In the past six months, I have applied for a design patent and two trademarks – all food related. When I mention this, a common response is: “I wish I were creative or knowledgeable enough to come up with an idea worthy of patenting or trademarking.”
My answer is invariably: “You are!”
There seems to be a widely-held belief that an idea worth pursuing (and protecting) requires a high level of creativity and an even higher level of technical expertise.
In my opinion, ideas are a dime a dozen. Ability to execute on an idea is where the value (and true challenge) lies.
Consider my latest idea: 7G Wireless. 7G would leapfrog the technical capabilities of 5G and 6G…before they even exist. Texting would be obsolete. Why? Because users could instantly teleport themselves and deliver the message in person.
The market opportunity of this idea is undoubtedly worth billions of dollars. But since I can’t execute on it, it’s worthless.
To illustrate the notion that new business ideas are everywhere, I won’t bore you with the details of my patent. Instead, consider The Izzy Scoop ®
The Izzy Scoop ®, while remarkably well executed, did not require an unusually high level of creativity nor any level of technical expertise whatsoever. The idea was born out of an everyday conversation, and has value because it now owns a place in consumers’ minds.
In other words, they executed on this dime-a-dozen idea exceptionally well.
So how did they do this?
Product Quality – Izzy’s Ice Cream ® shop serves literally award-winning ice cream. If it were average-tasting ice cream, consumers wouldn’t care if the scoop was big, little or puppy-dog shaped.
Marketing – The Izzy Scoop ® is integrated into everything they do. Every customer who sets foot in the door is asked: “What would you like for your Izzy?”
As a testament to the potential value of the mark, their website includes a description of how other shops can apply to license the trademark scoop.
And while I’m certain Izzy’s Ice Cream ® shop is no trademark bully, they do appear to be actively enforcing the mark.
So, what’s your Izzy?