Welcome to the Invent Tribe Podcast, where we help inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs turn real ideas into real opportunities through product licensing, product development, and smart entrepreneurship.
Each week we'll discuss the ins and outs of product licensing, share real stories from inventors just like you, and bring conversations from industry leaders and companies looking for the next great idea.
Hosted by David Fedewa and Ian Navin.
David has licensed six of his own products and has helped coach and teach 196 inventors to close their own licensing deals.
Ian Navin is an inventor and mechanical engineer with over a decade of experience turning ideas into products that fly, drive, launch, and defend.
In this conversation, we discuss the common challenges inventors face, particularly focusing on avoidance and the importance of confidence in moving forward. We explore various stages of the invention process, from product selection to marketing and pitching, emphasizing the need for community support, emphasis on the need for realistic expectations, the value of viewing rejection as constructive feedback in the journey of invention, and the development of necessary skills.
Takeaways
Avoidance hinders inventor progress
Confidence is key to success Fear of rejection is common
Building confidence through practice
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Inventor Stagnation
05:11 Navigating Product Selection
09:48 Marketing and Prototyping Challenges
15:09 Overcoming Avoidance in the Process
20:12 The Importance of Community Support
24:54 Mastering the Protection Phase
28:00 The Fear of Pitching to Companies
28:26 Generational Perspectives on Invention
29:01 Overcoming Fear in Communication
30:30 The Importance of Practice
38:46 Understanding the Numbers Game
40:39 Rejection as Feedback
44:13 Setting Realistic Expectations
50:58 Building Confidence Through Support
7 Sept 2026
I Have an Idea...Now What?
The conversation delves into the roadmap for product licensing, emphasizing the significance of research and understanding product complexity and category. It provides insights into the process of evaluating ideas and making informed decisions for successful product development and licensing deals. The conversation methodically explores the product licensing journey, covering the research phase, understanding the competition, deciding the path, the marketing phase, the protection phase, and the sales phase. It emphasizes the importance of the sales phase and the time-consuming nature of this step. The key takeaways highlight the dual purpose of research and the criticality of the sales phase.
Takeaways
Research is a crucial step in the product development process
Understanding the complexity and category of a product is essential for successful licensing deals Research is not just about finding a product, but also about generating new ideas and understanding the competition.
The sales phase is a critical and time-consuming step in the product licensing journey.
Chapters
00:00 The Roadmap to Product Licensing
03:02 The Importance of Research in Product Development
10:12 Evaluating Product Complexity and Category
30:06 The Research Phase: Beyond Product Existence
31:06 Understanding the Competition and Shelf Space
32:00 Deciding the Path: License vs. Venture
38:23 The Marketing Phase: Prototyping and Video Creation
49:01 The Protection Phase: Patenting and Intellectual Property
52:27 The Sales Phase: Building Relationships and Pitching
Checkout our Idea Scorecard to compare your product ideas and see which ones to focus on first!
https://inventtribe.fillout.com/idea-scorecard (https://inventtribe.fillout.com/idea-scorecard)
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31 Aug 2026
Licensing Success Story: feat. Tim Brennan
The conversation delves into the journey of invention for Guest, Tim Brennan, from childhood curiosity to professional success. It explores the challenges of navigating the furniture industry and the importance of persistence and passion in the process.
The conversation covers the process of prototyping, speed and iteration in product development, function-driven design, licensing and detail management, the role of the licensee in product development, manufacturing challenges and solutions, product launch and trade show experience, and the journey of an inventor.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of speed and iteration in product development, the balance between function and aesthetics in design, and the challenges and rewards of the inventor's journey. The conversation delves into the process of researching the industry, securing intellectual property, negotiating the deal, the challenges of entrepreneurship, learning from mistakes, the choice between venturing and licensing, and concludes with a product showcase and final thoughts.
Takeaways
Childhood curiosity shapes future inventions
Navigating the furniture industry requires persistence and patience Speed and iteration are crucial in product development
Function-driven design precedes aesthetics in chair design Importance of thorough research in the industry
Understanding the value of intellectual property and licensing
Chapters
00:00 The Journey of Invention
01:13 From Childhood Mischief to Mechanical Engineering
03:08 Inventing Vivo Barefoot and Graduating
06:22 The Influence of Alexander Technique
14:30 Transition to Chair Design
16:21 Navigating the Furniture Industry
19:18 The Challenge of Finding the Right Company
31:13 Persistence and Passion in Invention
34:05 Prototyping and Design
36:19 Speed and Iteration in Product Development
37:15 Function-Driven Design
39:41 Licensing and Detail Management
41:51 The Role of the Licensee in Product Development
51:02 Manufacturing Challenges and Solutions
56:27 Product Launch and Trade Show Experience
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