Enterprenuer
William Morriss has been helping clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies navigate complicated issues around law and technology and get protection for their inventions.
As an entrepreneur and passionate advocate for patents in business, he has seen their impact on his clients’ success.
William is the Senior Technology Advisor at IP Toolworks.
He founded the company to help lawyers respond to rejections by the USPTO more efficiently.
What is the story of IP Toolworks?
The technology used by IP Toolworks was a tool I created to counter the inefficiencies I saw in my daily practice as a patent lawyer, training new associates and negotiating with patent examiners.
It is a proprietary core technology that, similar to Google, uses sophisticated search algorithms to offer efficient, automated techniques for helping attorneys find relevant information to their particular situations.
How do you stay productive?
My day is spent putting out fires according to urgency.
If I notice that I get too involved in something, I will put it at the top of my priority list.
This is because there is likely an unresolved issue that is making it complicated.
It is easy for me to identify when something isn’t working in my job as an attorney and make adjustments accordingly.
How do you bring ideas to life?
My experience as a patent attorney has allowed me to work with clients to understand the details of how an inventive idea is implemented.
This is what I believe works best. 8).
What’s your favorite trend?
It is exciting to see that
t the infection rate is declining, and vaccinations are rising.
This has exciting implications for everyone, no matter what field.
What habits make you productive?
When I notice something is not working, I stop and try to fix it.
If I see it, I’m spending too much time tapping an app on my phone.
I will either delete it or stop eating if I feel that I can’t focus on a deadline right now.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
I wish I had known how to get into programming.
Although my parents were able to find me opportunities to study programming to support my passion as a child, it was still a new subject for them.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
It is the worst thing we can do as a culture for education to focus on STEM and ignore humanities and liberal arts.
It’s like asking everyone to view the world through microscopes and then being shocked when they don’t see the whole picture.
It’s so apparent to me. I don’t know how anyone can not see it.
It was only after I married and met a historian that I realized this, and it isn’t easily scalable, so I don’t know how this truth will ever be widely accepted.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
I strive to find the best people to work with and delegate as much as possible to them.
It’s possible to achieve much more by spreading responsibility among a strong team.
Moreover, by ensuring that the best person performs the job, everyone can increase productivity as we are not constantly trying to learn new skills.
What’s your rich strategy?
It is important to fail fast. It’s not a good idea to invest resources in a ship that is likely to sink, but it’s okay to fail fast.
Sometimes things can take time to perfect. We maintained a lean organization, which allowed us to persevere long enough to create a solid product and make adjustments to ensure that we reached product-market fit.
We would have failed to realize our potential and not been able to get where we are today if we had decided to fail fast.
How do you overcome Failure?
The software was something I had in mind and wanted to use in my practice.
Despite doing what we thought was thorough due diligence, it took us a while to get our first sale.
Before the launch, we spent much time interviewing potential customers and working closely with beta users.
We also worked with mentors to learn how to manage and launch a startup.
However, when it was time to move from paying customers to users, nothing happened.
My cofounder reminded us of how deliberate we were in building the business and that we did have a great product.
In the end, I trusted my team and emerged the stronger for it.
Despite my early setbacks, we were able to sell our first product and find users who enjoyed the software as much as I did.
Can you share a business idea?
Data privacy is a hot area of opportunity. Companies are trying to keep up with the new regulations.
They need tools to ensure compliance. Software, perhaps a network monitoring software made more user-friendly, records and reports on all data collected.
What’s your recent best buy?
I recently purchased a high-quality Bluetooth headset.
It is so helpful to be able to answer calls even though I work from home.
It’s a bonus that I can now listen to YouTubers and dance music without worrying whether our one-year-old might be sleeping.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
To keep my mind sharp, when I have to think through a complex topic or prepare for a presentation, it is a good idea to get up and move.
A metronome app on my smartphone is an excellent tool for me.
It helps me keep my pace and keeps me moving while I work through any complex problem.
Which book would you recommend?
Entrepreneurs should read more fiction. It is a great way to relieve stress and engage in world-building and storytelling.
A. J. Hartley’s fantasy adventure, Will Power, is a great choice.
It challenges expectations and is a fantastic read.
This book will change your perception of what it means to disrupt.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Never play to win the pawn when your development is still incomplete.”
Aron Nimzowitsch
TL;DR by William Morriss
It is not always a good idea to fail quickly.
Everyone should be vaccinated immediately.
Continue to read more fiction. Not only is it a stress reliever, but engaging with storytelling and world-building fosters skills that are essential to staying on top of the game.
