Women Inventors Are Amazing

I thought I had met all of the talented women in America when I went to Kelly Ripa's casting call, but I was wrong. Now that the word has gotten out about this network of women inventors promoting their product to actually make money I am finding so many fabulous women and ideas coming out of the woodwork. In the next couple of days I will be showcasing some truly creative ideas!

As we all know, inventing is not cheap! You invest so much in getting a patent, making a prototype, working with a manufacturer, building a website that no one may know about and the budget is shot for marketing. Don't even get me started on trying to get a license agreement where there isn't a quantity minimum. This is where womentorz comes into play! You are connected directly to the consumer with nooooooo middle man. No more wasting money on marketing! I will do that for you and provide the traffic your amazing ideas deserve. All transactions will be safe and immediate. It's a simple idea for all women inventors to make money.

BTW - Be sure to check out Jen Cannon's new delicious and entertaining recipe column that will frequently showcase her latest discovery while cooking. It can easily be found on the righthand side of this blog. Enjoy making the wonderful meals she has created.

Letter to Milojo

I just sent the below e-mail to Danielle at Milojo informing her of womentorz.com. I hope I hear something back. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hello Danielle-

I’m sure you’re receiving a ton of e-mails from women inventors who attended the casting call, so I understand time is limited. My name is Melinda Knight (Inventor of the AttachaTray from Seattle, WA) and I attended the Chicago casting call. It was a pleasure meeting you. You did an amazing job organizing everything. It was such a wonderful experience not only because of the casting call, but in the process I met some of the most amazing women with fabulous inventions. I’m an entrepreneur at heart and run four businesses from my home while juggling two kids. There were so many wonderful ideas and many women have actually had their inventions manufactured, but they don’t know how to market themselves or understand the business side of things. Many of the women I networked and bonded with have been staying in touch and have formed a supportive community of women inventors. I have started a blog that is gathering a lot of attention: http://womentors.blogspot.com/. After Chicago I realized there was a niche that hasn’t been explored where an ecommerce website is developed for women inventors to get their product directly to the consumer. The website will be launched in about three months and can be found at www.womentorz.com . It will basically be an Amazon.com , where buyers can find the latest and greatest inventions by women only that can’t be found in the stores. The sellers will have direct access to their product posting and buyers will be able to comment on the invention/inventor. So many women across the nation and even worldwide are very excited about this untapped market. I know that very few of the women who attended the casting call are going to make it on the show, so I would appreciate it if there was some way to let the many that won’t make it know about this exciting opportunity for women inventors to sell their inventions in a safe and supportive environment. I thank you for your time. Have a great day.

Women Inventor Website Design

I'm very excited to be able to utilize my formal training in graphic design to create the overall look and imagery for womentorz.com. My business, MAK Promotions, LLC, had gone the route of interior design, which is my passion, but graphic design is still a nice creative outlet. I have no interest in learning HTML, so I'll leave that to the experts. Blue Sky Projects will be providing all of the web development to set up the ecommerce portion of the site. The buttons for navigation have not been designed, but the image you see is pretty close to what the final site will look like. I would love to hear your feedback and suggestions on what you would like to see on the site and information that should be available to fellow inventors.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I will be launching an ecommerce site for women inventors to sell their inventions and deal directly with the consumer in a safe environment where all transactions are immediate. The site will be a heavily marketed tool where traffic will be high and reputation will be outstanding.

Inventor Showcase: Umbrella/Slicker

One of the reasons I started this blog was to showcase women and their fabulous inventions. Deborah McCullough from South Carolina contacted me concerning her invention called the Umbrella/Slicker that she is in the process of marketing to the world. Below is a description and photo of her invention. She would greatly appreciate any feedback.

If any of you have an invention you would like me to post on the blog just e-mail mknight@intuitivesafetysolutions.com with a write up and photo. Thank you and thank you Deborah.

*How many time have you gotten dress to find it's raining and you get your clothes all wet from the rain?

*How many times have you had to leave a outdoors sporting event because it started raining?

*How many times have you been just walking with a regular UMBRELLA and the water was dripping down your back?

FINALLY I have invented a new UMBRELLA/SLICKER which is considered a two in one Umbrella. This umbrella comes in 4 different sizes (small folding, long stick, golf & children) and a variety of colors. This UMBRELLA/SLICKER has many different features that the original umbrella doesn't have. You may be happy to know what makes this "UMBRELLA/SLICKER" so unique ; YOU CAN SIT ON THE SLICKER while watching the game or any outside events; as well as just walking in the rain from the office or any place. YOUR TEAM's logo or any logos can go down the back of the SLICKER and be seen from a distance.

I understand that umbrellas are not allowed in some stadiums, but this umbrella can be used at any time displaying YOUR TEAM OR ANY logo over town. We all keep umbrellas in our cars for that rainy day, and with the UMBRELLA SLICKER you can have TWO-N-ONE.

This UMBRELLA/SLICKER will allow you to stay DRY while enjoying outdoors sporting events as well as just walking in the rain from the office or any place. You may be interested to know that I have filed a United States patent application entitled, "UMBRELLA SLICKER."
My reason for writing is to see if a company would be interested in being an exclusive licensee to manufacture and distribute this new invention. I believe that the UMBRELLA SLICKER product would be perfect and profitable with ANY COMPANY. Your feed back is greatly appreciated.

1) Would you buy this product?
2) what size
3) what color
4) with or without logo
5) how much would you pay for it.

Finding a Manufacturer

I feel very lucky right now. Through my relationship with my product designer, Pillar Product Design, I was connected to the most amazing manufacturer located in Kent, Washington. Breedt Production Tooling & Design has been wonderful to work with and I feel very safe with my invention in their hands. They basically performed the impossible making my prototype for the Kelly Rippa's TLC show in less than a week. To have a working prototype for such a complex invention is amazing. It wasn't cheap and I did have to pay well for the prototype, but it was a tall order to achieve. Right now I'm working with them to keep tooling costs down and rework the design without compromising the product integrity. I'm so happy to bring my invention to a local manufacturer and help in my small way in building the economy. So many people go to China to keep cost down, but manufacturers are hungry here and will work with you to fit with your budget. They also seem more flexible in regards to quantity. I would recommend inventors interview local manufacturers in their area. You never know what deal you might get.

womentorz.com Even Closer to Launching

The launching of my website for women inventors to sell their latest inventions is even closer to launching. I just purchased the domain name womentorz.com yesterday and selected an amazing ecommerce website developer called Blue Sky Projects located in Seattle, WA. Since my background is in design I will be doing most of the graphics for the site, but I'll leave the coding to the experts. I'm hoping that the site will be up and running within two months. All women inventors are welcome to let me know of their interest prior to the launching so they're the first inventors viewed.

Be Careful of Invention Promotion Companies

Many of us just don't have the time to promote our inventions since we're busy being moms or we're working full time jobs, so companies claiming to be able to promote your idea are very appealing. Though there are companies who are legitimate, there are some that will take advantage of you and are a complete waste of money. Some invention promotion firms may claim to know or have special access to manufacturers who are likely to be interested in licensing your invention. In addition, some firms may claim to represent manufacturers on the look-out for new product ideas. Ask for proof, such as contacts at manufacturers, before you sign a contract with any invention promotion firm that claims special relationships with manufacturers and/or media. If the promoter provides only one or two names, be careful: The contacts may be "shills" — people hired to give favorable testimonials.

A Good Cause

Good morning Womentorz!

I recently found out about this great cause through Tracy's Product X blog here on blogger.com. Kelly Ripa, spokeswoman for Electrolux, is asking us all to open our own Virtual Lemonade Stand. For each stand opened, Electrolux will donate $1 to Ovarian Cancer Research. People can also buy virtual glasses of lemonade to raise even more money. The idea of a lot of people giving a little is big and can really make an impact. It takes just a couple of minutes and you will also automatically be entered to win a beautiful Electrolux French Door refrigerator!

Those dollars add up, so go ahead, open your own stand, tell all of your friends and let's help fight Ovarian Cancer together!

Go to http://www.electroluxappliances.com/ to open your stand today!

Have a great day!

Jen C.

Kelly Ripa's TLC Women Inventor Casting Call

There are thousands of women inventors out there who were part of the casting call for Kelly Ripa's latest show on TLC. Whether you sent in a video or actually traveled to the casting call, I would love to hear your story.

I traveled from Seattle to Chicago with my invention and recumbent bike in hand ready to dazzle. I'm not the most confident person, but I was determined to showcase my invention. Even though the experience was quick and somewhat confusing.....(the all elusive green card, which I didn't receive) I met the most amazing women in the process. We have formed a small network of support to help each other become successful through our inventions. I look forward to hearing other experiences across the country and if you have received the much anticipated call that you've made it to the next step.

The AttachaTray

I'm in the midst of making my first cold calls seeing if people are interested in my latest invention called the AttachaTray™. I'll tell you a bit about the AttachaTray:

The patent pending and trademarked AttachaTray™ is a portable, yet stable working platform for use with a multitude of applications. The clamping mechanism can attach to virtually any shape and size of support structure within its opening radius. The detachable arms can reach up to three feet and have adjustment points allowing 360 degrees of angle versatility for the ultimate in ergonomic functionality. The adjustment points are also easily and quickly secured at desired height and angle. Another feature is that each arm unit can be eliminated if a shorter distance is needed. The tray portion of the invention is an improvement to the typical laptop tray. It has a unique nonslip pad with holes that extend through the stamped aluminium tray to help with heat reduction therefore helping with laptop performance. On either side of the tray are openings where a bungee cord system with anchor secure either a laptop or reading material at various adjustment points depending on the size of the item. This is much more useful and less cumbersome than the typical velcroe straps. It is also much less obtrusive to the task at hand. The unit is lightweight and easily portable. There will be a custom carrying case that will hold the AttachaTray™ as well as a laptop or whatever else would be used on the tray.

I have a manufacturer that I'm working with right now to get the product ready for distribution. Now I only need a license!

Calling All Women Inventors

Hello! I recently attended a casting call in Chicago for TLC looking for Women Inventors. The experience was amazing and it provided an avenue to meet some astounding women in the process. I'm a business woman at heart and saw that there was a real need for a safe environment for women inventors to showcase and sell their inventions. I am about to launch a web site that I'm calling womentors.com and would like to start gathering interest. Everyone I have spoken with has been extremely excited about the idea and I already have a team of ecommerce pros that will assist me in creating an amazing and user friendly web site. I would love to hear from fellow female inventors. I will also be posting information I compile through my own struggles in getting the "AttachaTray" (patent pending) to market. I look forward to hearing your stories and building a network of support.