Launch Your Product with Stephen Key

You don't need to build a company to get your product on shelves. In this video, I'm sharing real numbers from my 40+ years licensing product ideas—the wins, the learning experiences, and what actually generates sustainable income. **What You'll Learn:** • How much I earned from early designs (High Flyers, Sweet Darts, Food Flight) • Why my Disney rotating cups made solid money ($50K+) • How the M...

Learn exactly how to license your invention from start to finish. In this video, I walk you through my complete process for taking an idea to market and licensing it to companies in exchange for royalties. You'll discover: ✓ How to validate your idea before spending money ✓ Why you shouldn't file a patent first ✓ How to research the marketplace and find competitors ✓ When and how to file a provisi...

Filing a provisional patent application is one thing. Making sure it actually captures your invention in a useful and meaningful way is another. What should you include? How much detail do you need? What about prior art, drawings, and alternative versions of your invention? And when does it make sense to get professional help? inventRight cofounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss are joined by inve...

Turning an idea into a product can get expensive quickly, especially if you spend money on the wrong things at the wrong time. In this video, inventRight cofounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss break down 10 common product development and licensing mistakes they've seen over the years — and what to do instead. They explain why you should study the marketplace before spending heavily, when patents...

How do you know if people will actually buy your product before you invest heavily in launching it? In this episode of Licensing Playbook LIVE, inventRight cofounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss break down what Stephen learned while building Hot Picks, his guitar pick business that eventually made its way into major retailers like Walmart. Stephen shares how his first designs failed, how he test...

Thank you BSense for sponsoring this video. How do you turn an invention into a product you can manufacture and sell? Herschel Adkins did exactly that. After developing and launching Flashback, his patented invention, he established approximately 72 dealers in just six months. In this interview with Stephen Key, Herschel shares his experience bringing a new product to market — from finding a manuf...

When you’re licensing a product, the order you do things matters. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars building an entire business before you know whether companies are interested in your idea. Your first job is to communicate why your product matters, identify companies that are a strong fit, and give them enough information to want to learn more. In this video, inventRight cofounders Ste...

How do you turn a simple invention into a product licensing deal? Jerald Gunter started with a *$5 prototype* designed to solve a problem he had encountered for years: Installing and replacing ceiling tiles in commercial buildings required expensive lifts, scaffolding, and extra labor. Today, Jerald’s invention is being used by *AMC Theatres nationwide,* and he has secured a *7-year licensing agre...

AI is changing how new products are developed. Knowing where it helps and where it falls short is important. In this interview, Stephen Key sits down with Guillaume Chéneau, founder of BSense, to discuss how AI is actually being used in product development and manufacturing today. AI can help you clarify an idea, develop better specifications, research technical questions, evaluate materials, cond...

How do you go from licensing your first invention to licensing products with multiple companies? Robert has now *licensed four products to four different companies.* In this interview with inventRight cofounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss, he shares what changes once you’ve negotiated multiple licensing agreements, built relationships with companies, and learned how to keep bringing them new in...

A simple product can start selling — and still leave you with a much bigger question: How do you get a company to take it further? Edward Warmack created a simple guitar armrest that solves a real comfort problem for musicians. He developed and improved the product himself and has sold roughly 300–400 units with almost no advertising, primarily through his website and YouTube. But getting retailer...

How do you turn a product idea into a licensed product that actually reaches the marketplace? Robert Trevino did it with *ByeKnot,* a fishing accessory he developed, patented, and ultimately licensed to a company. Today, ByeKnot is selling online, including on Amazon. Robert is a former *inventRight member* who learned how to bring his ideas to market through licensing with inventRight. In this in...

*What happens when you build a business around your product — and someone eventually wants to buy the whole company?* Former inventRight member *John Paulick* created WineHive, a modular wine storage system, and spent 15 years taking it through nearly every path available to a product entrepreneur. He tried licensing, launched on Kickstarter and generated more than *$70,000 in 30 days,* built the...

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. Things go wrong. Sales drop. Stress builds. But you don't have to lose your mind in the process. In this video, Stephen Key shares 10 practical strategies he's used over 50 years to survive as an inventor, entrepreneur, and product licensing expert—without losing his sanity. You'll learn: • Why every product has a life cycle (and how to prepare for it) • The im...

You don't need a booth at every trade show—and sometimes you shouldn't go at all. Stephen Key breaks down exactly when to attend, how to work the show, and what to avoid. **When to Go to a Trade Show:** → You're selling product with inventory ready to ship → You're looking to license your idea to established companies → You want to meet smaller retailers and build relationships **When NOT to Go:**...

You have a product. You have a patent. Now how do you get a licensing deal? Dominic DeFrank has already done much of the hard work of bringing an idea to life. A longtime camera professional whose credits include American Ninja Warrior and Hell’s Kitchen, Dominic developed Cam-Tape after identifying a recurring problem on professional film and television sets. He manufactured and commercialized th...

A good product idea can get even better when you know how to keep improving it. Industrial designers are trained to look beyond the first version of an idea. They study the problem, ask questions, research different solutions, create prototypes, gather feedback, and continue iterating as they learn. In this inventRightTV interview, Stephen Key talks with industrial designer, inventor, and educator...

Stephen Key has spent approximately $500,000 on patents over the course of his career as a product developer. Some became extremely valuable. Others taught him when a patent may not be worth the investment. With more than 29 patents to his name, Stephen has filed internationally, defended his intellectual property against LEGO in federal court, and sold a patent portfolio for millions of dollars....

Can product licensing do more than earn you royalties? For inventor and entrepreneur Mohamed Ali, it became a way to validate his idea, gain valuable experience, and generate the capital he needed to eventually build a manufacturing company of his own. Mohamed started with an electrical safety invention called iLock and a goal of manufacturing it himself. Without the funding to get started, he too...

You don't need to build a company to get your product on shelves. In this video, Stephen Key breaks down the real truth about bringing a product to market—the steps, costs, and decisions that actually matter. Whether you're considering licensing or venturing your product, this is the unfiltered roadmap. **The 7 Critical Steps:** 1. Test your idea for real market demand 2. Build prototypes strategi...

Is product licensing really a good way to turn your ideas into products? Or are you better off manufacturing and selling your products yourself? Stephen Key has done both. He's licensed ideas to companies and collected royalties, but he's also ventured products himself, built a business, managed employees, and sold millions of units around the world. In this video, he takes a deep dive into the re...

What if your first product idea could become an entire product line? Former undercover police officer Frank came up with a simple ladder storage idea after tripping over extension cords in his garage. Instead of stopping with that first solution, he studied the marketplace, kept developing the concept, and ultimately created a line of six garage storage products. He then licensed the entire produc...

What do you do when everything that was working suddenly stops? At age 50, Stephen Key watched the royalty income from his successful Spinformation invention drop to zero. With a family to support and an office to keep running, he had to figure out what came next. In this episode of inventRightTV, Stephen shares how he went from feeling like he had hit rock bottom to starting over and building Hot...

A licensing negotiation doesn’t begin when a company sends you a contract. The work you do before an offer arrives can affect how a company sees your product — and the deal you may ultimately be able to negotiate. inventRight cofounders Stephen Key and Andrew Krauss explain how to strengthen your position before a company offers you a licensing deal. Stephen and Andrew also discuss why you don’t n...

Why does mindset matter so much when you're trying to turn an idea into a successful product? Stephen Key was rejected by more than 100 times before one company finally said yes to licensing his rotating label invention, Spinformation. That one yes led to a manufacturing partnership, hundreds of millions of labels being sold, major retail exposure, and industry recognition. In this episode of inve...