Inventing Women

Inventing Women, a resource portal for women who want to take an idea from that first first spark to market. A Community for Women with ideas Whose Time Has Come!

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Inventing Women

First Words

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“You have to have your dreams, and the truth is, there were a lot of failures in her life. But it’s about the persistence and stamina to get up again and not accept defeat as the end of the line, but as a new challenge and a new opportunity.” James Donovan (referring to his mother Marion Donovan inventor of the Disposable Diaper

First words are often the most challenging to write. Whether it be in a book, in a letter, on a blog or in a memo. First words are important. After all they set the stage for what’s to come. So I thought I’d do just that by highlighting just a few inventing women who made history and changed our lives in a very profound and positive way. This is only a sample of the thousands of women I plan to highlight. Be sure and click on their names to read their personal stories of success.

Bette Nesmith Graham saved countless hours for typists everywhere when she invented Liquid Paper®,

Mary Anderson undoubtedly saved countless lives with her invention (the Windshield Wiper ) and what about the Inventor of the Barbie Doll, Ruth Handler? I still have my collection of 39 Barbies, Kens, Midges, Gidgets and not to mention the clothing, cars and Barbie houses!

And contrary to popular belief a man did not invent the modern brassier! Mary Phelps Jacob did! And thank goodness she did or we’d probably all still be wearing corsets not because corsets are considered a fashion statement because we had to!

One of my personal favorites is Ruth Wakefield, Inventor of the chocolate chip cookie! Okay, raise your hands if you thought it was Debbie Fields….

And my husband’s personal favorite (if he knew it existed) might be the Remote Control Locator invented by Twin Sisters, Kelli and Vanessa Dunn.

And while you’re in the mood to read about Inventing Women throughout history, here’s a great post called Exploring the History of Women Inventors by J. E. Bedi (Lemelson Center) I recommend you check out!

These and many more women will be written about on Inventing Women. My personal goals are to highlight women throughout history who have inspired us and changed our lives and to write about TODAY’s Inventing Women who are realizing their own dreams, visions and achieving their goals, Who knows, the next one could be YOU!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out Inventing Women. We have big plans for Inventing Women everywhere and invite you to be a part of it! Let’s make history together.

Warmest regards,

Heidi Richards Mooney

Note: this post first appeared on Feb 7, 2008. My team and I at Redhead Marketing, Inc. are recreating the website, giving it a facelift and basically updating everything.

And no that is not a picture of me!

Join us for Inventing Women’s Kickoff Event!

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Join Inventing Women (South Florida) for a JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF INVENTION with Steve Greenberg, author of Gadget Nation.


When: Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time: 6:00 to 8:30 PM
Location TBA: Broward County (EAST)


Investment: $30 in advance (includes dinner, program and The Inventors Handbook for Women on CD)

steve greenbergAbout Our Guest Expert: Steve Greenberg is an invention groupie. Born into a family of patent filers, Steve has always recognized the importance of America’s inventors. That’s why he wrote a book about America’s garage inventors, called GADGET NATION: A Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention.

Steve is also on the board of the United Inventors Association (UIA). For the UIA, Steve produced and hosted a 10-part educational video series on What Every Inventor Needs To Know.

As “The Innovation Insider,” Steve travels the country looking for innovative products.

Each month, Steve can be seen demonstrating innovative products on television programs seen in America’s largest television markets including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Washington, DC and Houston.

To see a sample of Steve’s TV segment visit his YouTube Channel.

Steve also writes for several magazines, newspapers and websites. His “Innovation Insider” features appear in the Miami Herald, Air Currents magazine, ROOMS magazine, Smart Homeowner magazine, and others.
For more information about Steve Greenberg visit: GADGET NATION

gadget nation by steve greenbergHis book, Gadget Nation is coming out in Paperback in October. Be sure and visit GADGET NATION to learn more.

About this program: Have you ever heard of bird diapers?Interested in a talking toilet paper dispenser?What about a motorized ice cream cone?Slippers with built-in headlights?Looking for a Kosher Lamp?  These aren’t gag gadgets from some lame late night talk show skit. They are actual, real products that you can buy today. Maybe you already have?

In this session, Steve will take us on that JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF INVENTION as he showcases a dozen of the off-beat gadgets and the inventors behind them. He will share how they did it, who’s making millions and more as well as a few not so successful stories? Here’s your chance to ask questions and interact with Steve Greenberg, and maybe even find out if your invention is market worthy.

Dinner and program is $30.00 in advance. Click on the PayPal button to register for the Inventing Women Kickoff Event!


Note: Although we require advanced registration, anyone who decides last minute to attend, may do so at a cost of $40 (at the door).  We encourage you to register in advance to save the additional $10 and to keep us from scurrying to accommodate additional people.  Thank you for your consideration!

Questions, Comments and Suggestions call Heidi at 954-625-6606

We have 3 vendor tables available at this meeting. If inventors are your market and you wish to showcase your products or services, please call Heidi at 954-625-6606. Cost is $75 and includes 1 registration (dinner).

Everyone who attends will receive a complimentary copy of the Inventors Handbook for Women on CD.

And yes, Men are welcome and encouraged to join us!

We look forward to seeing you on October 14th!

How to Get your Inventions Into the Right Stores

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…sell more products and turn a profit Interview with Inventor’s Consultant Jim DeBetta.

Jim DeBetta

Join us Thursday September 3, 2009 10 AM EST.

Jim DeBetta’s product development and sales experience has massed millions of dollars within the retail selling world. Known nationally as a trusted coach and mentor to thousands of inventors and entrepreneurs, he knows how to take new ideas from a sketch on a napkin to selling the final product to major retailers worldwide. uv4qmw2frn

Jim’s career in retail began at an early age with the family business – a fireplace and home hardware company. After graduating from college, Jim went home to help expand the business from a small successful operation into a multi-million dollar business and became one of the most recognized and respected store of its kind on Long Island. Jim stimulated new business, purchased products from all over the world, and ran the overall daily operations.

Jim decided it was time to grow and joined a start up firm that imported binoculars, telescopes, and optical products for children. His retail customers included a “who’s who” in retail such as Target, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, Sears, Michael’s, Cabelas, Home Shopping Network, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Discovery Channel Stores, Costco, and many others. Jim employed nearly 20 people inside and had dozens of sales reps all over the US, Canada, and Europe. Ultimately, Jim helped expand the company from virtually no significant revenue to a leading brand in the industry that has sold more than 50 million dollars of product since the mid 1990’s. When Jim was ready for a new adventure, he left the company as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Jim teaches inventors how to create sales and marketing strategies, understand the world of licensing, develop a product using CAD design, raising money to fund a business, and locating factories overseas to produce products. Jim is now reaching out to individuals who want to learn how to do it for themselves. You can learn more about Jim at www.JimDeBetta.com

In this interview Jim shares his ideas about the steps you need to take to get your inventions to into the right stores, sell more products and turn a profit.

Some of the questions answered include:

What exactly do retailers want to know about your invention before they will even consider carrying it? 

What should we do BEFORE the presentation? In other words how should we prepare to sell the retailer – what homework or legwork is needed?

Are mass-market retailers treated the same as independent or smaller chains? And if so, what are the differences?

Speaking about a product’s sales life cycle, What is it and how can we put the idea into action to create more sales?

… and more.

To listen in, call:

641) 715-3840 Participant Access Code: 361467#

Two Inventing Women Blaze the Trail for Others

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Over the past two weeks I have had the priviledge of interviewing two exceptional women inventors.

Tomima Edmark is the the inventor of the wildly successful TopsyTail, a hair accessory for women that she marketed by herself to revenues of $150 million. She is also the founder of HerRoom.com and HisRoom.com.

During her interview Tomima shared her journey of taking her invention to market, how she promoted Topsy Tail, got them in major retail outlets, got funding and all the challenges and victories that went along with creating a mutli-million dollar empire.

You can listen to Tomima’s interview here: .

 

The next interview was with Denyse DuBrucq, inventor, educator and scientist. 

Denyse shared her story about all the things she has invented including the resistance to her ideas even though they could change the world, how she found the perfect patent attorney to work with, the resources she has found helpful in her journey and also the story of her newest invention and how she plans to save millions of lives with it.

You can listen to Denyse’s story here: http://inventingwomen.com/audio/DenyseDubrucq.mp3 .

 

Podcast Interview with Julie Rhodes of Kleen Slate

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juliarhodes.jpg Julia Rhodes, Inventor of Kleen Slate Dry Erase Markers and Whiteboards.

Julia M. Rhodes is President of KleenSlate Concepts, a successful international product development company she founded in 2001. Julia invented, patented, manufactured, marketed and distributed her first product: The KleenSlate Attachable Eraser for Dry-erase Markers. She single handedly landed contracts with both Office Depot and Staples and understands what it takes to “do business with the Big Boys.” In the past seven years she has built a thriving company with a growing line of award-winning dry-erase products.

Building a business from an idea for a product requires a can-do attitude, which is reinforced by Julia’s growing success, and she is generous in her desire to share this information with others just starting out in business. Invention is just the first step in product development and her passion is supporting other inventors in understanding the steps required for taking an idea and making it a reality.

A former school teacher, Julia’s dedicated to improving education, and all her products are designed to be of the highest quality and employ creative approaches to communication both in and out of the classroom. Her newest product, KwikChek II just won the prestigious award, “Teachers’ Choice 2008” from Learning Magazine. She is constantly engaged in crafting new educational products to expand her current offerings and is also working on her first book – “The Right Sisters: Modern Day Women Inventors,” which she hopes will inspire young adults to pursue their passions and believe in their ideas. Julia has been featured on radio and television, most notably The Entrepreneur Hour Radio Show and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She is also a Founding Board Member of Inventing Women™

In this session Julia will be giving an overview of taking an idea from your head, to market. We discuss how she got the idea, how she researched it for marketability, how she patented it, who she used to help her get her idea off the ground, how she spread the word about her idea using whiteboard clothing (which she also invented) and more! Listen to Julia now!