This year, World Intellectual Property Day celebrates talented female inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs, and their contributions to improving our lives. Women in all regions are shaping the world through their imagination, ingenuity and hard work, but often face significant challenges in accessing the knowledge, skills, resources and support they need to thrive.
As part of our celebration of the day, we reached out to some of the women inventors and entrepreneurs we work with to find out more about their business, the importance of IP in the growth of the business and whether they have been able to find a community of women for support in their area.
Isabel Meenan, Patent Attorney, interviewed Nikita McCoy, co-founder and director of Klink Fitness Ltd, manufacturer of Premium Modular Fitlok Dumbbells. “Twist it. Click it. Lift It.”
What was the inspiration behind your business/invention?
The inspiration came to light over the covid 19 pandemic. Using borrowed and old fitness equipment I soon discovered a niche in the market for higher-quality adjustable fitness equipment. My husband, Graeme, and I used our skill set in engineering to quickly develop the product and develop a prototype. We loved the compact design and decided to take it to market.
What challenges did you overcome in driving your business/invention forwards?
Covid, in general, was a hard time, with remote working it was difficult to engage with businesses as I would have liked and therefore getting the product into people’s hands was more difficult. Socially, with school closures and having a young child at home, it was more of a challenge to manage my time. I think with any new product there can be resistance, the best action is to push on and develop your place and continue to adapt and grow in your chosen market. Apart from this I have found it a positive experience driving the business forward and has been wonderful working in a new sector and meeting new people. All business comes with daily challenges, I enjoy working through the process.
How important has your Intellectual Property been in the growth of your business?
Hugely! With the current market and rapid spread of information online I knew it was essential prior to launch to have these steps in place. I decided to file a UK patent prior to our website going live so we would have protection. Thankfully it was made clear early on that our invention was individual. Since then we have been granted our UK patent and have also filed in international territories in the recent months. I additionally recently filed a trademark of the brand to provide additional protection along with design cover of our equipment.
Have you been able to find a community of like-minded women, who are building businesses to improve lives, and do they provide support to you in your endeavours?
I personally have found this particular sector very male dominated. I would say the majority of my business encounters from launch have been male colleagues. I think the fitness industry & engineering are very male dominated industries, although this is definitely changing. I find this an extreme change from my previous days working as a nurse as that was predominantly female. Saying that, I have had the pleasure to meet a lot of fellow female business owners who may not work in the same sector but encounter similar challenges. It’s a great benefit to discuss some of these challenges and learn from each other. It’s nice to have additional female support.
Many thanks to Nikta for taking the time to let us know more about her business and IP journey. We look forward to continuing to support her and her business in the future.