Having taught hundreds of inventors at my workshops I have discovered that most of the attendees do not think of their “ideas” as a valuable asset. When I compare their “idea” for a product ,with what is commonly termed as their “intellectual property”, to a piece of real estate property they do not make the connection. I believe their lack of knowledge stems from the fact that most inventors do not consider their “thoughts” or think of their “ideas” for an invention as a potential valuable and tangible asset.
When teaching the inventors how valuable their “thoughts” are I try to demonstrate that like the ether of radio waves that a person cannot see but know are vital in creating sound ….. so is the concept of an “idea” that cannot be seen unless a person turns their own frequency into an actual invention or valuable asset. I have found there are three types of inventors with one strong commonality; all three do not value their own “thoughts” and do not realize that their “ideas” are really potential valuable properties.
TYPE 1:
The first type of inventor wants to tell everyone about their idea with no thought of protecting it from others who may take it and make it their own.
TYPE 2:
The second type of inventor is the person who wants to give their idea away and partner with anyone who will consider their offer. In most cases they start with giving 50% or more of the rights to their invention without even considering its potential value.
TYPE 3:
The third type of inventor is the one who just does not believe in their idea at all and broods for years doing nothing about it. When they eventually see their “idea” turned into a successful product on the shelf of one of a major stores they comment to anyone who will listen “I had that idea several years ago. That is my idea!!
The saddest part of the story of these three types of inventors is that none of them have a sense of their own worth and of the value of their “ideas”. To them an “idea” is just that an “idea” and not a potential valuable “Intellectual Property”. If most inventors would begin to realize that their thoughts are valuable and can be turned into an asset with the right knowledge and tools they would never again take their “thoughts” for granted and give it away. Once inventor learns the process of obtaining a patent and the value of protecting their idea they begin to take their “ideas” seriously and take the necessary steps toward actualization and commercialization of their invention.
Any invention brought to the marketplace started with an intangible “thought” or “idea”. In each generation there are born inventors and only those who take their :ideas” and “thoughts” seriously have a chance of actualizing them and turning them into a commercial success. If most inventors were taught at an early age that what they were “thinking” was as valuable as any “property” they could own then we may have many more innovations and inventors today. When people begin to be taught that like a valuable piece of property so is their “Intellectual Property”…..only then will the world of invention be attainable by all !
ABOUT ANDREA ROSE:
Having turned many of my own inventions into a commercial success I founded The Inventors Road Show™ whose mission is to help inventors navigate the difficult task of commercializing their inventions. At The Inventors Road Show™ workshops we provide the tools inventors need to bring their “Ideas to Industry™” and at the same time discover those next “Big Ideas” that we present to our marketing associates.