Connie Inukai is a well-known author who advocates for active retirement for senior citizens through social or corporate activity.
In addition, Connie is also an entrepreneur and an inventor of a technology that made it easier for diners to read the menu and pay the bill. She also started a business to help others write their life stories through photos. Before pursuing this path, she was a technical writing professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland for over four decades until she retired.
Growing up, Connie had a difficult childhood. Despite the difficulties, she persisted and went on to attain her goals, overcoming any barriers that arose. Connie kept looking for a suitable professional path that would allow her to cease living paycheck to paycheck after her parents’ divorce left her with major financial restraints.
Connie’s most painful memory is of her high school lover, Clayton, dying in a car accident. After grieving incessantly for three months, she determined to live her life to the fullest in his honour. Clayton was a 4.0 GPA student who had been accepted to Yale in his junior year, but fate had something else planned for him. Connie will never forget him and will strive to go above and beyond in all she does for the rest of her life. She still holds on to his memories even after more than 50 years.
Connie worked three jobs to pay for her college tuition. She purchased a dress with one of her first paychecks, making it the first piece of clothes she owned on her own. Connie previously worked as a professor of Technical Writing at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. She inspired many graduating college students to think about their career alternatives and improve their writing skills to complement their technical strengths. At the time, Connie had no intention of pursuing an innovation profession.
Tip ‘N Split – An Innovative Invention
Connie had to wear reading glasses whenever she went out to dine with friends since no one could see the small print on the menus and bills. They’d had a few drinks, so someone would always offer to split the bill and figure out the tip when it arrived. As a result, Connie decided to launch Tip ‘n Split to improve their eating experiences. It’s a cutting-edge LED magnifying device that allows you to clearly see menus, calculate tips, and split prices among your party members. Tip ‘n Split is simple to use and keeps dinner pleasurable by making the bill-paying process less stressful. The device also prevents you from using your smartphone at the table, avoiding distractions.
The actual assembly of Connie’s idea was the first hurdle, but she was fortunate to have an ex-husband who was a skilled electrical engineer and mathematician. He heard her proposition, and they worked together, creating the algorithms that allowed her product to function correctly. Tip ‘n Split is an extremely handy device for people who enjoy eating out but struggle to read the fine print on the menu or bill.
In her second chapter, Connie assumes the personas of a “Grandmapreneur,” an inventor, a speaker, an author, and more. She founded a company, submitted one patent request and three trademark applications, and figured out how to make money from her first invention, Tip ‘n Split, and her second venture, Write Your Selfie. Connie’s first big break was getting on QVC, which was an arduous task as only approximately 500 of more than 10,000 vendor applications received by the retail behemoth each year are approved for placement on its T.V. channels and online platforms.
Most young individuals do not have a large sum of money they can use to develop their inventions because the process requires significant capital. As a young single parent, she always worried about money. Now, as a grown woman with adult and financially stable children, she doesn’t have the added pressure. Therefore, for Connie, the motivating factor was passion, not money.
