Inspiration For Inventors

Finding The Lost Einsteins: How To Make Academic Inventing More Inclusive

If more Americans were empowered to identify as inventors and share their inventive ideas, how would our world be different? Because innovation drives our economy, this is a critically important question for all of us. In 2018, a landmark study...

Practical Insights From Intel's 2019 Inventor Of The Year

When people think about invention, they tend to envision a single individual toiling away in obscurity. That’s so far from reality it pains me. Invention doesn’t happen in a vacuum; more often, it’s the result of teamwork. That’s been true...

This Voting Invention Would Help Jurisdictions Significantly Reduce Their Costs

Some inventions nearly pull themselves to market. Others require persistence, ingenuity, and significant funding to push themselves forward. In my experience as a lifelong entrepreneur, several factors separate the former from the latter. Some inventions are simply before their time....

How These Women Beat The Odds To Become Award-Winning Inventors

More women around the world are patenting their inventions. That’s what the World Intellectual Property Organization reported earlier this year on World IP Day . Of the 243,500 international patent applications published in 2017, 31% included women — nearly 10%...

Stephen Key·August 18, 2018

Think You're Unemployable? You're Probably an Entrepreneur

I left college early. I thought I had completed my fine arts degree at San Jose State University. But in fact, I would later discover, I had received an incomplete in silk screening. I needed three more units to graduate....

Stephen Key·January 13, 2018

Design the Life of Your Dreams Using These Simple Tips

Years ago, my father shared a simple bit of wisdom with me that you’ve probably heard before: Life is too short, he said . T oo short to do something you're not passionate about, that is. My father loved his...

How Creativity Keeps Us Young

Entrepreneurship can seem like a young person's game. It requires a lot of stamina, there's no doubt about it. But recently it's dawned on me that continuing to be creative is exactly what's keeping me going as I get older....

You're the Best Person to Bring Your Idea to Market. Here's How.

There is not one person or one thing that is the key to your success. This is true in life, but especially relevant for inventors. I love hearing from creative people who want to change the world. But more often...

8 Ways It's Easier to License Ideas Today

When it comes to licensing ideas, things have changed in the past 30 years. I think it's an absolutely fantastic time to be an inventor. The ideas I'm seeing from my students, they blow me away. Rapid prototyping is changing...

Need Some Inspiration? Attend a Maker Faire

Kip Tindell, founder of The Container Store, spoke about how much he values his employees. The retail industry trains its workers for eight hours on average. At his stores, he said, his employees receive closer to 280 hours of training....

Stephen Key·October 6, 2016

What Could You Make in 48 Hours?

If you're an entrepreneur, a time is going to come when your back is up against a wall. When you're under pressure to deliver. When you feel an ungodly amount of stress. When you might be down to your very...

Stephen Key·October 6, 2016

3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Make the Most of the Holidays

Being an entrepreneur means having the freedom to do more of what you want to. For me, that means work. Many people look forward to enjoying their time off, but I don't think of the holidays as time off. As...

How to Make the Most of the Following Year

New Year's resolutions are cliche, but they aren't without value, because taking the time to think about what is holding us back from our dreams has enormous benefits. Unfortunately, most of us don't reassess what we're doing and why nearly...

17 Traits That Entrepreneurs Embrace

Being a successful entrepreneur requires possessing many traits. Some are more important others. Some can be learned; others are more innate. It’s not about being the smartest person in the room. After mentoring and coaching thousands of would-be entrepreneurs, I...

How to Coach Yourself to Success

You have a great idea for a product or service that you can’t stop thinking about. You know this is your time. You’re ready! You want to get started now. You’re tired of working for someone else. Deep down, you...

Why Entrepreneurs Must Strive to Challenge Themselves

To be a successful entrepreneur in today’s world, you need to be current, mentally fit, and actively involved in running your business. Even more importantly, you need to stay competitive. I think the best way to stay competitive is to...

8 Gifts Entrepreneurs Should Give Themselves This Holiday Season

The holidays are here! Chances are you’ve been running around purchasing gifts for all of the important people in your life. But I don’t want you to forget to treat yourself this holiday season. Between social events, familial obligations, and...

9 New Year's Eve Resolutions for Every Entrepreneur

New Year’s resolutions serve an important purpose. After all, you can’t write a resolution without reflecting on the past. I think New Year’s resolutions should be thought of as a good excuse to put the year you’ve just had into...

Stephen Key·September 29, 2016

How Looking at Obstacles as Opportunities Can Improve Your Partnerships

Obstacles are a fact of life. They crop up in our personal and professional lives. If you are focused on moving your business forward, it may feel as if you are running into a new one around every corner. A...

Stephen Key·September 29, 2016

What It Really Takes to License an Idea

For people who yearn to profit from their creativity but don’t want to start a business, licensing is a fantastic avenue. When a company licenses your idea, it takes on the heavy lifting of product development -- along with all...

Stephen Key·September 29, 2016

Don't Let Bumps in the Road or Others' Skepticism Stop You From Success

It is the mid 1980s, and I am 27 years old. For the last six years, I’ve been selling my handmade soft sculptures on the street, at state fairs, and eventually, in a retail store. I’ve been learning how create...

Stephen Key·September 23, 2016

Everything Stephen Key Learned About Business He Learned By Selling On a Street Corner

That sounds terrible, right? I wasn’t selling anything illegal though. But for about six or so years, I hawked goods I had made on the street, at state fairs, county fairs, art fairs, and festivals up and down the state...

Stephen Key·September 23, 2016

Are You Ready to Quit Your Day Job?

I received a thoughtful, heartfelt email from a young gentleman aged 24 a few weeks ago. In his email, he listed the books about entrepreneurship he's read, the instructional videos he’s watched, and the inspirational events he’s attended. He had...