Oh, what a time it was. Frolicking through meadows of grass, playing hide and seek with the neighbors kids, and showing off your latest and greatest toys to friends. No, I’m not talking about childhood, I’m talking about the 2008 International Toy Fair in New York last week! (minus the meadows and hide and seek games unfortunately).

We took a trip up to see what was on the minds of 1300 of the greatest toy inventors and companies in the world. Needless to say, it was an rejuvenating experience. From remote control miniature construction equipment, to funky shaped frisbees, yes, the Toy Fair had it all.

The show covered the two floors of the Jacob Javits Convention Center, on the west side of Manhattan. To keep the show professional, they screen every attendee and prohibit children (adults with child-like minds are allowed though). Parts of the show were categorized, such as board games, or plush toys, or art and design toys. Although many of the booths were for Toy Inventors, there was a small corner section dedicated to early-stage inventors. In this section, booths were smaller, and cheaper, which allowed inventors, that otherwise couldn’t afford to exhibit, the chance to present.

Even our very own Lisa Lloyd was there exhibiting her latest product, TC Pets. To really get a sense of what happened, check out this video or see our photo gallery:

WOW! If you have watched The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, then you know what a powerhouse the man is. And, yes ladies, he is as good looking in person as he is on TV! He is genuinely interested in helping people become encouraged to fallow their dreams. I say that because I used to wonder if he was really about being a celebrity or helping people. It’s still TV and drama helps the ratings, so I found that there was some typical embellishment of numbers and stories, but at the end of the day, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have been on numerous television programs for my success, Ananda Lewis, Dr. Phil and others, but Donny, YOU are number one!

We just got word that Lisa Lloyd, partner and advisor to IdeaTango, will be appearing on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch TONIGHT at 9PM on CNBC. Check your local listings for more info.

What a whirlwind this has been. Last week while we were in North Dakota, she received a call from the producers of the show, who had found her through her Dr. Phil appearance a few years back.

So 48 hours later (or 5 days ago) they’ve decided to fly Lisa up there for taping on January 24th. We thought for sure that if she taped tonight, it would be a few weeks before she was actually “on TV.” How wrong we were!

Donny and his staff must operate at light speed, because they told Lisa TODAY after they taped her that she would be aired TONIGHT! She’ll be writing more about her experience here and also on the Big Idea Blog. We promise to have the video up as soon as we can, so keep checking back.

In an interview with a well known host, Lisa shares her success story.

What you don’t know doesn’t have to stop you from moving forward. Most people stop pursuing their dreams because they can’t think of how to make them happen. So, they wait for them to mysteriously appear, or give up on them all together. No one knows everything when they are first getting started. All you need to know is that the answers are out there and you must make it your determination to find them!

I am so grateful I was born into a generation with the internet! I may not know the answer to how to raise money for my dream, or I may not know if I even need money for that matter. What I do know is that I can Google ANYTHING! I have access to an amazing website with experts right here on IdeaTango.com to tell me how to invent, find investors, manufacture, license my invention and so much more! I have contacts to tell me who can help me on the internet and can find the answer to any question I could ever think to ask.

So, if you have been afraid of what you don’t know and that has prevented you from moving forward, allow me to encourage you, “Don’t know? Don’t stop!” Get the answers to your questions and keep moving forward, eventually you will find the way to your dream destination!

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd

Hanging on the wall of my office is an autographed picture of Rudy Ruetiger, that says: “It’s always too soon to quit”.

My favorite movie in the world is Rudy. It is based on a true story about a boy who has a dream to play Norte Dame football, but with bad grades, the wrong physique and very little athletic ability, all the odds are against him! In the end he overcomes all of his challenges to realize his dreams! Inventing has felt the same way to me.

No formal education, no money and no experience were all enough reason to blow off my dream of bringing my idea to market. But, like my hero Rudy, I persevered and overcame all the obstacles to become successful. I had a dream and I never gave up.

I believe if you have a dream, the only way you will be successful is if you don’t give up. There will always be reasons to quit and thoughts that say “you can’t do this”, but if you will make up your mind that you will never give up, you will find a way to overcome every obstacle. They will simply be hurdles to climb over, not walls to stop you!

DON’T QUIT!

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd

One of the most common questions I am asked is what does the overall process look like from concept to market? I’m sure it is different for different people in various industries, but for me, as a licensor, it generally looks like this:
1. Idea
2. Quick patent search
3. Rough working model, sometimes I start with sketches, it depends on how hard it is to make.
4. When I am pretty sure I have the concept down I do one more patent search based on what I want to make
5. General market research:
a. What would it cost to make
b. What would it cost to bring to market
c. What would people be wiling to pay for it
6. If the numbers are profitable, I file the patent. If not, I may reinvent it or just abandon it if it is not worth it.
7. Once it is patent pending, I begin contacting companies with a “One Sheet” to license.

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd

I am often asked why I chose to license rather than bring my products to market. I am, in fact, now working on an entire line of products that I will manufacture and distribute. However, until now, I have not had a line, only items. Retailers are not interested in brining in items, they want lines. They do not, as a rule of thumb, buy from single product companies. They prefer to have less vendors with more lines of goods. That makes it too hard to manufacture and distribute with just one invention. However, by licensing my item to a distributor who has a brand name that consumers recognize and a line that the item fits nicely into for the retailers, I can be in 10,000 stores overnight. That is why I have always licensed.

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd

With all the hubbub about led and other potential hazards coming out of China, I have had to face the choice to manufacture in china or not. I am making plush toy organizers and some time ago ALL the plush toy manufacturers left the US, so I have no choice but to go out of the country. I have had trouble finding a good manufacturer in Mexico, I looked. So, I am left with China. TIA (www.toy-tia.org) has standard for the industry and I am looking exclusively for mfg.s that adhere to them. I think the bottom line is that this problem didn’t just start, it has only just been discovered. Right now I am working with the same manufacture that makes Cabbage Patch Kids and am very pleased with their quality. So, Yes, I think China is as safe (or dangerous depending how you look at it) as it has always been. I will just do all the QA in China and our own QA in the states, working with factories that carry all the certifications possible to be sure we deliver a safe product to our customers.

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd