 By Darius Sharpless
So, you made an invention. Great! But, how do you protect it? What do you need to get a patent? What is “prior art”? This article should help answer these questions. First, let’s get a few patent basics out of the way. Patents protect new and inventive products and processes by giving the inventor or patent holder the right to prevent others from making, using, selling, or importing a patented invention for a period of about 20 years. In order to obtain a patent, the inventor must prove that the idea contained in the patent is:
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 By Faye Nicholson
Many people think just because they have written a news release it will automatically be picked up by a media outlet. Well, here’s a news alert: That could not be farther from the truth. In fact, studies have revealed that between 55 and 97 percent of all news releases sent to media are never picked up. So, the next time you announce a new product or feature, win an award, host a technology seminar, acquire or merge with another company or share survey results, know that you are competing with the masses for media attention. A study conducted by Greentarget found that 69 percent of journalist spend less than a minute reading a release, even after they have made the decision to open it. The study went on to report that all other releases are dealt with in less than a second. Here are a few tips to consider preventing a reporter or editor from discarding your next news release and instead, ensuring that it gets noticed, read and followed-up upon. You can start by determining your story’s best news angle and applying one of the news pegs below to promote your startup: By Shannon Marshburn As a busy designer filling many roles and many design jobs, I often start my mornings with some tools and resources to get up to speed for the day. Whether it is for design inspiration, to spell check an event description I wrote the night before, or to learn something new, I use these tools everyday. So work smarter not harder and check out and add these websites and resources to your bookmarks:   By Anna Radachy
Being part of Gen Z, I have spent my consumer media life on demand via Netflix and Hulu, and there is only one event that I will put on my calendar to watch on cable… Shark Week! This event is the longest-running TV event ever, as this year will be its 33rd annual run. This enduring event has made itself a mainstay by giving the people what they want, showcasing the unbelievable power of sharks in their natural habitat. But what else has made this event, which is now synonymous with the Discovery channel, come back every year? Marketing! Shark Week marketing is everywhere, they have flooded the market for the month leading up to the event. Billboards, commercials, social media posts, among other things that are identifiable, and create the same hype everywhere. Creating an effective marketing plan is not easy, and these are some key components of creating one:  By Nick Glavan
In my early days as an intern at UARF, one of the mentors who regularly checked in with me before or after he visited the office’s conference room for his startup’s meetings, once handed me a page containing the follow story [The Fisherman’s Parable]: A successful businessman on vacation was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tunas. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman proudly replied, “Every morning, I go out in my boat for 30 minutes to fish. I’m the best fisherman in the village.” The businessman, perplexed, then asks the fisherman “If you’re the best, why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish? What do you do the rest of the day?” By Elyse Ball  This past month has been a series of weird watershed moments for me. For the first time in 15 months, I went out to eat at a restaurant, attended a large group gathering, spent time indoors with people who aren’t immediate family members, and stayed overnight at a hotel.
Two years ago, it would have been inconceivable that we would spend so much of our lives maintaining physical distance from other human beings. Today, it has become commonplace. For me, I-Corps has been a fascinating case study in how we can build community and customer relationships even in remote settings. I-Corps is all about customer discovery: the practice of interacting directly with prospective customers to answer important questions about a business, product or technology idea. By Darius Sharpless  In my previous career as a DJ and MC, I traveled to dance halls, bars, and private clubs. Often, I hired dancers and other entertainers to spice up events. Not one time during my two years as a sole proprietor, did I realize how much jeopardy I was in or the liabilities to which I was exposed. Luckily, I remained unscathed as the business faded into memory. Here, I have compiled a list of the six primary business entities. Knowing the pros and cons of each will help you decide which entity is best for you. With this knowledge, you can avoid the great risks I took when I started my first business.
By Faye Nicholson  So what? Who cares? Why does it matter? These are all great questions you should ask yourself when explaining or describing your new technology or innovation. Whether a 90-second pitch, a 30-minute presentation or trying to get media attention, remember creating understanding matters.
If you want to make your message clear and understandable to the non-scientist and non-engineer, here are a few tips I recommend: By Shannon Marshburn  Which one have you heard? There is the 5 a.m. warrior. - Rise and Grind. - The early bird gets the worm, or better yet, the even earlier bird gets the gummy worm.During the first three years of my time at college, my art studio was open 24/7. Pulling all-nighters were encouraged and even expected by faculty. It was even written in our syllabi. When a new president took over the arts college in my senior year and changed the studio hours to close at midnight during the week, and even earlier on the weekends, you would have thought we were going to start a riot. The battle scars of shaky, caffeinated hands and sleep deprived twitchy eyes were a right of passage in our minds. If we slept then did we really work that hard or could we have gotten a 2 a.mm-coffee and plowed through the night and morning?
Lack of sleep is such a societal norm, but lack of sleep is really a flirt with death. It’s not new to hear that sleep is important, but really just how important is sleep? By Anna Radachy  What can you do in 27 seconds? Tie your shoes, sneeze a couple of times, maybe write a text? How about making a good impression? According to new research, it takes an average of 27 seconds for someone to form an opinion about you, and 69% of Americans report that they form their opinion before the person even speaks. It is incredible to think that such a small amount of time can make or break how someone thinks of you, and these opinions can potentially affect your business. So how can you make sure that those 27 seconds work for you?
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