Over the last decade, we have compiled a list of the most common phrases from entrepreneurs and inventors we’ve worked closely with. As you know, we are committed to optimizing your time, so we will only share the most popular one:
”…I’m all about the idea, I just want a small piece of the pie and have someone else handle the business.”
Imagine how devastating it is to hear that motivated entrepreneurs and inventors, with ideas or potential business opportunities that could genuinely improve the world, have such little willingness, desire, and drive to move their initiatives forward.
This devastating attitude highlights a harsh reality: Most inventors blindly believe that their idea is so, so, incredibly good that nothing else is needed. As if it were some sort of divine miracle.
This behavior only reflects a great lack of knowledge and even a touch of naivety, which automatically makes them easy prey in a red ocean. A red ocean devoid of ethics, armed with deadly tactics like feeding the inventor’s ego to lead them down shortcuts that condemn their ideas to failure.
The shared thoughts, false hypotheses, and behaviors of the more than 500 inventors we work with each year have allowed us to create a set of classifications that, far from aiming to generate stereotypes, are meant to help you identify with one or more profiles and react in time.
Most Common Types of Inventors
The Get-Rich-Quick Scheme Inventor
He has no interest in entrepreneurship. He relies on the divine miracle of having had a great idea. His only concern is that no one steals his idea. This belief leads him to make investments in whatever legal protection instruments are sold to him. His goal is, with the minimum investment possible, to feel like the “all-powerful” owner of the great idea.
As a very positive point, they accumulate high doses of confidence and self-assurance in their idea. Excitement is the main fuel, while, fortunately, family and close friends usually serve as the main brake for these inventors.
Unfortunately, the “jackpot inventor” usually makes very little progress in the development of their products. Upon discovering that their involvement is essential, that they must make investments, prove that their ideal product works, and that it solves a real problem in the market, they lose their enthusiasm and tend to abandon the process.
It is very common for the decision to abandon the project to be made with a few thousand dollars less in the bank account. Investments in patents and other protection methods, completely unnecessary at this stage, often become the only goals achieved.
The “Jackpot Inventor” can spend months, even years, promoting their patents. They may invest in a demo video and point to the inaccessibility of large companies as the only cause of their failure. The depletion of energy, enthusiasm, and/or the appearance of a substitute product are usually the triggers for abandonment.
The Rapid-fire Inventor
The high frequency with which ideas arise is the main characteristic or defining trait of this type of inventor. In the first conversation, they usually clarify that they have more than a dozen projects, but prefer to discuss just one to be productive in their explanation and respectful of others’ time. This is appreciated. The reality is quite different, as they end up detailing each of their ideas, exploring the context of use, and constantly demonstrating their skills as an inventor.
The goal of the “Machine Gun Inventor” is to secure the resources needed to protect as many initiatives as possible. Like the “Jackpot Inventor,” they tend to reject any proposal that represents a real advance in the process of transforming the idea into a product. They may even fear the technical feasibility of their initiatives. The thought of any of their initiatives being physically impossible or others having similar ideas and/or proposals in the market terrifies them.
The strategic goal of the “Machine Gun Inventor” is for a major market player, distributor, industry leader, brand, or multinational to pay a large sum for the exploitation of one or more of their protected initiatives. To achieve this, they are willing to pay for services from small consultancies or independent professionals, expecting an approach that will change the course of their professional career.
Excessive trust in chance and the obsession with protecting products, sometimes technically unfeasible, are often the main causes of failure for this profile in the development of their projects.
The “Machine Gun Inventor” is full of excitement and energy, something that is often lacking in other inventors and entrepreneurs. However, anything that deviates from drafting and presenting a patent is not part of their plans. They turn their back on product design processes, technical feasibility studies, economic studies about the product’s market potential, and any data that threatens the consistency of the “great idea.”
The dispersal of resources across too many projects, the lack of vision regarding the necessary steps to bring the product to market, limited knowledge of how a major distributor or strategic partner operates in the market, and in general, the lack of strategy, undermines the professional careers of these individuals.
The Dependent Inventor
They are profiles with very strong performance in the professional field. They usually work for others, with excellent results. It is common for them to hold management positions in departments unrelated to engineering or technical areas. These are profiles with a high capacity for analyzing the main risks of bringing a new product to market; they typically haven’t done it before, but they tend to dedicate a lot of time to studying it.
Once they have a clear understanding of the steps to turn an idea or initiative into a marketable product, they conduct a very thorough analysis of the risks, to the point where they almost completely overshadow the real business opportunities.
The Dependent Inventor spends a lot of time researching, defining possible strategies, investing in self-help books, business planning, leadership, and any other topic they consider relevant to achieving success in their business. The study and analysis of the situation usually result in lengthy descriptive documents, business plans, and other materials aimed at mitigating potential risks.
The initiatives of these professionals are usually very close to the industries where they work. They tend to involve potential optimal solutions to improve processes in the companies they work for, and in some cases, they are proposals for substitute products to those promoted by their companies. Almost always, these are proposals with very high chances of success.
They never reach the level of excitement that “Jackpot Inventors” and “Machine Gun Inventors” achieve. The solitude in the process is often a double-edged sword that leads to the abandonment of the project at very early stages. Before taking the first step in the cycle of turning an idea into a product, they usually turn to partners, allies, friends, or family for acceptance and, above all, companionship in the process. This often leads to one of the main common mistakes: giving away shares, stock, or exploitation rights of the invention, even before it is materialized.
Giving up their jobs, family pressure, and in many cases, the loss of social status, is often the main obstacle when it comes to carrying out the project.
Anonymous Inventor: The Anonymous Inventor, unlike the other profiles, has very little enthusiasm, lacks confidence in their initiative, and no matter how good their idea is, they don't have much hope in the potential success they could achieve. They believe everything has already been invented, that modifying something existing isn't very relevant, and that there are likely hundreds of people with similar ideas.
Although a little skepticism towards initiatives isn’t bad, especially for making an objective analysis, the Anonymous Inventor distances themselves from any emotional connection with their initiative. Therefore, it’s very common for them to share the details of their future idea too soon, publish it, or simply abandon it in a drawer.
The initiatives of the Anonymous Inventor are usually excellent. When identifying this type of profile, we help the inventor find arguments to start believing in their own idea. In cases where this commitment is not achieved and enthusiasm is not sparked in the inventor, the most recommended course of action is to abandon the project.
Unlike other inventor profiles, the Anonymous Inventor easily gains the commitment and involvement of their surroundings.
The Strategist Inventor
The Strategic Inventor, as the name suggests, dedicates just the right amount of time to designing strategies and listing the objectives needed to turn an idea into a product and, later, improve the product until it becomes the key ingredient of a successful business.
In the initial stage, this type of inventor analyzes the market they are targeting without revealing the invention. They observe with an analytical vision, are capable of collecting data, and draw their own conclusions. In the first tasks they face, such as analyzing the technical background in previous patent records, they are able to complete the cycle on their own. However, even though they do so and dedicate dozens of hours to it, they hire professionals to ensure they don’t make mistakes in critical stages.
The Strategic Inventor focuses on the advanced stages of the project, specifically on the product industrialization process. Even so, they understand the importance of innovation cycles and are not opposed to the evolution of their initiative. They motivate their suppliers and collaborators to contribute to their initiative while documenting key elements for a future patent.
Although they are clear that it is crucial to demonstrate the technical and business viability of their initiatives as soon as possible, at times they fail in the natural cycle order of turning an idea into a product. Nonetheless, they have the ability to gain advantages from their own mistakes.
The Strategic Inventor usually has access to their own or external funding and is capable of taking risks once they reach a point of control over the situation, meaning when they believe they have enough information.
The truth is that there are no “good” or “bad” inventor profiles. Each of the described profiles accumulates characteristics and skills that are essential in the process of launching a new product.
It is impossible to achieve good results without maintaining a high level of excitement and confidence in the project. The challenges to overcome are so energy- and frustration-intensive that continuity can only be achieved with the drive of the Jackpot Inventor and the Machine Gun Inventor.
The Dependent Inventor stands out precisely for their ability to observe, analyze, and document the process. On the other hand, the Strategic Inventor provides a very important balance between the ability to do and optimize the process, relying on those who have already gone through the cycle countless times. From the Strategic Inventor, we must highlight their ability to accept that mistakes are made. But above all, their ability to learn from these natural failures of the process itself.
Transform and educate the inventor within you.
Juan is 68 years old; we had the opportunity to meet him at that age. The truth is, we would have loved to meet him earlier. Since he was 24, with little formal education, he started his first and only company. As you read, a company nearly half a century old that has weathered all kinds of “storms.”
After several years as an employee at a Spanish gardening company, he began to question the tools and machines that were part of his daily routine. He couldn’t sleep thinking about improvements he could apply to some of these tools.
The restlessness took him away from the gardens.
He couldn’t convince his bosses or colleagues at that time. While everyone was focused on perfecting their work with the available tools, Juan dreamed and spent hours drawing transformed, innovative, and quite revolutionary tools for the time.
As if that weren’t enough, family and close friends, instead of seeing him as a visionary, judged his hours of creation, bet little to nothing on helping him materialize some of his products, and of course, made it clear to him that, against German machinery and the industry giants, he would have very few opportunities.
Five years were enough for him to build a catalog of tools and machines transformed into sketches. After that time, he could show most of his creations on paper and had managed to formalize some patents. The excitement of feeling like an inventor, valuing the brilliance of his ideas, and the adrenaline caused by his patent titles made him believe he had conquered part of the success. However, he had not a dollar in his pocket.
After dozens of attempts and with an extensive knowledge of the sector, he won over a prestigious German tool manufacturer with one of his inventions. The truth is that in this case, the idea presented did not exactly match any of the patents.
He was very lucky; the factory itself recommended that Juan protect the product with a new patent. It’s true that Juan dreamed of the interested factory paying enough for him to focus on developing happy ideas, until he discovered that there was still a very intense process before these tools would reach the gardens he once worked on.
The agreement allowed him, without raising investment or continuing to bet with his own savings, to have a number of machines manufactured to bring to market. For over a decade, Juan didn’t make money from his great invention, but from his ability to sell the product he had invented himself.
The ability to learn from mistakes is key to building a successful path.
Juan had to sell many of his own machines to understand the optimal process from idea to product realization. Today, Juan is retired, dedicating very little to his former business activity, but he continues to invent. He left his children in charge of a Spanish company that generates several million euros in revenue. Juan took his products all over Europe and much of the United States, and his machines are distributed by more than 120 local companies. His company is among the 30 most relevant in the world in its sector.
Between laughs and with the humblest expression on his face, at a café in Madrid, Juan asks me to help him bring his main conclusions to as many inventors as possible who, like him, live on an emotional rollercoaster while trying to launch their products to the market.
From Juan, to all the inventors with access to the “Inventors’ White Paper.”
Contact with the ground is the best way to come up with meaningful inventions. Many times, we think our clients have problems that aren’t as serious as we imagine. In my 40 years as both an entrepreneur and inventor, I never made as many mistakes as when I decided to distance myself from the gardens.
In the gardens, in my own experience and that of the workers who used the tools every day, was the perfect setting to find improvement opportunities and, at the same time, new products. Inventors must always be close to the problem, to the customers who suffer from it, listen to and observe how they react—that’s key to inventing without losing your mind.
Juan assures, without losing the humility in his face and with the patience of a monk.
About support. That’s a tough one, assures Juan.
It’s very easy for big brands, for the industry, for family, for friends, for investors, and even for customers, to step in once everything is done.
The inventor is the only one responsible for achieving the first results and proving that they have an opportunity in their hands. Until they see a working product, it’s all a game. It may be an expensive game, but that’s how it’s seen.
At 20, I believed everything was possible and easy. A few gray hairs later, I was shown that by working hard, what seemed impossible can be achieved, but easy… everything seems easy until you have to do it.
It’s so complicated to turn an idea or invention into a product that can be bought in a store or on a shelf, that it’s almost impossible to think about many at once. That’s why I recommend working hard, but in one direction. I was only able to turn a product catalog into reality after 40 years of hard work. You see, those are the conclusions.
Juan is or should be an example of professional evolution in the career of inventors. His main fuel, 40 years before achieving what he himself calls success, was fueled by an incalculable amount of enthusiasm and endless desires to bring his own products to market. Juan himself gifted us the term “Machine Gun Inventor,” as he calls himself four decades later.
