For PROFITS or for PURPOSE - What drives an INVENTOR to Succeed?

If you have even been asked about what motivates you to overcome the challenges and hurdles that you face when breaking your ideas into a global market then you will know that this is not an easy question to answer.

If you ask an Entrepreneur why they are in business then the simple answer is “for profit”.  Seemingly when it comes to being an inventor, the answer to this simple question is a lot more complicated.

I have been known to avoid a straight answer by retaliating with a further question; “what motivates a marathon runner to train for an event?” or “what drives mountaineers to climb Everest?”  The stakes are high; the challenge is near on impossible and the dedication and sacrifice that it takes are second to none however some people are simply compelled to stretch themselves beyond all comfortable limitations in order to achieve their goals.  This surely is the same for an inventor, or is it?

Have you ever asked yourself what motivates you to do what you are doing and if so, have you been able to come up with a straight answer?  Having recently published my first book From INVENTOR To ENTREPRENEUR in which one chapter specifically deals with how to make money from your intellectual property I have come under scrutiny.  Seemingly we inventors don’t want to make money from our ideas we simply want to provide solutions to real, live problems so as to make life safer and easier for the people we serve.  Does this mean that we are solely motivated by the potential of getting our purpose out to the masses and what happens when this is all that we achieve?

The truth is that if this is our only goal then we are deeply dissatisfied with the result when we achieve our aim.  All inventors have heard dreadful tales of inventions that are out there in the greater world fulfilling the needs of millions of people whilst leaving the original creator pennilessly fuming in their garden sheds.  This all too familiar tale stinks of being unfair or in just.  Surely the person who had the initial idea has a right to a slice of the profits.  Would you truly be satisfied if everywhere you went you saw your idea in the hands of other people, servicing their needs, making huge profits for entrepreneurs whilst you sat at home stewing over how you were going to meet next month’s mortgage payment?  I am guessing you would suffer a degree of resentment over this situation.  Why then are we so afraid to admit that part of our motivation stems from the fact that we would like to make millions from our ideas?

In my personal opinion this is a real problem for many inventors.  Developing an invention for market costs a small fortune, not just a financial fortune but it is also a huge drain on the inventor’s energy and personal resources.  By developing an idea we are effectively investing in our future.  We are pushing the boundaries of innovation by expanding our own skills and knowhow to produce an improvement on what we already know.  For this very reason we deserve a healthy return on the investment we choose to make.

Inventors are known for being penniless and it is for this very reason.  As inventors we spend money – we need to in order to further our development and without a product or service to sell we really have to in order to achieve our aim.  Entrepreneurs on the other hand make money.  Their sole focus is on maximising the profits in their business by minimising the resources needed in order to do so.

Inventors should seriously consider what motivates them to produce their ideas in order to avoid long term disappointment.  By making the transition from Inventor to Entrepreneur as swiftly and effectively as possible not only will the purpose of their invention serve a greater number of individuals but the profits generated from their ideas will make the overall exercise much more pleasurable and worthwhile.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM INVENTOR TO ENRTREPRENEUR THEN READ CELIA’S BOOK FROM INVENTOR TO ENTREPRENEUR AT http://www.HowToInvent.info