Inventors idea pays off
Shane Chen was getting bored with his job. For 20 years, the founder of CID Inc. had focused on his Camas business, selling electronic instruments to plant scientists. He wanted a change.
“One day I saw an exercise equipment ad,” the Camas resident said. “I thought, ‘I can do better than that.’ ”
And he got to work. The result, the Body Toner, went on sale six years ago through infomercials and QVC, the television shopping network.
Suddenly Chen, 52, was not just the president of CID Inc. He was heading a new venture, Inventist, and he was enjoying his work again.
Following the success of the Body Toner, Chen started seeing new ideas everywhere he went. The Orbitwheel, which he invented to create a smoother ride than roller skates and skateboards provide.
A willingness to fail is one secret to an inventor’s success, Chen said.
“People come up with ideas daily,” he said. “One out of 100 might work, but you have to try. You have to absorb failures and not get discouraged.”
That attitude has paid off. Born six years ago at the hands of a bored tinkerer, Inventist has grown into a business that does $1 million per year in sales and has four employees.