When it comes to protecting yourself, nothing beats safety in numbers. For independent innovators and product developers, inventor groups provide haven from scammy invention-promotion companies and other parasites. Quality inventor groups, particularly those affiliated with the United Inventors Association, offer information, critiques, business pointers, speakers, networking opportunities and more.
Five UIA-affiliated inventor groups are in Texas (only Florida has more). In this debut of Meeting Room, we're profiling one of the oldest and largest groups in the country: the Houston Inventors Association.
Secrets to Success:
Most officers have firsthand experience with the invention process. Meetings are tailored to novice and experienced inventors. Workshops focus on special topics such as marketing, patent fundamentals, manufacturing techniques, injection molding, building prototypes and effective product presentations. Meetings offer show-and-tell opportunities for inventors to demonstrate their products and get feedback. Each meeting is burned to DVDs for members to review.
"We also try to make it clear that the odds of successfully getting an invention on the market are very low," says Otto Glaser, the group's vice president. "And we do our best to inform naive inventors about the multifarious invention-development and marketing scams by companies that advertise on television and radio."
Pearls of Wisdom:
Select a convenient facility and location to hold meetings. Check your local county commissioners' office for community centers. Most are free. Set a reasonable membership fee and meeting time (most inventors have full-time jobs). Keep meetings casual - no coat-and-tie requirements. Provide snacks and drinks.
Establish a Web site. "All of our new members learned about us on the Internet," Glaser says.
Try to get newspaper and TV exposure. "A reporter doing an exposé of scam invention marketing companies featured our group as an example of where an inventor should go for legitimate help," Glaser says.
Speakers don't necessarily have to be an inventor. Consider local business people, patent attorneys or patent agents, or people who can provide a variety of useful services such as injection molders, model makers and rapid prototyping companies.
Don't repeat inventing 101 over and over.
Claim to Fame:
Houston ranks fifth in inventiveness, surpassed only by four Japanese cities, according to the group's Web site.
Houston Inventors Association Overview:
Founded: 1983 as an all-volunteer nonprofit organization.
Web site: www.inventors.org
Membership: About 200
Annual dues: $45 (prorated for first-timers who join during the year)
Meets: Twice a month - open to the public. A third members-only meeting is for discussing inventions under non-disclosure agreement
Where: Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet St., Houston
Who shows up: Mostly independent inventors working on inventions unrelated to their jobs; self-employed people who have created inventions to help them in their work; experienced inventors who have launched products and are willing to help others; knowledgeable retirees.
