Most people think invention and innovation are the same thing.   They are not even close.   An invention is something new. Innovation is when that invention actually wins in the market. You can have a brilliant invention and still fail completely.   There was a gadget from 1936 called the Dimple Maker. It was designed to create dimples in your cheeks. Real invention. Patent and everything. Never sold a single unit.   Then there was the baby cage. A wire cage you hung outside an apartment window so your baby could get fresh air. Also a real invention. Also never became an innovation.   Both had great ideas behind them. Neither one answered the most important question.   How does my idea create value, deliver value, and capture value?   That is the question every inventor, entrepreneur, and business owner needs to answer before doing anything else. Before the attorney. Before the prototype. Before the pitch.   Companies are looking for people who understand what problem they are solving, who needs it solved, and why someone will actually pay for it.   When you can answer that, everything changes.   Can you explain exactly how your idea creates value, delivers value, and captures value?   #inventors #innovation #entrepreneurship #productdevelopment #nationalinventorclub #startups #businessinnovation

Posted by BrianFried at 2026-06-13 21:45:47 UTC