Business Opportunities Weblog

August 11, 2008 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

Orlando Sentinel:

Scot Weiss left a full-time career in finance and accounting for one that requires taking financial risks and fiddling with gadgets in the garage.

The onetime chief financial officer for Orlando developer Cameron Kuhn made the switch to inventor after he was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder, a condition marked by varying amounts of distractibility, impulsiveness and hyperactivity.

Weiss, 43, has spent the past couple of years creating, manufacturing and modifying a device for cleaning swimming pools and other large water features. He likens his Parachute Skimmer — which started as a way to rid his backyard pool of dog hair — to a push broom for the water.

He still doesn’t have a manufacturer or distributor, but he has managed to sell several of the devices to one of the region’s big theme-park companies.

“Now the hard work begins,” said Jerry Ross, executive director of the Disney Entrepreneur Center in Orlando. “Inventors like Scot,” once they create and seek a patent for their brainstorms, have to take on the roles of production manager, sales director and finance chief for their fledgling enterprises.

Photo by Marie D. DeJesus.

In Ideas, Inventions | 4 Comments
Tags: Entrepreneurial Lifestyle