As much as I would like to dive right in and start sharing useful information and launching great topics for debate and conversation, I think a hearty ‘Welcome!’ is in order.  I also think it’s a good idea for me to let you know what ‘Fork Fed’ is all about and fill you in on my background and what inspired me to conceive and embark on the creation of Yak About It.

Fork Fed

The term ‘Fork Fed’ was coined because I strongly believe that we need to get away from being spoon fed information. It’s dangerous for us to sit passively and wait for information, work, or ideas to be handed to us; instead, when it comes to business and life, it’s far more productive to be Fork Fed.  As the biggest proponent of being Fork Fed (and, BTW, the creator of the term), I define it as follows: seeking advice and input from others, but not expecting the work to be done for us.  All excuses, fear, and procrastination can be wiped away once we choose to find the information and knowledge needed to journey into the unknown and make our visions (dreams) a reality.  Regardless of your education, background, or current profession, your inner pursuit to follow your passions is possible.  I hope this blog inspires you to pick up your fork and step into action!

About me

My passion for inventors, entrepreneurs and the entire process of product creation to product retail is what inspired Yak About It. Through my various and frequent encounters with fellow inventors (entrepreneurs), I found a commonality among them.  I discovered a problem, or a gap.

After working diligently in creating the product and preparing it for retail—often for many years—a budding entrepreneur struggles with figuring out how to bring his or her product to market, for, in reality, there is no one central place to launch newly invented products and let the world know of its existence.  Because of the abundance of exciting yet unknown inventions and a personal desire to make consumers and retailers aware of their existence, it made sense to create a fun web site for people to Yak About It; hence, the site was born!

I set out to create a place to provide consumers with useful products that they can use, connect retailers with retail ready inventions, and give inventors an outlet to make their inventions known.  Whether you arrive as a consumer, retailer, or an inventor, I look forward to your visit at Yak About It.

A Little History

I graduated college in 2001 with a double major in Entrepreneurial Studies and Marketing, and from there I landed a job in the corporate world working in Pharmaceutical Sales. During this three-year stint, I caught the bug, the Entrepreneurial Bug, that is.  I invented a product (Four years prior while in college) that I was ready to breath life into (a bedpost shelf, patent #6,748,874).  I handled everything from soup to nuts in bringing the product to market and getting it sold to major retailers. While on the creating-new-product journey, I developed and created an e-commerce retail outlet. The site was created to not only sell my niche invention, but to build a company that could expertly merchandise products.  Propelled by the idea and inspiration for Yak About It, I decided to sell my e-commerce business.  The knowledge I gained from my first 6+ years of entrepreneurial experience was invaluable.  From creating an invention to building a retail Web site from scratch to having almost 4,000 products upon exit, I’ve been involved personally in almost all aspects of retail and wholesale business. I started at the idea formation stage, learned about the start-up phase and continued to gain knowledge about independent entrepreneurship in the high growth and sale phase.  It’s fair to say that I was involved directly in each and every step and decision that’s involved in being an entrepreneur. This experience has provided an understanding of the work, effort, and knowledge needed to survive and achieve success. This also means I was given the opportunity to make plenty of mistakes, which I recognize (with gratitude) have allowed me to learn and grow.  I am still learning, and I’m quite certain that I’ll never be able to learn all that there is needed to know; however, I won’t give up trying.  I truly look forward to providing my insights, my friends’ entrepreneurial experiences, and learning through your dialogue, comments and ideas.

Welcome to the Fork Fed Blog!