January 16, 2019 Meeting
COME AND LEARN: Small Business Owners and Biz Startups struggle to Pitch Products to Customers and Investors. Learn what you need to WRITE smarter Product Sales and Funding Pitches
COME AND LEARN: How to Create/Produce PRODUCT VIDEOS for Product Demos, Websites and Investor/Funding Pitches. Get Professional/Expert Tips on how to make PROP/SHOOT with a SMARTPHONE.
November 14, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Josh Malone, inventor of the enormously successful Bunch O Balloons, will share his amazing story of successes and obstacles on his journey to invention success. Having now sold over a billion balloons, Josh has achieved tremendous success. But to get there he had to overcome many roadblocks. – including the United State Patent Office. Tonight he will share how he got there - the true process of fund raising, product development, licensing, and marketing a new product today. He will also share the hard realities of getting and defending a patent. Josh will share:
This is a MUST hear story. Josh’s true story is a reality check for inventors and product developers. His story is not his alone but provides us invaluable insight to the challenges of property rights protection in today’s world. Attend and become informed!
September 19, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Entrepreneur Andrew Kitzenberg has run 2 successful Kickstarter campaigns and 1 on Indiegogo. In this process, he has learned firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and what first-time fund raisers need to do to increase their chances of success.
BONUS:
Learn HOW Natalie:
Learn how to pitch your product idea: See Live ASOTV Inventor Competition:
Additionally, you will learn the Carrie Jeske / Will It Launch FREE Inventor Program:
May 16, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Louis Foreman, a highly noted Speaker, successful Inventor and Company Founder. Current CEO of Edison Nation, dedicated to helping independent inventors develop and market their ideas.
Louis will show YOU:
April 18, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Learn about patenting your invention. Learn about FREE local workshops and resources that provide patent expertise, information and database access that EVERY Inventor needs. LEARN ABOUT:
March 21, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Mort Harris, Certified Counselor and Past Chairman of SCORE will share how SCORE can help you understand the BUSINESS side of Inventing:
How SCORE can also provide you with Business Workshops, Webinars, Online Templates/Worksheets, Mentoring and Expert Evaluations to help INVENTORS and BUSINESS STARTUPS and BUSINESS OWNERS increase business skills, knowledge and insights.
February 21, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Deb Hess, with the United Inventors Association, and former MN Inventors Congress Director, will tap into her wealth of experience and expertise working with Inventors to share how you
can increase your odds of success. You will learn:
1. The KEY Steps to get your product to the Marketplace
2. HOW to Identify and Validate Key Resources that you will need
3. INVEST your Time and Money on WHAT is Absolutely Necessary to Succeed
January 17, 2018 Meeting
Come and Learn: Gary Braley, noted Speaker and Technology-Trend expert will present how New Evolving and Breakthrough Technologies/Trends will shape Invention opportunities for you.
1. NEW Money Exchange Systems Will REVOLUTIONIZE How Inventors SELL Their Products:
New approaches will affect everyone from individuals to businesses and banks
The evolution includes new ways to exchange money as well as new types of currency
2. NEW Internet of Things Connectivity Will Drive NEW TECHNOLOGY Applications FOR INVENTORS:
New Connectivity technologies will finally connect electronic devices/products across categories and platforms
Cybersecurity will become more critical due to the plethora of gadgets and the lack of security talent and awareness
3. BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY Will Change HOW INVENTORS Invent:
A worldwide network of rapid and secure ledger transaction recording will do much more than manage Bitcoin
Entire business models could be upended as major companies enter the fray
December 20, 2017 Meeting
Come and Learn: Alan Beckley, highly successful inventor of the Wonder Wallet will share HIS Not-So-Overnight Success Story. Alan will talk about how he overcame the problems and challenges that all Inventors face in developing and monetizing product ideas.
Learn how this HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FIRST-TIME INVENTOR:
Plus, Alan will also share how he now helps other inventors to achieve success much more quickly than he did – with Blogs, Webinars, and Other Tools.
Come and Learn: Learn what you need to do to increase your success in filing for patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
Come and Learn: Learn what you need to do to increase your success in filing for patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
August 16, 2017 Meeting
Come and Learn: Scott Simenson, Engineering & Fab Lab* Director at Century Community College, will share how you can use 3D Printing and other Digital Technologies to increase your ability to innovate product concepts and build prototypes. Scott will focus on how these tools can help you:
Scott will present the case for why inventors and organizational leaders need to understand these new technologies. And how linking these information technologies with innovation and manufacturing can allow inventors to source components and products at lower costs and higher quality.
July 19, 2017 Meeting
Justin Grammens and Rodney Landers will share "The Landscape of IoT". The Internet of Things is not all about making everything connected - it's about making the RIGHT things connected. As an inventor you should be adding connectivity in to your product where it helps your customer.
The Speakers will cover the following:
Some of the latest numbers on the number of devices that are expected to be connected in the next 3-5 years
Decisions you should be considering around what is technically possible and what users will embrace
It's not secret that the world is becoming more connected. From cellular, to BLE to LoRa, wireless standards are disrupting the current landscape and every inventor of products in the coming years will need to embrace technology changes as they occur
June 21, 2017 Meeting
Come and Learn: Rolf Biernath, Highly-Experienced 3M New Product Development Engineer and Scientist will share How and Why inventors need to leverage LEAN innovation principles in building and validating initial prototypes. He will also share how to design innovations to increase real value to the customer.
Key Topics:
May 17, 2017 Meeting
Come and Learn: Eric Polk, WhiteBoard Product Solutions, will share the process and methods the WhiteBoard team uses to select and create the right product concept that can be developed to succeed in the marketplace. For more on WhiteBoard click: http://www.whiteboardps.com/
Come and Learn: Learn how to have your product concept manufactured in Asia, by experienced Asian manufacturing sourcing pro, Larry Mahoney. Larry will present/share what you need to know and what you need to have to be successful.
· How to Evaluate Risks
· What are the Costs
· What You Need to Get Quotes: CAD Drawings/Specs
· What are the Prototype Requirements
· How you can Build the Least-Cost Molds and Tooling
· Time-Lines and Payment Schedules
· How to Monitor Production / Manage Quality
· What to Do if the Products Don’t Meet Specs
· The Costs/Logistics to Ship Products back to USA
Come and Learn: Dan Baurceanu, Free-Lance Business Consultant, will share how to create a business plan that clearly lays out your assumptions, fixed/variable costs and margins. To help you maximize the profit of your New Product or New BizStartup.
Additionally, you will learn how to develop a business Startup plan for investors; How to increase investor interest and the potential for outside investor funding.
Key Topics Include:
Come and Learn: Learn how to sell and market your product online. Lindsay "Soko" Sokolowski, Founder of startup Boottique.com, will share how she started with just an idea and built her online e-Commerce business from one product to a full line of sophisticated shoe storage, closet-organizing, and fashion accessories and recently landed a contract with QVC.
Learn how to market online:
• Build an e-commerce website
• Establish a Facebook business page
• Sell your products on Amazon
• Select/Expand the product mix
• Build followers, traffic and product sales
September 20, 2016 Meeting
Come and Learn: Dick Fisher, Chief Social Officer at e-Merge Online Marketing, will share ways to use Social Media to create traction with customers, consumers and investors. How grow your business and find new customers using Social Media. And how to do it cost efficiently.
Key Topics Include:
Additionally, the event will be hosted by the JJ Hill Center, a nationally renowned research center focused on entrepreneurship. You will a have a chance to learn about the resources that the JJ Hill Center has to offer entrepreneurs and inventors like you.
August 16, 2016 Meeting
Come and Learn: Learn how ten years of patent reform In Washington DC has weakened patent protection for inventors and emboldened multinational infringers. Inventor activist Paul Morinville will share what he and other inventor activists have done to stop further damage to inventor patent rights, and what you can do to help bring back strong patent rights - for you and all inventors who create the majority of American jobs.
Learn:
Come and Learn: Learn how to get your product invention from idea to market from serial expert consultant, Don Debelak. Learn tips and tools for: Product/Concept Evaluations, Prototyping, Patent Searches, Intellectual Property Protection, Identifying Target Markets; Market Introduction Plans, Sourcing Sales Reps, Sourcing Licensing Reps, and more...
Learn How to:
June 21, 2016 Meeting
Come and Learn: Get inventing tips and expertise from Serial Inventor, Bob Albertson. Hear real case studies. Learn about the processes Bob developed to invent new product ideas. With more than 250 patents, Bob has a wealth of experience and expertise to share. Come and learn from a proven successful inventor. In addition to answering your questions during the presentation, Bob will also stay afterwards to answer your specific questions and share more stories on his inventing experiences.
Learn How to:
Come and Learn: How to apply for Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights - Direct from the source: The U.S. Patent Office. You will also learn about USPTO programs that can allow you to work without an attorney or have a volunteer attorney appointed by Legal Corp. Speaker, Mindy Bickel (Associate Commissioner for Innovation Development), has over 25 years’ experience at U.S.P.T.O. with indepth Patent and Patent Application knowledge/expertise to share.
Additionally, the event will be hosted by the JJ Hill Center, a nationally renowned research center focused on entrepreneurship. You will a have a chance to learn about the resources that the JJ Hill Center has to offer entrepreneurs and inventors like you.
Come and Learn: Steps that are necessary to turn your idea into a business that can make money. Business model strategies that can jump start your business growth. FREE assistance that the University of St Thomas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides to startup businesses. Learn How to:
Also learn about other services/workshops available to you at the University St Thomas SBDC. Plus tips that expose myths on financing a new business.
February 16, 2016 Meeting
Come and Learn: Why CAD files are as important as ever, no matter what kind of product you’re working on. CAD Files THE COMMON LANGUAGE between designers, engineers, prototypers, manufacturers, marketers, patent and copyright attorneys, packaging companies and everyone else in the product cycle.
