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Lucky Napkin Live –REDUX – The Director’s Cut ;)OK, OK I know we are not talking about an Academy Award Winning Movie, but I of course feel a bit of pride talking today about the recently released 4 DVD box set of Lucky Napkin Live, featuring every entrepreneurial inspiration packed moment from the March Lucky Napkin Live Event in Phoenix.Our great friends at VBN.TV were kind enough to come to the event and capture every seminar, every insight and every information packed class and it is all available for you to watch in the comfort of your own home, with notebook, pencil and pause button ready so you don’t miss one detail.Until today the only way you could have gotten your hands on this DVD was by attending and ordering it the day of the event, but because of the overwhelming demand we had received from people around the world who were unable to fly to Phoenix and learn from the experts first hand we decided to release the complete set.If you are wondering what you get, I have included a complete agenda from the event. Your 4 DVD set includes full length, uncut versions of absolutely every seminar. They have all been captured in their entirety from multiple angles with clear view of every detail from every PowerPoint slide presented and answers to every question asked. And if you would like to see a nearly 20 minute preview of the entire 8 hour set you can do so by clicking here or the links below. WHAT'S ON THE COMPLETE DVD SET?
General Session Opening‐ Featuring John Adam and Tom Perry of the John Adam Radio Show ‐ The #1 Talk Radio Show for Small Business
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Dream it, Build it, Scale it and Let it Grow ‐ How to Create Your Own Lucky Napkin ‐
Anthony Tesoriero ‐ Founder Solarceuticals, Co‐Founder Lucky Napkin
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Is Your Great Idea Ready for TV, QVC and Infomercial Success? ‐
Bob Warden ‐ Developer of Cook’s Essentials, QVC Host and Billion Dollar TV Sales Expert
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Dahlynn Mckowen – Co‐Author of the Chicken Soup Series
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One Idea Can Change the World ‐
Amilya Antonetti‐ Founder Soapworks, Co‐Founder Lucky Napkin
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How to Get Your Idea Seen and Sold in A Web 2.0, New Media World ‐
David Cain, President MediaSauce
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How to Get Started in Business With Your Great Idea ‐
John Benjamin, Founder, John Benjamin, Entrepreneurial CPAs
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How to Create An Entrepreneurial Mindset ‐
Mike Michalowic, CNBC Big Idea Expert and Founder of Obsidian Launch
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How to Protect Your Great Idea‐ Patents, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets ‐
Barb Luther, Founder, The Luther Law Firm
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The Spirit of Entrepreneurship ‐ Taking Your Great Idea Vision and Making it Happen ‐
Bryan Gray, CEO of MediaSauce
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Your Brilliant Brand: For the Future Famous and their Great Ideas ‐
Jon Ward, Trump University Faculty
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Top 10 PR Tips for the Inventor, Entrepreneur and your Great idea‐
Ann Noder, President Orca Communications
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How to Finance your Great Idea -From Bootstrap to Bankroll ‐
Bill Kilburg, CPA, CFO, Co‐Founder Lucky Napkin
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The TeleSphere Expert Forum ‐ Four Founders, Every Expert and Your Great Idea Questions
Hosted By Mitch Schlimer,- Founder of The Lets Talk Business Network
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Announcement of the Selected Entrepreneur in ‘ The Search for Arizona's Next Great Idea’
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This is truly a phenomenal value. Each of the experts at Lucky Napkin Live runs their own business, some in excess of 100 million dollars per year. The time and expertise they offered that day and through this DVD set is invaluable to the entrepreneur looking for answers to the challenges of launching and running a business. You really should take the time to watch the 20-minute preview and decide for yourself.
Of course nothing can replace the real life opportunity to be at the event, the networking, the one on one time with the experts, the access to venture capitalists and angel investors and the atmosphere of entrepreneurship, but the 4 DVD set gets as close to the real thing as possible. Our friends at VBN.TV deserve a real big round of applause for taking the time and putting forth the production to bring this special value to entrepreneurs around the world.
Best of luck always.
I have a great idea… Now what? (The Next Step)As a successful entrepreneur and now co-founder of Lucky Napkin the country’s premiere venture catalyst company, this question is by far one of the most frequent we hear. It seems that average inventors and aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere are befuddled in a process that the books, CDs, TV shows and free money seminars would have you believe is easy. But the reality is that “easy” is the furthest thing from the truth and in fact the process from inspiration to creation can be down right daunting.
My belief on why such a monumental task is said to be so simplistic is quite straightforward really, it all has to do with relative levels of experience and thus the anxiety that consumes us when faced with a new task outside of our familiarity. While the “experts” are right in one way, the general concept of taking an idea from mind to market or concept to creation is “simple” when you lay it out step by cautious step, the practicality of actually doing it with your own idea is one of the most difficult tasks one can take on in their life.
Birthing an idea, a really great one, is truly akin to conceiving, carrying and bringing a child into the world. Starting on the first day you discover your great idea the anxiety, fear, trepidation, doubt, joy, hopes, dreams and aspirations all become one giant bundle of emotions that you carry with you and effect every decision you make. Each step along the way and each conflicting piece of advice you read or receive creating an internal turmoil that at times makes it almost impossible to move forward.
I for one don’t have a handyman’s bone in my body. Although I consider myself incredibly resourceful and like to believe I can accomplish anything, when it comes to working on my home, or landscaping my own yard I am nearly crippled with anxiety. I can watch those home makeover shows, gain mountains of inspiration, fill my head with confidence and even create a simple plan to change a room or my whole house. Then I’ll take that inspiration to Lowes or Home Depot and buy hundreds of dollars worth of tools and supplies; get home, break down a wall with gusto, hit the first obstacle, get frustrated, try again, meet another obstacle then call a professional to clean up my mess while I wallow in self pity at my continual home improvement failure cycle.
You see, while its true most handyman jobs around the house and even building an entire house can be considered “easy” to some, it can be monumental to most an frankly downright impossible to others. The same is true for idea development. Bringing an idea to market is not an easy task and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. In fact I can introduce you to many bankrupt aspiring entrepreneurs who thought they could just follow the steps in the book and make millions, only to get road blocked half way with insurmountable obstacles that cost them their life savings before they finally came to the conclusion that the original idea they had would never work in the first place and by then it was too late.
So then what is the answer to the proverbial question you ask, “What do I do next once I have come up with a great idea?” Well to that I say my answer will always be the same. For get buying books, CDs or thinking you’ll cull together the answer from a bunch of web sites. The real answer is actually simple, “Validate the idea with unbiased professional assessment.”
Most business fail and most ideas never get off the ground for one simple reason and it is not for lack of funds as some might have you believe, it is for lack of a fully vetted and verified idea. Just like with my personal failure cycle with home improvement projects, idea venturing requires the same type of careful forethought and professional assessment of a project with strong consideration for your own personal talents and resources at your disposal.
Yet like my personal penchant for biting off more than I can chew and being caught up in the inspiration without thought for the perspiration required, most aspiring entrepreneurs and inventors too get caught in the ego trap of their love for an idea. But the fact remains if they were simply to take a good hard look at their idea and get proper professional assessment up front before investing too many dollars into just running full steam ahead, they might easily learn that their great idea is not actually great for them or worse that its not actually great at all and maybe even being done already someplace else.
Although I am a firm disciple of “The Power of Positive Thinking.” And a person who will tell everyone I meet that they already have the power inside of them to take them where they want to go, I am also just as firmly a believer in rational, practical thought and realize that the will to do something alone is not enough to get you over the top. Regardless of the amount of motivation you have for your great idea, and how easy the experts make it appear on TV, in books and magazines, don’t let yourself get caught in an ego trap.
Once you truly believe you have a great idea, make sure you seek and find competent, professional and unbiased advice to help you evaluate it to its fullest. Then decide what to do next.While I cannot guarantee you that you success if you follow my simple advice, I can personally guarantee you that if you proceed full steam ahead with your idea without first asking the right questions to the right people you will increase your chances of failure 100 fold. Take the time to listen, learn, develop and adapt. The investment you spend in doing so now, just may make you millions in the future.
Lucky Napkin is popping up all over the place.Check out this flattering recommendation on Scribd...http://www.scribd.com/doc/1127255/Business-Growth-Accelerators-Y-Combinator-Lucky-Napkin-OLaunch
Part 3, the conclusion of the interview with Lucky Napkin founding partners Anthony Tesoriero and Amilya Antonetti on the Peters and Brown small business radio program.Anthony and Amilya take call in questions, assist entrepreneurs to gain clarity on their great ideas and help move them in the direction of their dreams.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FfN4f-UQMs
Part 2 of The Peters and Brown radio interview with Lucky Napkin founding partners Amilya Antonetti and Anthony Tesoriero.Anthony and Amilya discuss the Lucky Napkin company and explain how they help entrepreneurs of all stages of the journey take their ideas from mind to market.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uJIpwMlE08
Meet Lucky Napkin founding partners Anthony Tesoriero and Amilya Antonetti on The Peters and Brown small business talk show.
This is Part 1 of a 3 part interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjdgCgxcGcg
Q) Should I get a patent on my Big Idea? A) I think that there may be huge misconceptions about this topic. I am going to try and address Patents here to help us all get a better understanding of what patents do and don’t do, what they cost (generally) and when to get one. The most important thing to know about a patent is that they are only as good as the money, resources and time you have to defend and protect your idea or claim. You can have a patent on something but if you are fighting someone with bigger, better and more money and resources... guess who usually looses. Why? Because eventually you will exhaust your funding or resources and quit and unless it is ironclad, blatant rip off with a clear picture of a well funded, easy to get to company as the target, no lawyer will take the case on contingency and hope to make their money when the case settles. And we all know lawyers can become very expensive. There are companies who make their fortunes on the backs of other entrepreneur’s R&D waiting for a hit product and knocking it off quickly and producing a similar one at a cheaper price regardless of any patents. They usually have an army of lawyers instead of research and development budget and their strategy usually is to wear you down in court for as long as it takes to exhaust all of your assets then make you settle for pennies. It this fair? Heck NO. Does it happen? Yes, all the time. So when I read so many emails and letters from people saying that they can’t or won’t talk about their idea because they are waiting to pull together enough $$ to get a patent, it causes me a bit of pause. Unless you have redesigned the human genome and anticipate winning the Nobel prize, for most ideas with patents It is usually very easy for a competitor to tweak an idea just a little to get around it. I could list you off a dozen examples of products that are virtually the same but with a small engineering difference therefore allowing them to compete for the same customer in the same space. My belief is that a patent provides you with tangible proof to your claim of ownership so that you can begin a discussion, or a fight to stake claim on what is or was yours. But it is still up to you to prepare, defend, and rally the correct players, resources and money for that fight and in most cases that money could usually be better spent in marketing, advertising, PR or business development. That said, I would still encourage anyone with a truly BIG idea to have a conversation with a great IP attorney and investigate the options. Any credible attorney worth their salt will absolutely tell you if you are wasting your time before you engage them in the process. Finally If you would like to save some money you can do some research about patents on your own by visiting the US Patent and Trademark Office online at www.USPTO.gov – patents - search Below is a general look at patents, their protections and general costs. As with all advice, use it as a baseline but I encourage you to keep digging until you arrive at the solution that works best for your own personal situation. Provisional Patents- allow you 1 year to work on an idea/product/concept while you are still developing it but this shows proof of concept. The cost depends on the complexity of the idea and information to be related to the patent office. $1-3 K should handle a bare bones draft. However, after filing a complete provisional patent application, no additional work needs to be done during the year. If you make significant improvements in your idea before the year expires, just expand the first filing and re-file with the US patent office. Utility Patents- a more complicated patent that takes longer and normally takes several passes through the EXAMINER at the patent office.This can run from 10K to 50K based on how much research and communications between office and attorney have to happen. Budget about $5,000 to 10,000 for the utility patent application, formal drawings, and extra paperwork. The negotiating back and forth with the patent examiner may go to $10,000-30,000. At the end, there is the issue fee to pay. Design Patents. A simpler patent process, but also the easiest to get around. These can cost as little as 2-5 thousand dollars. This protects only the decorative aspects of your product, not the functional aspects. Mailing yourself a copy of the idea and not opening the envelope does NOT protect your idea. It is inexpensive enough to file a provisional application and that is necessary, except at large companies with systems to create records of inventions. So after hearing all of this are you more confused or less? The bottom line is that while a patent does provide you with rights afforded by law to the ownership of your big idea, even if you get one there are no ‘patent police’ who will rally to your cause to protect you. It will still be up to you to fight it out in court and prove your case to a judge before any money will be awarded. So consider cafefully the options before you before diving head first into a patent. In many cases, just plowing ahead and selling your great idea into the marketplace is a far wiser decision than waiting until you feel protected by a patent which you may not have the cash left over to defend even if it is infringed upon. Special thanks to Barb Luther, patent attorney extraordinaire and a member of the Lucky Napkin Board of Experts for her contribution to this answer. Both Barb and Amilya Antonetti will be addressing this and dozens more of your questions about your Big Idea in person during Lucky Napkin Live, March 20th 2008. To learn more about it and to purchase tickets click here:http://www.luckynapkinlive.com
One common question I have received over and over is " How do I know whom I can trust with my Big Idea?" The text book answer to this question is to protect yourself at all times, demand non disclosure agreements before talking and chronicle and commemorate every conversation you have about your big idea. Like most things they teach you in school though the reality is quite different. In practice, there really isn’t anyway to fully protect yourself from someone taking your idea and doing something with it, nor will it be easy to get any one of any real business substance to sign an NDA just to discuss your idea and you can chronicle and commemorate all you want but if you don’t have the money and lawyers to go after the people who steal from you, it really is irrelevant. So I really have to tackle this question from the perspective of the word trust. Trust is a common theme in our lives and unfortunately the longer one lives, it seems that more jaded one gets and trust becomes harder and harder for most. After having both good and bad things happen to me over my business life my conclusion is that "bad" people do bad things and if they are in your life they will do their damage no matter how much you try to protect yourself. So how do you know whom to invite into your journey... my answer is instinct and research. It amazes me how many people do not use the tools around us. I encourage you to spend some time researching the people you reach out to. A person’s past is a very good predictor of their future. It’s not hard to find out what people do in their lives, the Internet and social networking has really opened up a ton of resources. People who have good intentions and fly straight have examples after examples of "doing right or good" in their lives. Can some con artist fake it... Yes... and for those cleaver devils even some of the smartest people get taken... But if your belief is somewhat like mine that everything both good and bad happen for a reason and that is to prepare you for the wonderful things ahead than you will inevitably move forward regardless of your trust issues, knowing that it will all work out in the end. Trust me, many bad things have come my way and nearly knocked the wind out of everyone around me. I have many journals filled with heart-wrenching things that people have done in business and in life as I had to "learn as I go" in the journey to success. My "instincts" have gotten very good and when something doesn’t feel right no matter what the facts say I follow my gut... I suggest that others do the same. My thought on when the bad things happen is simple. Make sure you take everything out of the experience and suck out every last lesson so that "the world" doesn't throw it back to you to learn again. When I sit and chat with people as I speak and teach across the country It amazes me how many "lesson" keep coming someone’s way ... bigger and louder until they GET IT, learn and make the life corrections needed. Once again confirming we are all in more control of our lives then we give credit. As Donny said on one of the shows we did together (not a direct quote) ... You have to put it out there and move forward with your life and what you want out of it and not get hung up on what others will or will not do since you have NO control over others. I live my life " trying to do good" and have found that in the long haul "good" comes back. The "bad" is there only to remind me how great "good" feels :) Amilya Antonetti will be addressing this and dozens more of your questions about your Big Idea in person at her keynote address during Lucky Napkin Live, March 20th 2008. To learn more about it and to purchase tickets click here:http://www.luckynapkinlive.com
Q) “I was thrilled to see you on “the road to CES” I have attended several events where you were a keynote (NABOW and Woman Success) and your wisdom and advice has always been easy for me to incorporate into my career.
My question is how do leave a career that I have spent 20 years in to start all over for myself? Marcia W. San Francisco, CA Dear San Francisco,
A) It sounds like there is a “fear” you have created about leaving 20 years of hard work to start all over again. But instead of facing the picture head on, let’s change the angle that you are looking at your “20 year career” verses the blank slate you see in front of you. Begin by filling in the blank slate with all that you will take with you from your 20 year career. Make a list of the contacts and connections you have made and how they may be used in your new venture. Try to think about all the connections you made and examine how they could be of help to you as you jump-start your new opportunity.
Reflect upon the knowledge you have developed from your 20 years that will be instrumental in your new opportunity; What do you know about business now that you didn’t know then? What mistakes have you witnessed in your career and how can you prevent them? What role have you played inside an organization? What people do you need to surround yourself with to attack a problem from multiple angels? What are your strengths and what are your weak areas? I believe the more time you spend looking at all the tools, knowledge and connections you already have the more the fear will disappear and a new found entrepreneurial confidence will immerge and you’ll realize how ready you really are.
Never quit, your success is closer than you think. Amilya
PS. You can learn more about Amilya on her web site, http://www.Amilya.com. And when you are ready to make the entrepreneurial jump, make sure you check out some of the priceless information and inspiration at http://www.LuckyNapkin.com, or plan to attend our Lucky Napkin Live Event, March 20, 2008 in Phoenix, AZ. Lucky Napkin is the country’s premiere “Venture Catalyst” company, an entrepreneurial catapult “Where Great Ideas Launch.”
