WHILE searching for the right career, Jarrel Byer was not interested in traditional 9-5 jobs, instead he wanted long-term fulfilment. Through the concept of “Ikigai” —the overlap between what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for—he recognised invention development as the skill that matched his personality and interests.
“I believe God refines us like gold—melting away impurities and leaving behind the strengths he can use in us—the real 24-carat gold. Inventing allowed me to lean fully into these strengths, while building things that genuinely improve people’s lives,”said Byer.
Using his invention development skills, Byer produced the pull-tab wallet. It raises cards on both sides of each pull tab, uses adjacently stacked pull tabs and includes a money clip that allows you to check your cash with one hand. He also invented what he calls the best rolling tray on earth which grates cannabis faster than all other types of manual grinders currently available.
FINE-TUNING: Inventor Jarrel Byer at work on one of his inventions.
Byer admits having made amateur mistakes with his early inventions. He publicly disclosed the wallet on Kickstarter without realising that Kickstarter requires paid advertising to work successfully and he contacted too many companies about his cannabis-rolling tray, and as a result one company stole his idea and went on to sell it in Canada.
“These experiences became the most valuable lessons of my career; they taught me just how important it is to do the right thing in business and not take shortcuts,” said Byer.
He has since developed more than 1,000 invention ideas and has gained a lot of insight from each process.
“Firstly, best-in-class products are rarely radical. They are existing products made meaningfully better in a small number of ways - simpler, faster, lighter, more intuitive and more satisfying to use. Secondly, customers don’t buy mechanisms, they buy outcomes and feelings. Consumer psychology shows that people care most about how a product improves their experiences; even organisations like The Red Cross are successful because of how donors feel after giving. And finally, invention development is a trainable skill. Mastery comes from repetition, feedback and familiarity with the terrain. Early ideas are usually mediocre in the business world. But with consistent practice, your skill level compounds rapidly and you begin to make the best products,” he explained.
Invention development should be treated as a skill to master, not as a rare gift, said Byer, who wants invention development to become mainstream in T&T.
“In my view, widespread invention development literacy has the potential to meaningfully improve economies, especially for small nations,” he said.
Invention development skills, which is the ability to deliberately develop patentable inventions, matters at a national level. Countries that lead in invention development and intellectual property such as the US and China, also dominate economically, added Byer.
“More inventions drive exports, licensing brings in foreign dollars. The manufacturing sector increases and long-term economic resilience is increased through diversification of the economy,”he said.
Byer is on a mission to expand invention education and make invention development a regularly used skill, not just in T&T, but globally. Through his YouTube channel Invention Skills, anyone can learn about invention development for free. Byer also teaches a limited number of students and offers one-on-one coaching for those who are interested with hands-on guidance.
“I believe good inventions raise the quality of life and that we are meant to use our abilities in service to others. That belief guides how I teach,” said Byer.
