I was just one of the winners of the Faultless Tool Co. product search. Big Idea Group is great, they have these contests all the time and if your lucky you can get some great licensing deals!

I met with them last year in person at their NH offices. Good group, lots of energy and contacts.

If the idea is not a fit with their current contacts or interests they let you know pretty fast.

I have also entered a BIG idea Hunt and was one of the winners for one of them (no licensing deal though). It’s alot of fun.

Just interested Holly and Trent what your products were and what you won/got in return.

My product is called the Get-A-Grip: Multi-Purpose Tool. www.3rproducts.com

Being one of the winners was about the only joy I got out of the contest. For one person, the grand prize was a licensing deal with Faultless, which I would have probably passed on, unless they could have done it non-exclusive. The deal would not have been as profitable for me as the sales I do in my own business. Faultless is the inventor of the Garden Claw, so you guessed it, I got a Garden Claw Deluxe, I live in a high rise apartment building, so I am still trying to figure out where to put the garden! Anyway, just being on of the winners was cool!

My prize package was a Pasta Pro and a Smart Spin. The sponsoring company was an Infomercial company- so thus these prizes. I treat mine like it’s a trophy (I mean I did win after all!), and have them on my fireplace mantel. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person in the world with a Pasta Pro trophy!!!

I think my Garden Claw Deluxe would look funny on my mantel!

Hey Trent, what about using it for a curtain rod?
Holly, did you name them oscar or emmy?

Big Idea Group is searching for inventions that could become the basis of a profitable microbusiness. BIG plans to form a venture to bring the best invention (or inventions) to market. The winning inventor(s) will receive not only a royalty on products sold, but also an equity stake in the new business that we form to launch the invention. Multiple inventions might be selected.

Deadline for this Hunt is March 31, 2010, however submissions will be reviewed every one to two months. This is a rare opportunity for inventors to receive both a royalty and a piece of the business bringing their invention to market.

Tracy, Do u know if the idea can just be a new type of social network?… Or are they asking us to build a better i-pod in our garages?

Hi Tracy, Thanks for the information and I will look into it as I did last year. There was a reason I didn’t enter it last year but will look in the files and find out why: think it was just too cumbersome but that might have been another group. Again, thanks….

Hi William,
If you go to bigideagroup.net and scroll down you will see BIG UPDATES and Idea Hunt In Progress BIG Microbusiness Idea Hunt. It will give you all the details.

Hi Julie,
Did they have this same type of idea hunt last year? I would love to know how it works out for you.

I just wanted to share the opportunity with this creative community. I wish I had an idea “a baby” to pursue. Maybe someday. :)

Hi Tracy,

I contacted the Big Idea Group because they state something like " if you are not sure, contact us…" so I did. They checked out the product on the website and told me to submit.

Thanks for the lead…. I wish there was a deadline as I work much better that way….

Hi Julie,
Great! Please fill us in on your progress. I just know your product will make it big. :)

Julie, I contacted them as well. They gave me the same answer.

It looks as though on the website they allude to the fact that they like products with the potential of line extensions.

RE: “It looks as though on the website they allude to the fact that they like products with the potential of line extensions.”

Correct, they are not looking for stand-alone product offerings. Their ideal product, in my estimation, is something that can be sold via an informercial and consists of a ‘brand’ of related products.

They are relatively close-by and I’ve been in a few times to see them – that is the impressions that I’ve receved anyhow.

Bob, When you go visit them, are you treated well? Do you feel they are ‘slick’? On a scale of 1 to 10, what does your intuition tell you?

I have ideas for related products which could easily be incorporated with the pillowcases.

Thanks for any additional input….

These people are high integrity. Very pleasant to work with. Very knowledgeable. I feel as good about them as I do about EE, although I believe EE may have a bigger staff.

How’s that for a positive recommendation?

Great! Thanks.

Where in NH are you?

I am in MA just west of Cambridge/Boston. Belmont, to be exact, but few know that town. Its about an hour drive to their office in Manchester – worth doing rather than email or telephone.

The Big Idea Group’s “Beer Chilling Appliance Name Hunt” ends on the 17th.

Donny Deutsch had a show and web site for “the Big Idea”. Is this related?

I don’t know – maybe search his name because I didn’t see any names on their website.

No, it is not related. Big Idea Group is owned and run by Mike Collins. He has a book out http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Idea-Every... you might find interesting.

http://www.rogerbrown.net

Thank you, Roger. Between the two Browns, we “got it covered”.

:-)

I’m in on the Beer Chilling appliance name hunt!
Hope I win a Crockpot! …..and a toaster oven! ;)