Figuring it Out

In April 2021, Tim Baker, CFP?, and I purchased office space in New Albany, Ohio that we dubbed as YFP HQ.?

This office has been symbolic of our partnership, friendship, and value of having a space to “figure it out.”

Don, the previous owner of the office, recently stopped by to check out the updates we made and to pick up a check for the internet bill he was still paying on for the past six months (woops!).

Don is a self-proclaimed inventor and his career path, to no surprise, is nonlinear…

He started college on a chemistry pathway → pivoted to business → worked on Wall Street → went into management consulting → worked in the utilities industry → did more consulting → found his love for being an entrepreneur and inventor.

I suspect he is best known around town for his role founding Loctote? that had an appearance on Shark Tank.?

When I asked him what he was working on since selling Loctote, he mentioned developing and selling Freakmount and two new projects that have patents and prototypes.

So how did he come up with these ideas??

Using everyday problems to identify an opportunity for a better solution.

Loctote came to be after his stuff got stolen on the beach during a family vacation at St. Croix. He realized there was a need for a theft-resistant bag.

Freakmount came to be after his frustration with other phone mounts that wouldn’t do the job when riding his motorcycle.

As he described one idea and patent after another, Tim B asked him “so, do you have an engineering background?”

His response “No, I’m just really good at learning and figuring things out…”

Ah, there it is again. The hunger to learn and a willingness to “figure it out.”