Friday, June 5, 2009

Like many inventions, SmartButtons were created to solve a problem.

Joel Williams Jr.Joel Williams, Jr. has a younger sister, and when she was 3 he noticed that she had difficulty identifying the correct shoe for each foot. He thought it would be a great idea to invent a device a kid could use by herself that told her if the shoe she had was a right she or a left shoe.

So at age 11, Joel invented SmartButton to do exactly that. Joel is now 14 and has seen his invention become not just a reality, but a lucrative one at that. The device attaches to each shoe, and all a kid has to do is press a button to hear “This is my right shoe” in English or Spanish.

You can visit his site here: http://smartbuttonshoes.com/index.php

According to the Temple Daily Telegram, the invention won Joel Black Enterprise magazine’s Teenpreneur award.

Even as the SmartButton is selling well, Joel has been so inspired by the experience that he wants to inspire other kids to think creatively to solve problems. To that end, he has created a motivational DVD about the experience and sells that at his site also.

Congratulations to Joel on his success!

Do you know an inspiring young person? We’d love to hear about him or her. It’s easy to toot a horn for your inspiring kid. Post a blog on this site, submit a story for inclusion in my book “Kids Who Inspire,” or email me at gordon@kidswhoinspire.com.

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