Julia Rhodes is a successful businesswoman, inventor, and author who started her road to entrepreneurship as a mom and a teacher. The Inventor Mentor shared her advice with all of us in her latest interview on Wish it, Dream it, Do it! radio:

1. The American Dream is alive and accessible for women today. You are meant to bring your unique ideas to the world, and there are tools and people who can support you in taking the leap to entrepreneurship to pave your way to success.  The ten profiles of women inventors in Julia’s book, The Right Sisters:  Women Inventors Tell Their Stories are compelling and instructive journeys to inspire you to bring your ideas to reality.

2. Frustration is the mother of invention. Julia’s inventions were born from needs she saw as a teacher.  For example, she created KleenSlate dry erase paddles that students could raise to show their answers in class.  Affording every child the opportunity to participate allowed Julia to see immediately students’ grasp of the concepts she was teaching.

3. Take a leap; believe in what you want. Julia researched her market and secured patents to protect her ideas in a $1.8 billion market.  Whatever idea you secretly desire to bring to fruition, start taking even the smallest steps, looking for high impact action that might cost anything except for your time.  For example, research your market, see how products are placed on the shelves with their packaging, start getting to know your potential costs and reach out to other entrepreneurs for advice.

4. Keep innovating. Listen to your customers and act quickly on their ideas.  The number of ways Julia’s KleenSlate dry erase paddles are used has grown exponentially, from the classroom to Hollywood movie sets, hospitals, and athletic fields.  And by knowing her customers and staying active professionally and in the community, Julia stays ahead of the competition.

5. Show up, participate, give back. Give where you are passionate, and your ideas will grow from there.  The impact that her dry erase paddles have had on improving communication is even greater than Julia imagined, and that impact keeps her going.  In her interview, Julia Rhodes shares one particular story of a son who couldn’t thank Julia enough for the communication that KleenSlate afforded him with his ailing mother in the last year of his mother’s life.

I’ve used Julia’s KleenSlate dry erase paddles for all of my outdoor education work in schools. You can learn more about Julia Rhodes and the unique paddles many uses at http://www.kleenslate.com.

About Rebecca P. Cohen
Rebecca P. Cohen is a finalist for the 2012 Outdoor Inspiration Awards and the go-to spokesperson for gardening and outdoor activities any time of the year.  Rebecca is author of the new book, 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids (Sourcebooks), which was named a ‘Best New Parenting Book’ by Scholastic Parent and Child (April 2011) and host of the television series, Get Out of the House, which shows fun ideas for time outside in every season.  In addition, she appears on live morning news shows around the country on the how-to’s of gardening and outdoor lifestyle. Rebecca’s work has been featured in Better Home and Gardens, Parenting, Redbook, Working Mother, Family Circle, Backyard Solutions, and Washingtonian magazines, as well as on Rachael Ray’s website, Yum-o!, SheKnows.com, and WorkingMother.com and in countless social media outlets. Rebecca is also a proud ambassador of the Seeds of Change Sowing Millions Project and has been featured as a spokesmom for the National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There movement on PBS Wild Animal Baby.  She has inspired thousands with her public appearances and community and school events, and motivates still more to follow their dreams and passions as the host of Wish It, Dream It, Do It! radio. For more information visit RebeccaPlants.com.

Tags: 15 minutes outside, dry erase markers, Entrepreneurship, female inventors, inspiring stories, julia rhodes, kleenslate concepts, Rebecca P. Cohen, Rebecca Plants, the american dream, the right sisters, women inventors

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