Inventing A to Z

You've got the perfect idea. From here, you can make one of two major mistakes: 1) think it's way too hard to become a "real" inventor and just shelve your fabulous doohickey in a dusty corner of your brain, or 2) think it's way too easy and waste money and time without doing the proper preparation and end up with hundreds of unsold fabulous doohickeys in a dusty corner of your garage.

There is a middle ground, and its name is research. Inventing is, like most things in this world, something that can be learned if you put enough effort into it. We're not suggesting that anyone can necessarily teach you how to have that brain flash, that Eureka!--but you can be taught how to handle that Eureka.

"Inventors don't realize it's systematized," says Jack Lander , an inventing coach and consultant. "You can gain systematic knowledge and go out there like anything else in this world. If you just start out half-cocked and don't pay attention to [learning the system], you're likely to end up spending a lot of money and getting nowhere."

That said, we're going to take you through an A to Z of things you should know about inventing--yes, from attorneys to zipped lips. This is only an introduction to some of the things you need to know, so once you're done, check out the additional resources we've provided in this article and keep learning.