Patent Attorney and Founder
JD: We’re reaching out to inventor clients, inviting them to showcase their work on our stage. Here we go. Ronnie Collis, welcome to the program.
Ronnie Collis: Hey again, JD. I’ll tell you a couple of things. First, as I sat here quietly, I wanted to talk about your journey from podcasting to being an attorney. You still look like the most normal dude ever, which I think people don’t understand. Inventors are normal, and so are attorneys. I went to law school at Florida State, but I don’t practice law, especially patent law. It’s funny to hear someone like you, who makes being an attorney seem normal, helping people realize their ideas.
Ronnie Collis: As a patent attorney, I know you look for solutions to problems, ensuring nobody else has already done it, and finding more efficient ways to accomplish tasks. With my patent, I took advice from a patent attorney. There weren’t podcasts around then, or friendly advice like, “Hey, I don’t care who your attorney is, but if you have an idea, let’s talk about it.” Kudos to you for making this process accessible. You and Matt are on the right track. People have ideas but don’t know what to do with them. You and I are already on the same page.
JD: What is your invention, Ronnie? Let’s talk about that.
Ronnie Collis: Quickly, I don’t know if any of my guys are in the lobby yet, but it could be Mike or Derek Locker, or my wife.
JD: Let’s bring Mike on. Mike, are you there?
Mike: Hey guys, thanks for having me.
Ronnie Collis: Hey Mike, I didn’t embarrass you yet, right?
Mike: Not yet, Ronnie. That’s the key word—yet.
Ronnie Collis: JD, you’re going to like Mike. I’ve been on his live podcast, and he would tell you I sometimes go off-topic. Let my business partner tell you about our invention.
Mike: Thanks, Ronnie. Long story short, I’m in Vegas representing Safe Seal, Ronnie’s company. We’ve invented the first globally patented pizza box system—actually, a container, not just a box. We’re at the world’s largest pizza expo in Las Vegas, and it’s been overwhelming. We’ve been engaging with places like Ireland, Spain, Chile, and Turkey. This issue with pizza theft is global.
JD: Can you give me the website address to plug in here?
Mike: Sure, it’s safesealsystems.com.
Ronnie Collis: It’s Safe Seal Systems, not Safe Shield.
Mike: Right, sorry. We’re a startup, debuting this week. We’ve been working on this for about two years. No one has seen it outside of the pizzerias that tested our product and our own product testing. The show has been off the charts.
Ronnie Collis: JD, if you pull up our video, you’ll see even at the booth, my daughter, who is an attorney, and my wife, who is a partner with Mike and me, are there. The concept is simple: a pizza box where nobody can sneeze on it or steal the toppings. It’s about safe delivery from the pizzeria to the customer.
Mike: One of the biggest things we’ve learned here is that pizza theft is a real problem. If you Google “pizza delivery driver ate my pizza,” you’ll find tons of videos showing this issue. Down here, they call it the “delivery slice.”
Ronnie Collis: Mike, tell them about the camera in our delivery system.
Mike: Sure. We have a system with a camera that films 24/7, catching drivers who steal slices. One example is a driver who was caught slicing pizza and squeezing it back together every day.
JD: This journey of making the marketing and sales work is fascinating. Are you showcasing the problem as part of your marketing efforts?
Mike: Absolutely. Our approach is like a Fear Factor campaign. Picture a Super Bowl commercial showing a delivery driver in a messy car, delivering a pizza. You’ll never know what happened in the car before your pizza arrived. We want to make people aware of the problem.
JD: Isn’t this more of a B2B play? Are you also working that angle?
Mike: Yes, we’re looking for distributors who work with mom-and-pop pizzerias. We also need manufacturers to produce the boxes cost-effectively. We want everyone to have access to this product.
JD: Have you approached the big pizza chains?
Mike: We will. They have contracts with their distributors and own paper mills. Our job is to make the consumer demand this type of pizza box. Over time, the pizza box industry will change, just like the Tylenol packaging changed after the 1982 scare.
Ronnie Collis: JD, if someone came to you with this concept, what would you say?
JD: Start with patent research. Do your own diligence to see if anything like it exists. Once convinced, work with an attorney to confirm it. Ensure you’re solving a problem and be prepared to spend some money. It’s not cheap.
Mike: Absolutely. Also, consider trademarking your product name and branding. It’s essential for selling on platforms like Amazon. If you believe in your product, go for it. Don’t leave it in the closet.
JD: Thank you so much, Mike and Ronnie. I appreciate you guys sharing your journey and insights.