American Inventor: Greg Chavez Pitches A Compelling Concept
Well, our big brother Greg made quite a compelling pitch to the investors on American Inventor last night.
We sure are proud of him!
He really did a few simple things very well that so many entrepreneurs fail to get right. Usually, an eager entrepreneur will take far too long to get to the point and fail to paint a crystal clear picture of the value of their idea.
I think Greg did a great job of getting straight to the point, and made a compelling case.
Here are three things he did well, that anyone seeking investors can learn from:
1. Explain your concept quickly and clearly. Greg didn’t mess around with a long preamble, he got right to it and explained, “My invention is a fire protection system for your Christmas tree.” Simple, clear.
2. Quickly identify the problem you are addressing and the solution you provide. Greg hit this immediately with a powerful video clip and some quick stats.
3. Show passion and create emotion. Greg hit it out of the park on this one, sharing a genuinely heart-felt example of why this product is so important.
In case you missed the episode, here you go:
Check out these great posts for more information about this topic:
10 Tips for a Successful Entrepreneurial Pitch
Tags: American Inventor, Entrepreneurship, Firefighter, Greg Chavez, ideas, Invention, Pitch to Investors, Venture Capital
June 7th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
FVB >> Floridian Judging Next “American Inventor”
Clearwater, FL native, runner-up on “The Rebel Billionaire” and inventor of Spanx body shapers, Sara Blakely, recently spoke with the Tampa Tribune about her experience judging “American Inventor”. She worked with Simon Cowell, George Foreman, Peter …
June 13th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Jeff, I watched American Inventor again tonight to see how your brother made out, and was thrilled to see he won the SF location! Congrats to Greg! His idea was definitely my favorite in San Francisco. Please let him know that there are people out there pulling for him! The world can use his invention for safe holidays for certain! I look forward to seeing it in action real soon. Take care!
June 15th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Jeff,
I think Greg’s invention is a great one.
I’m reviewing all of the inventions from each episoe on my blog (http://martyfahncke.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/american-inventor-review-of-inventions-episode-1) and I gave Greg high marks for the Guardian Angel even before he was a semi-finalist.
Please pass along my best wishes to him, and let him know I would be happy to help him out with marketing strategy if he needs it.
June 18th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Jeff,
We are so very proud of Greg, it’s so exciting to see his invention. Please send him our love and congratulations. Let him know that we wish him the best and look forward to seeing him take his invention further.
Love,
The Hardy’s
July 5th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I have an idea for a slight modification that I think will improve both the functionality and marketability of Greg’s idea. I don’t want to post it to a public forum. If you contact me directly, I will be happy to share the idea with him.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
I’m voting for Greg! I want a Guardian Angel for our Christmas Tree!
Let me know when it’s on the market and where I can purchase it.
Thanks,
Trina
July 25th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Greg; I had to chuckle a little my friend…. I am so excited that when I just read what I just posted for you and my spelling of patent became patient… lol.
GREG; “Do not be afraid of people stealing your good ideas….” remember Brad said that!
Greg; think of the thousands of Christmas Tree Growers worldwide producing and selling millions and millions of Christmas trees… think of an automated residual referral program with a tag like coupon and a bar code…. understand that these tree growers like to make money too!
Let me polish it for you when we speak….. use it Greg. Win the darn $1 Million contest buddie!
If we do not speak before the final 3… win or lose call me afterwards anytime.
I share the vision!
Ciao for now,
Brad
July 26th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Dear Greg and family,
I am so impressed with your idea and product I can hardly wait to see it and buy it at major market stores!
Thankfully our family nor anyone we know personally has been affected by the horrible tragedy that can occur at one of the happiest holidays of the year, like you have.
But still I am moved. From the moment I saw your product idea I thought to myself, this is the kind of safety product that needs to be installed as a law. Just as crucial and routine as smoke detectors, seat belts and helmets.
Once you bring Guardian Angel to the shelves, I am going to look into lobbying legislation for a bill that makes this product mandatory on every live tree sold in America. It may not be financially feasible at first but it is something I am definitly going to look into.
It is going to save lives whether you win a million dollars or not. YOU will save lives and that is worth more than a million dollars and certainly worth more than a bike rack, or a cup of tea or a bra.
Please find investors who will help you. If for some reason a foil holder should be more popular than saving lives, please don’t let that stop you.
GO GREG!!!!!
YOU CAN’T LOOSE!!!
July 26th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Hello,
We were just curious and wondering….when Greg Chavez first appeared on American Inventor he had the initials VC covered on the back of his fire fighters uniform with some sort of duct tape. On the last episode, he not only made it into the top three (we feel he will win), but the VC initials on his fire fighters uniform were now uncovered. Can anyone explain this to us?
thanks
Michael
July 26th, 2007 at 7:20 am
about that last post….please e-mail us at
michael_adams130@hotmail.com
if anyone knows the answer to our question.
Thanks you
October 1st, 2007 at 9:37 am
Just want to say that I think that Greg’s invention is the best thing I have ever seen! Because I think it is so great and am using his product(The Gaurdian Angel) for one of my college courses where I have to make a presentation. This is a computer class and I have to make a presentaion of a real product and try to sell it. Hopefully this is ok with Greg and that it will also bring to light his product a little more, for those who do not watch american inventor.
November 12th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
HE WON!!!!!!! When will his invention be in stores?!?!?!?! My speech at school is on him and his invention!!
December 9th, 2007 at 8:26 am
I watched the American Inventor with great hopes that Greg Chavez would win, because me having a family, and wanting to keep them safe is my utmost priority. With that in mind, I have been trying to find out if the Guardian Angle has made it to market yet, and where I can buy one. PLease email me back with any information about haw to buy one. More like buy 10 of them for christmas gifts.
December 27th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I watched American Inventor and as a former EMT could really see the potential for this product. I was hoping that it would make it to the shelves by now. I looked for them before Christmas and couldn’t find any information about it. Can you tell me when it will be available for purchase and from where?
Thank you,
Cindy
January 21st, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I really thought the fireman who won American Inventor 2 had a great idea, that is untill I found that the exact same invention had been patented in 1965. The patent number is 3,171,493 and anyone can access and view this through the US patent office or through Google Patents. It’s dissapointing that many other ‘original’ ideas lost because someone didn’t do their homework and realize this idea was not “new and original” as the show and ‘inventor’ proclaims.
January 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Dear Disappointed-
You’ll notice that the patent you reference is over 40 years old…and you will also notice that no product like this has ever been on the market. So, in that sense it is quite unique, further, Greg’s new patent adds a host of technical invention that makes it possible to actually come to market. Try not to be too disappointed–I don’t think Greg claimed to be the first to ever think of this…but he will in fact be the first to ever bring a functioning product like this to the public. I think that’s pretty cool.
All the best,
Jeff