Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook

By Maurice Kanbar and Phil Baechler

Book Overview

In this engaging master class, Kanbar's real world hits and misses illustrate the concrete steps every inventor must follow to successfully take his product to market. All author royalties from this book will be donated to charity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142000566
• ISBN13: 9780142000564
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.7" x 0.6" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Bought on a whim, and...wow!!

I had no idea who Maurice Kanbar was when I picked up this book. I was browsing in my local bookstore, saw "Secrets..." on the shelf, thought it looked interesting, forked over my [money].Kanbar says friends, co-workers, etc. have consistently badgered him over the years to write a book. I can see why. This guy is an amazing source of creativity and perseverance. Forget the "Inventors" title. Anyone with even a smidgen of entrepreneurial zeal can benefit from the chock-a-block common sense crammed into this small volume. The range of this guy's impact is stunning. The innovations tumble forward, one chapter after another. Kanbar says it all stems from a simple principle - see something you don't understand, and ask how and why it happened. Then devise a solution that provides a real benefit and market it with a twist.All the examples are compelling, but the SKYY Vodka tale - which Kanbar saves for the last chapter - brings everything together in a most impressive fashion. He lays it our very succintly:The problem? He had headaches after drinking.The reason? After study, scientists tell him that the distillation process leaves impurities, called 'congeners.'Solution? A distillation process that eliminates the congeners.The benefit? Drinking in moderation with less irratation.The entire book reads just like that. Great takeaway lessons for anyone. Get this one on your bookshelf ASAP.

Hits the Nail on the Head

Maurice pushes all the right buttons! I have been in product development for 12 years now (working for other companies) and am also an inventor who recently licensed a product to a manufacturer. Every point of the inventing process that Mr. Kanbar states is exactly what one needs to do. This is a no-nonsense book that tells it like it is. There is not one shortcut in the process of bringing a product to market. There is something that can be learned from every story he tells. The appendix is excellent with plenty of resources. It is as honest they come!

Lots of practical advice illustrated with real stories

This is an easy read, and it's hard to put it down.His basic process is easily summed up: 1) Solve a Problem, 2) Prove Your Invention/Build a Prototype, 3) Protect Your Idea, 4)Manufacture or License?, 5) Market with a Twist. And, those are his 5 main chapters. He shows you how he has done this repeatedly. He's a serial inventor/business starter.What I particularly liked was his detailed description of how he did "hands on" market research. He shows you how to prove out your invention early within the marketplace. From an invention point of view, he works primarily from finding problems. He describes his personal experience in all the chapters. There is no college theory here.I highly recommend this book for entrepreneurs and inventors. It's a fast read, but you'll probably come back and review it periodically.John Dunbar

Colorful Character Explains How to be a Success

Having met Maurice a few times around San Francisco, I was looking forward to reading his book. At first I had doubts that he'd even written this but then his colorful character began to seep into the pages. At times funny, informative, and clear I'd recommend this book to all would be inventor's and anyone that wants to find out about the man behind Skyy Vodkas route to success. I just wish he'd hurry up and invent a hangover free whisky!

Great tips and a fun read!

Secrets From an Inventor's Notebook is a great resource! I thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories of Kanbar's creative inventions. He has such an easy tone to his writing that I felt like I was listening to my old uncle tell stories, but I came away with fresh inspiration. A great book for the inventor, businessman, or anyone interested in creativity. The very detailed appendix is a help for the serious amateur invemntor as well.