By Sarah Brackin
Here in Lincoln Parish, an idea can start anywhere. Last week Louisiana Tech’s Innovation Enterprise hosted its annual Doggone Good Idea event with fresh new dreams.
Kathy Wyatt was one of the creators of this contest five years ago. When asked what made the Doggone Good Idea the best option, Wyatt said, “It is the very simplest thing that we could think of to encourage students to recognize that all people have a good idea on a pretty regular basis and that stating or describing those ideas is not all that difficult.”
According to the chief innovation officer, Dave Norris, this year had the most students to submit an idea with the winners being Jeremiah Eubanks and his glasses for the deaf, and John Thomas Butler and his hammocks for the quad.
These ideas weren’t always thought through; sometimes it can be sudden. Butler said he was walking back from class when he decided it was a perfect hammock day.
Butler said, “I had that idea pop into my head, I was like ‘this would be a great idea to submit’ so later that day I submitted it and this is where I am now.”
Eubanks glasses for the deaf, on the other hand, has been an old goal of his. It is meant to help the people hard hearing be able to see what others are saying to better help their communication.
When asked whether they win or lose, would they still be willing to make these ideas become a reality, they both agreed that the results wouldn’t stop them.
Eubanks said, “It will be difficult but I’m willing to take that til it gets to the point where we can’t, it’s physically impossible.”
This has been proven possible in the past with previous winner and one of this year’s panelists, Cade Spike.
Spike started off joining Doggone Good Idea as a class requirement. Now he and his partner are running their own business raising more than $100,000 and several contracts with other agencies. He is here now to help future entrepreneurs create their own business.
Spike said, “There’s never going to be a perfect time, you’ll never have the right amount of money, you’ll never have the right amount of time, it’s not ever going to be perfect. You are the least risk-averse right now. You have the time if you fail, cool, you’re in college you still have a path to go after that.”
Norris said it best, “Share your idea, always, always share your idea.” The first step has been completed; the ideas are out there. In October, they will take their next step in the TOP DOG Idea Pitch where all students are invited to explain why the consumers should want their product.
Louisiana Tech students have until noon on Oct. 13 to complete an online entry form at tinyurl.com/TDIP22 and anyone interested in hearing the pitches can attend the TOP DOG event at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1.
