Drop the idea- Your idea is a business venture no matter how much time, money, energy and effort you put into it. Keep your eyes and ears open and know when to move on to your next idea, you’ll have plenty more ideas that will come to you!
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/celebrity-inventors-brian-fried-of-the-national-inventors-club-on-how-to-go-from-idea-to-store-7e1d8c55f3a5
Asa part of our series called “Celebrity Inventors”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Fried.
His expertise comes with over 15 years of experience as a mentor to inventors, including celebrities. He is the author of Inventing Secrets Revealed and You & Your Big Ideas. A thought-leader of the industry, Fried has been featured with products on As Seen On TV, home shopping channels, catalogs, and online retailers through licensing and manufacturing. As president of his consultancy Inventor Smart, Fried aids clients through constructive feedback, product development, and more to help bring their ideas to market. He has presented his expertise at the 2019 National Hardware Show, The Inspired Home Show, and the 2018 Invention-Con hosted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
Iwas a good kid, hopefully, my parents felt the same way! I was a hustler, I liked to have my own money, earn it and spend or save what I wanted.
I realized looking back that I was curious, liked to learn and understand how things worked, and was put together by first taking them apart, not in an aggressive way! I always liked the latest technology, finding ways to make my life easier or keep up with the cool gadgets.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There are people that let things happen and people that make things happen, the choice is yours! I positioned myself in anything I did as a leader and not a follower. I liked to hear what people have to say, take constructive criticism well, and then evaluate what to do next if anything at all. This led me into positions where I was representing Student Government and interest groups in high school, college, my part-time jobs as a manager in my teens, volunteering in my community on the board of directors, and continuing to represent groups and initiatives from a perspective of thinking of others first and making decisions as a leader.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The author compiled amazing conversations to understand the mindset of many successful people and what it took for them to achieve greatness. This book is about being rich in your mind first and knowing that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. That is why I invent it. My first thought is how this can help someone and make their life easier and then see them use it for the same reason why I came up with it. The other part of the rich, financially, follows.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. What was the catalyst that inspired you to invent your product? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?
I have a story about every invention that I’ve thought of and created or not created. For example one of the early inventions I came up with when we were at a Disney show at Nassau Coliseum. I bought an expensive mylar Elmo balloon and during the show, it flew up to the ceiling, along with many others! You should have heard all the crying and screaming going on… So I invented the Balloon-O-Band, a nylon wristband that had a metal D ring attached that the balloon ribbon can be tied to so the kids can take the band on and off and if the band comes off and they let go, it’s also a weight so the balloon and band don’t fly away!
Then there is Pull Ties, an ongoing revenue stream for me that is a bag sealer. On bread, you have the twist ties or plastic tabs, or in your snack bags you have the chip clip… I wanted to find a better way to seal my bread, cereal, items that were in plastic bags everywhere in my kitchen, including my freezer and pantry. I can up with this item Pull Ties, which keeps food fresher longer and seals the bags tight. You put the bag through the loop and push the button up the track to seal it. I had great success with this product on QVC, it was and continues to be on the shelves in major retailers and online.
I also am very proud of the journey my Snack-O-Spheres have had. I worked with a licensee to include Sesame Street and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and sell a ton of them. Now, these snack containers have another version with pets again in major retailers.
What else… I have had a device that takes knots out of jewelry, a microwave cooker and steamer with twist-lock drain, on infomercials, another one I am not able to disclose, and how about this one, my collapsible egg tray. I came home with leftovers and there was no room left in my fridge, then I noticed that space above the egg carton and opened the carton up to see that there was only one left taking up all that space. So I came up with this egg tray that collapses to hold the number of eggs you have to save space in your fridge, called Eggstra Space! This invention was on QVC and now in major retailers as well as online.
Full Article can be found on: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/celebrity-inventors-brian-fried-of-the-national-inventors-club-on-how-to-go-from-idea-to-store-7e1d8c55f3a5
