Prolific inventor Scott Baumann talks people, process, product… And being an inventrepreneur

An inventrepreneur! That’s how you describe yourself on your website, Scott Baumann. Love that word! And I said it right first time which is a surprise. Ha!
Ha! You know, when I first came up with that word, way back when, I thought maybe I was the first to coin it. However, a quick search confirmed I wasn’t quite so clever after all! The short story is that – thinking I might do something with it one day – I ended up acquiring the domain name inventrepreneur.com! I got it from the guy who may have actually coined the name.

That’s great! The word makes me think of the difference between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison… I would say Nikola Tesla was an inventor, but Thomas Edison was an inventrepreneur.
Yes, I see that. And I always thought the the word inventor was a bit heady because you associate people like that with adventure – and that’s certainly not me.

How did you come to be an inventor, Scott?
I started out as a traditional designer – I ran PixelSmith Studios for 15 years… I designed logos, websites, branding – all that kind thing. So it was easy to parlay. I also think that’s why I had some success in the early days because I had the skillset to present my ideas to a point where they actually looked like finished items…

So yes: I’d show a concept with the product name, the logo, the taglines, the branding; with the trademarks filed, with the URLs attached to them. So it was very turnkey – to the point where I had the manufacturer ready ready to roll. I think that made it really easy for people like Fat Brain to take an item on.

It’s almost easier to say yes than to say no! So by way of example, Squigz – which is how you came to my attention – that branding was yours?
The Squigz logo and branding was mine, yes – although it’s an interesting one because that’s not the name I first presented it under! Squigz was actually a name that Erik Quam had in his archive at Fat Brain… They didn’t know what to do with that name but it was a better name than the one I pitched it under which was Octoblocks…

Octoblocks? Because of the suckers? They’re like suckers on an octopus?
Right! In hindsight, it was terrible name… Ha! Anyway, once we applied the name Squigz, I then did the branding associated with it. I love what you just said about the designs making it easier for someone to say yes than to say no, by the way. That might be right! I also wanted to say, Deej, that I love – when I read your interviews – that people have such great answers to questions about where their ideas come from… If you were to ask me where my ideas come from, I couldn’t tell you.

I’ll scribble that off my list, then! You don’t have the answer to that question? Or you’ve not thought about it?
No, I don’t have an answer for that. I wish I did! I think that’s why I’m so impressed with a lot of the people you’ve spoken with.

Actually, quite a lot of inventors use creative techniques so habitually that they don’t know they’re using them. But you also have ideas, don’t you, outside toys?
I’d say they’ve been almost exclusively toys for the last decade or so, just because I fell into the industry. Prior to that, we had a couple of those ‘As seen on TV’ ideas – one of which was really solid. So I’d say that the second category outside toys that I found success in was consumer electronic accessories. The first real hit we had there was in around 2012 or 2013. It was a cellphone holder for your car called GripGo. I refined a polyurethane polymer that had a sort-of sticky quality to it. As a product, it had a really demonstrable aspect to it. And again, my design background let me create an infomercial of sorts to present it in the first place…

Good idea, nicely shown… Easy to say yes! So when you say you refined that polyurethane polymer, what are you doing? Am I right to picture you in a lab coat with a bubbling flask of Flubber? I have no concept…
Ha! No, not at all. That’s not how I work but I suppose it’s a good example of how I come up with ideas. I observe the world and it’s almost like putting two or more things together to make something new. The GripGo came out right about the time that texting and driving was becoming an issue. Another company had developed a little polyurethane gel mat that stuck to your dashboard. You could stick your phone on that – but you couldn’t see your screen!

Didn’t entirely solve the problem…
Right. Meanwhile, I’d produced a stand for the iPhone called Podium. That had a mechanical bracket that you clicked your phone into. That was great if your iPhone didn’t have a case… Then, of course, there were a number of quick iterations of iPhones. What I felt we needed to do was have a universal way of holding all phones. So I thought we should take that polyurethane mat and stick it on a vertical. So it’s really very simple. To me, that’s just an equation where one plus one equals three. Right?

Right! And to you that’s a habit – but to me that’s a technique! What was the product called, Scott?
That became the Clingo, which I licensed to a local company here in Washington. The sales languished a bit, but I really thought the product had a sort of magical ability… So I got permission from that license to take it and show it to this New York based ‘As seen on TV’ company called All Star Marketing. They loved it, and took it on… We rebranded it as GripGo and sold millions of them.

That’s extraordinary. It speaks a little to what we were saying about inventrepreneurship – when it first launched, it didn’t really take off. So it’s not the quality of the invention…
Yes, it’s the marketing and distribution.

Remarkable. And we’ve returned to the word inventrepreneur but you’ve also described yourself as a “serial failureist”. What do you mean by that?
You know, that was actually given to me by my former business partner, Kim Alfreds. Amazing man. We had a lunch; he saw my portfolio – the stuff I was working on at the time. By the end of that lunch, we had a handshake deal to go into business together. He was going to put in the money, I was going to come up with ideas. This is 16 or 17 years ago now…

And who is Kim Alfreds?
Oh, he’s extraordinary! This is a pedigree entrepreneur with an incredible rags-to-riches story. The man’s incredible. I’m so blessed to have him in my life; he’s provided the opportunity for me to be having this conversation with you now.

Oh wow! That important to you?
That important. I owe a tremendous amount to that man. Without him, my career in toy inventing doesn’t exist. I guess he saw something in me at the time that I didn’t see in myself – and decided to invest when there was really no reason or evidence that he should. Happily, we’ve since had some some pretty solid hits along the way. Amazing man.

I’m curious about your creative habits, then – since you mentioned how one plus one can be three, for example. My guess is that you keep a notebook?
Oh, yes! Stacks and stacks of them! Yes. This is my current one… There’re years and years of ideas in these – although the frustrating part of all that is that I think my best work, which is what I have in front of me, I have yet to get out there! But I’ve got my favourite pen, I’ve got my notebook – they go with me everywhere. Another thing is just having a different perspective…

I’ve always had the habit of wondering: ‘Why did they choose that colour for the logo?’ You know? Or of being frustrated with a product: ‘Why didn’t they do it this way?’ And just always looking at things differently and wondering if there’re solutions to problems. I’ve always had that critical eye. Also, I think – from a toy perspective – I have three kids! They’re all grown now, but they’re still a great inspiration. As a matter of fact, are you familiar with Krumples?

I did have the krumples once, but I don’t know the toy…
Ha! Well, they’re fidget toys… You can pull on the end of this silicone tube and it expands, then you push it in and it crumples. That was actually my daughter’s idea! About three years ago, she walked up to me at my desk. holding one of those silicone water bottles that expands. She looked at me, and said: “You should do something with this…” Then she set it on my desk and walked away. Well, I saw it immediately! I did a quick sketch, cut the ends of the bottle, added a soft silicon handle to each end… And I got Krumples! It’s just that sort of simple magic. Erik Quam took it at Smart Toys and Games.

I hope your daughter gets part of the royalty! Now, you’ve mentioned the incomparable Erik Quam… Before we sing his praises, I should say we’ve done a couple of pieces with him… People can read about him here. I’ve got all the time in the world for Erik; I adore him – he’s a cut above! What makes him special, do you think?
Oh, man! Erik is amazing. He and I have become really close; I love that guy. Why is he a cut above?! Well… He’s got a huge heart. He cares about the inventors he works with. In my experience, he’s responsive and very honest. I think he’s got a great eye, and he really cares about kids and putting forth quality toys without compromise.

I don’t know if I can give you an honest critique of Erik because I love him as a as a human being, he’s my friend as well as a colleague… And actually, that sometimes makes the colleague part more challenging at times. So as an Inventor Relations Executive, I like your wording: he’s a cut above! That’s dead on. And as a human being the man is is salt of the earth. He’s a great guy.

That’s awesome! Alrighty! We do need to start wrapping this up but there’s no question I’m going to invite you back, Scott. To round things off, what’s the most interesting object in your office or on your desk?
I’m not at my desk at the moment, but if I was, I would say an ostrich egg. There’s a real one, and right next to it is a 3D-printed one! That’s one of the new products I have sitting there. I’m envisioning myself sitting at my desk right now, and – as I just alluded – my best work sits in front of me; it’s not yet placed with anybody.

That must be a very frustrating feeling…
It is, actually. I think it might be more frustrating than not having any ideas at all! I am one of these people that’s quite prolific and I don’t like to see ideas bottlenecking. Obviously, the industry’s in a challenging place at the moment, but I do think the portfolio I have in front of me is profound.

Well, I think your work is terrific, and I’m so pleased you could join me today. Thanks, Scott.

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