The Hidden Cost of Turning an Idea Into a Real Patent Episode #78

Samuel: Hey world, welcome back to another episode of Be Inspired Podcast, where we're inspiring you to live the abundant life you deserve. I got another awesome guest on the line. His name's Eddie White, but before we jump into it, have you ever had something personal that you wanted to keep close, but always wanted to keep private? We all have things that are meaningful to us, things that are personal, things that are simply ours. But what happens when a simple idea becomes something bigger? A product designed to give women a space of their own. Today on Be Inspired, we're talking about the story behind Phelps Pocket, the inspiration, the challenges, and the vision behind creating something that speaks to women's needs for personal space and privacy. Because sometimes the smallest ideas can open a door to something much bigger. And sometimes building a business isn't just about creating a product. It's about creating something that makes someone feel seen. So I got Eddie White on the line. This week we're going to the Virgin Islands and he's gonna bring it bring it to

Eddy White: Well

Samuel: us. Let us know the story behind Phelps Pocket. Welcome to the call, Eddie.

Eddy White: Hello everybody. Thank you for s taking a moment and spending time with us today. I know you have a busy day.

Samuel: Awesome. Yeah. So before Phelps Pocket became a business, what was happening in your life that led you to this idea?

Eddy White: before they come a business, well we were t we're talking going all the way back. Finished college, 2001, graphic design, mining photography. live in West Palm and different parts of Florida for the last umpteen years. And then my girlfriend passed away twenty twenty two, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, twenty twenty two. And we had a a moment and you know I was Working on some stuff, freelance design, and the commercial, the invention commercial come on. And I said, okay, I listened to it, but then I was in the middle of working on a project. So I like, okay, later for that. And then it's about the same time the next day, still working on this project. We're talking about two, three o'clock in the morning, and it came on again. And I'd stop and I watch and I listen to the commercial. And I Went to sleep, I had a dream, and then she was well, her voice was in the dream. you should try, you should try it. And I wake up and I'm like, should try it. Then the next that same night, so three nights in a row, this commercial comes on about the same time. And I said, All right, I'll call them tomorrow and get a bar rolling. So I call them during business hours. And they said, okay, well, this you have to do this, this, this, and this, and then we could go from there. I showed them what I was talking about. I actually draw out and just paper. I'm just boom, boom, boom. This is what I'm talking about. Can it be done? And he said, give us a little while, we'll get back to you. Here's your invoice. And I think it was like eight hundred dollars for this invoice that I end up paying. But the invoice,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: what was good about the invoice was After I get an invoice, he tells me it wouldn't be something we could use or we can work with. but you give me the the brochure of all the ex existing patterns similar and close that all expired. And I was like, Well, if they all expired and I have this here, I just need to find somebody that could give me the pattern. So I get back to them. And I said, so if I understand you correctly, you would not be able to help me accomplish this mission. He said, no, unfortunately not. because of the pattern, I guess. Think of Nintendo and PlayStation. When Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter came out, Nintendo had the first rights to it and they pass up on it. And it was because it wasn't to their their customers. It was more rated R too much violence. And Nintendo is more rated PG to team.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: So that's why PlayStation ended up taking it to where it is now. Now after that, Nintendo see how popular it was and tried to redo it. And they said, no, you know, they they I think they had a a a version of PlayStation Motor Combat. Where instead of blood, it's flowers and stuff like that. And they didn't do good for the focus group. And then they made that a special option of a fatality where you put in a certain code and then you beat them up and then boom, you see flowers or something more positive. so that's that's what was going on with the company that I had, and he referred me to somebody else that was able outside of their company that he trusts to take over the account. And that's what happened. So it would be, you know, Nintendo was the company that gave me the information and reformed me to PlayStation and PlayStation actually made it happen. So

Samuel: Okay.

Eddy White: in a long term or if if everybody understands that that's kind of just paraphrasing, but that's how it happened.

Samuel: So tell me a little bit about what people thought about the idea when you first started sharing it.

Eddy White: it depend on who it was, but I was tr I was happy I was targeting random people, I was talking friends and families. a lot of women when they first hear about it, there was like all the sweaty bras or sweaty money and stuff like that. And there was like, Well, if you have a pocket, I know somebody who could use it. And everybody

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: just slowly if they didn't support it, they know somebody that. would use it or would love it. They I was that I know, I know somebody that would love it. Boom, boom, boom. And you know, I said, well, that's not what kind of asking you. I asked you, what do you think about the idea? Do you think it's gonna work? and after a couple, maybe about close to 50 different women that I half of them I didn't know. Some of them I just passed them and I see them for a second. I ask them, some actually pull money out of their bra. And I said, excuse me, I have a question and you know, we was at someplace and they said, Holy shit, I could use you right now. You know, so it was more like, Well, I'm walking on it, stay tuned, I'll be back soon, you know. And we still keep

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: in contact. So I gave them the update of where I am now and they're all excited about it. They say, You need to hurry up, but you know, it ain't that easy for me right now.

Samuel: Right. And it sounds like you struggle with a little bit of self doubt, just going around asking a a lot of people, you know, in the beginning.

Eddy White: Yes. Yes. Well it is always the self doubt would come because people will say, Yeah, it's I wish it was done a long time ago and blah blah blah and I was like, Man, if it was that easy, why did somebody didn't do it? as I start doing more research and understanding how to get to where I am now, it is frustrating because you have to have investors.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: Bank loans, you know, you have to be this, you have to do that, your credit score have to do here, here and there. And then they give you a loan, and then the interest rate is almost triple right now to what you end up using. You know, so it's like maybe this ain't the right way to go about it. So that was my discouragement

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: for that, you know.

Samuel: Step over just a little bit. So you could be yeah, there you go. Perfect. Alright. So what's something about the beginning of this journey that people would never know just by looking at the finished part product?

Eddy White: start and finish actually from the okay, they would never know until I tell the name of the company. I had somebody give me a check and they put Eddie Phelps and start and finish something nobody really know. Then my last name is not Phelps. Pe a lot of people think because you n you invent something, you name it after yourself or blah blah blah. But the name of the company, basically the modern bra in 1914 was invented by Mary Phelps Jacob. That's where the name came from. So I'm giving back credit to the inventor from 1914. I'm bringing awareness to the modern bra. And some people, when I talk to them, they're like, where you get the name from? And I tell them the story. They're like, wow, I didn't know the bra was invented by Mary Phelps Jacob. So that is something that a lot of people don't know.

Samuel: So with that it comes like patent in issues and like user issues as far as her name goes. So you use in her name, how does that affect your business or that's not you covered that base?

Eddy White: That is not a issue because I have the name and the tagline trademark. So that was telling me that it's available and that it's done. if it ever comes up to the point where they want to sue me for the the use of the name, I'll say,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: Well, I am giving credit back to the inventor. So if you want me to donate ten percent of proceed to a foundation that helps women someplace else, then that's the only way I would settle with anything, you know, because

Samuel: Right.

Eddy White: I'm not hiding the fact that I get a name from her. The middle name of a person is very hard to to trademark or copyright. if you do not have that name trademark or copywritten before somebody else, you know, you have to show the date you have yours done. If that didn't exist, then it's okay.

Samuel: So walk me through the l l the process. Say somebody wants to get a patent want to get a patent or do something similar to do you. Who what what would you tell them is the first step?

Eddy White: You would have to find a US US patent and trademark company that would accept the project and then proceed with that. patenting is it's a easy step, but it's a very expensive step. Meaning my pattern for me for fifteen years. Not including the provision pattern. The provision pattern is a one year pattern, which is allowing the pattern company to shop throughout the wall for a company to buy your pattern or lease your pattern. So they put in they're hooking you up with a somebody that would take it and make it happen for you without you doing the legwork. that was four thousand dollars. Then when it came close to the pattern expiring in that the provision pattern, I mean. expiring in a year. I was contacted by my agent. He said you could here's your option. You add another four hundred dollars and that would give you another year and we continue. Or you pay 10,000 and that would give you the the the pattern for 15 years. And I have a I have a designer pattern if I'm not mistaken.

Samuel: Okay.

Eddy White: No, I have a utility pattern. So there's two different patterns. There's the utility pattern and then the design pattern. The design pattern I have to ref refresh all those terms because I didn't look at those in a while. But those are the three different the provision pattern, design pattern, and the utility pattern are three patterns that exist.

Samuel: So

Eddy White: And then the international pattern, which I started as well too, and that would cover me anywhere in basically international waters, international countries. and that was another four thousand on top of what I paid for already.

Samuel: Nice. So a lot of patterns and a lot of discovering and learning about different laws and trademarks and stuff like that before getting to your market. So on the website, Fell's Pocket describes the product as safe space as a safe space for woman's personal and precious belongings. What does having a personal space of your own mean to you?

Eddy White: peace of mind. You know, just one word. I could put there and I know I'll find it there. I wouldn't lose it. yeah, peace of mind is the first thing that comes in one word. You

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: know, you have you have your family ep ilum that you can't really replace. You put it in your personal spot or safe space. You know you'll find it there. It's kinda like putting it in a safe.

Samuel: Yeah. So when you designed the product, what did you want a woman to feel the first time she used it?

Eddy White: that was actually one of my five questions when I was doing my little focus group. when you wear a bra or a sports bra, what is your main check mark or checklist? Number one is price. No, actually number three was price. Comfortability was number one, style was number two, then price, and then other Last two I don't remember. Style, price, comfort. and security. You know, the those were a couple of stuff that they had. And I thought price would have been number one, but a a lot of women because the female body is so difficult to to design for, a lot of women just want to feel comfortable and secure. you have women with a mid s a nice medium sized body, big boobs, small boobs, So you have to design to the point where you have to be very flexible in your design. so to counterbalance that, I made sure a couple of the stuff that the ladies told me, they want a strap that don't cut into the shoulders as much. So if they're on the heavy side, the strap have to be wide enough that it don't feel like it's digging into them. So

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: I made sure my strap are a little bit wider than the standard. it's filled with elastic and I asked them to give me a stronger elastic. So I think I have an elastic that's more durable than that the standard elastic. and then the back piece, a lot of women have insecurity with the underarm, the back fat or something to call it. I don't know. So I made the cut higher. So instead of it's closer to the armpit versus the standard cut now.

Samuel: Right.

Eddy White: So they feel more so secure. and then for the around the waist, I made that an inch thicker in the elastic to go around. So it fit nice on the stomach or however you want to call it, the midsection.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: It fit nicer in the midsection and it kind of smoothing out the the body as well.

Samuel: Okay. So what was the hardest part of turning this idea into our real product for you?

Eddy White: I guess the hardest thing I guess the hardest thing would be Actually no, it wasn't hard. It was it was easy, believe it or not. Cause I call it I say easy cause come up with the idea, I find the patent people, then when they gave me the the cost or how much it cost to just do that whole thing, the money was there. Meaning my Christmas bonus from my job was three thousand nine hundred dollars. And then my paycheck. That month I had three checks. So I was able to move extra funds to add to the to the Christmas bonus to pay for the provision patent. Then a year goes by, I had $400 extra for something else, and that went to to continue. At the same time, I was talking to a friend who wanted a website design. and she tell me if they get the grant for the website, then I will be able they will be able to pay me for the website. That money I get I pay for the provision pattern and the extension. And two months after that, I get a phone call, we get a grant, send me the invoice so you can get paid. So that's why I'm saying it wasn't hard. It was everything happened for a reason and everything was just falling into place. Every time I get closer to to coming to a stop or giving up, the finance hit or the I get a war, the finance is coming. Then after I get a pattern, after the research, it was coming up with a name, you know, something that nobody have and blah blah blah. And my graphic design skill helped me with that as well. But the name was easy. I didn't have to, well, if I do Phelps Pocket STX, Phelps Pocket USA, you know, for the dot com, Phelps Pocket was available.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: So I didn't have to go through the the Change the name, tweak it here, you know, that kind of stuff. the tagline, it was just me and a friend sitting at the bar and I tell her the project and she said, Okay, well, how can I help you? I said, Well, I need a logo. She's like, Well, you know, figure it out. That was her help. And by the time I sit down, I've I researched the inventor the bra. I wanted to use the middle name. I go to GoDaddy and do a the website search that was available that was available in everything it was dot com dot org gov something else international and I was like well do I need all of them and she like well just buy all of them it's fifty cents you know so

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: like it wasn't a lot of money to to purchase it so that again when I get close to giving up or Stuck in a hard place, the answer was r not too far from you know. So it was right.

Samuel: It's interesting. That's interesting because like it seems like even with other people that have come through the journey of following their purpose and finding their dreams or going after their business idea, it seems like one of the consistent stories is that when things get hard, like there's one single message that lets you know to keep going that you're on the right path. Whether it's

Eddy White: Yeah. Yes.

Samuel: a person, a message, funds hidden like you were talking about. So it seems like that happens a lot.

Eddy White: For yeah, for well after that happened, I moved back to St. Croix to take care of mom. And I met a lady who's kind of like a spiritual psychic, but not medium in in the middle kind of deal, but not like a psychic. And she said, You should come to my class, you know, are we talking? I met her through the small business bureau in St. Croix. And she that was her part-time job and we talking and she said you want to something, you know, you should come to my class and get a better understanding of how the universe works and stuff like that. And I was like, Okay, well, I listen to her, and she like, Well, the class is eighty-five dollars, so I'll see you soon. And that was it. I like I don't have eighty-five dollars right now, and the class is in four days, no in two days. I like I'm like, can I get credit? Can I pay you next week? Or cause I have, you know, c funds coming in. She's like, no, you'll figure it out. And sure enough, we leave the coffee shop and my phone ring and I see the call ID from a friend I haven't talked to in since college. So we're talking almost 20 years. And he said, I surprised you have the same number. I'm so happy you have the same number. And then you start talking some more. He said, Where you at? No, I need to meet with you, talk to you. I said, that's St. Croix. Now no longer in Florida. He said, You have Zell? I said, Yes, I have Zell and PayPal and Venmo and all of them. Actually, those guys wasn't around. So it was just Zell, PayPal was around. Those were the lead in transfer, money transfer. And he said, Yeah, you remember the time you loaned me a hundred dollars? I'm like, no. He's like, Well, I'm gonna send it to you right now. And all I could think of is she said, you know, find the money to meet me soon. And again, I go to the class for the $85 that I just get or the hundred dollars, boom, pay for the class. And she texted me back saying, I tell you you would have find it. So I go to the class. Very interesting. She was, she gave the notes. Is like be aware of numbers. They call angel numbers and angel animals and stuff like that. if you see a number Often like if you look at the example she gave us is if you look at the clock and it is 1212 or 1010 or 33 333, them kind of numbers that means something. Those are called angel numbers, and those depending on which one it is, it have a different meaning.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: Five, I see in a lot of five fives are changes coming. Be prepared. Ones are the seeds that you planted are starting to grow. You know, you have to look it up and break it down. But I could send that to you too. I it's very helpful. when when you hear a song of your of somebody that used to love it, that pass, that is their way of them talking to you through the music. You hear the song, you think of them. That is them trying to say, I have you, you're safe, or or something like that, you know. If you

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: if you're driving and all of a sudden a butterfly fly in front of the in front of your mirror or your glass or in your car or whatever, something crazy like that. Un unnatural or yeah, unnatural would be the word or unusual. That is somebody from that past that's trying to communicate to you. And if you could relate that situation to that person, they're just trying to say hello. You know, you got start listening to that. And the more you listen to it, the more the wall will be easier to understand or easier to cope. Because like grief is difficult for a lot of people. Some people it they grieve and they over it in a month. Some people take years. You know, I have a friend that lose their their mom thirty years ago. And when I tell him I lose my mom, he say and get easier. So me and he start talking, and that's when he tells me he lose his mom thirty years ago and it feels like yesterday. And he said you get easier. I said, Dude, I only do a year. You you still grieving over thirty years. And he tell me the same thing, you know, get easier, but you have to listen to this this the Angel numbers and stuff. He's a big believer of that as well, too. And I find that out, you know. So you learn about people through everything happens for a reason. If you

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: run in late for walk, be late. Don't try to speed to be two minutes earlier or something. Just be late. You're late for a reason. Just go with it. And as

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: you go through it, you you might find the answer why you're late. That big old accident was right there or Just in front of you or behind you or something happened a walk.

Samuel: Or the person you've been waiting on or the that you gotta meet with is also late too, you know?

Eddy White: Yeah, so you just don't fight it, just go with it, you know. If there's many times when I was just driving home and I forget I was supposed to go this way. I was supposed to go left. I just keep going. I say I'll fight I'll figure it out. I remember

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: I I just gotta go back around and sure enough I run into a friend I ain't seen in a year, two years. Give him a ride. He's like, Man, I've been doing this and I'm like, Wow, if I didn't come through here, you would have been stuck for a longer time. So

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: Go with it. Don't fight it. Just go with it.

Samuel: What has this journe sorry, what has this journey taught you about the difference between having an idea and having the coverage to bring it to life?

Eddy White: That's that that answer is a tricky answer because when I was in high school I designed I designed a a shoe for Nike and I mail it to Nike. I didn't get no re response, no no return letter, nothing. I don't even know if they get. And I'm in college. So now this is for almost eight years later, after college. I am at Foot Locker and I'm looking at the display for a basketball shoe. I have no proof, but I could swear. That shoe that I'm looking at was my design. So then I like, well, nah, I didn't think anything of it. So I let go. Then I look up rules and stuff like if you send something to a company and seven years go by, that idea is now expired. Your idea is expired because you didn't do anything with it. So somebody else could take that idea, make it happen, and release it, you know? So it could have been that. Or my design was an inspiration to a designer at Nike and they did it. Two ways. You know, outside, I just say, Well, well, I I have no proof. I can't sue you for something that I don't even have the drawing or the you know, I didn't make a copy it, nothing like that. So that was the first one. Then the second one, remember the cell phones was getting smaller and smaller and smaller, and they had

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: the flip phone. Well, I had a design very similar to Nokio. And instead of the phone flipping up, the and your speaker piece come out from here, and it would be the perfect length of your phone, of your head. And I again I draw it out on paper. I did a poor man pattern. I mail it to myself. I get notarized, mail it to myself, and I never open the envelope. And sure enough, Nokia. Same idea. I am tired. So the answer to the question is I am tired of having an idea and not do anything with it. And later down the road, that's the same idea I have. So that is the answer to the question. I'm just tired of not making a move or trying to bring it to the public. And just letting it go.

Samuel: Okay. Yeah, I mean, seeing your designs and then believing that knowing that you could have been that person that invented that, you know? Especially

Eddy White: Right? Yeah.

Samuel: for a big name company like that, like Nike or

Eddy White: uh-huh.

Samuel: what Snokia is off ATT or something. Yeah.

Eddy White: Nokia ATT, yeah, I think Samson, it you know. But I it is just one of those weird things where I just said, Okay, after the commercial keep coming over and over and over and and I was thinking, okay, my girlfriend is trying to tell me something. 'Cause she know

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: about those couple ideas I had. She said, Don't let this one get away. So I I said, Okay. And I keep every door that come were about to close. Because I didn't have this or this, figure out a way how to make it happen. The funds was there, the people was in place. My business plan was reviewed by another person that was doing business plans for years. so yeah, everything it just happened for a reason, you know.

Samuel: Right. What would you say to someone who has an idea but keeps talking themselves out of pursuing it?

Eddy White: I'll say why? Why you s why you talking yourself out of it and what are you afraid of?

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: You know. and then just listen to them. They'll say, okay, well, let's say, okay, let's say they said they're afraid of it and talk themselves out of it because I don't have the funds for it. Okay, well, you could apply for a grant, a loan, you know, here's a options that you could you could apply for that would help you. they say, okay, well, it's too much for me to handle. As far as I don't know, let's say they're trying to create a new car. You know, you tell them the story of Ferrari. That's how they did it. You know? So every fear that the person have, almost every company in this entire wall went through that same fear. And if you find that that story that relates to that person, you could use that as an example and say, Well, see, they made it. Look where they are now.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: So what's your fear? You then an easier time now. We have so much we have the internet. Back in the days, you wanted to find something out, you had to go to the encyclopedia and you better hope that encyclopedia was up to date as far as two years old, you know? Everything is right there.

Samuel: Yeah. If Phelps Pocket grows beyond what you originally imagined, what would you want it to stand for?

Eddy White: I don't know. I just want it to stand for Yeah, I don't know. That's that's one I I have no answer. Whatever it stands for, it stand for. I wanted to stand for something where what does it mean to that person? That's what I wanted to stand for. I don't want it to stand for the same thing for everybody because if it stands for the same thing for everybody, then I didn't do a good job making it unique to that person, you know.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: That's why I wanted to stand for whatever that person field I stand for, that's the answer.

Samuel: So everybody creates their own meaning about it and based on what they got from the band, what they felt, what they saw. When you look back years from now, what would make you feel like this journey was truly worth it?

Eddy White: the headache that I keep having. The the headache from I have a friend that just actually called me up last week and he was the first person I talked to about this project and he said, Okay, cool. You know, let's do this, let's do that. And he he it wasn't like yeah, that wouldn't work like a couple people that I talked to before as well, too early in the in the mission. And he called me up and said, Today Something tell to call you and it was to tell you that I'm now five years sober. And I was the first person he told, yes, I was the first person he told he had stopped drinking. And I said, Okay, cool. How can I help you stop drinking? He said, Well, you can do this and this and this. I said, All right, cool. You get my support. He said, The reason why he remembered this day was because of me. He told somebody else, and they said, drink quitting is for losers and stuff like that. And, you know, they didn't support him. And for me, the reason why I support somebody like that or anybody is because that's their journey, that's their life. That

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: doesn't affect me. So why am I gonna not support somebody that dealing with something internally? You know,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: the biggest the biggest thing to do is support and love. Once you have that, you don't go far. So

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: with that said, I've cut out well I reduced my communication to maybe five friends that I know for a very long time. And when they call me, they're like, how you doing, blah blah blah. And I don't really tell them much about the business anymore because they was like, you thinking too big? That would never work. If it was if that would have worked, somebody would have had it a long time ago. And I said, Yeah, okay. But the fact that they tell me it wouldn't work, it can't be done, that kind of stuff, I just leave that energy away and I keep moving. Because and then a little down the line you you can't really take advice from somebody that never been in that position. Meaning you can't go and part of it is how we grow up being young and on the island, you know. We don't we everybody growing up, my mother and a lot of my friends, families, they would work hard and they would say

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: we want you to go to college. But they've never been to college. So I mean, you you wanted to get a better life than you. I understand that, but you never been there. So if I go to college, then what? Then you tell go to class and do this and do you never been there. That's another example is you go to somebody and ask them for help, financial help. But they never had a good saving account. They'd never been Millionaire, they live in paycheck to paycheck and then tell you how to do it. And you're like, Well,

Samuel: Mm-hmm.

Eddy White: if you could tell me how to do it, how come you can't do it? So you have to ask people that been in a position that have the experience in that question, you know. It's just difficult. You can't. All right, you go to the doctor and you have to do a surgery. Would you get a surgery from somebody that just finished carpentry school or actual medic? You know,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: you have to have somebody that have the experience or the knowledge or the know how in that profession, not outside of it and expect the the correct answer. You know?

Samuel: You know, you brought up a interesting point because and the way I laugh is because that's true for a lot of people from home, you know?

Eddy White: It was yeah, for a lot of us. Yeah.

Samuel: 'cause most of our parents come from like different islands or didn't have the opportunities to go to college, not even finish high school, you know? So so

Eddy White: Mm-hmm. Yeah. No. Right? And then they blame it on you. They say, well, I was gonna go to college, but then I get pregnant with you, and I couldn't afford like, don't blame it on me. I'm happy,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: but you know, it's like it's difficult. Very difficult. And then with that said, it's a blessing and a cost at the same time because a lot of friends or classmates of mine. They'll come back to visit St. Croix. And I stop asking them why you're here or what's new with you because half of them came back to take care of the parents, to take them back to the States or for a funeral. It's not, I come back because I done college break or spring break or Christmas break or vacation or nothing

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: like that anymore. two, a lot of us my age will come back from the states. And try to start the business or the career here, but island cannot support their their business. So then they go back to the state. Then just last yesterday actually a friend I ran into a friend, she came back and said, why Why we have a why we don't have trades like how we used to back in the days in in St. Croix? I'm talking plumbers, masonry, those kind of guys, carpentry.

Samuel: That was a must.

Eddy White: That was a must. But that must was our parents that was telling us to go to college to get a better life, an easier life than us. So now I go to

Samuel: Not even that, it was a high school requirement. You had to choose a elective of masonry, something, plumbing, electrician,

Eddy White: Yeah something electrician, plumber.

Samuel: diesel mechanics, something. You had to choose one just to pass high school. Yeah.

Eddy White: Something just to pass. And Spanish. You know. So when you look at our education now, it's like, well, our parents tell us go college, get easier life, a better life. So you could come back here and do what? You know, it's I do graphic design. I come back here and I tell the people in college my fee was like thirty five an hour. They're that's expensive. You can't cut me a break. I'm like, do I come to your job and ask, my bill too high? Give me a discount now. It's it's difficult. Yeah,

Samuel: Yeah. It's our mindset. Yeah.

Eddy White: it's difficult. But at the same time, you would see them going to another source and pay more than what you just give them a quote for. And they just pay without blinking. They're like, okay, that's normal. But then you look at your friends, they're like, no, I need a break. And you're like, come on, man.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: So that's why a lot of business don't do well in St. Croix or anywhere.

Samuel: I think it was like Myron Golden said it like he said the reason why that a lot of people are not getting the money they want in their business is because they're selling to broke people. And

Eddy White: Yes.

Samuel: instead of selling to the people that have the money to buy the product that you have.

Eddy White: Yes, yes.

Samuel: so that's one thing that stuck out to me when you said that is just we have to find the people that are willing to pay for the service that you do offer because they're out there.

Eddy White: Right. Yeah. They're out there.

Samuel: you just gotta find them.

Eddy White: You gotta find them. Another good example is when I had a photo gallery. So I'm taking pictures of St. Croix and I'm posting it and a couple of friends say you should try to get gallery. I'm like not really. I'm just doing this for my myself. This is my hobby. And I you know, something just said, Well, you always say you want to get better, you want to achieve more. So it was like kinda like a bucket list. Let me see if I could get it done. So I go to the gallery and the lady told me she had the nearest opening is two years from now. I'm like, all right, cool. Put me down for the list. And then Three months, four months l go by and she called me up out of the blue. So I was like, okay, this is weird. So I listen, I say, hello. She's like, Eddie, how you doing? I'm like, good, blah, blah, blah. And she said, I have an idea. I said, okay, I'm coming in. So I dropped what I was doing to go to a gallery and sit down on top to her. She like, Well the idea I was having is I want and I I cut her off and I said, sign me up, let's do it. She like, you don't even hear the idea. I said, well, the last time we talked, you was two years out. The fact that you're talking to me now means you have something or an opening possibility, a small window, the door cracking open, and I just pushing my way in now. So that's why I'm saying I'm ready. She's like, okay, well, this is the idea. The designer that she had set for, or the the artist, not designer, the artist she had set for January. of twenty-four, two thousand twenty-four. Don't think they could meet that that deadline or have enough artwork to present in the gallery. So she was thinking that me and another photographer could collab and have the gallery. Come to find out that photographer was a classmate of mine. I played basketball with him and it was that it was just weird. I'm like Yeah, definitely we're doing this together. You know? We couldn't get hold of him. We call and send messages. He was off Ireland. And then by the time he got a the message, I'd have done commit to it, so it was done too late. And he said, Yeah, it wouldn't work for me anyway, because I don't have such and such. So that was our again, everything happened for a reason. So now

Samuel: Right. Yeah.

Eddy White: she tell me, Do you have enough work for for the gallery? Granted, this is my first time having a gallery. Solo gallery. I said, of course. And I show her my portfolio again. I said, pick out the 10 that you like. Actually, I asked her how much pieces she needed, and she said, about 16 pieces. I said, okay, cool. Here, pick them up. She said, pick out 10 and you pick out the next five. Boom. That was done. She said, Did you think of a frame yet? I'm like, I'm an artist, I could create a frame. And it hit me. I had a frame back in college where it was a paint, a photo. Of something, something on the water was a photo of somebody artwork, and I had the frame and was printed on bind vinyl, like a banner material, so water resistant, that kind of stuff,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: and it had rivets, but very small rivets, and it was held in the corner by fishing lines. So I come home and my stepkids watching the wall, and the TV's behind of them, and they're Well, I think it was Teen Titans or SpongeBob or some one of those cartoons. And I look at them and say, what's going on? They're like, we're watching the photo move. I'm like, what photo move? And I start processing what's on the back of the wall before I look around. And sure enough, the photo was rocking in the middle of the frame. I'm like, it was hung by fishing line, so it would move, but what is causing it to move? Do I have a ghost in the house? And I look over, and what's making it move is the AC vent. The AC is on, so the wind is blowing, or the AC is blowing, and it's

Samuel: okay.

Eddy White: hitting the wall, and now the picture moving back to back. I'm like, I could recreate that frame. And that's where the concept comes from. So now the frame, and I don't even have one here now. They at the library. The frame, it's the same concept where You have your frame, then you have a one-inch window to see the wall, and then you have your three-inch white, and then the photo. Now my photos are four feet tall by three feet wide. So the big frame, ain't no small thing, you know. And then it's mounted on plexiglass. And I showed her the art gallery director, and she had one change. And that the change was to put on the plexiglass because I had the frame stuck to rivets in the corner or something.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: And she said, I like it, but it's not gonna be sufficient it wouldn't be to the standard of the gallery.

Samuel: Okay.

Eddy White: So she tell go to the frame maker, boom, boom, boom, which I did. And I tell her what I'm doing. And each frame, the way we was gonna do it would have been two pieces of glass, photo stuck between the frame. And it was a little too heavy. And the each frame would have cost me $800 for one frame. And so that didn't do good because my price. I didn't even set the price for the photo yet.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: So we reduced the the frame but to w plexiglass, print the the band the photos on vinyl, stick adhesive on this on the one side and it's vinyl on the other side, which makes it water resistant, durable, and wouldn't fade in the sun like paper would over time. so then that $800 frame went to $300. So now I have a bar pack. Where am I gonna get the money from for this frame? So I tell the frame maker, I have 16 frames that I need to make. If the gallery does good, I will be able to pay you. If it don't do good, I would be able to pay you monthly $1,000

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: until the bill is done. She said, okay, that's how it was done. And I learned that trick or that maneuver by a business book where the guy said Actually with a mentor. He said if you always think about your bills, that's all that's gonna come.

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: If you think of something else, that's also gonna come instead of the bills. But it's hard to do that because that's all we do. We worry

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: about our mortgage, our light bill, our phone bill, all these small stuff. And we always say, I can't afford that. And the word I cannot afford is that triggering our mind. That is something we can't achieve anymore. So it's out of my reach. I have to work harder to achieve that. you want a BMW and you're gonna see the price for it. I can't afford that. You

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: start setting yourself up. So you but what if you say to yourself, How can I afford that? That answer will come to you and then you figure it out. So that's

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: why when I go to the gallery and I said, Instead of saying I can't afford it when I know I couldn't afford it, I said, How can I afford this? I need more time. And then I say, okay, if the calories do good, then I could pay the bill. So that's how that whole thing came about. So instead of

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: saying I can't afford this, said to yourself, How can I afford whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish or purchase? How can you afford this new cruise for you and your wife or you and your family? Well, an easy way to do is. Do secret secret gifts or or somebody like that and see if they have a a gift certificate or a grant or or something like that that would pay for it. You know,

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: that's how you make it happen. Not I can't afford it. If you take the word I can't and say, How can I achieve my goal? How can I achieve? That's the key word. And they start set start setting in the back of your mind to start thinking of how you could do that. You know?

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: for us is

Samuel: So

Eddy White: walk four more hours on top of that, you know, stuff like that. So that's yes.

Samuel: So how can you afford it? You changing the mindset, flipping the i can which shuts your brain down to

Eddy White: Mm-hmm.

Samuel: how to making your brain think about different things is the way to

Eddy White: To accomplish it, yes.

Samuel: accomplish it. believing in yourself means what?

Eddy White: Believe in yourself. you have to believe in yourself because if God don't want you here anymore, He would, you know, you'll die. So the fact that you wake up every morning, you have to believe in yourself because he wake you up. He wakes you up for a reason. Now, to believe in yourself, a lot of us would wake up and the first thing we do is grab our phone. See what's going on in the wall. See what's going

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: on in the news. And I like the news, but the news is also that shouldn't be the first thing you do in the morning. First thing in the morning is that you take five minutes, meditate. Try not to fall back asleep, but you know, take that little five minutes for yourself. Because

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: once you wake up and you start getting going, it you just going, going, going, and half of the stuff ain't even for you. You know, you got Get kids ready for school, make them breakfast, make sure the book bag pack, all that stuff. Get to work on time for somebody else. You know, that's for them. So that five minutes in the bed, that's for you. That's like, man, I wake up, you know. Okay. Let me relax. Let me enjoy this little five minutes before I get going. Because the wall

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: is a evil place almost. You know? So spend time for yourself. Be

Samuel: Take time for yourself.

Eddy White: Yeah. And then final note, be uncomfortable. No, be comfortable being uncomfortable. And that would break you down to the point where it'll take you you'll stay humble is the easy way to do it. Meaning remember the days when you didn't have food to eat or or you had four dollars left in your in your account till Monday and you eat a sandwich or one meal a day or didn't eat, you know? Bring you back to those days where you did it from that point to now where you you even forget about that. Take a

Samuel: Yeah.

Eddy White: walk outside without no shoes. You know, live life, enjoy life, spend time remembering where you come from. That's it.

Samuel: So I wanna thank everybody for tuning in to this episode of Be Inspired Podcast where we're inspiring you to live the abundant life you deserve. This is the VI edition of Be Inspired. We took it all the way back to St. Croix. but thank you. If Eddie said anything that resonate with you, if you like the product, you want the product, it's all gonna be linked up to the bottom. Let's have a com conversation and a comment of the biggest insight you had. All right, so until next time, we'll

Eddy White: That's the money.

Samuel: see you on the next episode. Peace.