Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property
My name is David Spears and I am an Intellectual Property attorney who manages patent portfolios for client ranges from start-up companies to multibillion dollar companies around the world. I am also a former college football player for Michigan State University. I am interviewing people who have invested in themselves and Intellectual property, and who then goes on to start a business around their intellectual Property.
Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property
How a Patented Golf Tee Built a Viral Brand | Caroline Sierra, Flight Path & Shark Tank Secrets
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Ever wondered what happens when you take a product golfers have used for hundreds of years… and completely reinvent it? In this episode of Everything Intellectual Property, we sit down with Caroline Sierra, co-founder of Flight Path Golf Tees, the company behind what many are calling the most viral golf tee in the game. Caroline reveals how a simple idea—backed by a utility patent, robotic testing, and relentless execution—turned into a category-defining product that even landed on Shark Tank.
But the real story starts long before the cameras. Caroline takes us behind the scenes of building multiple startups, raising capital, selling businesses, and using her venture and marketing background to scale brands through Clickable Impact. She shares the uncomfortable truth about ecommerce, why most founders burn through ad dollars without building real sales systems, and the exact framework she uses to decide whether a business is worth investing in.
You’ll also hear how Flight Path navigated United States Golf Association compliance, why they chose Michigan-based manufacturing, how patents, trademarks, and supply chain control became competitive moats, and what it really takes to turn one piece of molded plastic into a brand with millions in potential. If you’re building a product, protecting IP, or chasing your next big idea—this episode is a masterclass you don’t want to miss.
#FlightPath #SharkTank #Golf #GolfInnovation #GolfTech #Entrepreneurship #Ecommerce #Startup #Patents #Trademarks #IntellectualProperty #Inventor #ProductDevelopment #BusinessPodcast #FounderStory #Manufacturing #Amazon #BrandProtection #EverythingIntellectualProperty
00:00 – The Golf Tee That’s Changing the Game
04:39 – From Startup Risk to 500,000+ Customers
08:30 – Why Flight Path Chose U.S. Manufacturing Over China
13:17 – Raising Millions Through Venture Capital
15:58 – The Moment Caroline Almost Passed on Flight Path
20:12 – Patents, Trademarks & Protecting Against Knockoffs
24:48 – Inside Shark Tank: What Viewers Never Saw
29:35 – Building a Brand in the Age of Amazon Copycats
35:22 – Scaling Through TikTok, Ecommerce & Owned Media
42:10 – Caroline’s Advice for First-Time Product Inventors