Brian Fried is an inventor in the truest sense – a home-based tinkerer with a garage full of exciting contraptions, a real dedication to creating a better world and a fully realized sense of human nature.

Since he made his first commercial mark in 2007 with Pull Ties Fasteners – think “Twisty Ties: The Next Generation” – Brian has created podcasts, written books, launched professional consultancies and formed inventor clubs, all designed to help other makers commercialize their designs. What started as a monthly Suffolk County-based entrepreneurs club has now gone national, exponentially expanding Brian’s ability to help rookie inventors get where they want to go.

In today’s conversation, Brian joins Spark host Gregory Zeller to retrace his steps toward inventive mentor, define his personal creativity process and discuss the differences between a good idea and a commercially viable idea – not always the same thing!