that there are books and there are
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people out there wonderful people who
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get admitted inspired it's a all it is
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an idea and you know it's great to get
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them started but when i get folks at
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only on that but then I my role to
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educated no you gotta go a little bit
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farther down the path you know we talked
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about mr. before one of the great things
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that and one of the lucky fortune of
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things is that inventor had built it
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functioning prototype did it worked out
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all the kinks and it really worked and
14:26
it made it very easy to take the next
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step so I think those are those are
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before we even get to the next things
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have you built one does it work does it
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function and then have you bedded it and
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has anybody else to ever come up with
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the idea or that particular utility
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function see ya and I and I agree
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because most inventors even myself we
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have limited resources whether it's time
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funds or help you want to be able to use
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those in the correct path and the
14:56
correct sequence but you so if you're
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sporadically jumping around you might
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use up those resources and that really
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made it far enough absolutely and from
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my early days when I got in this I don't
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know how many people I met that spent
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tens of thousands hundreds of thousands
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of dollars and I'm much more aware of
15:15
that today than there was when I first
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started I don't ever want to see people
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spending a lot of money even when I
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suggest to someone you should build a
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working prototype I'm not telling you
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that you should do that that's that you
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have to make decisions over your own
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if you have limited amount of fun you
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have to spend that money wise and even
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if you're rich you may want to want to
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put your money to do that you may not
15:33
run in other things so the bottom line
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is you got to watch every dollar because
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it's a process you have to take it a
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step at a time it's like you go to first
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base we have second place you go to
15:43
third base but first base is is a
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functioning prototype and you may find
15:48
along the way a couple of things it
15:50
doesn't work or you may find that maybe
15:54
you have to do it differently or go back
15:55
to the shop or you may find along the
15:57
way that that you change things and that
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becomes a change in utility patent so
16:05
that when you file to protect you need
16:08
to evolve because very few things are
16:10
just ready from day one it takes a lot
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of product development so you may find
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all these things I notice I was like a
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talking head segments no no find
16:16
yourself waking up one day yeah you need
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to you know that's you need to you need
16:21
to go through that first process and if
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you haven't done it you have not laid
16:25
the foundation that's necessary yeah
16:27
well I'm glad you say because there is a
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sequence now it's not always the exact
16:31
sequence but you need to speak with
16:32
somebody like Warren who somebody who
16:35
actually has done it because there is a
16:37
sequence and it should be followed so
16:38
that those resources it's like it like
16:40
as one set you could have unlimited
16:42
funds but you still have to get into
16:43
that sequence before you go to first
16:46
base second base you can't just jump on
16:47
it because buyers retailers the RTV they
16:51
see it there's no there's no shortcut to
16:53
those stores of those right I mean it's
16:55
tough to get good to get there that's
16:57
right and when you finally get in front
16:59
of those folks you don't want you want
17:01
to have built a solid foundation you
17:02
know what I had a pact years and years
17:06
and years ago and I first got started I
17:07
went to williams-sonoma and I took a CAD
17:11
drive and I got booted out of the room
17:13
so you know hey you know what we've all
17:15
made these mistakes don't feel like you
17:17
no did you no they you know if anyone
17:19
feels like there's the first version
17:20
ever going to have this path but but I
17:23
would say that's where that step that
17:25
sort of start for the game and you know
17:28
the what I probably didn't say if I run
17:31
open innovation programs for three large
17:32
companies one is the largest housewares
17:34
coming in the u.s. called like 10 grand
17:36
the second is the largest power tool
17:38
company can be called tektronix
17:41
industries they may cry of a rigid
17:42
Milwaukee power tools although I don't
17:44
work so much for the market I work with
17:46
the rigid ryobi folks and then I also do
17:48
it for direct response television
17:50
company merchant media so the this is
17:53
this is said with an awful lot of
17:55
experience on how these you know these
17:57
are they're not large companies by
17:59
united states damage we're not talking
18:01
General Electric here you know we're but
18:02
but but but in the housewares business
18:05
to the left over is the largest kitchen
18:06
guys come in the world so and and and so
18:09
you're working with a team there you're
18:12
working with professionals you know if
18:13
you're not ready for prime time if it's
18:16
difficult to approach this come or only
18:19
for the company's maybe in your field
18:20
agree agree and and what people don't
18:23
sometimes realize is that the product
18:25
could be great it could be a great idea
18:27
but sometimes it just doesn't fit in the
18:29
market demographic you're going up
18:31
against a big brand there's other things
18:33
and other factors right that come into
18:35
play I mean the idea could be awesome it
18:37
could be an awesome idea some of the
18:41
wind may be taken out of your sails by a
18:42
similar product it's not as good as
18:44
yours just coming out of here before you
18:46
can say what you want mine is better but
18:48
they've already taken the marketplace
18:49
late you could be too early for the
18:52
processes it's you know that that you're
18:55
a visionary and you're ten years before
18:57
your time that's frustrating product
19:01
development is organic it's solving a
19:02
problem it's meeting the need and it's
19:04
starting small and it's and it's going
19:07
to these various checkpoints to evaluate
19:09
every step of the way that you have
19:12
something a lot of great products start
19:15
with something is current you know like
19:17
for instance in the kitchen gadget area
19:19
you know obviously people are in the
19:21
healthy cooking today they're into you
19:24
know heart friendly they're into the
19:28
environment they're into things that
19:31
make their lives easier in the kitchen
19:33
so if you're developing a kitchen tool
19:34
if you can make something that makes a
19:36
laborious task easier but at the same
19:39
time it's good to the environment at the
19:43
same time you know it's healthy for you
19:46
the risotto then you'd have like a misto
19:49
misto sprays less oil do you use less
19:53
so this is good for your heart when
19:56
you're done using mr. unlike pam which
19:59
is a you know a gas-propelled you know
20:03
the product of your store shelf with low
20:06
grade oil and preservatives in it when
20:09
you're done with the can of pam you
20:11
throw in the landfill mr. can be
20:12
refilled so it's good for the
20:13
environment and of course it makes your
20:15
life easier and Susie to use so so that
20:18
was a home run you know so that's an
20:19
example of some of the thought process
20:21
that you go through but it hit on a
20:24
number of cylinders and successful
20:26
products usually solve a problem would
20:28
also qualify on several different fronts
20:31
and it takes a lot of product
20:32
development a lot of thought I mean Tom
20:33
rich spent two years developing misto
20:36
before I met you know so and and and by
20:39
the way you know I know sometimes
20:41
there's collaborative efforts in it and
20:43
inventing and but it's tough to mail it
20:47
in you know you have to have that
20:48
passion to go through if you really have
20:50
something but along the way try to look
20:52
up and see where you are and and just
20:56
make sure you're going in the right
20:57
direction so that you're not going off
20:59
the trail and that you keep you know
21:02
getting feedback and getting though it's
21:03
necessary to keep driving a towards your
21:05
ultimate goal of developing that product
21:07
it's a very very very tough thing to do
21:09
and I admire inventors we were able to
21:11
do it you know it is it is hard to be
21:13
open minded being able to pivot when you
21:15
need to because you know again hitting
21:18
that that idea that product on the head
21:21
the first time it's very very tough to
21:23
do so you need to be able to make
21:24
changes make you better pivot take you
21:26
know take information and take ideas
21:29
take criticism like from somebody like
21:31
yourself but know that you're just
21:33
trying to help you know and and that's
21:35
the most important thing I want to back
21:36
up a little bit and and maybe I should
21:39
have asked this I was just kind of
21:41
excited get you on the show I mean I
21:42
know you have a lot of other team
21:45
members at the uia I mean what is its
21:47
ultimate function well the GUI a and we
21:52
we stand for three things number one in
21:54
venom education number two to be helpful
21:57
in access to shelf so that we we can
22:00
direct people and our third component is
22:02
called advocacy hmm so we advocate I
22:05
actually spend time in Washington
22:07
both of the US Patent Office advocating
22:11
for invented rights only think things
22:14
aren't right and we also do that on
22:16
Capitol Hill some degree inventors are
22:20
woefully underrepresented patent system
22:23
is this well maybe I'll come back for
22:26
another contest Oh get you started on
22:29
that I mean it's not an abdomen good and
22:33
if you go on the UA you IA USA website
22:37
you'll see things but we also have a
22:39
Facebook page the you write a we do a
22:40
lot of posts on patent reform and things
22:43
right now for instance that there is a
22:45
major the AIA the American men ask X was
22:50
passed a couple of years ago it was a
22:52
major shift in patent system in the US
22:57
and most of it was was okay but there
23:01
were certain things put in with a visa
23:03
patent review boards now that you can
23:06
have an issued patent and come back
23:07
anyway without getting too technical we
23:09
try to go down I met met with the
23:11
director of patent office recently on
23:12
our all our thoughts we have a very
23:16
impressive board of attorney or we have
23:22
couple of attorney into a patent
23:23
attorneys who have large firms if
23:25
prevent as high as a Supreme Court we've
23:27
got very successful business people that
23:31
have run we have for instance the new
23:35
owner of quirky which is a great you
23:37
know crowdsourcing is on we have make 48
23:40
which is a brilliant new TV show that
23:42
was on PBS which is all about the maker
23:44
environment and competitions we have we
23:49
had the President started the grommet
23:51
knowledge of so weakly we so anyway long
23:54
story short was we have a wonderful
23:56
board and collection of people who are
23:57
like-minded folks that want to get back
23:58
and have a specific skill set that's
0:02
very very impressive anybody wants to go
0:04
on our you IA USA org website and see
0:08
all the people are involved you'll know
0:10
that we care deeply but at the end of
0:11
the day we have a membership of about
0:14
25,000 in men are
0:15
which would be much bigger because it's
0:17
phrase everybody should be a member but
0:19
we also have about 75 affiliated metal
0:21
clubs around the country including a
0:23
great club in Tampa that's we try to get
0:27
out to speak to and try to try to effect
0:30
Jenner's lives through that too that my
0:34
other so you're saying that the
0:36
membership is free at the LA a totally
0:39
free and we're going to go on a big
0:41
membership drive in the fall we gotta
0:42
reach out to more people that I don't
0:43
think people realize I have to do is
0:45
click on and be part of the part of a
0:47
community membership drive it's free
24:50:00
what stock era so I mean when you when
24:56:00
you have to spend money to get people to
24:58:00
join now you know people belong to their
25:01:00
local clubs yeah that's why they should
25:03:00
spend their fifty dollars a year you
25:05:00
know locally Rick we were more of a
25:07:00
virtual but we don't have huge resources
25:10:00
so it's a constant battle and so we
25:13:00
probably don't have the degree of
25:14:00
awareness that what we're up to but we
25:17:00
we we are lily white and we care deeply
25:20:00
about these things we don't want to say
25:21:00
anything negative about anybody but we
25:23:00
we try to stand for what's right there
25:26:00
and be very helpful no no I agree with
25:28:00
you we know that this is a it's a
25:30:00
without going crazy it's a tough
25:32:00
business this is a real real tough
25:34:00
industry to be in and we need people
25:36:00
like yourselves I mean the board members
25:38:00
that you mentioned and I and I've always
25:40:00
been watching you I egg and there's some
25:43:00
of the people that donate their time
25:44:00
it's it's phenomenal really is and we
25:46:00
have a four times a year we have a
25:49:00
national conference call so one of
25:51:00
them's today which is always fun we get
25:52:00
out for a couple laughs but we were all
25:53:00
be meeting in Dallas for two days in jan
25:57:00
and june to do a retreat and continually
26:00:00
think about what we can do to be helpful
26:02:00
so deneme has ideas we're here but it's
26:07:00
a it's fun it's also a national family
26:09:00
and by the way we we tell people
26:11:00
overseas to i'm talking with folks in
26:13:00
india about setting up a club i just got
26:15:00
back from speaking in ireland I've
26:17:00
spoken in Iceland to the rural and
26:18:00
better society so which things around
26:21:00
the world to so we try that's awesome
26:23:00
yeah we we have people contacting us all
26:25:00
over the world it seems like it seems
26:28:00
like the u.s. is a
26:29:00
ace for innovation in this sense and I'm
26:32:00
glad that you guys are out there you
26:33:00
mean like you said and you're trying to
26:35:00
help everyone and and the u.s. is
26:38:00
probably the largest market for
26:40:00
invention type products right no
26:42:00
question about it from our birth of our
26:46:00
country innovation has been important
26:49:00
the Patent Office was one of the first
26:51:00
buildings it was the first building up
26:53:00
the white house built in Washington the
26:55:00
first commissioner the White House of
26:57:00
the patent offices Thomas Jefferson it
27:00:00
doesn't take much thinking to think of
27:02:00
all the tremendous companies and
27:04:00
products from the light bulb to General
27:06:00
Electric and Tesla and everybody you
27:09:00
know everything makan gin I mean our
27:13:00
whole country so based on innovation
27:15:00
this is one reason why we want to fight
27:16:00
for strong patent rights just because
27:19:00
there's new tech firms of Northern
27:20:00
California who we won't name well they
27:24:00
want a you know different we can look
27:27:00
absolutely might be good for gold or
27:29:00
let's think about what's good for
27:31:00
America and what the next wave
27:32:00
innovation is and i will also admit that
27:35:00
innovation comes in different forms and
27:37:00
sizes a lot of what we do is in turn in
27:39:00
terms of consumer products and so forth
27:41:00
it's a little complicated when you get
27:43:00
into the internet and cell phones and
27:47:00
things but but i do believe that
27:48:00
innovation comes from it's on the ground
27:50:00
it's grassroots it's organic it we don't
27:53:00
ever want to lose that America because
27:54:00
it's been really the combination of that
27:56:00
tremendous will here to innovate in
27:58:00
America at the grassroots level and the
28:00:00
combination with capital and people
28:03:00
putting money into it if they're wealthy
28:05:00
individuals or entities micrornas or
28:07:00
companies that's made America what it is
28:10:00
today economically and and it's it's
28:12:00
what we what's required and I think
28:15:00
sometimes we lose sight of and we want
28:18:00
to kill the goose that lays the golden
28:19:00
eggs we it's just like if you want to be
28:23:00
a good football team you can't forget
28:25:00
how to block and tackle I mean you may
28:27:00
want to throw the ball every play but if
28:28:00
you don't block and tackle a tackle so
28:30:00
we need our fundamentals in place and
28:32:00
that's that's nothing to you guys yeah
28:35:00
well you got a-you got to remember the
28:37:00
basics there's no doubt about it and
28:38:00
that's one of the things I love about
28:39:00
the invention I don't want to say the
28:42:00
industry's you're venting
28:43:00
history as I'm big history buff and I
28:45:00
always think back when somebody bring
28:46:00
you a product like what it was like back
28:48:00
then and seventeen hundreds of a patent
28:51:00
and filing and I would love to have seen
28:53:00
that you know all those files and
28:55:00
patents going in it's just amazing how
28:57:00
long can it hit three we have today and
29:01:00
I've just finished I was inspired by the
29:04:00
play Hamilton to read the biography and
29:06:00
xander Hamilton this big time and do
29:09:00
setting up our financial systems
29:11:00
everything from wall street two and one
29:13:00
of the first things that they did was
29:15:00
they brought innovators from England who
29:16:00
could produce cotton and coughing
29:19:00
tournament clothing to set up you know
29:23:00
mills on rivers and New Jersey and
29:26:00
managers and start our infrastructure of
29:28:00
our company so country so everything has
29:30:00
shifted a little bit today about what
29:31:00
the specifics are but in terms of the
29:33:00
history of the country we're not were
29:36:00
although although there was an agrarian
29:39:00
component to America that Thomas
29:42:00
Jefferson and Madison those guys
29:43:00
representing one of the keep us all
29:45:00
farmers it was really result so a
29:47:00
finance and there is a industrial part
29:49:00
of it and that's what we're we are the
29:52:00
beneficiaries of today very much so and
29:55:00
so anyway it's that it's all fascinating
29:58:00
and it's a student of it i think you
30:01:00
know you would enjoy reading that book
30:03:00
yeah i know that is that in and that was
30:05:00
actually leading to my next question is
30:07:00
are are there some places that that
30:11:00
inventors can go whether their meetings
30:14:00
I know that you mentioned local meeting
30:16:00
clubs but are are there shows I hear all
30:18:00
the time about shows and a hardware show
30:20:00
and you go here there's some that are
30:22:00
more beneficial that they should go to
30:24:00
learn or others or even books that you
30:26:00
would think sure well first of all yes
30:28:00
there are inventor clubs all throughout
30:30:00
the country in almost all the major
30:33:00
metropolitan areas in Florida for
30:35:00
instance there's several cool ones Tampa
30:38:00
has a great club there's a really good
30:39:00
one in southern Florida outside of my
30:41:00
Miami that works at a West Palm it's
30:45:00
really good there's one in orlando and
30:47:00
jacksonville so but we have these
30:49:00
repeated around the country soap so
30:50:00
Google your local and mentor club and a
30:53:00
lot of a meat like every Tuesday night
30:54:00
seven to nine you know
30:56:00
a lot of them go out to dinner
30:58:00
afterwards the great experience just
30:59:00
even to go to go to one a lot of them
31:01:00
have speakers so that that would be you
31:05:00
know that that would be a place that
31:06:00
people could get started at least
31:08:00
learning as far as trade shows that's
31:10:00
something that you a is big-time the
31:12:00
United men Association is into big time
31:14:00
so there were a couple of national and
31:17:00
men are shows that used to exist it no
31:19:00
longer exists there was one called
31:20:00
Yankee Expo and Connecticut one called
31:24:00
the Minnesota and Menace Congress
31:25:00
Redwood Falls the problem is is
31:28:00
attracting innovators and companies from
31:30:00
all over the country into a one location
31:32:00
didn't really work there is still
31:34:00
impacts today index is owned by mental
31:37:00
so that helps able to subsidize that
31:40:00
with your other prophets I'm sure that
31:42:00
it's a good thing for the industry but
31:44:00
it's probably costly so what we saw
31:49:00
years ago when i first got men in the
31:50:00
way we identified list rather than have
31:52:00
one national show let's go to each
31:55:00
industry and set up these little
31:56:00
pavilions and shows at the industry so
31:58:00
we started with the hardware show which
32:00:00
is coming up on May 9th 10th and 11th by
32:02:00
the way in Las Vegas if any of your
32:04:00
listeners are hardware people it's
32:05:00
really worth coming through and so we
32:08:00
set up in conjunction with Reed Expo who
32:11:00
runs the show pavilion they are now 150
32:14:00
in vendor booths at the ability of all
32:16:00
startups and then degrading the three
32:18:00
days we have a stage in the whole area
32:20:00
where we do educational series i'll be
32:23:00
speaking there we have a lot of other
32:24:00
great speakers and then in our mix with
32:26:00
that will be pitch panels we have Home
32:28:00
Shopping Network you make maker program
32:30:00
the American maker program in Marc
32:32:00
portney and his buddies coming out to do
32:35:00
for our pitch panel we have last year we
32:38:00
had the grommet we've had QVC in the
32:40:00
past we've had so it's a combination of
32:43:00
pitching education very worthwhile we
32:46:00
also do that at the PGA golf show huh we
32:49:00
do it at response expo into our TV show
32:51:00
we were very involved in the house
32:53:00
worship for many years but they took
32:55:00
that program in the house but i will say
32:56:00
that they do a great job of running the
32:58:00
program that we set up so that the house
33:00:00
where show is also a great show which we
33:01:00
just came off of a march mandate but
33:03:00
still speak there and we are in talks
33:06:00
with the Toy Fair and we do Chicago to a
33:09:00
game during the fall
33:10:00
we do what we do a whole bunch of these
33:11:00
shows so we try to bring the ax men our
33:14:00
platform and exposure to on the road
33:17:00
bring them out into the people right wow
33:20:00
it just seems like there's such a wealth
33:22:00
of information out there and people like
33:25:00
yourselves and all the people at the oil
33:27:00
that are willing to help we just got to
33:30:00
get more people to contact you guys or
33:32:00
to do these things because educating the
33:34:00
inventor before they get started it's so
33:36:00
important yes yeah yeah no it's there's
33:39:00
a lot of great dedicated people all who
33:41:00
come on their own Don not only give
33:43:00
terribly to the organization but they've
33:45:00
come to all these events and if any of
33:47:00
your folks that are listening or all the
33:49:00
clubs and one speakers we have a speaker
33:51:00
program and so forth if really you know
33:53:00
the other thing I'm involved in and you
33:56:00
know because you get involved in one
33:57:00
thing after the next it's never ending
33:58:00
is got very involved in the National pro
34:01:00
bono patent attorney program and that
34:03:00
came out of my involvement dia so I so
34:06:00
in a lot of time in Washington so they
34:08:00
asked we have a seven-member Commission
34:10:00
and until up three years ago there was
34:12:00
no pro bono patent attorney program in
34:15:00
the united states there's pro bono law
34:17:00
for people who can't afford their own
34:20:00
legal work but never in patent now we
34:23:00
have when it set up in all 50 states
34:24:00
around the country we are now an
34:27:00
integral part of the of the PTL USPTO we
34:31:00
the people who are on this committee or
34:34:00
dedicated top-flight folks we have the
34:38:00
highest ranking federal court judge
34:40:00
jimmy raney who is he was on the short
34:44:00
list if hillary clinton had elected
34:47:00
president might have been nominated to
34:48:00
the Supreme Court and he's a backer of
34:53:00
our programs and so forth and we anyway
34:56:00
it's a who's who list of folks and all I
34:58:00
will say is that I'm in awe of the whole
35:01:00
thing and for I know the Chicago
35:04:00
inventors Club for instance Colin
35:06:00
flowers in his club which has about 1700
35:09:00
members of Chicago this month they're
35:10:00
doing theirs on pro bono anybody who
35:13:00
wants to hear about access to provoke
35:17:00
sit or listening to your podcast that
35:18:00
maybe can't afford to file for patent
35:20:00
they may qualify for the pro bono
35:22:00
wow that's that's amazing and I'm you
35:25:00
trying to cheat on that and and just
35:27:00
right here on the air I would love to
35:28:00
invite you back just to talk about the
35:31:00
patenting process it seems like it is
35:33:00
one of the most misunderstood but most
35:36:00
wanted thing for an inventor it seems
35:39:00
like everyone that they don't that
35:41:00
doesn't know they're talking about the
35:42:00
first thing they say is you need to get
35:43:00
a patent I mean it's like it's crazy so
35:45:00
so yeah that's one of the biggest things
35:47:00
and just giving that information I know
35:49:00
people's ears perked up yeah yeah well
35:51:00
let's let's do it we'll come back
35:53:00
another time and by the way the United
35:55:00
Menace Association originally started in
35:57:00
the early 1990s out of the US Patent
35:59:00
Office oh we have a unique connection
36:02:00
affiliation there and I want our current
36:04:00
executive director John Calvert was at
36:07:00
the Patent Office for over 25 years so
36:10:00
we are continually involved but almost
36:14:00
to what you were just saying though
36:16:00
patents are important and they are a
36:19:00
part of it but they're just one
36:20:00
component so we try to be much more than
36:23:00
just patents but but we do see the
36:27:00
strengthen it and patents are under
36:28:00
assault in this country a lot of a lot
36:32:00
of big companies would like to just take
36:33:00
your your idea and your technology and
36:35:00
not pay for it and we we stand for the
36:38:00
individuals and we believe individuals
36:41:00
make a difference no totally agree is
36:43:00
very super important didn't know that
36:44:00
but as you said a patent is just a tool
36:46:00
it's got to be used at the right time
36:48:00
along with the rest of the tools that's
36:50:00
right one hundred percent correct and
36:53:00
then doing it right that's another
36:54:00
reason to go to your local club there's
36:56:00
a lot of patent attorneys go there and
36:57:00
you know they're not all created equal
36:59:00
so we're good so we're not so you got to
37:01:00
find out dude I wouldn't say somewhere
37:03:00
not good I didn't mean that no no but
37:05:00
some are better than others or they fit
37:07:00
into your particular product or what
37:09:00
your situation good yeah not so I agree
37:12:00
with you did one hundred percent I'll
37:13:00
work with independence and some are
37:15:00
bigger just want to work with
37:16:00
corporations so a lot of times you're an
37:19:00
inventor you go to a patent attorney you
37:21:00
say I need a patent and he says okay you
37:24:00
know I mean he's not there not doing
37:26:00
anything wrong they're doing and they're
37:27:00
they're protecting your product because
37:30:00
you're asking them to so now i agree to
37:32:00
but the patent is one of the most
37:33:00
misunderstood and it seems like one of
37:35:00
the most
37:36:00
most important parts to give people
37:38:00
education on because it's one of the
37:41:00
most expensive it seems like an integral
37:43:00
to the development process so that it's
37:45:00
done in stages with your building that
37:47:00
prototype and learning along the way so
37:49:00
those two things are intertwined yeah
37:51:00
and as you see we can we could turn this
37:55:00
into a three hour I guess that's one
37:58:00
good therapy thanks for let me write one
38:01:00
of those kids you know the teacher asked
38:03:00
a question so so we all run a little bit
38:09:00
of time real quick question though I
38:12:00
know you have a family do they come with
38:14:00
you to you with ideas because i know
38:16:00
they happen to me or people in your
38:18:00
neighbors they always bring any ideas
38:20:00
well that's that's funny because I I
38:23:00
have been married 35 years and I have a
38:26:00
three daughters who are held we're 27
38:29:00
and I am by far the fifth smartest in
38:33:00
the family okay so they're all off the
38:35:00
charts so ever since the girls were
38:38:00
young I've learned a great deal from
38:40:00
them one's an attorney today and one's a
38:44:00
teacher and one works for timing in any
38:47:00
event none of them wherever really
38:50:00
tinker's although my youngest has a
38:51:00
creative flair and likes design and
38:53:00
interior design so that's as close to
38:55:00
the gun but none of them are followed
38:58:00
dad is a good sale yeah well we're
39:01:00
through daughters I'm surprised you
39:03:00
didn't design some kind of ways or
39:05:00
fencing around your house well you know
39:09:00
what I actually they they have
39:11:00
boyfriends and I love them all so I just
39:14:00
want him to have you know now that's my
39:16:00
wife my wife is a super talented woman
39:18:00
that worked for 35 years for People
39:22:00
magazine so she's if she's a dynamo in
39:25:00
her own right and so we were they we
39:27:00
were we were a little ahead of our time
39:29:00
probably a little older than you when
39:32:00
when I was coming out of college the
39:34:00
world was shifting and so we have this
39:36:00
sort of more modern family were all well
39:39:00
we're all our participants and all of my
39:42:00
daughters are very empowered in the
39:46:00
world and I will just say that
39:48:00
I don't know if you have daughters or
39:49:00
for those women in our listing that's a
39:52:00
big thing that that and I don't mean
39:55:00
that hopeless i hope people don't visit
39:56:00
the ropes we don't want inventor to just
39:58:00
be old white guys you know we want we
40:01:00
are always enamored when diversity takes
40:07:00
place younger people come in women
40:09:00
people of different backgrounds people
40:12:00
from around the world because believe it
40:14:00
or not they share a lot more in common
40:15:00
with each other sometimes their friends
40:18:00
and they have this common thing and
40:20:00
inventors come in all shapes and sizes
40:22:00
and are up against the st. challenges
40:24:00
and I think there was a time maybe in
40:26:00
America where only older people that had
40:29:00
resources it to pursue it so we're very
40:31:00
big and by the way women in particular
40:33:00
make tremendous inventors sometimes men
40:37:00
are really good with engineering and
40:41:00
details if you ask a man like you know
40:44:00
why'd you build that model or he'll
40:48:00
start telling ya well its got three
40:50:00
horsepower and 100 revolutions a minute
40:53:00
and help give you all the technical
40:55:00
stuff a lot of times I mean and a woman
40:58:00
will say I designed it to make it easier
41:00:00
to mow the lawn you know women get the
41:02:00
benefit part of it and the benefits a
41:04:00
big part of this and sometimes i
41:05:00
dedicate part of my speed to just adjust
41:07:00
to that so so women bring in an angle
41:10:00
and a flair and an eye for stuff in
41:13:00
detail and a marketplace and consumer
41:15:00
part that's so valuable for what we're
41:17:00
doing so i would encourage people and
41:19:00
the other thing is that the housework
41:22:00
shows did you let me off the hook here
41:23:00
with people from Ireland I met with a
41:27:00
young men 21 year old engineer from
41:30:00
India that it came with his mentor
41:32:00
teacher professor with them I mean with
41:34:00
people Philly from all over the world so
41:37:00
it doesn't matter who you are if you
41:39:00
have an active brain and inventing
41:41:00
please come and get back and and if
41:44:00
you're a maker which is the new sort of
41:46:00
the new younger inventors who now have
41:48:00
3d printers and do all that you know
41:52:00
learn a little bit from your inventor
41:54:00
forefathers and predecessors about
41:56:00
things to protect yourself and your
41:58:00
rights because
41:59:00
you need to do that but but also we try
42:01:00
to go the uia now has blues with the
42:03:00
Maker Faires in San Francisco and San
42:06:00
Diego a new york and all that so
42:07:00
everybody's welcome i know that i know
42:09:00
you want to end this but i just couldn't
42:10:00
help it go frozen no no this is great
42:13:00
stuff and again join the ua I we need
42:16:00
people to join we need to spread the
42:18:00
word on it is it's so important for
42:20:00
people to be informed and that you said
42:22:00
give back it's not just about learning
42:24:00
it's about giving back what you learn
42:25:00
absolutely absolutely thanks for what
42:28:00
you're doing Oh No thank you so much and
42:31:00
and again we have the the UI you AI our
42:35:00
website you a sui a united and vendors
42:38:00
association and the site is you IA USA
42:42:00
org great great and on there if they
42:46:00
wanted to contact you directly or should
42:48:00
they just fill out a form then contact
42:51:00
me there you can share my my my direct
42:54:00
email it's too www a yahoo com if
42:59:00
anybody writes me I'll send them back on
43:00:00
my websites they want to contact me
43:02:00
directly but yes you there is a bio of
43:06:00
all the board members on it and they can
43:07:00
they can reach out to anyone there's
43:09:00
some tremendous people on there they'll
43:12:00
see I know I missed a bunch of them but
43:13:00
there's plenty of people that can reach
43:15:00
out no no it's right a fantastic site
43:17:00
and again it's awesome what you guys are
43:19:00
doing it is just so great because it is
43:22:00
so important for people to be informed
43:24:00
there's no doubt about it we're going to
43:26:00
wrap up I just want everybody know that
43:27:00
all the information that you talked
43:29:00
about all the websites all that
43:30:00
information will also be on our
43:31:00
inventors launchpad website on the show
43:34:00
notes so they don't want to stop their
43:35:00
car and write it down or or don't you
43:37:00
know don't worry about that will have it
43:39:00
also and oren i want to thank you so
43:42:00
much not only for everything you do for
43:43:00
inventors but for giving me some time
43:45:00
i'd be on the show today my pleasure and
43:48:00
i look forward to next time i'm in
43:50:00
clearwater i'll swing by and say hi oh
43:52:00
no you don't know that about it will be
43:54:00
seen you when you come out okay thank
43:56:00
you you take everybody by