by Alan | Jul 4, 2017 | Invention, Keys to Success, Leverage, Licensing, Make the best deal you can, Manufacturing in China, Marketing, Profitability, Royalty rates, Shark Tank
Everyone has seen a Shark Tank episode where an offer was dramatically canceled, at the last moment. In almost every case, the inventor became a bit too greedy or unwilling to compromise, causing the shark to rescind an otherwise potentially lucrative deal. What a...
by Alan | Nov 6, 2016 | Invention, Invention marketing companies, Keys to Success, Leverage, Licensing, Product development
William Jones, captain of Marines in the Providence (the 28-gun frigate, not the 12-gun sloop) then at Boston, advertised in the 20 March 1779 Providence (R.I.) Gazette the need for “a few good Men” to engage in “a short Cruize” and gave the...
by Alan | Aug 30, 2015 | Invention, Keys to Success, Leverage, Licensing, Sacrifice, Selling time for money, Why inventors succeed
One must sacrifice to achieve success. Hundreds of books have been written with this simple corollary as the central principle. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell cites the 10,000 hour rule: that to achieve mastery in a field, one must expend 10,000 hours of effort. This...
by Alan | Jun 11, 2015 | American Dream, Career success, Invention, Keys to Success, Leverage, Perceived market value, Salaried workers
In the previous post on Leveraging the American Dream I addressed a key challenge affecting lower and middle-income workers: they have no effective leverage to obtaining higher wages. The hourly worker may indeed work more hours, but they cannot work 24 hours per day...
by Alan | Jun 6, 2015 | American Dream, Career success, Invention, Keys to Success, Leverage, Perceived market value, Salaried workers
Most people cannot lift a 500 pound weight off the ground by themselves. But, by using a simple lever with a long bar and a fulcrum, they can use a small amount of force with leverage to lift a heavy weight. I have written a number of posts on the American Dream...