My 11-year-old nephew, Trey, called me this afternoon with an invention. He excitedly described to me his idea that centered on goggles. Listening to him I was excited and I encouraged him to start his making plans. The entrepreneurial spirit runs in my family but not only my family…yours also. The only difference is most families criticize new ideas saying that they will probably never work where my family encourages and cultivates wild and crazy ideas. But not my family only…
Pursue Your Dream
Robert Stribling has proven that he is still a dreamer and creator when he designed, “The Last Straw,” a spill-proof straw for juice boxes. At the age of 45, Stribling has spent millions of dollars developing a prototype from an idea that came after his daughter spilled her juice all over her freshly washed clothes and body. Chances are this has happened to you. You are living your everyday life, enjoying everyday activities and then you get a thought, “Man it would be nice if someone would invent…” News flash you are that person. At least that is what Stribling creator of “The Last Straw,” thought.
But, the idea is only the beginning. Robert told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “I don’t think people realize how much you have to go through,” he says. “They think, ‘I have a great idea and I’m going to make a lot of money off it.’ If you have a great idea, that’s only 5 percent of it.”
In truth, this tedious process fine tunes your belief and challenges you to believe in yourself and your idea. Many people quit when their ideas are criticized or when no one else jumps on board right away. Howard Aiken said, “Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats.” In short, you will have to believe alone for a while until others catch on.
I Need Money to Launch My Idea
If you don’t have the investment capital what are you doing to make your idea known? Are you taking your idea to potential investors? Have you turned your idea into a prototype? Have you asked me to write an article on your idea like I am Robert Stribling’s, “The Last Straw?” Don’t focus on the resources that you do not have rather focus on what you can do right now.
Right now Stribling is searching for a major brand such as Coca-Cola, Nestle or Kraft to take on his idea and then he has to spend, at least another 3 million dollars so he can effectively produce, “The Last Straw.” If Robert was the average “inventor” he would still be talking about his idea and when the spill-proof straw finally came out he would say, “I thought of that!”
If you have an idea do not sit on the thought. Producing the thought into material will take a lot of work as Robert can tell you but when you are standing with the finished product and the rewards of a contract nothing could be sweeter.
I encourage you to check out, “The Last Straw” and if you are a potential investor or have contacts Stribling is seeking to gain greater market saturation. All my best goes to Robert as he pursues his dream and you as you begin manifesting your invention.
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