Messy Face® exhibited at the 2010 MN Marketplace for Entrepreneurs and showcased the adult size clothing protector. I heard about the expo from Deb Hess, Director of the Minnesota Inventors Congress. Needless to say, I was not surprised to see Deb, the MIC booth, and inventor Pam Turner (aka the Needle Lady) of Spiral Eye™ Needles. Both Deb and Pam were guest speakers at the MN Marketplace. Deb is always sharing information and expo opportunities for inventors and idea people. Pam is an inventor-entrepreneur whose success story encourages the everyday inventor, entrepreneur, and small business owner as a testimonial to keep your dream alive!
Keeping the dream alive also means doing things to keep the dream alive…like attending expos. Looking around at the other entrepreneurs, I wondered how many people said they’d exhibit but never came. A couple people I know had personal emergencies, however, I do know of people that said they were interested in displaying their new products but were missing from the expo. I can hear the list of reasons why they did not attend: tired, didn’t want to drive from the Twin Cities to Mankato, not prepared, etc. I too can sympathize with the “being tired” since I had just returned from an international project that was 8 hours ahead of our CST. Believe me, that morning I was super tired, but I told myself that something great was going to happen to me and Messy Face®…and it did!
In hand with my espresso, I drove to Mankato, listened to classical music, and thought about talking to people about the new adult size bib. Although I made copies of a survey to get feedback, I really wanted people to share whatever information they thought about the product. At the booth, people shared all kinds of ideas – more than I asked and a lot that I did not even think to ask.
Highlights of my day included being interviewed by several undergraduate business students. Talk about a group of talented folks! Their genuine interest in understanding Messy Face® showed with their detailed questions. The experience was like having a brainstorming session with a group of business people who understood the vision of Messy Face®; both as a company and product development. Truly amazing and talented group of students that were shy about being undergraduates until learning that I too am a student working on a doctorate.
Another highlight was having a private moment with Deb Hess and Pam Turner. If you have not met either one of these ladies, let me tell you they are both top notch and I greatly appreciate the time they took to talk with me about Messy Face®.
Then I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Lattin and Mark Ritchie. Ron is a professional person who is very easy to talk with; when talking with him I was pretty insistent that we had previously met! Ron shared information about a business resource, the James J. Hill Reference Library, which was new information to me as well as the French restaurant Meritage! And then Mark Ritchie stopped by to talk about Messy Face®.
Overall, the day was very productive and a great networking opportunity. I met a lot of great people, made some of business connections, gained a lot of new information, got market research feedback, and did all of this while experiencing jetlag!
So, the next time you’re feeling like not attending an event, even though you told yourself that you would, pull yourself together, go, and expect the best - it could be one of your best days yet!
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