This month, Inventors Digest features the Inventors Club of Kansas City (ICKC). Founders C.J. Boylan and Steve Gillespie believe every new business starts with someone’s bright idea. The group, says ICKC president Steve Pope, “believes new inventions, technology and the unique individuals who create them make up one of our country’s most valuable resources.”
Secrets to Success:
We connect inventors with major corporations through invention search contests. We have held two contests to date and plan to hold our third Aug. 12.
From January to July of this year, we are presenting a seven-month workshop series using the United Inventors Association’s book Inventor’s Master Plan. We added Internet research and a phase called “Funding With Team Building” as a subtopic before prototyping. Funding is the most overlooked, yet most needed, element of developing a product. This step-by-step approach has instilled our members with a sense of accountability to get their work done every month and to want to come back for more. This approach has also greatly assisted our members to move forward more efficiently with developing their ideas.
We have attracted nine directors for our board and they contribute resources, time and contacts through their networks, which has raised the caliber of our monthly speakers. Planning and scheduling highly regarded speakers in advance is key. Advanced notice allows us to hit media deadlines and provides long term planning and building solid relationships with media increases the likelihood of receiving news coverage. Laura Thornquist, the local Fox morning news show anchor and host of the segment Great Ideas, has been a huge blessing. Joyce Smith of the Kansas City Star, the crews at Small Business Monthly magazine and the Kansas City Business Journal also have contributed to our success.
Pearls of Wisdom:
Starting the group was hard work and it is even more difficult to keep it going and growing. ICKC was fortunate to have our two founders donate a great deal of their time, expertise and their personal finances to get the group up and running the first two years. It has been critical for us to turn our focus on securing funding for all club operations through grants, meeting sponsorships and corporate and individual donations. Receiving member and corporate donations has allowed us to grow and provide even more services to our members while not having to worry so much about monthly operational meeting expenses.
Offer snacks and refreshments, paid for by sponsors. We promote our sponsors by placing their logos on our meeting agenda and give them about five minutes to pitch their businesses.
Claim to Fame:
In the past 18 months, two inventor members have landed licensing contracts and two others are being considered through the direct efforts of ICKC. Several of our inventors continue to win awards, and some sell their products on the local and national trade show circuit as well as online and in the retail environments.
Inventors Digest is interested in profiling some of the country’s most vibrant organizations for inventors. E-mail info@inventorsdigest.com or call 704.369.7312, ext. 3 to be considered.
Annual dues: None. Meetings are free and open to all inventors, entrepreneurs and product developers. Accepts donations from members. Seeks donations from major corporations and service providers.
Meets: Third Tuesday of every month, 6:30 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Who shows up: About 70-80 men and women attend each meeting. Ages range from 30-60. Members include inventors in the technical to marketing fields, as well as business owners, executives and professionals with products and ideas from the simple to the complex.
