Thought Leaders
Not Crazy About Public Speaking? Few of Us Are. Here Are 7 Pointers to Help.
First piece of advice: Start with a story about vulnerability. It makes you relatable and trustworthy in the eyes of your audience.
Stephen Key is an inventor, IP strategist, author, speaker and co-founder of inventRight, LLC, a Glenbrook, Nevada-based company that helps inventors design, patent and license their ideas for new products.
More From Stephen Key
Online Presence
8 Steps to Building a $3 Million Hair-Care Brand Using Social Media
Ryford Estores always liked today's short, short hairstyles. But he got fed up with the long waits at the barbershop.
Building a Business
The Simplest Ideas Can Be Extremely Profitable. Here’s Proof.
Gene Luoma solved a universal problem -- clogged drains -- with a strip of plastic from his garage. His device has sold 33 million units.
Thought Leaders
Happy Anniversary, Joy Mangano! Why This Entrepreneur Has Thrived for 20 Years.
The hugely successful inventor of the Huggable Hanger always puts her customer first.
Business Ideas
Hasbro-Indiegogo Partnership Celebrates the Benefits of Open Innovation
The Next Great Game Challenge highlights how licensing and crowdfunding can intersect.
Tech
What Your Kids Will Be Playing With Next Year: Toy Fair 2017, a Product Recap
Think drones, robotics, and toys connected to family-friendly movies. Something else: Play-Doh is back!
Entrepreneurs
Even If Your Goals Seem Out of Reach, Stay Motivated With These 6 Strategies
Don't lose hope when challenging projects seem to drag on. Use these tips to stay on track.
Thought Leaders
The Secret to Coming up With New Ideas
You don't need to be great. You just need to do.
Business Ideas
4 Amazing Products From CES I Can’t Wait to Use
From a high-tech guitar to amazing holograhic technology, here are some highlights from CES.
Building a Business
Is Your Product Idea Right for Licensing? How to Tell
Can your idea be manufactured at a reasonable price point? Can it be easily explained? If the answer is "yes," sit back and watch the royalty checks roll in.
Building a Business
How Licensing-‘in’ a Brand Can Wildly Grow Your Product Business
This contributor tells how he did a deal with Disney and how gaining entry to the Magic Kingdom was easier than he'd thought.
Thought Leaders
Inventors: Do a Patent Search Sooner Rather Than Later
What you find may dash your feelings of originality, but it can also be a roadmap for how to see your idea come onto the market.
Online Presence
How to Use LinkedIn to License Your Concepts for New Products
Product developer Ryan Diez reveals how he gets in touch with companies that are looking for new product ideas.
Building a Business
Get Your Seasonal Toy Into Walmart in Under Two Years Without Breaking the Bank
An Entrepreneur contributor interviews someone who pulled off this feat and reports on seven takeaways this man had to offer.
Building a Business
Apple Air Pods Will Likely Be a Hit Once They Get the Bugs Out
There will be plenty of consumers who are going to love and embrace Apple's wireless vision.
Thought Leaders
3 Ways to Slay the Risk of Bringing a New Product to Market
Making money from your ingenuity requires getting people as excited about the opportunity as you are.
Online Presence
6 Strategies to Stand Out on Social Media
Be creative and be tenacious in your social media marketing.
Tech
5 Ways to Create an Almost-There Prototype Marketing Video
Building it makes your idea real; video captures it visually. Do less of the first and more of the second to test the market sooner.
Marketing
6 Ways to Use Video to Sell New-Product Concepts
The trick is to show the benefit of your idea without disclosing exactly how it works.
Building a Business
The 4 Biggest Mistakes Inventors Make
Product development is a business. You can't afford rookie errors.
Building a Business
The Crucial Moment That Separates the Pros From the Amateurs
When you pick yourself up after being rejected, you become a professional.
Building a Business
10 Ways to Become Luckier in Business
Luck is about chance, the chance of something good happening and finding reward in the opportunities.
Thought Leaders
3 Basics for Filing a Patent That Actually Has Value
A provisional patent application will provide as much protection as you need while determining if your idea can really go the distance.
Business Operations & Logistics
Winning at Inventing Is a Numbers Game
Inventors too often focus on patents and expensive prototypes when what they really need is proof of demand.
Thought Leaders
The Inventor of the George Foreman Grill Sets the Record Straight
Michael Boehm explains how he created one of the bestselling infomercial products of all time.
Marketing
Have a Lot of Clever Ideas? License Them to the Novelty Gift Industry.
When I walked into Hallmark and saw "Sweet Darts," darts inscribed with the words 'I'm Stuck On You," I smiled. Seeing my name on the back never got old.
Building a Business
Are You Trying to Protect Your Idea — or Sell It?
Do you really need a patent? It all depends on who you ask.
Building a Business
Money Might as Well Grow on Trees Once You Pursue Work You Truly Enjoy
If you're on the career path you're meant to be on, financial freedom will take care of itself.
Building a Business
Which of Your Great Ideas Should You Work on Bringing to Market First?
When you're in the midst of a creative surge, it's sometimes hard to narrow things down. Use this checklist to help.
Building a Business
How One Toy Company Gets Open Innovation Right
If you want to license your ideas, focus on finding those companies that are going to truly embrace you -- companies like Fat Brain.
