Past Speaker – Mary Lou Green

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Dennis and Mary Lou Green head shot

Retail Geniuses: Dennis & Mary Lou Green
Coming To You LIVE via Skype

Dennis and Mary Lou Green head shotDennis and Mary Lou Green are an incredible couple living the life so many of us dream of. They have mastered the art of selling their products to large retail chain stores and QVC. They have made millions, sold their business then prepared to sit back and enjoy their wealth.

Sure, that may be the dream but we all know that any high octane personality will Not be satisfied just sitting back and enjoying their wealth. Let alone, this dynamic couple. I mean, after inventing more than 50 simple products with sales exceeding $120 million, taking up golf full-time is not an option. You just can’t turn that light bulb off.

So they have embarked on a new journey from which we can all benefit. They have decided to share the knowledge they gained from the college of hard knocks with everyone who can use it and, let me tell you, we can Use It !

A few months back, I told you all about their book “Shark Pitch, How to Make a Retail Shark Sit Up and Beg To Buy Your Product” which is a short (only 142 pages) information packed treatment of everything you ever wanted to know, along with a number of issues you never thought of on your own, regarding selling to our collective Holy Grail, retail giants.

I also told you about their website www.bigideaschool.com and the FREE ebook “27 Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer, Before Launching A New Product”. Obviously, they have attacked their new mission of enlightening the masses with the same vigor that insured their success and made them a model for the rest of us. They will also be offering another special secret FREE bonus worth almost $400.00 to all who attend this meeting. They simply Love inventors and are dedicated to your success.

Whether you intend to license your product or sell it yourself, the bottom line that every gatekeeper wants to know is how you will get a retailer to take something that is already making them money, off the shelf to make room for your product. THIS … is how you do it.

As you will see, Mary Lou is such a warm, kind, sharing individual and yet the consummate professional who desperately wanted to help our members but was too busy helping her mom to make the trip out here from sunny California that I decided to do whatever it took to bring the “Mountain to Mohamed” by way of Skype. Yes, I have been working feverously behind the scenes to make this happen and it will.

Meeting Handout

 

 

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eBlasts – Paper Pitch to an Investor

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Paper Pitch To An Investor

how-to-pitch-to-an-investor-about-inventionsAs many of you may know, at our next meeting on January 14th, 2017, eight lucky inventors will have the opportunity to pitch their product to Maxine Pierson, one of the most brilliant women I know, who just so happens to also be an active investor.

When we first announced the opportunity, we got an overwhelming response. There were only 8 spots that went in less than seven hours. Not really knowing what she was getting herself into, kind hearted Maxine wanted to give everybody a chance to pitch their idea to her. We had almost 40 people already on the waiting list so that would easily take over 12 hours. So I suggested we do a Paper Pitch.

This would include a single page in word with type no smaller then 12 point Times New Roman. I suggest not using any fancy or hard to read type. Making things easy gets you better results. Do Not change the borders as this will get you rejected without notification until after the event has passed.

You don’t have to but you can include a sell sheet, one photo, a video under 2 minutes and a link to your website as part of your email submission. For more information on pitches in general, sell sheets and videos go to our website http://www.inventors-society.net/tips-pitch-investor/

Obviously, you will not have the room to include a lot of facts and figures but you should be able to back up any statements you make if requested. For example, if you say 14 million people out of the 18 million people we surveyed said they would buy our product, you better have the contact information for those 18 million people.

The video may be an important part of this pitch. It doesn’t have to be of professional quality. I would suggest leaving out any background music unless it is pertinent to the product. This could actually be considered your pitch.  

Please Note: This is for products and projects that are Ready for Funding. Please do not submit ideas as it is Not Maxine’s forte to determine the patentability or commerciality of a raw idea. Her talents lie in taking the information presented, processing it through her system and finding winners that will give her the desired return. We will not sign NDAs or Confidentiality Agreements for this event so you must rely on whatever IP Protection you already have in place.  

This IS Considered a Public Disclosure and whether it is protected by a Provisional Patent Application or not, you have one year from the date you send it in to apply for your full Utility Patent or you Lose the Right to patent the invention.  

There may be other opportunities to review ideas in the future.   

We will begin taking in your pitches on January 19th and will close the event on January 28. Please do Not send any pitches before or after those dates as they will be rejected without notice.

Please place the words Paper Pitch To The Investor in the subject line and send the email to mazurelectric5645@gmail.com . This is Not my usual email address. Earthlink has a tendency to reject large attachments and I don’t want to lose anyone. You should add a small note in the email such as, Attached is my Paper Pitch and video regarding my product the widget. As well as your contact information just in case there is a problem.

I will send you a note to say that your pitch has been received. If you don’t get that note within a day or two, contact me because I may not have gotten your submission.

Received does not mean Accepted. If you break the rules as outlined above, you will be rejected but may not be notified until the event is over. I am expecting a large response so I cannot say how long it will take for us to review them all. However, everyone Accepted will get a note of review.

If you have questions you can email me at mazurelectric@earthlink.net put Paper Pitch Question in the subject line or call me at 561-676-5677.

Maxine and I Are Looking Forward To Your Participation,

Leo   

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Past Speaker – Maxine Pierson – How to Pitch to an Investor

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Speaker For The January 14th 2017 Meeting:

Maxine Pierson

Pitch To An Investor

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Maxine Pierson, Inventor Investor

The biggest dream of just about every inventor I run across is the opportunity to pitch their idea to a real investor. The problem with most of them is they have no idea about How to pitch that idea. However, that is about to change for those who come to our meeting on January 14th.

Maxine Pierson, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxine-pierson-17a1769) is an incredible woman with an extraordinary background and who just so happens to be an investor with a heart of Gold because she volunteered to give us an insider’s view of how the whole investor system works.

That’s right, there is a system in place and unless you understand it you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in Florida of getting any money.

For example, you have to find the right fit. All investors have specific areas of interest and expertise. So trying to pitch a baby product to someone who is looking for medical devices is most probably going to be a waste of time for both of you.

Most importantly, she will be telling us what you need to include in your pitch as well as what you definitely want to exclude, what the difference between an angel and a venture capitalist is, how to find opportunities to pitch and much, much more.

Then to top it all off, 8 lucky inventors will get their chance to do a 3 to 5 minute pitch of their project to Maxine. By the way, she is Not your typical heartless shark. She is a very kind and nurturing individual. She will then give them a very constructive critique of their pitch and project. What the rest of us will learn from that alone is priceless.

I truly believe this is going to be a pivotal year for many of us but in order to get the most out of it we need to learn a lot of skills and most of all, put them to use.

We all need to learn how to persuade people to see and believe in the value of our projects. That is exactly what a pitch is and I don’t care if you are trying to get money for your project from an investor or trying to get a major company to license your product or trying to get a retailer to put it on their shelf, at some point your pitch will determine if you succeed or don’t.

Maxine will give you the basics that you can adjust to meet your specific needs as long as you come to LIGI Tool & Engineering, Inc. (3220 SW 15th Street Deerfield Beach, FL 33442) at 1:00 pm on Saturday 1/14/17 for this incredible presentation hosted by the Inventors Society of South Florida, a 501 (C) 3 non-profit educational organization. Doors open at 12:30. Don’t be late, we won’t wait for you.

 Meeting Handout

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Past Speaker – Gordon Tredgold

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Speaker For The December 3rd Meeting:

Gordon Tredgold

The Master of Getting Results

Gordon-TredgoldGordon Tredgold (http://gordontredgold.com) is “The Leaders’ Leader”. Who was heralded in Inc. Magazine as one of the top 100 Leadership and Management, Experts and Speakers. He was ranked #2 on the Top 15 Must Read Leadership Blogs, #4 on the Top 50 Most Socially Shared Leadership Blogs and has the distinction of being the Number One Leadership Expert to follow on Twitter. Gordon is also a Visiting Professor at Staffordshire University, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a member of the National Speaker’s Association.

A world renowned author, Mr. Tredgold is known getting sustainable results FAST ™ which just so happens to be the name of his system that breaks down to this:

Focus Simply focusing on goals and specific tasks isn’t enough to insure success. What’s more important is ensuring that the right things are focused on and kept as priorities.

Accountability managing the effectiveness of the people, processes and procedures that are taking place is key to experiencing optimal results.

Simplicity taking measure of the effectiveness of “how” things are getting done and implementing a clear plan of action. Things that are simple aren’t necessarily easy.

Transparency the entire, bigger picture must be clear for everyone so that the question, “How far are we in this process and how far do we have to go?” Is easily answered by all involved.

Let’s face it, as inventors we are all the leaders of our projects. Even if it is a team of one, we need to identify and define a clear path to success. As our team grows with service providers, manufacturers and retailers, we need to be able to inspirer them with our vision. So everyone is fired up and committed to its’ success!  

Without a doubt, This is a skill you must possess and you can learn the skill from the Best by coming to LIGI Tool & Engineering, Inc. (3220 SW 15th Street Deerfield Beach, FL 33442) at 1:00 pm on Saturday 12/3/16 for this incredible presentation hosted by the Inventors Society of South Florida, a 501 (C) 3 non-profit educational organization.

Meeting Powerpoint:

Meeting Handout

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Past Speaker – Jorge Rodriguez – Design with Manufacturing in Mind

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 Jorge Rodriguez

Design With Manufacturability In Mind

There is an old saying, “Anything can be done…if you’re willing to pay for it”, which brings me to the same complaint that I hear from inventors all the time, “My parts cost too much for me to be competitive”. While manufacturers tend to ask me, “Do all inventors really need such complicated parts”? Some manufacturers have even taken it upon themselves to offer educational material to their potential customers which I often pass along to all of our members and friends but this is not enough.

For years, I have been looking for a true expert who would be willing to share their knowledge with the group. It is a mind set, a skill you can develop, especially while designing plastic parts once you understand the process and I couldn’t believe our luck as I practically fell over the perfect candidate right in our own group.

jorge-rodriguez-manufacturerJorge Rodriguez IS the exact expert I was looking for. Not only has he been working and running whole departments in this field since 1998, he actually developed a course for newly hired engineers and designers for Motorola which will be the basis of the presentation that he will be giving us.

His credentials on his Linkedin page are incredible! He is an Experienced Manufacturing Operations Manager with a proven track record in optimizing operational performance, cost reduction and process improvement activities with an extensive background in tooling, tool and mold design, manufacturing and process engineering the list goes on and on. He also earned a prestigious certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt.   

Now that’s what I call a High Class Education at any price!

Whether you are actually designing your own parts or simply envisioning what they will look like and how they will work, Mr. Rodriguez will get you pointed in the right direction. He will give you a focus and teach you techniques (like side actions and hot runners) to overcome any  difficulties in your designs.

You can contact Mr. Rodriguez at jrod6608@gmail.com or (954) 638-7811

ISSF Meeting Handout

Powerpoint Presentation:

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Past Speaker – Charles Koch – 3D Printing

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Speaker For The October 1st Meeting

The Inside Scoop On Prototyping to Short Run Production

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Charles Koch of 3Axis Development, Inc.

Charles Koch of 3Axis Development, Inc. of www.3axis.us was a highly regarded well rounded manufacturing expert when I met him in 2008. He has always been on the cutting edge of technology as you may have witnessed at our July meeting when he showed a new very affordable and versatile 3D printer that he is now representing.

Charles will be discussing how to match your project to the right type of prototyping and/or manufacturing methods to achieve the best results within your time restraints at the most reasonable price for maximum return on your investment. What more could you ask for ?

Of course, his company can start working with you from a dream on a napkin but he will also discuss what you need to have in place for them to help you more efficiently. What CAD programs work the best, what specifications help as well as what specification can hurt your project and much more.

One of his newest ventures is selling top quality yet affordable 3D printers and other equipment which you can see on his website under the button Engineer’s Toy Store. I must admit, I found a number of things I might put on my list for Santa.

This program should be of interest for any inventor no matter where you are in the process because if you are just starting out it will give you a ton of information to process or give you the answers to major decisions you might be going through right now and last but not least show you some mistakes you may have already made with a way to correct them.

ISSF Meeting Handout

AFTER THE MEETING:

A MESSAGE FROM CHARLES KOCH:

Charles Koch has prepared a resources page including multiple links and videos for those interested in seeing more about 3D printing and prototyping.  Click below to check it all out.  You won’t be sorry!

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Charles Koch and Leo Mazur

Charles Koch and Leo Mazur

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How to Investigate and Evaluate a Resource

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How to Investigate and Evaluate a Resource

Type “research a company” using the Google search-engine prompt, and press the Enter key. Review the return listings and scroll to ones that meet your needs, such as where you will find a business research tutorial presenting a step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information online! Other research options include:

  • Visit your state’s web site to research a business. Type the format www.state.xx.us, where xx is the USPS abbreviation for the state (e.g. www.state.ut.us). The current web site for the state will appear or a link to it. Find the Business link to search for company filings.
  • Visit www.sec.gov and search for company filings.
  • Visit your county clerk online or in person to search for legal documents such as releases, judgments, liens and many other transactions.
  • Visit the county clerk online where the company is located (corporate and local addresses).
  • Search the BBB online where the company is located (corporate and local addresses) to search for consumer complaints and company standing.
  • Contact industry groups in which the company may have membership. Is the company a member in good standing? Do they participate in member functions?
  • Use a search engine like Google and type the company name with location (e.g. Hines Faucets Florida). Look for information about customers of the company on the web pages listed.
  • Use a search engine like Google and type the company name followed by the word ‘complaint’ or ‘customer’ or ‘customer service’ or whatever else you want to learn about the company. No web sites found is a good indication but is not conclusive due to search engine rankings and website availability. Remember that Internet information is updated constantly.
  • Use a search engine like Google and type the email address of the individual. Look for information about the person’s business bahavior that might impact your prospective business relationship.
  • Visit your public library and ask the reference librarian to guide you to books with information about the company/industry of interest. They will direct you to the Thomas Register and industry specific books that may be of use. Also, ask about periodicals and newspapers relevant to the company’s industry.
  • Contact Chambers of Commerce in the area via email to inquire of the company’s membership and community presence.
  • If the company has a web site, search it for a client list, business address, contact person, telephone numbers and email address. The client list may offer a hint of where the client may be contacted. Try contacting the client. If the website lacks contact information (such as no geographical address, named individual or telephone number), move on.
  • If a company website or business profile lacks details about the people behind it, move on.
  • Contact a nearby competitor of the company and suggest that you are calling because the company seemed a bit pricey for the products/services offered.
  • When you speak to a company representative, ask for three clients you may call for references. If they give you three references this is a positive indication, although they could be ringers.
  • Network: speak to your other team members and business associates about the prospective company; they may know about the company or can ask someone who may know.
  • When you introduce yourself at the next inventor meeting, ask the attendees if any of them know anything about the company!
  • Make inquiries through an inventor forum or business forum relevant to the product/service the company provides. Be sure to use a brief, specific and meaningful title for the subject field of your posting.
  • Attend a business fair that this company would likely show its products/services and make inquiries of other vendors, perhaps by way of comparison. You need to be familiar with the offerings of the company you want to evaluate.
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Past Speaker – Kevin Cox

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Speaker for the September 10th, 2016 Meeting – KEVIN COX

3 Great Programs From FAU

FAU-business-programs-for-inventorsOnce again, FAU is included us in a number of their entrepreneur programs. Unfortunately, this year’s Business Plan Competition is only for full time students but don’t let that discourage you. Their new and improved 30 hour boot camp in September that runs for 10 weeks will teach you all the ins and outs of building a business plan, putting together a presentation along with a pitch deck, what investors look for and more from seasoned entrepreneurs who have been there, done that and Sold the tee shirt.

As an inventor, these are skills you Will need. So many inventors tell me that all they need is an investor. Well, before you can even talk to an investor you need a business plan. If you try to contact a major company through their Open Innovation Portal you will need to fill out a form which contains all the questions you need to answer for a business plan. For your own piece of mind, before you put your life savings on the line for your product, you’re going to want to know your probability of success which you will find in a business plan.

But That Ain’t All Folks

speaker-kevin-cox-at ISSF meetingThere is another series consisting of five lectures on three extremely important topics by true experts on each. The Predictive Entrepreneur is on how to foresee the pitfalls in your proposed venture and overcome them, ahead of time. Disruptive Technology, is exactly what you want to invent. Not only does this course teach you how to define the technology, it teaches you all the parts that make or break such a venture. How to Establish Foreign Business provides the ABC’s of exporting, international trade, multi-national business and foreign marketing. You can take just one, two or all three (just like me).

Kevin Cox is a published academic on entrepreneurship, who cofounded a successful start up and is the head of these programs. He will be giving us a presentation on the programs. Flyers for both programs are included in your handout packet and will be available on our website after the meeting

But Wait… There’s More…

Korinna Lewis-Welch is the head of an exciting new program at FAU called the Technology Runway. This is more of an incubator program where potential start ups are actually funded and given space to realize their companies. The list of mentors is incredible. Just to be able to get their help is priceless.

Ms. Lewis-Welch will be giving us an over view of the program but here is a link to their site to wet your appetite http://bit.ly/2atIb9d .

These three programs could be the start of your real adventure into the business of inventing.

Now, all you have to do is show up at LIGI Tool & Engineering, Inc. (3220 SW 15th Street Deerfield Beach, FL 33442) at 1:00 pm on Saturday 9/10/16 to learn how they can apply to you at the meeting which is hosted by the Inventors Society of South Florida, a 501 (C) 3 non-profit educational organization.

MEETING HANDOUT – FAU LECTURE SERIES

MEETING HANDOUT – FAU BUSINESS PLAN BOOT CAMP

MEETING HANDOUT – 09-12-16

GREAT STUFF FROM 09-12-16 MEETING

toe brush inventor

Also at the meeting was the inventor of the Toe Brush, William Morrison (center)

 

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Past Speaker – Eileen Fischlschweiger – Patent Searches

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Speaker for the August 6th Meeting: Eileen Fischlschweiger

Field Trip

One of the most important skills that every inventor needs is to be able to do their own patent searches. This is where every project begins and there are a number of reasons for this. First, you need to be aware of the state of the art and your competition. Let’s face it, if you are working in telecommunications and the last research you did in the field was 5 years ago, You’re a Dinosaur!  

The whole reason the government gives you a patent to exclude others from making, using or selling your claimed invention with a 20 year patent term (measured from the application date but beginning with the grant date) is because you disclosed the technology in your patent so others can improve on it. Using that logic another patent can inspire you to make a huge advancement in the field with a new or improved version of your original idea.

There are tons of other reasons but where can you learn this vital skill? At the Broward County Library on August 6th and from one of the most knowledgeable experts that I know.

Eileen-Fischlschweiger2Eileen Fischlschweiger, Librarian, Senior at the Broward County Main Library, is the Patent and Trademark Resource Center’s Representative Librarian for the Fort Lauderdale PTRC.  As such, she is the library’s liaison with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and she has been working with patent and trademark information for over 20 years, starting shortly before they implemented the Provisional Patent Application, and she has been on top of every change that has happen since then, thanks to annual training from the USPTO at their campus in the Washington, DC area.

She will be teaching us the new 7 Step Strategy which has been revised to incorporate the new Cooperative Patent Classification system. As many of you already know, the USPTO has been revising everything in order to harmonize with the rest of the world’s patent offices. Over all, this may be a good thing but for those of us who are already familiar with the old system this is a nightmare. Be that as it may, we need to learn the new system or give up and I don’t have quitters in my group.  To help you understand the new 7 Step Strategy Eileen recommends that everyone view the USPTO’s computer based training as pre-lecture homework.  It can be found at How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search: A Step by Step Strategy – Web Based Tutorial (39 minutes, 14 seconds; link: http://www.uspto.gov/video/cbt/ptrcsearching/).  There’s sound, so the computer speakers need to be turned on.

After her lecture, Eileen will take us on a tour of the Creation Station where you can get access to 3D printers for your prototypes, the new Creation Station Business facilities (targeted to open in September 2016) which can help you start your own business, and The Studio (for Teens) which is another new program to encourage teens with an interest in audio and visual arts.

All this and more is Yours for the taking. Just show up a little before 1:00pm. The lecture will be in the Bienes Museum Ceremonial room on the 6th floor of the Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (there is a pay parking lot just east of the building with a bridge to the library). Hope to see you there.

For more information go to our website www.inventorssociety.net or call 561-676-5677.     

Meeting Handout

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Speaker – Howard Minsky – July 9, 2016

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Speaker for the July 9th Meeting:  Howard Minsky:

GREAT Marketing Makes All The Difference

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door”. Not So, according to Chester M. Woolworth, who was the president and chairman of Animal Trap Co. of America. He commissioned an elegant mousetrap, superior in every way to his competition, to be built and it failed miserably! Mainly because his target market, housewives, felt it was too beautiful to simply throw away and had no desire to clean out its’ disgusting byproduct for reuse.

Whether you have a product ready to sell or are still in the idea stage, every inventor needs to have a solid understanding of marketing to survive let alone succeed in this business and I know just the guy who can take us through the paces leaving us with a firm foundation of knowledge to build on.


ISSF-Howard-MinskyHoward Minsky, President and Co-Founder of SKM Media Group (www.skmmediagroup.com) SKM was ranked by Inc. Magazine’s Inc500 as the 89th fastest growing company in America (that’s 89 out of 14+ million companies). Howard has had a successful career as a serial entrepreneur for over 20 years. If anyone knows how to use marketing effectively, he does and is a good match for budding inventor/entrepreneurs like us.

He has been intimately involved with database marketing, sales, software development, direct marketing and online marketing. Howard has the unique ability to synthesize the talents of technology based professionals to achieve maximum benefits for clients. Having a strong background in marketing technology provides him with a foundation for understanding when to adopt best practice approaches versus leading with new techniques.

Howard will be addressing the following and other related topics that are crucial to the development of any business.

  • How to identify your target market
  • How to develop a campaign that will attract them
  • How to build professional relationships that last

If only poor old Chester Woolworth had the chance to meet our Mr. Minsky who knows what would have happen to his ill fated mouse trap.

 

Meeting Handout

Meeting Handout Two