Wow!

Our Big Brother really did it. We are so proud of him!

He is a great example of remaining intensely focused on an entrepreneurial dream. For 15 years he stuck with it. Most hopeful entrepreneurs lose interest after a few failed attempts…not Greg. He simply refused to let this idea fade away. He knew it had merit, and he was right.

Greg rolled the dice in a big way by choosing to go on a show like this. It was truly an unorthodoxed and risky approach to launching a business. But he went with his gut.

He felt certain that this approach would in fact pay off for him.

Last night it paid off in a big way. A million dollars and a distribution deal…all on prime-time TV!

Greg and all of us are really thankful to the millions of viewers who supported him with their votes, email, comments, and well wishes.

For those of you that missed it…here are Greg’s final 3 segments from last night’s show:

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This is the final week for my brother, Greg Chavez, to make his final case to the judges on the TV show, American Inventor.

Right now, he’s a semi-finalist with a 1 in 6 shot of winning the show and the Million Dollar Prize.

Those are pretty nice odds!

It’s amazing to think that he’s been working on this project, this vision, for over 14 years now. (We all used to chuckle a little bit at some of the early-stage, crude prototypes he would come up with…who’s laughing now?)

Whether he wins or loses, he’ll have a real chance of getting this off the ground now. It’s a tribute to the fact that if you keep your eye on the ball, and remain focused and determined, great opportunities are bound to unfold…even in the most unlikely places!

He’s done an excellent job developing his product, The Guardian Angel, and tomorrow night, July 25th, on ABC at 8pm Central we’ll all find out if he makes the cut to the final three.

If he get’s to that point, it will be up to the viewing audience to select the winner with their call-in votes.

All of us here at Northstar Thinktank (Including Greg!) would really appreciate it if you’d take time to watch the show this Wednesday night, July 25th, at 8pm CST (ABC) and be prepared to support Greg with your votes if he makes it through to the final.

If you missed seeing one of Greg’s previous episodes…Here’s the YouTube link.

Hey, in the meantime, I found a very interesting article this morning on BusinessWeek.com about the The 30 Greatest Entrepreneurs of all time. Their lives leave so much for us to learn from…I highly recommend taking the time to review their profiles.

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:

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I didn’t watch American Inventor last year. This year, I have a really good reason to watch.

My oldest brother, Greg Chavez, took his invention to the San Francisco audition…and well, all I can reveal is that…they really, really liked him. They saw great potential in his invention and I have a feeling this is one guy that America will feel inclined to root for.

He’s got a great entrepreneurial story and a great personal story. He’s a firefighter and father of six great kids. He’s worked on a fire safety invention for the last 10 years. It’s something he’s extremely passionate about. It’s a great story and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed…

That’s why you should watch American Inventor.

You’ll find this year’s first episode tonight on ABC, 8pm CST.