They Say Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Palmetto Bella Staff

December 5, 2020

“Our need will be the real creator.”
Plato’s Republic, c. 375 BC

“The true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention.”
Jowett’s loose translation, 1894

“I love knives and almost always carry one with me,” he says. He has spent countless hours sharpening his knives but could never achieve the “perfect” edge or replicate the factory edge. But necessity is the mother of invention, they say. “I came up with the idea of The Sharpener’s Edge when one day a picture popped into my head and I drew it on a piece of paper. Then I fabricated it out of metal in my garage. It worked and it was so simple to use!” It has taken years, but Jim and Colleen have received both utility and design patents for The Sharpener’s Edge, and the first one was manufactured, in the United States, in 2018.

The magic of this sharpener is that it holds just about any sharpening rod or stone at just the right angle for each blade, and it takes just minutes to get a razor sharp edge. The Sharpener’s Edge works on all straight-blade knives, scissors (including surgical scissors), PVC pipe cutters, goat hoof trimmers (useful for the afore-mentioned goats), some hand pruners, and wire cutters. If you are able to cut a tomato or slice a cucumber, you can sharpen a knife with this tool.

Jim and Colleen are a loving team. Colleen is obviously proud of Jim’s invention and convinced it is the answer to keeping Jim from having to commute to Savannah. Jim credits his Colleen with giving him the motivation to keep going through years of obstacles.

Now Colleen and Jim, and the children when Jim is not available, faithfully attend hunting and fishing shows to demonstrate and sell the sharpener; they offer to sharpen visitor’s knives while they wait. There is always a crowd, but a sceptical one, because we all have sharpeners that don’t work. Between shows, the family offers sharpening services. And gradually, from groomers to chefs, hunters to goat breeders, surgeons to cooks, pipe fitters to hair dressers and barbers, the product is catching on.

To learn more about The Sharpener’s Edge, and see how and why it works, visit ProductsByJCS.com.

Palmetto Bella Staff

Staff writer for Palmetto Bella Magazine

Palmetto Bella Staff

Staff writer for Palmetto Bella Magazine

In the know

How much do you know about employee benefits?

It is the time of year when employees make their benefit selections. Many of them do not know what they are selecting, but next year thousands of dollars will be deducted from their paychecks to pay for benefits they know very little about. Many employees select the lowest premium plan without realizing that it does not cover the spouse’s prescription medications or the child’s therapy. A friend of mine recently came to me for assistance in selecting her family’s benefit plans for next year. She was handed an enrollment form to make her selections and no other information. When I started asking her questions, she could not answer them. There

What Should I Do With My Money?

The point is that every person’s situation is unique, and there is hardly ever a cookie cutter answer to the question, “What should I do with my money?” This is the question I hear just about every day of my life. It is an excellent question and can only be answered with another question. Some days the answers in life are simple and other days the complexity of life is beyond our imagination. The answer to this question is somewhere in between. It begins with a couple of simple questions. First of all, what is the purpose of the money you are referring to, and what is the time frame?

Celebrate Low Interest

There are a lot of reasons to celebrate today. Sure, we are in a pandemic and many people are divided by the who’s who in politics, but there are still so many reasons to celebrate, at least in the real estate industry. Low interest rates, great mortgage incentives — for both new and seasoned buyers — and lower credit scores are celebration enough. When interest rates go down, people qualify for a higher priced home for the same monthly payment. As Chris Marr, a mortgage sales manager says, “Current rates are still low and underwriting standards have also been lowered and modified in order to help first-time homeowners with approvals.”

9 Financial Tips from a Wall Street Enthusiast

1. “Pay taxes on the seed, not the harvest.” When you invest in Roth IRAs and 401(k)s, you pay taxes on the money you contribute. Because you already paid the tax, no tax is collected when the money is taken back out. 2. Convert IRAs into Roth IRAs. Make after-tax contributions now, and you will enjoy tax-free withdrawals during retirement. 3. Convert 401(k)s into Roth 401(k)s. Make after-tax contributions now, and enjoy tax-free withdrawals during retirement. As an added bonus, companies often match some or all of the money you invest. 4. Utilize 1031 exchanges on Real Estate. There is a 6 month window to prevent payments on capital gains