Eastern States

Learn to turn your ideas into products.

Would-be inventors in Southern California who want to meet like-minded individuals can attend monthly meetings of the The Idea Club in Pomona. The 6-year-old Ontario-based support group, founded by inventor Dumas Martin Jr. and entrepreneur and insurance broker Eleanora O. Murph, provides a forum for learning the basics of how to protect, market and sell your inventions.

Each two-and-a-half-hour meeting features a brief discussion by Martin on different aspects of the invention process, an introduction of the club's members, and a presentation by professionals on topics ranging from marketing to investing.

Membership costs $95 per year and entitles entrepreneurs to attend all meetings; the price also includes a copy of the club's self-published book The ABCs of Entrepreneurial Inventing.

In addition to holding meetings, The Idea Club has established partnerships with business entities in the area and can refer members for information on loans, business plans and more. Martin also answers inquiries by phone and offers limited mentoring via e-mail.

For information, call (909) 629-4739 or log on to www.theideaclub.com

This article was originally published in the September 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Eastern States.