Unfortunately, most inventions must overcome many obstacles before they reach consumers. Compounding these frustrations was the fact that Jo was attempting to tackle these challenges alone.
“Very few women have developed technical products,” she explains. “The men in the field who I contacted were not forthcoming with information or tried to steer me in directions I didn’t want to go.”
Jo also had to contend with attempts to steal her invention, economic hurdles that short-circuited opportunities to work with large companies, and making several wrong turns, literally and figuratively, at trade shows. Although she began to devote more time to her accounting business and other pursuits, she still believed in the concept of LITE MAGIC and remained determined to someday turn it into a viable product.
The prospects for LITE MAGIC brightened in 2004 when Jo began working with the Santa Barbara chapter of Inventor's Workshop International (IWI). A fellow member, Alan Tratner, was also a volunteer counselor with Santa Barbara SCORE. “Alan introduced me to so many great resources,” Jo says. “I finally had the competent professional help that I had lacked for nearly 20 years.”
“The most important thing SCORE provided was validation,” Jo adds. “They’ve all been very supportive and willing to offer their ideas and experience to keep me on the right track.”
Thanks to IWI and SCORE, LITE MAGIC is becoming the small business success story Jo always hoped it’d be. She has a Web site, a favorable review in Home Health Products magazine, and a strategy to expand production and distribution. More importantly, Jo has a team of trusted advisors to help her weigh opportunities and safeguard her dream.
“I just wish that I had met these guys years ago,” Jo says. “They have become my pals and do so much to make my life easier. Some day, I’ll be proud to be a member of SCORE myself, and pass along everything I’ve learned to others.”
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