How I Turned My Curiosity into a Patent

I love watching Shark Tank clips during lunch breaks. Seeing everyday people pitch their ideas to the sharks intrigues me.

When I immigrated to the U.S., the show had just started airing. I remember Googling “utility patent” for the first time because the sharks kept asking entrepreneurs if they had filed one.

I kept watching because I draw inspiration from other people’s stories of resilience and seeing their visions become reality. For many of us, a television show is the only window into a world we didn’t grow up in. When you don’t already have someone in your network to show you the path, you find the path and the inspiration where you can.

Have you ever wondered what it actually takes to become an inventor? You’re not alone. I asked myself that same question, but before I even started heading down the path to making it happen, doubt crept in:

• “Someone’s already thought of that.”
• “Is my idea even good enough?”
• “Isn’t this just a feature, not an…