April Mitchell

Meet April Mitchell– 4A’s Creations Founder, Award-winning Inventor, Designer, Educator, Writer, and Speaker. April invents products in various industries for license. She also does Design for Hire work and is open to working with new clients.

shop 4a's creationsAbout April

April Mitchell

Meet April Mitchell– 4A’s Creations Founder, Award-winning Inventor, Designer, Educator, Writer, and Speaker. April invents products in various industries for license. She also does Design for Hire work and is open to working with new clients.

shop 4a's creationsAbout April

April the Inventor

April Mitchell is a professional inventor and designer specializing in the toys, games, party, novelty, and housewares industries. A product licensing expert and designer for hire who uses her background as an educator, military spouse, and the “Mom of 4 Factor” for developing and designing products in several industries with some help from her TEAM (family of 6). She is a 2x Patented inventor who has designed, developed, and licensed concepts in several industries.
These products inspired by life as a military family, teacher, and mom bring both function and fun to families’ homes helping make life more enjoyable and convenient for everyone.

April’s areas of expertise include: organizational and storage products, kitchen tools & gadgets, party supplies, preschool toys & games, family games, party games, adult games, strategy games, sports toys and games, and outdoor/yard games. She is also diving into the pet and fishing industries and will have new products ready to present soon. April is continuously working on innovative concepts as well as taking on new clients to work with. If you are a company looking for exciting and fresh ideas for your product line be sure to reach out to her! 

April the Educator

As a teacher at heart, April has a thirst to share her knowledge, experiences, and expertise with others. This has driven her to previously work as a product licensing coach at inventRight, teach a Game Design 101 course to middle schoolers, as well as co-teach The Tabletop Board Game Master Class with Ed Gartin to aspiring game inventors.

April has helped countless people realize their dreams of becoming inventors by educating them on the process and mindset it takes to be a successful inventor. April is an expert in her field and loves nothing more than guiding others through the invention process.

April has several resources available for guidance, including her monthly column in Inventors Digest called Meant to Invent, her YouTube channel, articles, podcasts, books, and webinars/workshops. You can learn a lot from her industry knowledge and friendly approach. So, explore her resources to find what suits your needs and interests!

April the Speaker

With a wealth of knowledge on inventing and entrepreneurship, April provides actionable advice to her audience so they can learn from her experiences as an entrepreneur and inventor.
Some guest speaking engagements include Inventors Groups of America, Military Spouse, USO Camp Pendleton, Inventorcon, and multiple regional inventors’ groups.

She focuses on topics such as The Inventing process- from Idea to Licensing Deal, Game Design 101, Pitching like a Pro, What it takes to be a Successful Inventor, Having the Right Mindset and Tools for the Industry, Overcoming Emotions and Obstacles to Follow Your Dream, Personal Growth & Development for Product Development, Using Natural Health & Essential Oils to Help Overcome Your Battles.

Are you searching for an inspirational speaker to energize and motivate your class, inventors group, or at your workshop? Then April is a perfect choice!

Shop April's Products

Purchase April’s products directly by clicking the links below!

Companies April Has Served

Where to Find April’s Products

Testimonials

“April’s creative mind & eye are impressive! She can look at something in so many ways it often spins 1000 more ideas. She is so inspirational with her positive energy. Her optimism is contagious!”

Valerie Villalobos

“April Mitchell is a phenomenal Toy and game inventor who has achieved a remarkable series of licensing successes in recent years. Her inventing prowess is evident in the captivating concepts she develops that capture the imagination of both children and adults. April’s dedication to quality and her ability to identify market trends have earned her numerous accolades and a string of licensing successes.

However, April’s passion extends beyond inventing. She is deeply committed to teaching and coaching aspiring inventors, sharing her knowledge and expertise to nurture the next generation of creative minds…”

Read Full Testimonial

Ed Gartin

“April Mitchell is a truly unique professional. Her ability to implement and leverage information is uncanny!! Her willingness to not only test, learn from mistakes, and turn them around, but then help others learn by sharing her experiences in a light-hearted way is a breath of fresh air.

She is an infectiously fun, positive, and loyal creative who is an extraordinary ambassador for the inventing community. Having professional inventors like April out there will undoubtedly help keep companies’ open innovation doors open to others.

If you have the opportunity to work with April, take it. She’s a team player who always brings value.”

Benjamin Harrison

“April presented to my Business INCubator students on the steps necessary to successfully license their product ideas. Her ease of explaining the steps and showing some of her own successfully licensed product opened doors and opportunities for my students to explore! She provided another opportunity to rethink the entrepreneurial mindset.”

Brad Neaubauer

“April spoke with my cohort of WWP and Service2CEO Wednesday, Sept 28, 2022. One participant stated, “This workshop is already making me think of ways I need to rephrase my elevator pitch.” I appreciated how April offered feedback on the mission and vision statements to participants that requested feedback. April’s teaching experience came through with her empathy and respect that she gave everyone on the call.”

Colleen M. Salchow

“Working with April was a great experience from beginning to end. She really knows her stuff, has a ton of passion, compassion, and knows how to give a gentle nudge in the right direction, -often times without you even realizing it! She’s not hesitant to brainstorm with you on your behalf for the benefit of your creation. She is a SOLID coach, and I HIGHLY recommend her!”

Jason Whittaker

“I just finished the Table Top Games Master Course created and led by April Mitchell and Ed Gartin. What a fun and educational experience the course has been!
April has a tremendous knowledge base when it comes to toys and games, and is very generous with passing it on to fellow inventors. I learned so much by hearing about designing games, making prototypes, writing rules, play testing, creating sizzle videos and then pitching to companies, both virtually and in person. Hearing about how she worked through these steps made the learning process interesting and practical. Taking the Table Top Games Master Course was the best career decision I made this year, and I would recommend it highly to anyone, at any level, interested in designing board games.”

Bill Ward

“April´s career path has taken her from teaching in Arizona to becoming a product development coach with InventRight and a full-time inventor residing in North Carolina. Her discipline and resilience has resulted in multiple licensing deals and recently earned her a spot on the prestigious Mojo Nation 100 list.

She excels in all aspects of inventing, from concept to networking, pitching and negotiating. April is known for generously sharing her knowledge through mentoring and courses, such as the Tabletop Game Design program she co-teaches with Ed Gartin and which I recently took and rate it 5-stars!

April is an inspiration to all of us, and her “patented” catchphrase, “don’t stop pitching till you reach the dotted line!” reminds us to “keep our feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!”

Edgar Gonzalez Allegre

“April is perhaps the best coach I have ever encountered. She is experienced and very competent to teach others. She is also very patient and systematic to make sure everything is covered. Since taking her as a coach I am very optimistic and inspired to be successful in Product development. April does not waste time and the coaching calls are right to the point without fluff or hype. I look forward to many years of success with the foundation that you are teaching. Thank you, April.”

R. Wayne Lapidez

“Our coach April has been so supportive and inspiring, making this experience a very positive one. She is really invested in our success and has gone above and beyond, more than once, providing extra inputs well outside of the scheduled time slots. Thanks for all the encouragement and keeping us on track!”

Michele Weininger

“I worked around a multitude of Air Force brass during my 27 years in the Air Force and subsequently discovered that as my Coach at InventRight, April had just as much of the straightforward and no-nonsense approach to coaching as some of the brightest leaders/educators I came across while in the Air Force. Her expectations and Licensing/Marketing experience were quite helpful real-life reference material during the course assignments to enlighten me on the various attributes of necessary paths for success during the course, and in follow-on licensing endeavors on down the road. It was an honor to have met such an enlightening and energetic coach, who also respectfully held me accountable on all course endeavors and licensing activities, and how those efforts were in direct relation to my contact activities with those various industries I was reaching out to for licensing. I can’t imagine a better experience on learning the various aspects of Research/Licensing/Marketing activities, than what I received from April Mitchell at InventRight. Hats off to April…and Congrats to the students lucky enough to be assigned to her if becoming a student at InventRight!…your entrepreneurial licensing endeavors will be on a solid foundation having had the opportunity to have April Mitchell as your coach.”

Chad Parks

“April is simply amazing. She is one of the kindest, most hard-working, creative, forthright, and down-to-earth human beings I have had the joy of meeting in the game/toy/product design space. Every conversation with her is informed by years of expertise, sage guidance grounded in first-hand experience, and active listening that leads to constructive dialogue.

I knew virtually nothing about game design before taking a “Tabletop Game Design Masterclass” led by April + Ed Gartin, and left feeling equipped, inspired, + vitalized by all the possibilities. Working together, their innate superpowers amplify, and they become even greater than the sum of their shiny parts.

*WARNING*: after taking this course, you WILL start seeing game concepts around you everywhere! Don’t EVER leave home without a notepad.

If you’re a “newbie” in the game design world, and are questioning whether or not to take this course, rest assured that the skills taught here are not only comprehensive + well-paced, but also transferrable to other industries…”

Read Full Testimonial

Adam Bagatavicius

“I took April’s class in game invention/pitching and can confidently recommend it (and her as a mentor) to anyone interested in the space. April brings patience, enthusiasm, hard-won wisdom, and general silliness that makes learning about games and toys rewarding and fun (and, as she’ll tell you, it’s all about FUN!). She really knows her stuff, and her dynamic with Ed (our co-instructor) brought out the best from both of them, resulting in a well-rounded lesson in how to go from aspiration to invention to licensing. 10/10!”

Ellen Eastaugh

“As someone who has had experience in the toy industry, but little experience with games, I immediately signed up for Ed & April’s ‘Tabletop Game Design Masterclass’.

Together, their wealth of knowledge of games is staggering. They’re both extremely generous and disclose all of their trade secrets! You can tell that they genuinely want to see everyone in the class succeed and they provide all the necessary tools and assistance to make that a reality.

April has such a positive energy about her that is contagious, and she is quickly becoming one of the most relevant game designers in the industry! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and recommend it to anyone looking to get into tabletop game design!

Thank you Ed & April!”

William Anderson

Frequently asked Questions

What Does April Invent and or Design?

April invents and designs new products in several categories. Some products solve a problem, while others are just for fun! She develops new products where she sees a need whether in the housewares industry, novelty, party, pet, fishing, or toys & games industries. Other times companies hire April to develop a product for a need they have. She is open to working with new companies.

Can April Come Speak at My Event?

April loves speaking to groups about various topics via a video webinar/seminar or live in person. Please contact her and let her know what you are looking for along with the dates and location and she will work it out with you.

What are Some of the Products April has Invented or Designed?

You can check out her Welcome video at the top of the page to see what products April has worked on. As new products come out, they are added to the video.

Where Can I Purchase April’s Products?

Click on the Shop button to see available products and where to purchase them.