by Alan | May 3, 2017 | Career choices, Creativity, Ideas, Innovation, Invention, Licensing, Marketing, Patents, Setbacks
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost The above poem,one of the most oft quoted from poet Robert Frost, resonates with millions more than 100 years after it was written. Inventing...
by Alan | Mar 13, 2017 | Attitude, Behaviors of success, Criticism, Dealing with rejection, Disappointments, Invention, Keys to Success, Setbacks, Strategy, Turning setbacks into success
I decided to tell a bit of my personal story because I think mirrors the experiences of many entrepreneurs and, especially, inventors. I will set the stage a bit like a novel with three different timeframes and what was going on in my life during each. September 2009...
by Alan | Mar 5, 2017 | Attitude, Behaviors of success, Criticism, Dealing with rejection, Disappointments, Invention, Keys to Success, Setbacks, Strategy, Turning setbacks into success
I can tell a lot about an inventor based upon his or her attitude towards setbacks and more especially rejection. By ‘rejection' I mean when a prospective retailer or licensee gives the dreaded ‘it's not for us' answer. Inventors respond most typically to...
by Alan | Nov 20, 2016 | Attitude, Behaviors of success, Criticism, Entrepreneurial rollercoaster, Invention, Make the best deal you can, Pursue your passion, Risk versus reward, Setbacks
What is the difference between an attitude and a behavior? Over many years, I have observed that successful inventors exude different behaviors from wannabe inventors. Successful inventors: Embrace risk in a healthy, balanced way Accept criticism with an open mind...
by Alan | Aug 7, 2016 | American Dream, Big success, Career success, Dealing with rejection, Disappointments, DRTV, Invention, Keys to Success, Licensing, QVC, Sell on TV, Setbacks, TV testing, Web testing
This post is a follow up to Turning No's Into Inventing Success from last week. In that post, I described the most painful no I ever received – from a large wallet manufacturer who had initially been keenly interested in licensing my product. The second defining...
by Alan | Jul 31, 2016 | Dealing with rejection, Invention, Invention failure, Marketing, Paths for your product, Product success, QVC, resilience, Sell on TV, Setbacks
I hesitated to write this particular blog post. I knew lots of readers would roll their eyes and say to themselves, “oh boy, another tawdry tale about failing in the process of success.” I know. But, honestly, I had to write this post. Why? Three reasons:...