TLC's Homemade Millionaire Episode 4

Based on conversations here and over at Tracy's ProductX Blog, this Friday's Homemade Millionaire hosted by the Super Fantasticalicious Kelly Ripa is sure to be an exciting one!

Don't shoot me, but I will not be watching or tweeting this Friday. I've got it set to record on my DVR and will not check anything online until after I watch. I've got a hot date with my husband and we don't get out much. So, while I am very excited to go out and hear some live music in a very cozy setting (which will also include good food, wine and making conversation with grown-ups), I am very sorry to be missing the show, and will be with you in spirit!

If what I have been reading about is true, I think we might be in for some "real" reality Friday night. It looks like all three of these brainy broads with big ideas (sorry, I couldn't help myself) have very appealing products.

Sarah Haviland and her Think Brand Products look very interesting. Hmmm, the sleuth in me wonders why her website is "under construction" with "more info coming soon"...a clue? I guess we will have to wait and see!

I love, love, LUV Haris Lender and her Luv-A-Cuva - so simple, so ingenious! (big sigh...yes, her name and company name are still wrong on this promo video I grabbed from YouTube. They fixed the one on the TLC website, but I was unable to get that one :) sorry Haris!) Kelly clearly LUVS your CUVA too and I think it's a winner!

Robyn Zimmer and her Window Origamilook so fabulous, I don't know anyone who wouldn't want these beautiful window treatments in their home! Definitely a "why didn't I think of that" invention.

Wishing all three of you ladies the best of luck! We will be watching and rooting for you.

Kelly, if there's a chance you might be reading this, I hope the hip mends quickly and that Mark is waiting on you personally and appropriately (wink, wink).

You've Got Questions, I've Got Answers About TLC's Homemade Millionaire

Bless my Mama and pass me some pancakes, there has been a LOT of behind the scenes speculations about just exactly what the dillio might be with Homemade Millionaire, Milojo et al. Frankly, I am on the brink of over-analysis paralysis myself and I am not even on the show!

Couple of things that many of us have been noticing, and this first one might not seem like a big deal until you ask yourself the question: What if it were me and my business? So, without further ado ~

Five days ago, I politely brought it to the attention of the kind folks at The Learning Channel (which makes this slightly ironic come to think of it) that in their sneak peek video for this week they have Haris Lender and her company, LUV-A-CUVA spelled wrong (Harris Lender, Lova-Cova). They thanked me kindly and said how appreciative they were that I brought it to their attention. While I am sure that the person who sent me that message was, in fact, appreciative, the message has gotten lost somewhere down The Learning Channel pipeline never seeming to have reached the person whose job it is to edit their website. As of right now (I just double checked to save myself the taste of foot in mouth) 6:38 p.m. EST, still not changed.

I also had a very nice conversation with a trusted source at Milojo, who assured me they had also been in touch with TLC's publicity people to fix the very same issue and that they would reach out again. It feels like the folks at Kelly Ripa's production company, Milojo seem to genuinely care - at this point I am not so sure about TLC. I mean, they're The LEARNING Channel after all. I guess I have it in my head that tv networks employ the best and brightest and don't understand how many minutes it could possibly take for someone to fix this. Anywhoo - next!

We have also been wondering why Milojo had disappeared from Google! There was deep sucking in of breath and the rumblings of no hope for a Season 2 if Milojo has disappeared! Not to worry - Milojo is right here, chugging happily along and also very happy to know that they've got an SEO issue to deal with.

We wondered why, on the Monday morning after the premier of Homemade Millionaire, when Regis asked Kelly what she did over the weekend there was no talk of it whatsoever! What?! How could this possibly be? What does it mean? Why would she not be talking about how exciting it was to crown the first winner Marcy McKenna and her Styling Station?

My sweet source patiently explained to me that the Live Show that aired Monday, November 22 was taped previously because the Regis and Kelly folks were out taping in Las Vegas - mystery solved.

Many of us are still wondering why this show seems to be under publicized. I wanted to ask my source about this as well, but alas, time ran out. Maybe someone out there in tv land can shed some light.

Lot's of other interesting rumblings going on over at ProductX, but I'm hoping to get some conversations started here as well, so I hope you'll feel free to comment and share your own insights.

Looking forward to what I am predicting will be a VERY exciting show this Friday! Stay tuned for a preview...

And in case you're wondering, this is what I look like at approximately 6:15 a.m.

As always - thank you for reading! So many interesting people out there to connect with!

XO

And Now, An Important Word from Leslie Haywood

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Leslie Haywood. It is always so fun to speak with her! In light of all of the excitement over Homemade Millionaire, she reminded me of an article she posted on her blog in September of last year regarding "one of the biggest lies in business..."

I will admit that it is hard not to believe that getting your product on a show like Shark Tank, Pitchmen, American Inventor or Homemade Millionaire is the "Golden Ticket" to all of my entrepreneurial dreams coming true. The realistic me knows that this is not always the case and Leslie's article speaks volumes to this.

Hoping that many of my fellow inventor friends will read and find it useful too!

Homemade Millionaire: One Reject's Take

Processing complete (big sigh). Now that my five year old has been sent on her way to p.m. Kindergarten and I have enjoyed a nice lunch while crying my way through yesterday's Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things, I think I am finally ready to provide my two cents on the Friday night Premier episode of Homemade Millionaire.

I tweeted myself silly...along with what seemed like about six other people. I even received a very sweet thank you DM from Kelly herself - Love you Kelly! One of the first things I was wondering as I was watching the show was "where is everyone?"

There has been a lot of commenting over on Tracy's ProductX blog, along with what seems like a lot of explaining by the winner, Marcy McKenna (me thinks thou doth protest too much).

This first part of my blog post is kind of like what my old boss and I used to call a "therapy letter". He would write a draft of a letter that would often start out not in the happiest of tones. I would type it up and turn it back over to him and we would hand the letter back and forth to one another with edits until eventually the letter was either never sent, or sent to the round file.

So, without further ado - here's me sounding a bit pitiful.

I flew to Chicago to attend Kelly Ripa's "Woman Inventor" casting call with a working prototype of my specialized cleaning tool in my hands and a prayer in my heart. I gave my best pitch... I know some of you have already heard it, and it seems VERY silly now:

"I'm a REAL Housewife in New Jersey - I haven't been nipped or tucked, and I still clean my own house, which is why I am so excited to tell you about my invention "Grime-Out!" This revolutionary new cleaning tool allows you to simultaneously scrub and rinse those tough to reach areas in the bath..."

See? I even brought my winning personality, which I have been told by many that I do possess, albeit in an often goofballesque fashion. I even write my own material! I also have in my filing cabinet a sealed envelope which I sent to myself certified mail a while back with another idea that's on the shelf for now.

As it turns out, and I shared this with the folks at Milojo as well, I too come from a family of inventors who have invented very significant things (e.g., Steve Jensen, invented Electronic Ballast for flourescent bulbs; John Christian Jensen, invented the P-Static Precipitator 1936, used on all aircraft today - my father and great grandfather respectively).

Frankly, I think I could kick some pitching ass on HSN and I know a lot of other ladies who could too (ahem, Marianne, Tracy, Ro, Ginny), especially when talking about their own product. But, unfortunately, we didn't realize that "ready to sell" meant, ready to host.

I do think (after dishing with friends and getting lots of other opinions) that this show would have been better served had it waited to put Marcy McKenna on at a later date, therefore allowing time for the product she submitted for consideration to be, know it sounds crazy... "ready to sell". There were thousands of women who auditioned for this show who are!

Was Tonya set up to be the black sheep of the first episode? It clearly stated in the application that you needed to have a "working prototype" and to be able to show how it worked. I know this because, since I could not bring a functioning shower with me to Chicago, my husband (not a film maker or producer) shot a demo video in our bathroom which we sent in with an online application. Yes, I applied online AND went to the casting call.

Again - bear with me because I REALLY want to see this show to succeed, but it was tough to watch the curly haired lady giving Tonya and her rollers a hard time due to the fact that THEY are the ones that brought her there! Clearly someone somewhere thought that Tonya and her MagicKurl rollers (not a working prototype) were good enough to make it on the show.

As for Stefany, I think she has a fantastic product that speaks for itself - I don't think the cuff "barely fit" around her hair, I think she was nervous and her fingers were a little shaky. It seemed so unfair that she was out in the first five minutes of the show!

Where was all of the step by step, through the process help we thought we were going to see? I thought, along with many others, that they would at least entertain us with some fun bloopers from the audition tapes.

Okay - now here's me with my big girl panties pulled way up:

This is what I know. This is television. No matter how much I love Kelly Ripa (and I do love her) and trust that her inentions for what she wanted to create here were/are good, there are a slew of other folks out there with their hands in it as well. Whether you want to believe it or not, these shows are about two things: entertainment and making money.

Also, cannot forget to mention what I thought was the quote of the show by Marcy that went something like "I'm not gonna have to invent something am I?" Really?

I went to Chicago and I had an experience that I will never forget and because of it, I have launched a business and am doing what I love to do. I am connected with some of the most incredible, empowering women you could ever ask to be included with and am so proud of all of them!

If you audition for a show like this and stake your life and being on it, you will be disappointed every time. We make our own destiny - I know you already know this!

Biggest lesson I think for many: You don't need to be on a reality television show to be successful. Your target audience is NOT watching this show - your fellow entrepreneurs are.

I will continue to support and look forward to tweeting about the show Friday night - I hope it will gain some momentum and at least put a spotlight on some really fabulous inventors.

My hat is off to ALL of the ladies - Marcy McKenna, Tonya Englebrecht and Stefany DiManno! There is no questioning that you are all winners!

As always, thank you for taking the time to read and share!

Big Day for Women Inventors on TLC's Homemade Millionaire!

The big day has finally arrived! I know there are many thousands of us out there who applied and auditioned for Kelly Ripa's Homemade Millionaire. Since those auditions, almost a year and a half ago, there has been a lot of waiting, hoping, wondering and speculating. How exactly is this show going to turn out? Why wasn't I chosen? Who did get chosen?

Will it be Stefany DiManno and her DiManno Designs Hair Cuff? Marcy McKenna and her Styling Station? Tonya Engelbrecht and her MagicKurl? We will find out tonight!!

I have to be honest and say that I have a couple of favorites here, but am stumped as to who might be the next Homemade Millionaire out of these three!

Stefany's hair cuffs are haute! I can see Marcy's Styling Station being a bestseller and, as a native Southern Californian, it's hard for me not to be rooting for my fellow SoCal girl!! Are they trying to trick us with Tonya's rollers? They make her presentation seem much less fancy than the others - but I'm not fallin' for it - they look VERY cool :).

I am officially rooting for all of you ladies, because I have an inkling into what you have gone through to get your products to this point.

Good luck to all of you - We'll be watching and tweeting all about you!!

XO

TLC's Homemade Millionaire Rejects Rock!

While I realize it had to be tough for Milojo (Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Production Co.) to choose the Women Inventors for the premier season of TLC's Homemade Millionaire, the ones left out in the cold aren't letting it slow them down!

I would now like to use my little corner of cyberspace to recognize the true fabulousness of some of the ladies and their products who I have come to know over the past year and a half.


First has to be Amy Sapirstein, Founder of Active Urban Mom LLC and her Mommy Mitten The night before I was heading for Chicago and desperately trying to figure out what to wear to the Chicago auditions (not to mention what to expect), I stumbled upon her blog where she posted about her experience at the NYC casting, along with a cute picture of herself holding the, at the time coveted, "Green Card". She might not have been chosen for the show, but Mommy Mitten is selling like hotcakes and is now available online at Babies 'R' Us and Toys 'R' Us! Thanks Amy, for saving me from a fashion disaster! Very glad to know her and call her a friend! One of these days we will meet up with some of the other ladies and have a very SATC afternoon!



Next up, Roberta Wagner, Founder of Carry-Her Inc. and Carry-Her, the one-of-a-kind doll carrier for Amercian Girl and all other 18" dolls. As the mother of two young girls who like to travel with their dolls, I can tell you first-hand this fabulous little backpack is a winner in every way! Do this: Get one (get two!), let your daughters wear them on your next outing and watch how many girls and their moms look, point, whisper and often ask "Where did you get that?" Sales of Carry-Her are startin' to blow up in a big way and she, like all of the other Women Inventors here, has worked her booty to the bone to make it happen. The bonus for me is that Roberta has become a dear friend who I adore and have learned a lot from personally through this experience. Love you Ro!


This next lady is about as true-blue as they come - always supportive and ready to lend a helping hand. If Ros Guerrero's Ficklets (Ficklets, LLC) are not the next Jibbitz, I don't know what is! I am that crazy lady who will approach complete strangers with kids wearing glasses to tell them about this fantastic product and say "See, Ficklets...they're like jibbitz for your glasses...look here's a picture on my phone." And there hasn't been a person yet who didn't say "Wow, what a cool idea! Those are so cute!" I have no idea what they say when I walk away, but I don't care - it's so easy to share about a product as fantastic as this. Last I heard, Ros was up all night getting a ready for shipment to a Distributor in Singapore! I am proud to call Ros friend as well, and am excited about her continued success!

I hope this gives you some idea - and maybe gives Milojo some ideas for Season 2 - of the incredible products being created and brought to market by Women Inventors! This door may have been closed to them, but I can guarantee they will tell you it's led them to so many other wonderful opportunities!

Keep your eyes peeled for more tomorrow!

And don't forget to Tweet Up with us Friday night! Homemade Millionaire will air this Friday, November 19th @ 10/9 Central on TLC! Check your local listings :)

Countdown to Homemade Millionaire!

Let the countdown begin! Clear your calendars and make a date to watch Homemade Millionaire this Friday, November 19th on TLC at 10 p.m. EDT! We'll be all a Twitter and hope you'll join us!

Let's meet a few of the Inventors...

I've said it before and I'll keep on sayin' it - I am one of the happiest casting call rejects ever! Oh the places rejection has taken me! Never in a million years could I have predicted how much one 24 hr. whirlwind of a trip to Chicago to pitch my silly little cleaning tool would impact the course of my life. Because of this experience I have reconnected with old friends and made valuable new ones. I recently launched JenCann Productions and am excited about earning some extra "buck rogers" (as we like to call them around here) for being creative and doing what I love.

I met so many fabulous ladies in Chicago over a year ago and have also become very close with a few fellow rejects from the NYC casting. I can speak for them when I say we are rooting for all of the ladies who were chosen and look forward to showing our support on Friday nights! This is one of my favs! If Debra's Bake Huggers don't make you say "Why didn't I think of that?" I'll eat my hat!

If you or someone you know made it on, please share with us so we can cheer you on!

Kelly Ripa! Sending big love and shouts to you, Mark, the Milojo crew, TLC and HSN for the incredible opportunity you are giving these hardworking, passionate Women Inventors! I am proud to be an inventor who comes from a family of inventors!

Next time you're sitting on an airplane, look towards the outer edge of the wing and notice those two black sort of popsicle stick looking things. Those are called P-Static Precipitators and were invented by my Great Grandfather, John Christian Jensen in 1936.

On your next trip to the big box store look up at all of those flourescent lights (enough to give you a headache right?) and notice how they don't seem to throw off much heat. That's because in the 70's a super cool genius guy named Steve Jensen (aka my dad) invented the electronic ballast for flourescent bulbs to keep them from getting hot. Sheesh, you'd think I'd be some rich heiress considering how many flourescent light bulbs there are in the world, but no... Dad holds the patent and was paid a whopping $100 by the company he worked for at the time, Radiant Technologies in Southern California.

Have a great day and don't stop creating!

Homemade Millionaire on TLC

Wow! So, almost exactly one year ago I flew to Chicago for a chance to get my idea in front of some important people. I had no way of knowing just how much that 24 hr. whirlwind of a trip would change so many things in my life. It looks like "Homemade Millionaire" is finally going to air later this summer and I can't wait!

While my product and I were not selected to be part of the show, I will be forever grateful for the experience and for the folks I have met subsequently. If it were not for that trip I would never have met so many fabulous women inventors, many of whom I have become very close friends with - you know who you are! I would not have reconnected with a dear friend, Beverly Clark, who happens to be a bestselling author and incredible business woman with an empire of wedding accessories - before the Knot - there was Beverly Clark, she started it! I am now working closely with her on some very exciting projects. If it were not for that trip, it's doubtful I would have ever created an account on Twitter (I'm @GrimeOut) or here blogging and trying to exercise my writing muscles!

That single take-a-shot experience has led to so many other incredible experiences, like meeting and building relationships with the likes of John Cremeans aka the "Doctor of Shopology", who is now working with Kevin Harrington, aka the Original Infomercial King and Shark Tank fame on the newly created Military Shopping Channel!

I found out about the Milojo audition completely by accident and can't help but use the analogy of tossing a small rock into a pond... the ripples are definitely getting bigger!

Thank you Kelly Ripa et al! Best of luck to all of the ladies!!