Masters Of
Invention How Five Entrepreneurs Turned Their Dreams Into Reality
With the American economy still shaky, some enterprising folks are taking a mind-over-matter approach. And we found five South Florida inventors whose minds are a bit more curious than the rest. ¶ From the “a-ha moment” when the idea first appeared to the sleepless nights to the manufacturing, patenting and marketing, our inventors tell us how they made their (day)dreams come true. ¶ Some paths were a bit smoother than others. ¶ Leo Mazur is president of the Inventors Society of South Florida. The group draws from St. Lucie to Miami-Dade counties and meets in Broward County once a month to talk about everything from patent law to promotional skills to setting up a killer Web site. ¶ The meetings draw an eclectic group,
Richard C. Levy & Furby In the circle of South Florida inventors, Richard C. Levy’s the old timer. The guy who’s seen his inventions land – and stay – on some pretty big desks. The guy who knows the pitch is the most important part of the game. That, and getting in the door. Levy, 62, of Boca Raton, left his day job 33 years ago. He was a TV and film producer, traveling all the time, documenting the lives of others. And then, the epiphany. Levy was on one of his business trips when he met another would-be inventor. One thing led to another, and the two decided they’d pursue their dreams. First it was a few board games and then, eventually, he helped to come up with the Furby. Yes! The Furby!
to put it politely. ¶ “You find janitors coming up with air turbines and rocket scientists coming up with babychanging tables,” says Mazur, laughing. “They’re all looking for an escape from their real jobs.” ¶ But that escape can be expensive, time-consuming and distracting – especially when you’re trying to turn your idea into a money-making reality. “It’s an obsession,” says Mazur. “Anybody who is really pushing in this industry is obsessed with it.” ¶ And now that we’ve seen inventions from our five South Florida entrepreneurs, we can understand what it takes. ¶ Tenacity, and a quirky mind. ¶ After all, would you ever have thought of a golf club you can pee into? By Emily J. Minor
Remember? Feed that furry – um – friend or you’ll be up all night. The first Furby prototype was made from a tennis ball, which they rigged to move around like a puppet. But that first year on the market, they sold 4 million over the Christmas of 1998. You can’t buy a Furby in stores these days, although there’s quite a sampling at online outlets like eBay. “Furby was beyond incredible,” says Levy, who says they sold 60 million units. Levy’s first big project, though, was the board game Adverteasing, which has sold more than 1 million copies and was recently reissued back to the toy shelves at Toys ‘R’ Us. The game has you match slogans with products and if you could match the most, you reach the top of the corporate ladder first.
Adverteasing was created back in 1986 and today, Levy often acts as a mentor to beginning inventors. His newest invention is the trading card game Warstone. He just published The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions. And he’s invented a smart-alecky button – a la the Staples “Easy” button – that spews funny comebacks to the boss at the touch of your finger. Yes, this guy’s always thinking.
For more information about Levy and his inventions, visit greatideagear.com/complete-idiots-cashing-in.html.
The quicker picker-upper. (Bounty paper towel.) Look ma, no cavities. (Crest toothpaste.) All the news that’s fit to print. (The New York Times.)
Photography By Patty Daniels Town & Country Studios
September 2010
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