Topic: Unexpected Markets - Pivoting When Your Customers Aren't Who You Thought They Were!

Topic: Unexpected Markets - Pivoting When Your Customers Aren't Who You Thought They Were!

From Invent America Podcasts with America's Inventor Lady, Rita Crompton, and the Cajun Contractor, Michael King, Founder of HomeTalkUSA by Rita Crompton

March 14, 2026 · 26 min · Season 3 · Episode 9

About this episode

This episode discusses how inventors can pivot their products to meet unexpected market demands.

From Cradles to Cattle: How Two Inventors Scaled Unlikely Products. In this episode of Invent America TV , we sit down with Russell Kramer and Nick Norman to discuss the reality of the "Inventor’s Pivot." Russell shares how his TrueView blind spot mirror evolved from a 4-inch design for trucks to a high-demand 3-inch model for sedans like the Prius. Meanwhile, Nick Norman explains how his Polar Protector , originally a cold-plunge accessory for "crazy people sitting in ice," became a must-have tool for farmers and ranchers to prevent water evaporation and algae growth. Key Takeaways for Solo Inventors: Why the "3PL" (Third Party Logistics) model might be your best friend when scaling. How the R&D Tax Credit can save you thousands (it’s a credit, not just a deduction!). The importance of checking fear at the door and focusing on execution . Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Rita Crompton

Guests: Russell Kramer, Nick Norman

Topics covered

  • unexpected markets
  • pivoting
  • inventor's pivot
  • scaling products
  • R&D Tax Credit
  • third party logistics
  • execution

Keywords

  • inventors
  • pivot
  • TrueView
  • Polar Protector
  • R&D Tax Credit
  • third party logistics
  • scaling
  • execution

Mentioned in this episode

Products: TrueView blind spot mirror, Polar Protector

Places: Prius

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