Connie I.
Grandmapreneur®, Founder of Tip 'n Split®, and Creator of Write Your Selfie® at Grandmapreneur
Entrepreneurship and startups
Education: Ohio State University - Columbia University
North Potomac, MD, USA
Biography
As a serial “Grandmapreneur™,” Inukai speaks to retirees or soon-to-be retirees on the benefits of pursuing entrepreneurship in retirement.
She is the creator of Write Your Selfie, where she inspires people to write their life stories in a fun and easy-to-read format so grandchildren and future generations will enjoy turning the pages to learn about their ancestry and life lessons. She is passionate about working with dementia sufferers and their families to preserve the memoirs of this “invisible” population.
Retired from teaching at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University for four decades, Connie Inukai became an award-winning inventor at the age of 68, an author of "How I got My Product on QVC, The Today Show, The View, and More...In Retirement."
Featured in Entrepreneur magazine, “6 Reasons to Pursue Entrepreneurship in Retirement,” Connie encourages Baby Boomers to have an active retirement through business or social entrepreneurship. Because…
Passion has No Expiration Date!
***Author of "Retirement: Dream Big, Take Action, Make Money."
***Watch my TEDx talk on 6 reasons to pursue your passion in retirement: https://youtu.be/kZxFnEvcivs
Passion
Retirement? I'm just getting started!
“What if I fall?” Oh, but my darling, “What if you fly?” –Erin Hansen
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I always get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
As I got older, like many people, my vision started to decline. I got the idea to invent a small handheld device to help read the small print on the menu and bill, especially in dimly lit restaurants.
Have you ever had an idea for an invention? Three out of ten people have an invention in their head but don’t do anything about it, and twenty years later, they see their product on a store shelf! How irritating is that?!
I was an unlikely candidate to become an inventor. I knew nothing about inventing, but I was curious and learned how to invent a product.
Back in 2016, I went to an inventors trade show in Pittsburgh. Table after table with inventions and their proud inventors. I felt frustrated and betrayed when a few days before the tradeshow, my manufacturer called to tell me they were not ready and couldn’t deliver my product. I had been working so hard for six months to develop my “Tip ‘n Split” to introduce it to retailers. At the show, sadly, I was the only inventor without the invention in hand.
A panel from QVC was looking for new products. Of course, that is every inventor’s dream. I wanted to present my Tip ‘n Split, but I didn’t have it. What could I do?? I showed pictures of it and explained how it worked. They loved it! (pause) but (pause) they asked me to come back when I had my product.
A year later, I went back, walked in the trade show, and went straight to the QVC panel. “Do you remember me?” “Yes,” they said. “You are the lady with the Tip ‘n Split!”
Being invited to be on QVC was the beginning of becoming an inventor….at age 68!
Origin Story
At age 68, I invented Tip ‘n Split®, a handheld device to help people read the small print on menus and bills, especially in dimly lit restaurants. I added a calculating device to figure out a tip and split the bill in seconds. Then I wrote a book to show other inventors how to get free publicity, “How I Got My Product on QVC, The Today Show, The View, and More…in Retirement.”
Example talks
Retirement? I'm just getting started!
Are you retired or thinking about retiring? Do you know what you’ll be doing?
Many people are going to give you advice about retirement. My advice to you is to start a business.
Helping You to Write Your Life Story Write Your Selfie
All grown-ups were once children. With each step of the memoir-writing process, you will leave your legacy to children, grandchildren, and future generations.
Connie shares her experience of writing her life story in pictures and guides others in the process in six easy steps.
https://www.writeyourselfie.com
How I Got My Product on QVC, The Today Show, and The View...In Retirement: It's All About the Buzz”
What if I told you that you can get massive publicity for your product—with no experience!
Connie Inukai is a retired adjunct professor from the University of Maryland with zero prior knowledge about the world of entrepreneurship. She shares her journey and 8 Buzz Tips to help fellow entrepreneurs.
Reinventing Yourself in Retirement
Our 60s are one of the most important transition periods of our lives. With our kids out of the house, our social context is changing. Retirement is “in sight,” even if we don’t plan on quitting our jobs any time soon. Turning 60 is also the time when many of us start to question our place in the world. We may even look at our lives and ask, “Is this it? Surely I was meant to do something more!”
If you are like many older adults, you may be wondering how to reinvent yourself after 60. Perhaps after 40+ years working for someone else, you are ready to create a business of your own, or maybe you just want to find ways to give back to the world, now that your kids are off building their own lives.
The first step is to take inventory of your experience and skills. What are you good at?
It’s Never Too Late To Follow Your Dreams
Passion has no expiration date.