Building Things From Scratch
I’ve always been drawn to creating things of my own. Some started as simple ideas. Some became products. Some became businesses. Some exceeded expectations. Others provided expensive lessons. Every one of them taught me something valuable.
Board Butler®
REPLACE
Inventor
From Idea to Patent to Product
Sometimes the best innovations come from the simplest observations. As a lifelong board gamer, I noticed a problem nearly every gamer had experienced: game boards that refused to lay flat. While countless people had accepted the problem as unavoidable, I saw an opportunity to solve it.
Highlights
- Invented, manufactured, and launched a product designed to solve a long-standing problem within the board gaming industry.
- Designed, tested, and refined multiple prototypes through iterative development.
- Successfully funded through Kickstarter with support from more than 4,500 backers worldwide.
- Secured two patents and a registered trademark to protect the product and underlying innovations.
- Manufactured and distributed globally.
- Built supporting e-commerce, logistics, fulfillment, and customer support operations.
- Expanded distribution through online retail partners and specialty game retailers.
- Approaching 100,000 individual clips shipped worldwide.
What I learned
Having a great idea is only the beginning. Manufacturing, fulfillment, distribution, customer support, marketing, intellectual property protection, and cash flow management are where products ultimately succeed or fail.
Sideshow Swap™
REPLACE
Co-Creator & Creative Director
Creating, Funding & Licensing an Original Game
Sideshow Swap combined my interests in product design, user experience, game design, storytelling, and entrepreneurship into a single project. Every mechanic, character, rule, and interaction was carefully refined through testing and iteration.
Highlights
- Created the original game concept and gameplay mechanics.
- Directed overall creative vision, art direction, character development, and product design.
- Applied formal user experience methodologies and extensive testing throughout development.
- Designed a game intentionally balanced for broad accessibility and replayability.
- Managed playtesting, refinement, manufacturing coordination, and production.
- Successfully funded on Kickstarter within 24 hours.
- Achieved 281% of original funding goal.
- Oversaw packaging, fulfillment, marketing, and community engagement.
- Licensed intellectual property to The United States Playing Card Company / Bicycle Games.
What I learned
The same principles that create great digital experiences also create great physical products. Understanding users, testing assumptions, and continuously iterating often matter more than the original idea itself.
REFLEX Control™
REPLACE
Co-Inventor
Gaming Hardware Innovation
REFLEX began as an attempt to rethink how players interacted with console games. The concept replaced one traditional joystick with a trackball, creating a fundamentally different control experience for competitive gaming.
Highlights
- Co-created and helped market the innovative REFLEX Control gaming controller.
- Presented the product to Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Activision, and other major gaming companies.
- Recognized at E3 as Hardware / Peripheral of the Year First Runner-Up.
- Built relationships with industry leaders, distributors, retailers, and gaming media.
- Helped shape product strategy, branding, and go-to-market efforts.
What I learned
Innovation is exciting, but execution is what ultimately determines success. A compelling idea still requires product strategy, market validation, distribution, and adoption before it can create meaningful impact.
Greet-o-matic®
REPLACE
Mentor, Product Developer & Co-Creator
Helping a Young Inventor Bring an Idea to Life
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on didn’t begin with me. It began with my son. Rather than simply helping him execute an idea, I wanted him to experience the entire innovation process—from concept to commercialization.
Highlights
- Guided the invention from concept through commercialization.
- Secured patent and trademark protection.
- Managed crowdfunding, manufacturing, fulfillment, and retail efforts.
- Appeared on multiple television programs.
- Won $5,000 on the Steve Harvey Show.
- Helped transform a childhood idea into a real product.
What I learned
One of the most rewarding aspects of innovation is helping other people discover their own ability to create, build, and bring ideas to life.
Independent iPhone Applications
REPLACE
Designer, Developer & Publisher
Building Products Before Mobile Was Mainstream
Long before mobile apps became commonplace, I spent nights and weekends designing, developing, launching, and marketing my own applications. These projects provided a crash course in product management, software development, marketing, monetization, customer acquisition, and continuous improvement.
Highlights
- Designed and launched eight independent iPhone applications.
- Generated more than 100,000 combined downloads.
- Licensed source code for use in commercial entertainment properties.
- Contributed technology used in major media properties tied to Anahí, Lady Death, and Judy Moody.
- Created Insert-A-Zombie, which exceeded 10,000 sales within two months during the 2011 Halloween season.
- Achieved Top 40 App rankings in France.
What I learned
Building software independently teaches humility. Every success and every failure belongs to you, and every decision directly impacts the customer experience.
The Magic Happens Between the Idea and the Outcome.
The inventions, apps, games, patents, and businesses were never the most valuable thing I built. The lessons were.