American Women Inventorz Award Event Recap

We are so happy to announce that the American Women Inventorz Award Event held VIRTUALLY on April 25th was a HUGE success!!!  We had so much fun hosting the event and watching all of the amazing AWI monthly winners showcase their products to our very prestigious and talented judges!

Without further ado, the official American Women Inventorz Award Winner IS......drum roll.....Rachel D'Ascoli, the inventor of Burpgear and our December monthly AWI winner!  Congratulations Rachel!!!

We are so grateful to our very knowledgeable and experienced judges who asked wonderful questions and gave amazing feedback!  A big thank you to....

Debbie Licolli
Baby Gear Product Buyer, Zulily
www.zulily.com

Andreea Ayers
Owner, Launch Grow Joy
www.launchgrowjoy.com

Arnie Silver

Martin Jay Sales

The judges scored each inventor on a scale of 1 to 10 on various subjects such as packaging, presentation, originality, etc. We know it was a tough call to pick just one overall winner because all of the ladies did such a wonderful job with their presentations, and all of their products are amazing!   All of the award participants were selected based on the consumer's vote from the monthly campaigns, so they're all winners in our book!!!  

As the winner of the grand affair, Rachel will receive:

A consultation session, Polish Parlor, and a Style & Go Hair Care Valet donated
so graciously by Marcy McKenna, the winner of Homemade Millionaire,
QVC Guest Host and owner of Simply Solved Innovations.

Visit Marcy's website at: www.simplysolvedinnovations.com

A 6 month membership to Andreea Ayer's Get Media Happy service

To learn more about this amazing service visit: www.launchgrowjoy.com

An interview on the Innovation Divaz radio show:
http://www.toginet.com/shows/innovationdivaz 

Prizes awarded to all participants:

All of the winners receive a one year subscription to the soon to be launched Inventorz Network where they will be able to showcase their amazing products 24/7 in our exclusive Inventorz Pavilion!

All award participants also receive a wonderful grab bag full of Juice Beauty products. Here's Dhana's fun review of Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair line:

Here are videos of all of the AWI Monthly winners...
most of whom participated in the live event:

January Winner
Christina Daves

CastMedic Designs

www.castmedicdesigns.com

February Winner
Susan Meeks

TowelTight

www.toweltight.com

March Winner
Christie Barany and Courtney Turich

Monkey Mat

www.monkeymat.com

April Winner
Dina Newman

Stock-It-Pockets

www.organizingconceptsanddesigns.com

May Winner
Zoya Hajianpour

Shopping Pal

www.zoyainc.com

June Winner
Courtney Maslow

Loopeez

www.loopeez.com

July Winner
Aubrey Avila

Yarnimals

www.yarnimal.com

 August Winner
Susan Walker

Peepsnake

www.peepsnake.com



September Winner

Melissa Ortega

Castle & Bay - Sphinx Lounger

www.castleandbay.com



October Winner

Kristi Gorinas
Kelsyus Go With Me Chair

www.kristigcompany.com



November Winner

Cherlyn Jenkins
Cozy Woggle

www.cozywoggle.com

December Winner

Rachel D'Ascoli
Burpgear

www.burpgear.com

Thank you to everyone who participated in this inspiring award celebrating the women inventors in our network, and for supporting the entire, year long program.  We had a blast hosting the event, and now we're so excited to be able to promote to our entire network!!!!  Please be sure to share this post with your own networks to support these amazing women!  Bravo ladies!!!!

Meet our Featured Inventors of Collar Pop It and Kaaachews!

Paula Delong, Creator of Kaaachews

Meet Paula Dulong, a 50 year old RN from Massachusetts and creator of Kaaachews. Paula has been a stay at home mom since 2002, when she developed a severe latex allergy. One afternoon she was cleaning out her car and found her tissue box squished and dirty under the passenger seat. It had been trampled by every one of the teenagers that she had been driving around town. Paula was tired of throwing them away and that there must be a way to keep them reachable for all the passengers and off the floor. She grabbed a square boutique sized tissue box and made a pattern and prototype. That's howKaaachews were born! She showed it to her family and friends, who thought that it was a great idea, and started going to craft shows to sell them. She now sells Kaaachews all over the U.S., Canada, Australia, London, and recently Saudi Arabia. She did have a "patent pending" on her original design, but since have expanded to include a matching trash/toy/travel necessity caddie in custom fabric sets and tweaked the original design a little to make it easier to attach to the headrest pole of the car.  Paula would like to expand with a line of neutral fabrics on a larger scale that will be available in stores everywhere. She has even applied to "Shark Tank" to see if she can get others to see her vision too.

To purchase Kaaachews visithttps://www.etsy.com/shop/Kaaachews

Debra Curry, Collar Pop It

Debbie Curry spent most of her life as a stay at home mom...with her children now grown her time is now for working out(biking , running & training), spending time with family and developing her product "COLLAR POP IT".

Collar Pop It was created out of a need to keep Debbie's blouse collars popped in the back for a more chic, sophisticated & confident look!

Debbie likes wearing linen blouses as she lives in South Florida but found the collars limp & frumpy, she tried many different materials trying to keep the collar up including taping my neck to the collar, from there she got the idea to create a simple, inexpensive & effective way to take already pieces in your wardrobe & give them a new look. Women who dress well know its all in the details. The details of dressing make the difference between a woman dressed and a woman who has pulled her look together.

Listen to the show LIVE on Tuesday, March 11th at 11:00 AM CST, OR download the podcast any time after the show airs to listen and be inspired!!!  http://www.toginet.com/shows/innovationdivaz

The Women Inventorz Network in the Media!!!

Seeking Women Inventors for New Reality Show!!!

BIG NEWS!!! We are helping out a

Major TV Production Company...

They are seeking women with unique products or inventions. Do you have the next great idea for a product? Do you have a prototype that you want to take to the next stage? They want to hear from you! Currently casting for upcoming show that helps inventors get their product into the marketplace. Deadline to submit is 2/17 as they will be shooting NEXT week! YOU MUST LIVE IN THE LA AREA...

Make sure your product is protected before you submit, if you haven't done so we urge you to NOT apply, and just OPT IN to our newsletter, and under the product description please say DO NOT SUBMIT.

The Women Inventorz Network, is glad to help, yet we are NOT taking inquires regarding this show, if they are interested, they promise to be in touch!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Great Promotional Opportunity During Housewares Show

The Women Inventorz Network is a proud sponsor of the Housewares Inventors Corner...and we're so excited to have this opportunity to promote our sponsors and partners to our extensive network during the event!!!

Watch this video for our personal message to
potential sponsors:

Click here to learn more about the sponsorship levels and the power of our network!

If you're an inventor, we want to also hear from you!  

Here's our personal message to all of you!!!

Homemade Millionaire Reunion Show

Reunion Show!

The Innovation Divaz will be hosting the 

FIRST EVER Homemade Millionaire Reunion

"Where are they now?" Show!!!

Tuesday, December 10th
9AM PT / 10AM MT / 11AM CT / 12AM ET

Homemade Millionaire holds a big place in the women inventor world as it was the first time the women inventor movement was truly showcased in an exciting and positive platform.  Even though the show is no longer on the air, the inspirational message and opportunities that came from the show live will live on forever! We can't thank Kelly Ripa enough for seeing the vision for the women inventor community and powerful it is!!! 

Thank you Kelly!

Click Here to learn more about the show and meet the STARS of the Homemade Millionaire...

Next Steps for Inventors: Turning Your Idea into a Small Business

Content provided by Melissa Deacon

Creating and marketing an invention can be hard work, but with a supportive network of other women inventors to help you to bring your invention to the customers who want it, you can turn your idea into a successful business. The key to making it work is to come up with a strong business plan and to break the process down into manageable steps.

Finding Your 1%
As the saying goes, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, and while it is true that hard work and perseverance are essential for bringing your idea to the marketplace, it is just as important to find that 1% of inspiration that enables you to create a good product. A good idea for a new invention will form a strong foundation for your new venture. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so although many female inventors identify unfulfilled needs while they go about their everyday lives, others spend years developing highly specialized skills at work that enable them to see a problem in a new light and come up with a solution. Once you have your idea, you need to refine it into a workable product and look for a way to turn your invention into a business.

Turning Your Idea into Reality
In order to create a marketable product from your invention, you may need to work through a series of prototypes to find a design that looks good, works well, and can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. It can also help to undertake same product testing and market research to ensure that your invention meets people's needs. As you perfect your idea, it is important to protect all of your hard work to ensure that it will be you who reaps the rewards. If your idea is novel enough, you may be able to obtain a patent to protect it. You can also protect yourself and your invention by taking the right steps when you set up your own business, such as choosing the right legal structure, registering for the necessary taxes and obtaining the right types of coverage from your business insurance policy.

Setting Up a Small Business
Many inventors begin simply by selling their products to a few friends in their spare time, or setting themselves up as self-employed, but when a product is successful, the time comes when it needs to be turned into a business. In order to create a small business, it is vital to write a solid business plan that includes a description of how the business will be structured, and to understand the steps that need to be taken to create this new business entity:

1. Choose your business structure: sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, corporation, cooperative or nonprofit. Many inventors choose a sole proprietorship or LLC when they start a business. Sole proprietorship is the simplest business structure, but an LLC can protect your personal finances by limiting your liability for the business, without requiring such complex paperwork as a corporation.

2. Register your business name with your state, if you will be trading under anything other than your own name. Your "Doing Business As" name can be registered with your state government or county clerk's office, but some states do not require this form of registration. You can also trademark your business name with the patent office to prevent anyone else from using it.

3. Get a Tax Identification Number from the IRS and register your business for state and local taxes. Depending on your business structure and location, you may need to file for state and federal income tax, self-employment tax, excise tax or tax for employers.

4. Check whether you need to obtain any licenses and permits at the local, state and federal levels. You may need a license if your business will involve activities such as transporting agricultural goods, selling alcohol or driving heavy vehicles, for example.

5. Protect your business with insurance to cover your business premises and employees, if you have them, and product liability coverage in case anything goes wrong with the items you sell. If you are running a business from home, you may need to add coverage for business activities to your home insurance policy in order to ensure your property will be protected, although this may not be enough to cover you against other business risks, such as public and product liability.


Organizing your business structure properly is vital, but your business plan should also cover your financial and marketing intentions. It is important to think about how you will cover your start up costs, how profits will be re-invested to help your business grow, and how you will reach potential customers and convince them to buy your product. The Women Inventorz Network can provide some invaluable support for online marketing and selling, but as your business grows, you may want to look into other avenues, such as approaching stores that might want to carry your product.

Help PLUSH Support A Truly Deserving Military Family

Attention Women Inventorz!

Help PLUSH Support A Truly Deserving  Military Family

by Donating Luxury baby gear and furniture   

  

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a gift package worth up to $10,000 in luxury baby gear and furniture, 2 round-trip tickets to Vegas for October 15-17, a two night stay in Rush Tower at Las Vegas's Golden Nugget, and free tickets to the PLUSH show in Vegas. A Second Place Prize will also be awarded worth $3,500 in product value. The Winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 16th at the PLUSH Preview Event. 

Your donations will help PLUSH reach their gift package value for these amazing families. 

Donate for this Great Cause & your product will be highlighted in photos with the Winning Military family, promoted in a follow-up blog post, and seen by celebrity guests! 

Interested? 

Please Leave A Comment below Including

- A photo of your product

-Product retail value

- Your contact information

- A link to your website

Deadline for Comments: 
Wednesday, October 2nd 

We will contact you if your product will be part of the giveaway package! 

Top 5 Tips on How to Get Your Products on Retail Shelves

You have a new product that you think would be perfect for big box retailers, but you are not sure how to get your products on their stores shelves. Maybe you’ve tried to reach out to these major retailers and you can’t seem to get a buyer meeting. Or maybe you’ve hired a manufacturer’s rep that isn’t supporting your business in the way that you hoped. Whatever it is for you, the following quick tips and strategies will help you get started today! 

Tip #1 - Go Direct: Any time you reach out to a big box retailer about a new product, they always ask you to fill out forms and submit your new product on their vendor website. And most product companies follow this protocol!

The truth is that retail sales professionals (manufacturer’s reps) do the exact opposite. They find the contact information of the retail buyer, reach out to them and avoid vendor websites until absolutely necessary. 

Retail sales professionals want answers quickly which is why they contact the buyer FIRST to get feedback about their product. If there is interest, the retail sales professional will happily follow protocol and fill out any forms when necessary. 

Therefore, if you want to get your products on retail shelves more quickly - contact the buyers direct. It will save you a tremendous amount of time and headache. The trick is to know how to talk to buyers and what to say to them to make them buy--it's actually easier than you think!

Tip #2 - Spend More Time on Packaging: When you check out a product on a store shelf, you are typically looking at the packaging of the product NOT the actual product itself. Therefore, buyers really care about packaging because it determines whether or not their customers will buy! 

That is why it is imperative that you spend more time, money and effort on packaging. Buyers will rarely ever make a purchasing decision without seeing packaging first.

So how do you know if your product packaging is on point for chain store retailers? One simple strategy is to check out their store shelves! It will tell you what the buyer wants in terms of packaging.

The buyers purchased your competitors products and therefore agreed to the size, shape and type of packaging your competitors created. That is why a great first step is to go to their stores and see how your competitors are packaging their products.

Tip #3 - Vendor Day: Some chain store retailers have something called ‘vendor day.’ What they call it varies, but vendor day is essentially a day of the month or quarter (depending on the retailer) where the buyer spends time reviewing new products. During vendor day, buyers typically review several new vendors in 15-30 minute increments.

If you’re having trouble getting a chain store to notice your product, then consider finding out if they have a vendor day.

The only issue I have with ‘vendor day’ is that I am competing with several other competitors on a given day. That is why I prefer utilizing other methods to get a meeting with a chain store buyer. But if you are stuck and you just want to get a meeting with a retailer, this can be a great first step!

How do you get a ‘vendor day’ meeting?’ The next tip (tip #4) will show you how!

Tip #4 - Make Friends with Assistant Buyers: Assistant buyers are AWESOME resources for helping you get your products on the shelves of chain store retailers. Always treat assistant buyers with respect.

Most people think ‘assistant’ and assume that they are just ‘paper pushers.’ This is absolutely NOT the case with chain store retailers. Not only do most assistant buyers become buyers within a year, but assistant buyers can also set up appointments for vendor day! You have no idea how many times assistant buyers haven’t helped me get products into stores. They can only help you in your quest of selling to chain store retailers.

Tip #5 - You Don’t Have To Be a Big Company to Sell to Major Retailers: The truth is that buyers care more about finding the 'right' product for their stores then they care about the size of your company. So please don’t assume that you cannot get your products into chain store retailers if you are a small company.

Times have changed – buyers can no longer ignore the small product company because they are the ones that are coming out with all of the cool new products!

Plus, retailers are dealing with a tremendous amount of competition these days, so they are always on the lookout for that next new product.

So if you have product that you think would be perfect for chain store retailers...take a chance and make it happen!

To Your Success,Karen Waksman

About the Author: Karen Waksman Retail MBA is a Manufacturer’s Rep turned Author, Speaker and Consultant. She has sold millions of units to the world's largest retailers and now teaches her proven strategies on how to approach, pitch and sell to major retail buyers to the 'underdog' supplier - the small to mid-size product company that just want to get their products into stores!

Women Inventorz Network is Featured on the Cover of Inventors Digest

Warren Buffet Says Women are the Key to American Prosperity, Women Inventorz Network believes it too!

Fortune Magazine article 2013

Warren Buffett with the late Katharine Graham of the Washington Post at his 50th-birthday party in 1980

(Fortune)

In an exclusive essay the Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500)chairman and CEO explains why women are key to America's prosperity.

In the flood of words written recently about women and work, one related and hugely significant point seems to me to have been neglected. It has to do with America's future, about which -- here's a familiar opinion from me -- I'm an unqualified optimist. Now entertain another opinion of mine: Women are a major reason we will do so well.Start with the fact that our country's progress since 1776 has been mind-blowing, like nothing the world has ever seen. Our secret sauce has been a political and economic system that unleashes human potential to an extraordinary degree. As a result Americans today enjoy an abundance of goods and services that no one could have dreamed of just a few centuries ago.

But that's not the half of it -- or, rather, it's just about the half of it. America has forged this success while utilizing, in large part, only half of the country's talent. For most of our history, women -- whatever their abilities -- have been relegated to the sidelines. Only in recent years have we begun to correct that problem.

Despite the inspiring "all men are created equal" assertion in the Declaration of Independence, male supremacy quickly became enshrined in the Constitution. In Article II, dealing with the presidency, the 39 delegates who signed the document -- all men, naturally -- repeatedly used male pronouns. In poker, they call that a "tell."

Finally, 133 years later, in 1920, the U.S. softened its discrimination against women via the 19th Amendment, which gave them the right to vote. But that law scarcely budged attitudes and behaviors. In its wake, 33 men rose to the Supreme Court before Sandra Day O'Connor made the grade -- 61 years after the amendment was ratified. For those of you who like numbers, the odds against that procession of males occurring by chance are more than 8 billion to one.

Watch an interview with Warren Buffett on women, work, and other wisdom

When people questioned the absence of female appointees, the standard reply over those 61 years was simply "no qualified candidates." The electorate took a similar stance. When my dad was elected to Congress in 1942, only eight of his 434 colleagues were women. One lonely woman, Maine's Margaret Chase Smith, sat in the Senate.

Resistance among the powerful is natural when change clashes with their self-interest. Business, politics, and, yes, religions provide many examples of such defensive behavior. After all, who wants to double the number of competitors for top positions?

But an even greater enemy of change may well be the ingrained attitudes of those who simply can't imagine a world different from the one they've lived in. What happened in my own family provides an example. I have two sisters. The three of us were regarded, by our parents and teachers alike, as having roughly equal intelligence -- and IQ tests in fact confirmed our equality. For a long time, to boot, my sisters had far greater "social" IQ than I. (No, we weren't tested for that -- but, believe me, the evidence was overwhelming.)

The moment I emerged from my mother's womb, however, my possibilities dwarfed those of my siblings, for I was a boy! And my brainy, personable, and good-looking siblings were not. My parents would love us equally, and our teachers would give us similar grades. But at every turn my sisters would be told -- more through signals than words -- that success for them would be "marrying well." I was meanwhile hearing that the world's opportunities were there for me to seize.

So my floor became my sisters' ceiling -- and nobody thought much about ripping up that pattern until a few decades ago. Now, thank heavens, the structural barriers for women are falling.

MORE: How Gen-Y women can close the pay gap

Still an obstacle remains: Too many women continue to impose limitations on themselves, talking themselves out of achieving their potential. Here, too, I have had some firsthand experience.

Among the scores of brilliant and interesting women I've known is the late Katharine Graham, long the controlling shareholder and CEO of the Washington Post Co. (WPO)Kay knew she was intelligent. But she had been brainwashed -- I don't like that word, but it's appropriate -- by her mother, husband, and who knows who else to believe that men were superior, particularly at business.

When her husband died, it was in the self-interest of some of the men around Kay to convince her that her feelings of inadequacy were justified. The pressures they put on her were torturing. Fortunately, Kay, in addition to being smart, had an inner strength. Calling on it, she managed to ignore the baritone voices urging her to turn over her heritage to them.

I met Kay in 1973 and quickly saw that she was a person of unusual ability and character. But the gender-related self-doubt was certainly there too. Her brain knew better, but she could never quite still the voice inside her that said, "Men know more about running a business than you ever will."

I told Kay that she had to discard the fun-house mirror that others had set before her and instead view herself in a mirror that reflected reality. "Then," I said, "you will see a woman who is a match for anyone, male or female."

I wish I could claim I was successful in that campaign. Proof was certainly on my side: Washington Post stock went up more than 4,000% -- that's 40 for 1 -- during Kay's 18 years as boss. After retiring, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her superb autobiography. But her self-doubt remained, a testament to how deeply a message of unworthiness can be implanted in even a brilliant mind.

MORE: Warren Buffett may be souring on stocks

I'm happy to say that funhouse mirrors are becoming less common among the women I meet. Try putting one in front of my daughter. She'll just laugh and smash it. Women should never forget that it is common for powerful and seemingly self-assured males to have more than a bit of the Wizard of Oz in them. Pull the curtain aside, and you'll often discover they are not supermen after all. (Just ask their wives!)

So, my fellow males, what's in this for us? Why should we care whether the remaining barriers facing women are dismantled and the fun-house mirrors junked? Never mind that I believe the ethical case in itself is compelling. Let's look instead to your self-interest.

No manager operates his or her plants at 80% efficiency when steps could be taken that would increase output. And no CEO wants male employees to be underutilized when improved training or working conditions would boost productivity. So take it one step further: If obvious benefits flow from helping the male component of the workforce achieve its potential, why in the world wouldn't you want to include its counterpart?

Fellow males, get onboard. The closer that America comes to fully employing the talents of all its citizens, the greater its output of goods and services will be. We've seen what can be accomplished when we use 50% of our human capacity. If you visualize what 100% can do, you'll join me as an unbridled optimist about America's future.

This story is from the May 20, 2013 issue of Fortune. 

Necessity is not the mother of invention … these women are!

Written By: Paul Niemann
Market Launchers, Inc.
“Very learned women are to be found, in the same manner as female warriors; but they are seldom or never inventors.” -- Voltaire

What do windshield wipers, COBOL and Scotchgard have in common?  All were invented by women!

We will take a look at the above three inventions that have had a major impact on society. In addition, here are a few other well-known products created by female inventors that will be featured in future columns:

•        Bulletproof vests
•        Fire Escapes
•        Laser Printers
•        Flat-bottom grocery bags
•        Certain drugs that fight diseases such as childhood leukemia, herpes, gout and the first drug to fight AIDS drug, AZT

By the way, how many of the inventors of the above products can you name?

Windshield Wipers:

Some inventions are created as the result of a person simply trying to solve a problem. That’s what Mary Anderson of Alabama did in 1903 when she invented windshield wipers. On a trip to New York City, while touring the city on a streetcar, she noticed that the motorman had to continually get out to wipe the snow and ice from the windshield. The man had tried a variety of solutions to this problem but nothing had worked.

After making a quick drawing in her sketchbook, Mary came up with a solution to the problem. Her solution, which would be patented a year later, allowed the motorman to sweep the snow and ice away with a device that was operated from inside the car. This became the forerunner to the modern windshield wiper. Even though wipers had become standard equipment on American cars by 1913, Mary never profited from them.

The U.S.S. Hopper:

Grace Murray Hopper developed COBOL (which stands for COmmon Business Oriented Language) in 1959 while she was in the Navy, and she was also the Navy’s first female admiral. COBOL was more like natural English than any previous computer language. It was the first programming language mandated by the Department of Defense for its applications and, in recognition of her contributions, the Navy named one of their destroyers in her honor, the U.S.S. Hopper.

COBOL served as a foundation for later computer languages and it’s likely that we wouldn’t have the World Wide Web today if it weren’t for COBOL. Another contribution that Grace Hopper made was the term “computer bug.” No, she didn’t invent it, but she is the one who coined the term. She did this when a computer processor had stopped working due to a moth that was stuck in it.

Scotchgard:


Some new products are the result of an accident. Penicillin, Post-It Notes, Silly Putty and Ivory Soap are all examples of accidental discoveries. You can put Scotchgard in this category, too.

Patsy Sherman created Scotchgard in 1952 while working as a chemist for 3M in Minneapolis. Sherman’s team had been trying to develop a new kind of rubber for use in aircraft fuel lines when an assistant in her chemistry lab accidentally dropped a beaker full of a liquid rubber mixture onto the floor, splashing onto Sherman’s white canvas sneakers.

When they tried to wash it off, the water and solvents beaded up and ran off the sneakers. Sherman and fellow chemist Sam Smith realized that the mixture could be used to protect fabrics from water and other fluids. After three years of work, the mixture was patented and released as Scotchgard Protector ™ in 1956.

In a 1997 speech to students, Sherman explained that being an inventor does not require a lot of money or education, nor is it a matter of age or gender. She once remarked, “How many great discoveries would never have occurred were it not for accidents?”

At this point, what have we learned about the abilities of women inventors?

Is it that women would achieve MORE success than their male counterparts if they had the same opportunities as men? Or LESS success? Or are women and men equal as inventors?

The answer to that question is as tough to figure out as removing red wine from a couch that wasn’t protected by Patsy Sherman’s invention.

Market Launchers is an amazing resource for inventors!  Visit their website at www.marketlaunchers.com.

Infamous Women Inventors: Ruth Wakefield

Have you heard of the inspiring Ruth Wakefield? You may not have, but I know that you have eaten her invention. She is the marvelous inventor of the delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie. Yum!

It was an invention born quite by accident. Ruth and her husband ran an inn, called The Toll House. She was making a cookie recipe that usually used unsweetened baker's chocolate. But she was out of that and instead broke up a Nestle chocolate bar to put in the recipe. The recipe, of course, was a resounding success.

Here is where Ruth made a very smart move. Instead of publishing the recipe (she later did publish cookbooks that sold massive copies), she called Nestle and struck a deal. They could print the recipe on their chocolate bars in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Smart! With that move, she affected millions of people with a wonderful recipe that we now equate with tradition and warm, fuzzy childhood memories. We also pass it onto our children. She made a huge impact in history and for all women inventors.

Perhaps your invention too was created "by accident" or perhaps because it was something that you needed but there wasn't anything like it on the market. Have you taken that next step to impact the world? Your creation can also make a difference, if you let it. Take the next move and get it out to your audience by listing it on Womentorz.com. We bet that other people are in need of it too!

Q/A with Womentorz Owner, Melinda Knight

Q-Have you always been an inventor?

A- No, but I have a design background and am always thinking of creative and new ways to solve problems. The AttachaTray is definitely the first time that I took an idea and ran with it. Because of my success in business in general, I felt comfortable exploring other avenues to invest my time and resources. I definitely inherited my father’s entrepreneurial spirit and always look to him as an example when I have choices to make.

Q- When did the inspiration hit you to invent your laptop tray?

A- The inspiration for the AttachaTray came while I was working out at the gym and was thinking how nice it would be to be able to get some exercise while keeping up with my businesses. The gym I go to has WIFI, and I knew that if I could get it made, it would be the perfect place to showcase it. I spent the next month or so studying the equipment and making sure there wasn’t something already on the market similar to my idea.

Q- Tell us about your family?

A- My husband Brent and I have been married for over nine years and have two children, Payton age 5 and Rylie age 2. We have lived in Edmonds for the past seven years and have no intention of leaving anytime soon. We are quite the home bodies, so usually our nights are spent watching movies and relaxing. I think it’s because of the daily stress in our business lives that the thought of going out is completely overwhelming.

My husband is very supportive with all of my ventures since I’ve been able to prove myself to him over the years. It isn’t unusual for him to get a little scared at first, but he comes around eventually. I appreciate that he believes in me.

Rylie is quite the ham and always puts a smile on our faces. He has a lot of personality! Everything is dialed to the highest volume in everything that he does. Payton is our sweet and energetic child who loves to cuddle. He loves ice skating and is quite the pro at it already. I have no idea why he decided that was the sport he wanted to go in since Brent and I have never discussed it, yet alone put ice skates on. He’s been at it though for over a year now.


Q- What is one of your goals?

A-I would be nothing without my family. We are a very close unit that is supportive and loving. It breaks my heart when I’m not able to give them the attention they deserve all of the time. My goal is to do a better job of balancing my time.

Q- What are your hobbies/interests?

A- I used to be an avid football and rugby player, but that was a LONG time ago. Sports were my passion back before I had a family. I met my husband while playing football actually. I was also asked to play on a professional women’s football team in Seattle, but turned it down due to my heavy work schedule at the time. The name and the ownership of the team has changed, so I’m not completely sure how they are doing now.

My love for sports has been replaced with a love of interior design. My passion is definitely in making spaces beautiful and working with clients to fulfill their dreams. I wish I was able to take on more projects, but it keeps me from my children and my other businesses that are more lucrative. I have a tough time taking pay for something that I love to do.

Q- What makes Womentorz different than what is already available out there?

A- That’s the thing-there isn’t anything out there like Womentorz. There isn’t anything out there for inventors in general let alone for women inventors. We are providing a marketplace where buyers can go to one place to see all of the latest inventions by women instead of a website here and there that they most likely don’t even know exists. We are providing the missing link between buyers and sellers with our investment in marketing, public relations and advertising. This is an opportunity for women to come up with even more inventions because they know they don’t have to worry about getting their product to market. All they have to do is please the buyer who will be the determining factor to their success.

Q- What do you see in the future for Womentorz?

A- Eventually, I also see Womentorz being an investor in some of these ideas. Jen and I have so many ideas in areas we can take Womentorz. The boundaries are limitless!

Q/A with Jennifer Cannon, VP of Global Communications, Part 1

Q-How did you and your business partner, Melinda Knight, meet?

A-Melinda and I met at the Chicago casting call for Milojo’s (Kelly Ripa’s production co.) Women Inventor Show.

I decided to stay at the hotel where the call was held the night before so that I could be in the lobby as early as possible the next morning. I had no idea if fifty or several hundred women would show up. It was all pretty mysterious with even the hotel staff not knowing much about what was going on.

I resisted the urge to be in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. and instead went down at 6:00 a.m. There were just a couple of other ladies there and I joined them in a small seating area. It must have been right around or a little before 7:00 a.m. when Melinda made her way over and sat down behind me on the fireplace hearth. I turned around to say hello because a) it’s in my nature and b) most of the ladies were pretty friendly and introducing themselves to one another.

When I heard more about her, I couldn’t believe that she flew across the country with a recumbent bike which she still had to put together before we went in! We chatted until it was time to go downstairs but then lost track of each other before going in to register.

After my turn in the "30 second room" I was able to say goodbye and exchange information with a few of the ladies and Melinda before I ran out the door. I am realizing more and more how fateful that day was! I was also surprised recently to learn from her that I was the first person she met that day. Alot has happened in a very short time!

Q- What are your hopes for Womentorz?

A- I feel so passionately about the need to create and connect and share information with others that I hope that Womentorz is going to be a place that encompasses all of those things for many, many women.

I see a global e-commerce site with women from all over the world joining together and selling high-quality, innovative products- creating a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for all consumers. I would also love to see a “Young” or “Junior” Womentorz for girls ages thirteen to eighteen.

I hope that we can help a lot of women out there realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

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.