Last week, the local maker community gathered at Phoenix Forge for a great evening focused on helping creative entrepreneurs navigate the product development journey. The event, "Making a Living: Patent, Sell, Scale," brought together a room full of inventors, designers, and small business owners to talk about getting an idea out of the sketchbook and into the market.
The evening featured a lineup of three local experts tackling different stages of the business lifecycle:
- Protecting the Idea: Venjuris partner Joseph Meaney kicked things off by breaking down the vital first steps to securing a patent. He covered what is actually protectable under the law and, crucially, when entrepreneurs need to start the process to avoid losing their intellectual property rights. (Catch a quick snippet of Joe's talk on the Phoenix Forge Instagram.)
- Manufacturing and Markets: Kate Benjamin, solo entrepreneur and founder of Hauspanther, shared practical insights from her own journey. She discussed how to identify the right market for a product and shared the realities of navigating both small-scale local production and overseas manufacturing with national distribution.
- Scaling and Wholesale: Gabby Klein of Gab Art + Design gave attendees a roadmap for scaling up. She provided an overview of what it takes to get products into the wholesale market to successfully increase brand exposure and boost profits.
It was a highly interactive night filled with great questions from the crowd. Phoenix Forge continues to provide an essential, supportive environment for creative small businesses to learn, share skills, and grow.
Are you an inventor or small business owner ready to protect your idea? Contact the team at Venjuris today to discuss your intellectual property strategy.
A snippet of Joe's talk on the Phoenix Forge Instagram.