 "Educate - Innovate - Motivate" |
INVENTOR'S UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2012
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| Greetings! | 
If you're like me, you may have your fingers crossed hoping that the groundhog won't notice his shadow on Feb 2, and we'll get to enjoy some more of this mild weather we've been experiencing this winter. It's been a great time to get out and get things done.
Speaking of getting things done, now is the time to start putting some wheels on your invention's project and move it forward. If you're not sure what to do next, we're here to help with information like what you'll see below.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a lot of good information and opportunities, like:
If you've ever wondered how you were going to get your invention products assembled, warehoused and shipped locally, then you won't want to miss this month's Free Open Meeting as we hear from David Boggs at the Lexington Manufacturing Center.
So how do you know who do you trust when selecting an inventor service provider? We try and shed a little more light on that subject in this month's blog: http://www.ckic.org/inventorblog.html.
No matter whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, I hope to see you at our next Free Open Meeting on Tuesday February 7th!
Best Regards,
Don Skaggs
President
Central Kentucky Inventors Council |
Inventors Blog:
How to Play Nice with Others:
Relating to Inventor Service Providers
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February 7th: David Boggs with Lexington Manufacturing Center
| Don't miss out next CKIC Meeting on Tuesday February 7th as we hear from:
David Boggs CEO at Lexington Manufacturing Center David has been the President and CEO of Opportunity for Work and Learning (OWL) since 2007, and brings 28 years of experience as an educator and consultant. 
OWL and LMC's mission is 2-fold: to serve those with barriers to employment, and to provide high-quality manufacturing services at a cost-effective price, competing with the best manufacturing firms and meeting ISO 9000 standards. 
OWL, which includes the Lexington Manufacturing Center, is spread among three large facilities with over 74,000 square feet of office, manufacturing and warehouse space. 
Don't miss this free,
Open-to-the-Public Meeting on this Tuesday February 7th for the great news, information and networking opportunities, plus find out about this great service and opportunity for inventors and entrepreneurs while helping others!
When: Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Where: Bluegrass Area Development Center
699 Perimeter Drive Lexington KY
Time: Doors open for networking at 6:30pm,
Meeting begins at 7:00pm
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February 14th: Inventor's Workshop (for CKIC Members Only)
|  Join Us For Our Monthly, Members-Only Inventors Workshop
Hosted by CKIC Founder Don West - This workshop is designed to help the inventor move from the idea stage through the invention process, by allowing for inventors to discuss and learn from constructive information concerning their ideas in a free and unencumbered, legally binding format.
This Meeting is for CKIC Members Only Not a member? Come and join us: Membership is only $40/yr
Where: Bluegrass Development Center
699 Perimeter Dr, Lexington KY
Date: Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 Time: Doors open at 6:30,
Workshop begins at 7:00pm Do you have a great idea for an invention?
Find out what you can do!
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Opportunity for Inventors: Meet Ron Popeil at the Intl. Housewares Show
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Part of the UIA Inventor Education Program at the IHHS:
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How Does Your Idea Measure Up?
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According to Y Combinator's Garry Tan in a recent article in Inc., there  is a simple yardstick he thinks you can use to measure your idea's potential and/or starting a company with it. Regarding ideas, he says that too often founders (and inventors) overlook is that even when you fail with an ambitious idea, it's hard to fail completely (part of a quote from Google founder Larry Page). That's why on the first day at start-up incubator Y Combinator, each entrepreneur is give a t-shirt that says: "Make something people want." Garry goes one step further, and says "Make something a lot of people want a lot." He says that if you're going to create a product or service, consider these 2 simple things:
1. The Severity of Need Addressed by Your Product or Service. 2. The Number of People Who Have that Need. The best and most often most successful ideas service a huge need for a huge number of people. They practically sell themselves, and grow customers organically. They're also viral because everyone who encounters them tells everyone else about this great new thing that makes your life better.
The next-best ideas service a huge need for a smaller number of people, and can be highly profitable as enterprise businesses. After that, the next level includes ideas that service a smaller need, but serve a huge number of people. After that is, you guessed it, ideas that service a small need for a small number of people.
Garry says that the worst ideas are the ones that don't solve a problem, or create more problems than they solve. People neither want it or need it. These types of inventions are usually the result of too much of a focus on capabilities (like, "wouldn't it be cool if?"), rather than what other people actually want or need.
Also, no matter how well your idea measures on Garry's "yardstick", building it and getting users ultimately tells the tale. Your grand idea is worthless unless you make it real and get it out there.
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Experience the Valuable Instruction, Motivation and Power of Connections at the CKIC!
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CKIC Officers:
President - Don Skaggs
Vice-President - Mark Miller
Treasurer - Jim Hill
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