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From Patent Pending to Patent Issued! |
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 After almost five years of working with the US Patent and Trademark Office, I am very proud to announce that JumpSnap has been awarded a patent as a ropeless jump rope! The original application was submitted back on December 2, 2004 and honestly, I was beginning to lose confidence that it was ever going to happen...but everything changed this week. I always felt we had a good chance based on the prior art, but I'm certainly not an attorney and had not gone through the process before so didn't have much to compare it to. Interestingly enough, the few people I have share the accomplishment with have all agreed that 4-5 years is about normal.
What if I had waited to launch my business until I had a patent? Admittedly, I was more nervous about protecting the idea early on but realized if I manufactured a good product and backed it up with great service then people would still buy it. Now that JumpSnap has been in the market for two years, it's a pride thing to see your idea come full circle and be formally recognized by the USPTO as a new invention. I will certainly be framing the certificate when I get that in a few weeks. It will be rewarding to update the packaging and marketing materials from the current "patent pending" to "patented". I think it only adds to the story that the product is truly innovative and most importantly, it works. As always, thanks for the support. Healthy Jumping... |
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Healthcare Starts in the Mirror |
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 You can't turn on the TV, go online or pick up a newspaper without getting bombarded with some pitch or disguised pitch on the topic of healthcare. I'm by no means an expert, but like most things in life, the more local you make a topic the more aware you become of how it works. I should disclose that although my voter registration card says I'm a Republican, I'm mostly apolitcal and think every elected official is guilty until proven innocent. I'm just so exhausted with the hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle that I have zero trust in any of them. Sure some could prove me wrong, but just when I think someone seems like a stand up person, they either cheat on their spouse or embezzle a bunch of money or do favors that may not be deemed illegal but are clearly unethical. The thing that gets me the most are the lies and the ease in which they pull them off. And the politicians wonder why they can't get a health care bill passed in record time with the guise of "trust us". Sure, you have such a glowing track record that you've earned my trust. Not a chance. Oh, and I presume you need 1,000+ pages to explain it? That in and of itself is the biggest red flag that you're trying to screw me and my family somehow.
Enough about the politics and on to my personal example which I tell fellow entreprenuers as often as I can. When I left the corporate America back in 2006 to start my own company, I naturally thought COBRA was going to be the healthcare option for the 18 months after I left. As an executive at my last company I didn't pay anything for my health care as it was apart of my compensation package - Problem #1. Until you start writing the checks yourself, most people who get their health care through their employer are clueless to the real costs which likely means they don't place the appropriate value on the benefit. As I look back, I can absolutely confirm this, especially early in my career when a prospective employer would try and sell me on the value of the benefits package. All I cared about was the salary and what would hit my bank account after taxes. It's fair to say that I almost had an entitlement attitude that of course Mr. Employer is going to pay my health care premium. Why is that? Now that I'm on the other side of the table I now see what an incredible burden this is on a business. Why is it the companies obligation to pay when most people will never really value the actual expense it's costing the company? Not to mention the HR hassle to manage it. Perhaps they could contribute to a pre-tax Health Savings Account or just pay more for the position and let the individual fend for themselves like all other insurances we buy. |
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I am the proud father of three little girls under the age of 4 with the arrival of Anna on July 19th. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 3 ounces and of course displayed a full head of black hair like her sisters did before her. Since pictures do a better job of sharing life's great joys, please enjoy these. As you can see, her big sisters are very excited to have a new member of family. At least they are at this point... And yes, I am very out-numbered! Healthy Jumping....   
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 Have you lost weight using JumpSnap? I'm excited to announce that our new version of the 30-minute JumpSnap infomercial is well under way. We have some amazing new ideas planned and the offer itself is going to be unbelievable. One of the greatest highlights however is the addition of one of the greatest trainers of all time, Kim Lyons. She is probably most well known for her honest yet compassionate coaching on NBC's hit show The Biggest Loser. She is an incredibly accomplished fitness professional, and I'm honored she has agreed to become the new face of JumpSnap.
One of the great joys of my job is hearing all the emotional stories of personal achievement. Being my own original case study when I first developed the product, I know exactly how it makes you feel when you achieve the "after" photo success. Rather than pursue actors for my shows, I've always preferred to profile real people who achieve real results in an effort to inspire those at home. With that goal in mind, I would like to extend an open casting call to anyone who has lost weight and kept it off using JumpSnap. Whether it's 10 lbs or 100 lbs, the power of your story is its authenticity. Please
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if you have some before and after photos along with your key stats that we might consider adding to the show. I greatly appreciate your continued support! Healthy Jumping... |
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 By this time next week the LaTour's will welcome another family member into the world. If my wife Susan has anything to say about it I would be writing this week's post from the hospital, post-delivery with baby sleeping soundly in the bassinet and her sipping on a refreshing glass a wine. Okay, probably not the wine part, but after Baby #3, I can assure you she's ready for a glass of wine, or maybe two (there goes my designated driver...).
The official due date is next Tuesday July 21st, and I already lost the bet of the 14th. My theory was strong mind you because I was born on the 14th and my oldest daughter Cate will turn four on August 14th. Cate was born on her due date, which I'm told almost never happens with a natural delivery and Emmy was born three days early. Given all those trends of course Baby #3 would naturally join us early but he/she has a different plan in mind. That's right, we don't know the sex of the baby. I think it's one of life's greatest surprises. I wanted to know with the first one and Sus did not. So of course we didn't find out, but she told me we could for the next one if we would be so fortunate to have another child. Then, fast forward 17 months and I John Kerry'd it with a good old fashioned flip flop. It was so cool not knowing the first time that I couldn't possibly expose the surprise for #2. The funny thing is that it was my turn to choose and Sus actually wanted to find out but we didn't. Of course I was wrong thinking it was a boy on both occasions and Sus was definitely thinking Emmy was a boy. And although she's much rougher than her older sister, she's still a princess-wearing, barrett-clipping, pink-everything little girl. |
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Page 7 of 30 |
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