They did it. You can too.

“My name is Scotty Pittsford and I would like to express my gratitude for the inventYES program and share how it inspired me.

I have always been known for being the ‘inventor kid’ because I am always thinking of ideas for how to improve things. My cousin Blake had gone through the inventRight program and recommended that I look into licensing. I didn’t have the money to spend on the inventRight program (as most 16 year olds wouldn’t) but I loved that you could make money by coming up with ideas because I love to do that anyway. I always wanted to do something more with my ideas but I didn’t know how. My ideas would end up as just scribbles in a notebook or as half-finished prototypes. I knew I wanted to see my ideas become products on store shelves, but I thought that was out of reach for me as a high school student.

I found out about Madeleine and Stephen’s inventYES program and I was thrilled because they told me that what I wanted to do was absolutely possible and they would teach me how to do it. I was so grateful that there was something accessible to me, that would teach me how to license. Everyone at inventYES truly care about teaching young people how to license and their passion for it is evident.

It was great to be able to be taken seriously as a kid and to be taught these valuable skills. I felt encouraged to pursue my passions, which was such a contrast from what most people say, which is “just wait till you’re older.” I learned a lot by going through the program and they gave great learning material. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the whole process was. The way the program was taught made everything easy to follow and understand. I truly feel like anyone my age can learn how to do it. I was given the right tools, resources, and encouragement to start licensing on my own.

I went through the program with an idea for rubber wheel covers that you could put on your plastic trash bin wheels so that they don’t make so much noise when rolling. I reached out to many companies, each time more confident than the last. The program taught me what to say, and how to say it when talking to companies. I eventually got three companies that were interested. However, they were not interested in manufacturing the product, only selling it. Nevertheless, I was able to find an idea I thought would work, write and file a provisional patent application, make my own sell sheet, and contact companies that gave me positive responses. For my first try at licensing, I would call that a success.

I am almost 18 now and have started my own company. Our business model is centered around licensing. None of it would have been possible if it weren’t for the skills that I learned at inventYES.”

— Scotty Pittsford, teenage inventor and founder of ThinQbator