Appitalize On Your Idea: The Podcast

USPTO meets College!

Today we interview Mindy Bickel from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The USPTO and Cornell have teamed up to help entrepreneurs get informed and to learn about how to patent their ideas.

As an Appitalizer, you should now be plenty aware that you need to protect yourself and your ideas. We have had lawyers on before to explain how to getting protected, but with Mindy we learn it from the other side. Mindy's goal with the program is to teach Appitalizer's how to educate themselves with the process of patents.

Education is the best way to not only to learn about patents, but also to protect yourself from others, such as patent trolls.

Listen to the interview with Mindy to learn where and how you can learn and get yourself protected.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

US Patent and Trade Office Website - Go here for massive information

Email Mindy for help

Entrepreneurial Students

On this episode I've interview Montclair State University's own Dennis Bone. Dennis was the former CEO of Verizon New Jersey before being tapped to be the director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship at MSU. Dennis instituted a new 3 class program that will help students become entrepreneurs.

I say this a lot during the actual episode, but do I wish this was around when I was a student. Having this kind of hands on experience really allows students to learn about how to succeed in todays ever changing world. No longer are we groomed to get jobs at big corporations but we are starting to be taught how to come up with our own ideas and make them a reality while in school!

The whole program that Dennis describes in todays interview really brings a smile to my face knowing that students are being taught this and they are learning what it takes to Appitalize!

Listen to the whole thing the jump.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Montclair State PR - Naming Dennis Bone as Director of Entreprenuership

The Entrepreneur Program at Montclair State Univeristy.

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Scratch your own itch!

Today I'm talking with Luis Giraldo, owner and CEO of Monkey Box in Canada. Luis who's an Apple consultant by day (like me!) found something in his day to day that he needed. He took that idea (what he calls his itch) and made it happen. He was able to Appitalize on his idea.

Why I love what Luis did has nothing to do with Monkey Box (despite it being a great app), but more with how he got it built. Luis is a very smart person, but knew where his limits were. He not only outsourced the programming, but he outsourced the marketing. He brought in a marketing company to help write the "copy" on his website. These small touches provided by the company helped Monkey Box appeal to not only other Apple consultants, but to individuals as well.

Luis really understands the Appitalize movement, and it's very evident in his wonderfully built product.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Monkey Box - Luis's company site for Monkey Box

Ook - Luis's IT consulting company site

Luis's Twitter Page

We The Collective - One of the marketing companies used for Monkey Box

6S Marketing - The other marketing company used for Monkey Box

55 Minutes - Web development team

Subscribe in iTunes

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Your best just got better!

I'm super excited about todays episode with Jason Womack, of The Jason Womack Company. Jason wrote a book, and current has a podcast called Your Best Just Got Better, in which he discusses ways to help you transform. Whether it's networking or just simple time management, Jason gives great tips towards just doing better in life.

Jason's company helps entrepreneurs, CEOs, even stay at home parents the ability to achieve more. With his Get Momentum company, he helps figure out the ways you can create better results with everything.

I am super excited to have had Jason on the podcast for you to listen. Also I guest posted for Jason's blog discussing how to gain momentum to come up with the next big idea.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

The Jason Womack Company - Jason's company website

Get Momentum - Jason's other company

Jasons's Twitter Page

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Lawyers are your friends!

Today I sit down with David Postolski of Day Pitney, LLP. David is an Intellectual Properties lawyers in NY and today we discuss how, what and who should patent and protect their idea (the answer is everyone who has an idea!). David and I talk about the need for protection. How do you keep people from stealing your idea and making money when you should be!

David breaks down the three major intellectual property types:

All three items have their own specific requirements, and protections with them. You can protect your "property" using one of these three. You should hire a lawyer to help, but listen to David explain what the difference is and how to get your self covered.

Listen to the whole interview below the jump.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Day Pitney, LLP - David's law firm company website

David's LinkedIn Page

David's Twitter Page

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Be Passionate!

In todays episode we have Liana Kundsen, CEO and master baker of Auntie Liana's Bakery. Liana and her company really hold up the ideals behind Appitalizing on Your Idea. Liana has a full time job (disclosure: she works with my wife), and a part-time entrepreneurial track. In her after hours she runs Auntie Liana's Bakery and makes this delicious cakeballs.

Liana and I discuss time management in this weeks episode of Appitalize On Your Idea: The Podcast. Her day job is very demanding, and she works very long hours, yet she still has the time and the passion to come home and bake, scoop, and glaze cakeballs. By giving up some things she likes to do, like watch TV, she is able to run her business. Her time management skills have given her the ability to succeed where so many have failed. If you have a passion, and an idea, there's no reason to make sure you know what's happening on the latest episode of The Blacklist.

Listen to the whole interview, and how Liana has risen her business up and what her plans are for moving forward.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Auntie Liana's - company website

Auntie Liana's on Twitter

Auntie Liana's on Pinterest

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Need an Idea?

Today's episode is an amazing one with inventor Chris Hawker. Chris, owner of Trident Designs and inventor talks about how he comes up with ideas. Chris' company has produced hundreds of products to be sold in the likes of Wal-Mart and Target. Chances are you have something he thought of in your own home! Chris really delves into how he started, and how you can come up with ideas just looking around. "Every invention solves a problem," he says. I can't agree anymore!

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Trident Design - Chris's company

Chris Hawker on Twitter

Invetors Mind - Chris' blog.

For more information check Appitalize On Your Idea.

Create a value helping position, not a marketing position.

Today I decided to a do hostful episode. I wanted to share with you two things that have been on my mind lately.

The first is MVP - Minimum Viable Product. When developing an idea you need to learn your core competency of your idea. Build just that in your first version and get it out in the wild. Don't fall subject to "feature creature". Not sure what your core competency is? Describe your product in 1 sentence, that's it! For SignMyPad our core competency is "Sign PDF documents", and SignMyPad allows you to do just that! Many people want the product they build to be super polished but when there are over a million apps out there, being first is very important.

The second thing I discuss this week is vetting a programming team. Using Guru.com, I have been able to find programmers such as my team in India and Eyal Amir. Guru.com has a lot of potential freelancer on the site so how do you weed out who's good or not? You need to be able to ask the right questions to the potential freelancer and look at their portfolio. In the case of programmers, look at the apps they've created. Look at the reviews of those apps and look for stand out reviews such as 'app crashes'. If you see a lot of that, don't hire that team!

All of these tips and tricks are available to help you bring your idea to fruition. What idea are you work on this week? Share it in the comments below or in iTunes.

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Create a value helping position, not a marketing position.

March is upon us! Todays episode is a great one for people who need marketing help. David Murray, social media directory at Blue Cross Blue Shield joins us to discuss how to use Social Media to communicate with your audience. David talks about how to get started by listening to your customers. Listen to what issues they are having, and then answer them. It's not always about a sales pitch.

"You need to create a value position." Social Media should be used a communication channel, not always a "marketing" channel. Communicating with your customers by listening and participating. Hitting people over the head with the "use my product" concept doesn't work. You need to show your potential customers the value of your product or even better let them get to know you. Letting your customers know you changes their feelings towards your company, and sometimes customers feel a strong bond to your company since now they know about you as a person.

He continues to dive deep into these topics.

Listen to the whole interview below the jump.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Building Your Content Bubble

Dave Murr on Twitter

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.

Everything we do is out of our personal need.

Today is a great day to get something done. Let's start it off right by listening to todays Appitalize On Your Idea: The Podcast episode 6 with my guest Pam Lefkowitz from Core Computing in Chicago.

Pam is an Apple Consultant, who in her spare time likes to knit. She tells us how there were no good ways to make graph paper patters digitally. So what did she do? She went out and made an app! She found ways to outsource the coding and even bartered for the design work inside the app. Pam talks about the struggles of getting the app out there, and the downsides to apps ("buy once own forever").

What I love about this interview with Pam is that despite that her app isn't making a ton of money - she went out and did it. She took a risk with it. I applaud Pam's tenacity for jumping in and I think every can learn a valuable lesson from the episode.

Listen to the whole interview below the jump.

Links Mentioned During the Show:

Core Computing - Pam's company

Info on DesignKNIT

DesignKNIT on the App Store

For more information check out Appitalize On Your Idea.