🎙 Inventive Journey | Real Stories From the Startup Survival Club

A new hair product can feel like magic in a bottle, but the business side needs more than hope, foam, and a confident launch post. This episode-style breakdown explores how founders can think about patenting a hair product the smart way, especially when the invention includes a formula, applicator, treatment method, packaging feature, device, or manufacturing process. The big idea is simple: a pat...

Can you get an international patent? Not exactly, and that surprise has caused more founder confusion than a cap table spreadsheet named “final-final-real-version.” This episode breaks down why there is no single worldwide patent and why that matters for inventors, startups, and small business owners. Patents are territorial. A patent granted in one country generally protects rights in that countr...

Can an ordinary word become a trademark? Yes—and that answer is more useful, more nuanced, and slightly more dangerous than it sounds. This episode-style breakdown explores how common words can become powerful brand assets when they identify the source of goods or services instead of merely describing what a business sells. A word like “apple” can be an everyday fruit in one context and a major te...

Your trademark can last a very long time. Potentially forever. But, like a houseplant, a customer relationship, or the office printer that only works when spoken to respectfully, it needs care. This episode breaks down the question every founder eventually asks: how long does a trademark last? The answer is both encouraging and slightly paperwork-flavored. In the United States, a federal trademark...

AI-generated images are no longer a futuristic party trick. They are sitting inside marketing departments, startup pitch decks, agency workflows, website headers, product mockups, and social media calendars. The visuals are fast, cheap, and often surprisingly polished. They can also be legally awkward, because the phrase “the robot made it” does not automatically protect a business from copyright,...

Trademark cancellation is the part of brand protection nobody wants to think about, right up until it becomes the entire meeting agenda. In this article-style episode description, we break down why even a registered trademark can lose protection. The big idea is simple: a trademark registration is powerful, but it is not permanent magic. It has to be used, maintained, documented, and protected lik...

A U.S. trademark is valuable, but it does not automatically protect your brand around the world. That is the big lesson in this article on international trademark protection, and it catches many founders and small business owners by surprise. In the United States, a federal trademark registration can support enforcement, licensing, investor diligence, marketplace complaints, and brand credibility....

In this episode-style breakdown, we unpack the trademark opposition period: the short window after a trademark application is published when another party can object before registration. It sounds like a tiny procedural detail. It is not. For founders, small business owners, creators, agencies, product companies, and growing brands, this window can affect launch timing, registration strategy, inve...

In this episode of Inventive Journey, Devin Miller sits down with engineer and entrepreneur Brian Livingston to explore a career path that somehow connects Peanut Butter M&M’s, billion-dollar industrial projects, Caterpillar, and diesel fuel innovation. Yes, really. Brian shares how his childhood obsession with taking things apart eventually evolved into a chemical engineering career that span...

What makes one word a billion-dollar brand and another word legally useless for ownership? In this episode, we unpack the difference between trademarked and generic terms using familiar examples like “Just Do It,” “Post-it,” “Slurpee,” “Barbie,” “Jeep,” “Smartphone,” and “Candy.” The big lesson for founders and small business owners is simple: trademarks do not protect words just because someone l...

What happens when a childhood obsession with building things collides with MIT engineering, BMW design innovation, Harvard Business School, and a mission to shape the next generation of entrepreneurs? You get Laurie Stach. In this episode of Inventive Journey, Laurie shares the unconventional path that led her from building dangerous double-decker go-karts in the backyard to founding LaunchX — one...

What does it take to survive 299 failed marketing campaigns… bankruptcy… a corporate burnout… and still come out the other side building multiple 8-figure brands? In this episode of Inventive Journey, Devin Miller sits down with entrepreneur and e-commerce expert Neil Twa to unpack one of the most brutally honest entrepreneurial stories we’ve featured on the podcast. Neil’s journey started with dr...

What is your trademark really worth? For many founders and small business owners, the honest answer is: “I have no idea, but I feel emotionally attached to the logo.” Fair. Building a brand takes effort, money, late-night decisions, and at least one moment where someone asks whether the font feels “too corporate but not corporate enough.” But trademark value is not based on feelings alone. In this...

Your business name may be one of your most valuable assets, but is it actually protected? In this episode-style breakdown, we explore word mark trademarks and why they matter for startup founders, small business owners, creators, consultants, product companies, and anyone building a brand that customers need to recognize. A word mark trademark protects the wording of your brand name, slogan, produ...

What do high school debate team, chemistry labs, law school burnout, and credit card points all have in common? Apparently… they can all lead to becoming a startup CEO. In this episode of The Inventive Journey, Devin Miller sits down with Travis Cormier to unpack one of the most unconventional entrepreneurial journeys we’ve featured on the show. Travis shares how his path evolved from “super nerd”...

Scott Duffy’s entrepreneurial journey is proof that success rarely follows a predictable roadmap. In this episode of Inventive Journey with Devin Miller, Scott shares an incredible story that spans hot dog stands, catastrophic setbacks, Tony Robbins, Silicon Valley startups, internet media companies, and the rise of artificial intelligence. Scott’s story starts in Los Angeles where his father inte...

In this episode of the Inventive Journey podcast, host Devon Miller talks with Michael Timmons, founder of GoodFences.ai, about a career built around solving difficult problems in unexpected places. Michael’s journey started in Central Texas, where football taught him teamwork and an early software engineering job introduced him to the power of technology. He went on to earn an aerospace engineeri...

What if the secret to success isn’t working harder? In this episode of Inventive Journey, Devin Miller sits down with entrepreneur and business coach Liam Naden to discuss the extraordinary journey that completely changed Liam’s understanding of success, fulfillment, and entrepreneurship. After building multiple successful businesses and achieving financial success, Liam found himself overwhelmed...

Dead trademarks create one of the most misunderstood areas of business law — and in this episode/article, we unpack why reviving an abandoned brand name can either become a brilliant strategic move or a costly legal disaster. Many entrepreneurs believe that once a trademark registration expires, the name instantly becomes available for anyone to use. Unfortunately, trademark law is nowhere near th...

In this episode of The Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller sits down with Kyle Gray to explore how a winding path through music, travel, entrepreneurship, content marketing, and storytelling became the foundation for Kyle’s work helping entrepreneurs communicate with clarity. Kyle’s story starts at the University of Utah, where he felt the pressure many young entrepreneurs recognize all too well...

How do companies legally compete against patented products without getting sued? That question sits at the center of some of the largest business battles in modern history. In this episode, we break down how businesses legally navigate around patents through design modifications, licensing agreements, engineering alternatives, patent litigation strategies, and competitive innovation. Many entrepre...

Can you trademark an idea? It’s one of the most common — and costly — misunderstandings entrepreneurs make when building a business. In this deep dive, we unpack the real differences between trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets so business owners can stop guessing and start protecting their intellectual property strategically. Many founders assume that simply having an idea creates o...

Entrepreneurship is often marketed as an exciting adventure filled with innovation, growth, and endless opportunity. What gets discussed far less often are the difficult moments behind the scenes — founder disputes, intellectual property battles, broken partnerships, operational stress, and the emotional challenge of rebuilding after major setbacks. In this episode of The Inventive Journey , Devin...

What happens when an insurance executive leaves corporate leadership, joins an early internet startup, discovers the power of freelancers before remote work became mainstream, and then builds a company around helping small businesses scale smarter? You get a fascinating entrepreneurial journey like the one shared by Elizabath Eiss on this episode of Inventive Journey. In this conversation, Elizaba...

Patents are often treated like business lottery tickets. Inventors dream about billion-dollar exits, licensing empires, and passive income streams that magically appear after receiving government approval paperwork. But the reality of patent value is far more complicated — and far more interesting. Some patents become worth millions or even billions of dollars. Others quietly expire with little co...