I admit it. I’m a huge fan of ABC’s “Shark Tank.“
Tuesday’s episode inspired me for two reasons. The first was Leslie Haywood, inventor of Grill Charms. I had heard of Leslie a few months ago when Stephen Key of InventRight interviewed her back in the Spring. It was great to put a face to the name & voice, and she did an incredible job on the show. (Nothing like having a pack of sharks fighting for your idea.) Stephen has a follow-up interview with her on her experience on the show, which you can listen to here.
The second part that inspired me was Sawyer Sparks, the college kid who came up with the idea for Soy-Yer Dough. (Soy-Yer Dough is a wheat-free kinda Play-Doh, since 1 out of 8 kids have an allergic reaction to wheat.) This guy took an idea and pursued it in EXACTLY the way Stephen Key and so many other inventor mentors suggest. Study the market, establish there’s a need, and get a provisional patent to protect it. THEN seek and field licensing options.
As it turned out, Play-Doh had contacted HIM and offered $500,000 for the patent. Which is significant, but not the MOST significant part of this kid’s story. The element that impressed me the most was the fact that he had the idea first.
Play-Doh is huge, right? I mean, they’re the supposed experts when it comes to malleable playstuff. So why didn’t THEY come up with this idea first? Why didn’t the in-house gurus in Research & Development think of this new extension to their current product? Too busy keeping the status quo in the office? Too focused on promoting their current products? Lack of caffeine? There’s no telling, but the fact is they DIDN’T. And Sawyer Sparks DID.
Contrary to what we think, the people at the top of the product development chain don’t have all the ideas. They have the means to take an idea and make it reality, but they haven’t thought of every possible product out there. They don’t have the time or the means. They need help. And this is great news for inventors and dreamers and the creative class.
If you have an idea, I encourage you to DO something about it. Check out InventRight and see how it’s done, what the steps are and how you can go from Point ? to Point $. It’s not impossible, it only takes time and effort.
And… I think I’m done. 
Can’t wait for next week’s Shark Tank. Check it out if you haven’t already!
Kevin
Chris says:
You would have thought Play-Doh would have come up with an idea like that but I guess for them 7/8 of a potential market is easier than investing money into securing 100% of the market.