Sadly though, many of these enthusiastic people get a rather short shrift from those engineers, designers and entrepreneurs, often being labeled "another mad inventor".
In fact, recently, I had been talking to a government department advisor who suggested that engaging such people in conversation was a 'waste of time' and 'these crazy ideas never lead anywhere'.
Why such a stoic and acerbic rebuff from so many industry professionals ? Well I have observed that there is certainly some evidence of envy towards the inventor, but it is mostly the Dr Emmet Brown stereotype that people think of when engaged by such inventive mavericks.
In industry, innovation is being touted as the next big thing, so why does industry have special dispensation from these caustic labels? Well perhaps there exists some snobbery, but the main reason I can discern is that many inventors suffer from living up to the stereotype a little to closely. Let me explain, most inventors exhibit the following traits: -
- Incredible enthusiasm for their idea
- Zealous belief their idea is the next big thing
- Often over value their ideas nett worth
- Limited understanding of manufacturing
- Limited understanding of development costs
Juxtaposed to this stereotype are the industry professional who are supposed to their antithesis having a good and realistic understanding of these things, however the truth is that industry is a little closer to Dr Brown than they would care to admit. So what really separates these groups?
Industry is often cautious about their ideas, they have experienced the epic cost of development and disappointment of market failure. They have better grasp of the profit margins achievable and thus more accurately guess the nett worth rather than taking a wild stab in the dark as many 'mad inventors' seem to do, but one thing is certain, industry often don't know all the answers, but they do know where to turn to for expert advice and are respected by those consultants and it is these that are the key differentiators between 'the mad inventor' and the 'industry professional'.
So the key ingredient for you crazy inventor types out there is often partnering up with people in the know such as engineers, intellectual property lawyers, marketing consultants. But how can I get these people to take me seriously you may ask? Who can I turn to?
Well I'll save that for another blog entry as dinner is waiting to be eaten (mmmm... pork sausage sandwiches), besides which I feel a rant coming on... something that 'really grinds my gears'.
There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of when compared with a man who turned a delorean into a time machine....i think that was the most successful that car ever became. I am also thinking that people like James Dyson don't lose much sleep about a mad idea he had once. Sorted for championing the so called 'mad' inventors Buff...Its good to know that someone will take them seriously...I know a young man who will be glad you took his idea seriously very soon, and look forward to seeing the success that you helped build for him, in the very near future.
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