RIP Ron. Thanks for your contributions to the inventor community.

Mark , I wish you had been at EN when Ron was here! Look his name up in the search bar. He had such an inventor’s heart and spirit and would take so much time with everyone. He told me once on the phone that ‘if Eggies didn’t make it, he’d show it to his cousin who was in the restaurant biz’. Hope he knows they made it. I loved him! :-) (So glad this topic is still here)

Ron passed away in the last year and I smiled when I saw this post up to the top again, Ron was a feisty guy, but he was so determined with handi-straps, and I hope his daughter took it on and sells it like hot cakes….

Whew!!! what a great topic Wife is a supporter, kids thinks it is great idea but not sure, family aloof, patent attorney consistent, friends very few, and a designer thinks i’m crazy trying to put a fan like object in the water to increase current and benefit inhabitants in public aquariums and for aquarist and aquaculture. But God is by my side thank God for that. :))

Sealife Aquariums Corporation

Ron, I have had a pretty tough life so far as an entrpreneur and inventor. I was worth over $500,000 at the age of 27 then lost it all and working now to get it back! I have lost relationships and friends due to my entrepreneurial spirit. Despite all my setbacks, I think I would be more content living in a ditch with a dream rather than living my life as a 9 to 5er without a dream, passion or drive.

Family is quite supportive, I urge them to come here, join and work on their own ideas. I have a friend I told who just says…“hmm.”

Bumping this up for Leora :-)
See? You’re not alone. lol

Here is link to You Tube showing Ron’s Appearance on Discovery Channels “Pitchmen”
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEiTKG7IZ5s

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WeCgDixFA&...

I have no immediate family left to share my ‘ideas’ with, however, I have a close personal friend, who handles my ideas as follows:

1.) feigns interest
2.) acts equally excited
3.) pretends to listen
4.) tells me how great the idea is
5.) waits till I am completely done (bouncing off the walls)
6.) asks if she can have a cup of tea/water
7.) when I’m outta the room, she rolls her eyes, then:
8.) changes subject

Thankfully, she is very much aware of my ADD, and knows that I will soon be off in another direction, she just has to wait it out.
We repeat this routine on a fairly regular basis.

I don’t tell family or friends of my inventions, just my husband and brother-in-law who helped with the sketch of the invention. Waiting until it make it to production.

eggies
eggies
eggies!
lol

Success for me is getting through the day without doing something stupid. Like the time I blew the vent off the microwave while trying to heat up a hard boiled egg. I’ll never forget the explosion.

bump

I think that success is in the eye of the beholder. Success for me some days is getting up and facing the frustration of waiting another day and then other times it is reaching another rung on the ladder. I set my goals in reasonable increments (hour, day, week, month….) and when I reach that goal, I consider it a success even though no one else would be able to see any improvement or progress. And, once in a while, the ‘thing’ I worked on just doesn’t get any further: in that case, I consider success to be that I was smart enough to quit and not beat my head against the wall.

None of my friends think that I am doing this as a hobby; however, most of them do think that I am nuts. Doesn’t matter.

SUCCESS is the proof in the pudding. Until we have achieved it, inventing is just a hobby to others.

Well… for me… it has been a… “OK sure thing.. We will see”… type of answer… Then i speak of success… and you can see in their eyes change… Like REALLY? SUCSESS?..

We … i feel are a special breed … that DO … with enthusiasm… with excitement… with perception…

Those that doubt … do not contain those special qualities…

THAT is what separates us as creators from just thinkers…

MHO… or 2 cents… :))))

Andrea,
I think you make a really good point in your post. I would agree that just about everyone has the lightbulb go off in their head at some point (or more likely – many points) in their life. As you said, most (I would say 99%) people don’t do anything about it. They don’t have time, don’t know how, or don’t think they could ever put it all together to commercialize that idea. That the great thing about EN – they take the time, have the knowledge and know how to package it up in a nice little package! Its nice to have this group of people supporting each other, giving advice and sharing success and challenges. Oh, by the way, Andrea, I’ve seen some of your items on other site and they are VERY impressive :)

When I am asked about this whole process of inventimg and EN , I use the example of Betsy K and Mark S and their story, and at the end of the explanation, I usually get, “Ok, I get it now!” I think Betsy and Mark are the best PR that EN could possibly have!

Robert, That was a funny clip – maybe you should also post it in the Lounge – I can see the Colonel and few others having fun with it.

Great thread find….Ron is surely missed, I can say that he turned out to be a good friend prior to his passing…I have to say that I get great support from family and friends, when I tell them they do give me their opinion and sometimes its not good, but that’s ok…funny, when I tell someone what I do in my “not so spare time” they go “really, wow, how do you that??” And then the questions start…I like to talk about my experiences and always ask them if they ever had an idea…most have, funny, they never do anything about it…what makes us different here is that we are executing on the ideas, where most people sit on the ideas…Robert, it’s only a matter of time and you will be successful, just keep on truckin!

My family is generally support of my “inventing”. My wife sometimes gets a little skeptical about the time and effort to return ratio though. We both find this 45 second video to be cathartic (and funny):

http://youtu.be/hagBotihy8U

Greeting and thanks Julie. That’s a funny story about the pillowcase. Innovation is defined as taking an existing product and changing it in some way to make it better somehow. Only a true inventor could look at pillowcases in a new way! You definitely have the inventor’s eye! See you around the forums.

Greetings and thanks Mark. That’s great (and hilarious) about your friend at the local newspaper finding himself printing an article about you. I bet if once we become a success those old family and friend come swarming like flies saying they knew it all along LOL.

Great to meet the inventor of the Stark Hand! Super impressive. I was in AI for awhile writing a brain program that could do complex reasoning. I was going to then drop it into a robot. But that turned out to be very expensive and so I decided to turn the reasoning program into an online game humans could play to exercise and improve their reasoning. I just entered it in the Tech Search.

Anyway, the Stark Hand is a very cool and very helpful invention. Great inventing! Congratulations Mark!!

Ask this!
Do you ever play the lottery? Why? Are you some kind of dreamer or something?
You must be nuts thinking you can win!
Whats wrong with you, you are wasting your time dreaming. Get a job and save yer $.
Turn the tables a lil.

My family tells me I have a ZERO percent chance to succeed!!!

One can never anticipate the pressure to give up!!

How great is THAT, Mark! All the accolades from others do not beat those from your friends or family! So very proud to know that I know you through EN…….

Welcome Ken, and good luck here. You’ve found a good place.
Andrew, My friend works as a printer for the local paper and earlier today found himself printing an article about me. He was excited for me and is even saving a printing plate of the article for me. I’m pretty sure he’s still a skeptic, but at least now he’s a supportive skeptic.

Thanks, Roger. There are enough obstacles without creating more by being stubborn.

My family routinely asks at every family function… “What do you have on the burner now”?

You should have seen the look on their face when I showed them my copyrighted circular chess board. OMG, you should have seen the look on the faces. They all know how to play chess and the uncles and grandfather all wanted to try. Everybody thought the game looked so cool until they realized how much harder the game really got. Now my family tell me “Focus on Real Estate” “Don’t fix what’s not broken” as they all mad their money through real estate.

Until I have products on the shelf AND I am making money from it they awill always poo-poo my inventions. They won’t play me chess anymore.

If anybody wants to play on the board, I will send it to you for free. I will send you the electronic version no NDA required. The Copyright number is on it. You can go to Kinkos and get a 18X18 lamenated version of the board for 12 bucks. A full set of pieces are $5 online. I would love the feedback.

Yep, gotta be open to improvement suggestions. Otherwise, you’re going it alone. If you’re going it alone, Why would you need help?

Julie, you also have to give yourself credit for doing something I am always harping on with Inventors. You had someone knowledgleable in the industry give you suggestions to improve your product to make it more marketable and you listened. You did not refuse to make changes. You understood not to be married to your product and to accept criticism. Those are the marke of a Inventor wanting to succeed, not just have it their way or no way.

Andrew, Thanks for finding this thread and bringing it back to Page 1: its always nice to think of Ron. If you haven’t seen the video of him presenting the handi-straps, I suggest finding it.

Welcome, Ken. Safe place IF you don’t get sucked into some of the heated “discussions”.

A while back, when friends asked what I did with my time (after all, everyone in my age group of friends is retired and playing or napping), I told them I was busy at least 6 hours a day, every day, with my products, a pillowcase and an RV accessory. “A PILLOWCASE!? – what is there to keep you busy with a pillowcase?” I explained that it was a different style and I have a patent on it. “A PATENT ON A PILLOWCASE?!”: at this point, all I say is, ‘well, I’ve sold over 3500 units so I guess it is good." NO ONE is supportive in my circle of ’friends" here in Yuma – maybe that is why I am so happy to have EN friends – those with like minds.

I designed the RV step cover in 2007 and didn’t ask anyone or show it to anyone until I was ready to have it made. The manufacturer (18 employees) helped me think about it in a different way which caused me to change it to a better design. Thank goodness for someone who wanted me to succeed: if I was successful, her company would be busy. She gave me an opinion which no one else would have been able to – maybe becoming friends with a manufacturer is the way to go for some inventors.

I don’t have friends or family review my ideas due to many variables. There are simply too many different opinions and each person sees things their own way. I’ve had the popular approval on an idea just to have the pros reject it. Maybe the pro knew something the consumers and I didn’t or maybe he was having a bad day. Inventing is my passion and creative outlet. I enjoy the process like a hobby and don’t concern myself with so called failure. The blending of science, passion, creativity and luck can be tricky, so don’t concentrate on the end result. Be present in the creative process. The present is all there is.

Greetings Charlie and thanks for the welcome. I like that about inventions come and come back again – describes mine pretty well. I rolled the dice and entered it in the Open Tech. This is a great place to get that kind money and support. Really amazing! Good luck to you.

Hi Ken, Welcome to EN. You came to the right place. A place to learn, and teach if you have the hankerin. You are an inventor and pay no mind if someone is not happy bout that, money comes and goes, but inventions come and come back again. Best of luck with you inventions, and have fun just being yourself.

A person who devises some new process, appliance, machine, or article is an inventor
I devised some new process, appliance, machine, or article;
-————————————————————————————————————————————-
Therefore by the laws of deduction, whether I or anyone likes it or not, I’m an inventor.

So I embrace it and accept it. I even feel a little satisfaction in it lol. Of course it seems my family and friends are more interested in is it making me money or not. But that is not what makes an inventor. That is the reward of an invention the world needs or wants and the inventor finding a way to get it to them.

Ken Long
Inventor
Master of Deduction

I was going to start a thread called “Does your family think your crazy?” and I stumbled across this post from 2 years ago that has been pretty much untouched.

Two very relevant sidenotes I found while I was reading through these posts are (1) The fact that Ron K. started this post, although I never had the privledge to “chat” with him, his numerous contributions to these boards live forever. His passion for the inventing process and writing from the heart surely has just as much an inpact today as it had when he wrote it.

The other relevant sidenote (2) was a posting on this thread 2 years ago by Mark Stark that states:
“My family is mixed, most think I’m a little nuts. But they all support me anyway, which is very comforting. I have one good friend that just has a negative attitude about everything. I ignore him. He’s still a good friend, I just have to wait for success to prove myself.”
Fast foward 2 years and you see Mark on CNN, on the cover of magazines, newspapers…so Mark, what does your friend think now!?

Got a little sidetracked, but just curious what peoples friends, family, significant others think about all of this…are the supportive, do they think you are a little nuts, or somewhere in the middle??

This sounds bad,though i’m loved by my family,my inventing is largely ignored,and mildly indulged.

Yeah…aren’t they? That defiance against the naysayers….well I just turn into the best burning fuel for my drive!

I’m glad for foolish firehosers and naysayers, cause not everyone can make it to the top. It would be too crowded and not enough rewards left!!!

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
www.handi-straps.com

Roger, Rafael, and Mark,

Your stories were extremely amusing….. Lol!

As long as I put my head down on my desk and didn’t bother any other students, my teachers left me alone. I actually orginized a secret revolt in typing class. Nobody turned in our final projects. Since it was worth 1/2 our grade, she would have had to let it slide, or fail everybody. We all passed.

Feels Good I bet Roger! My high-school guidance counselor told me I should learn a trade instead of being in “College-Prep” classes. She put me in Machine Shop. Now with a Master’s Degree, I was trying to find out how to have a metal part fabricated for my invention. Whatappend?

I have also dealt with doubters. When I was in High school my english teacher told me that you couldn’t make any money writing for comics or magazines. If it wasn’t Shakespeare it wasn’t worth buying or reading. My first writng job was with Cracked magazine (I wrote for them for 10 years and was in every issue) I had a subscription put in her name and sent to her every month for 10 years.
The main reason I think most people that aren’t Inventors themselves have doubts about inventing is the failure versus success rate. They all hear the “only 3% make it to market” and see this as a no win situation. I say look at the win/lose rate for lotteries, Vegas, Atlantic city and how many people play those odds.
Is inventing a crap shoot? Yes. But, if you do your homework, be prepared, look at the risk versus return realistically before you jump in you lessen your odds for failure and increase your odds for success.

I enjoy being the village idiot everytime I see my products on the shelf or see one of the people questioning my dreams and see they have my Visor Quick Clip in their car and don’t know I invented it. : )

Mary, Sometimes I get that sarcasm from certain family members. But you can turn that resistance into brilliant motivation.

Toni, No I did not buy the course. But my Inventor’s Network in Minneapolis offers it to their members at a discount. I will review it next Tuesday. It’s steep for me. Gonna finish up my one-sheet first on a few items.More later on another string on this topic.

What I have encountered over the years is that I think it’s difficult for family members to share the same passion, enthusiasm, and excitement that we as the inventors get to experience. My husband’s initial reaction to my invention went something like this, “Yeah, ok Mary, great invention, really great” in a sarcastic tone. Then what really made me upset is that he continued to watch his favorite game show Jeopardy. Now, based on my husband’s reaction and lack of interest, If I didn’t believe in my invention or myself perhaps his reaction would’ve influenced me to quit. I also had a rough time convincing my husband to continue investing in my dream. I ending up taking baby steps to try to minimize the financial burden on the family. What kept me going is the support and positive feedback from family, friends, and co-workers. The few negative comments I received, I simply disregarded and chose to move forward. My invention certainly is not for everyone and I except that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G8pDenjxBM

Ami, were you on the conference call last night?
I was too. Did you happen to buy that licensing
package for $399.00

My family and peers are pretty used to my crazy ideas and so is my employer. But people are uncomfortable with the developement stages. They can’t see past the rough drawings and prototypes. But the family actually gets revved up when I’m up all night working on something that works.

Devin, you will find that as a “kid” you may have tons of opportunity and better insight to the current market trends. Product scouts attend Young Invenor’s Fairs, and you don’t even have to pay for a booth. You can get press from events at your school, scholarships. And by the time you graduate, think of all the experience you’ll have.

Jason G., I am trying a new angle now. Instead of presenting myself as a crazy inventor, (upon the advice of Stephen Key) I will try introducing myself an a product developer.

The one design & marketing company I approached three years ago wanted nearly six figures to develop my product. Needless to say…I couldn’t go that route. I certainly have a great appreciation for the EE!

Okay Dean, your right – so we will have to
incorporate a marketing company and get to know
some really great retailers that love to work
with inventors.

The one injection mold business I frequented during prototype design has a glass cabinet displaying many of the products they produced thru the years. The co-owner of the business described the history behind many of them. The sad part is many of them were great products…but didn’t go mass production because of lack of marketing effort for each. It is an eye opener from the standpoint that you can have a great product…but it will likely die if you cannot find the right retailer or marketing gig to support it!