I write about sales, leadership & productivity to help you become a top sales performer. RSM at Lonestar Forklift | AIB MBA

I’m Chris Crane, and my mission is simple:

Transforming industrial sales reps & teams into formidable professionals.

Over my 15-year sales career, I’ve closed over $100 million in industrial equipment deals, trained more than 150 reps, and led industrial sales teams across Canada and the U.S.

I built the Scaling Success System™ to give industrial sales teams what no one else offers: a sales operating system specifically engineered for industrial sales.

This system has taught over 150+ industrial sales reps & teams to operate as formidable professionals, and it can do the same for your team.

DM "sales" to learn more.

Chris Crane

Wife & Mother of 7 | Venture Capital | Scientist | TOP 30 Patent Drafters | United States Patent Examiner | Violinist | Polyglot | STEM Children's Author | #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law

Kathryn Vatt is a scientist, former USPTO Examiner, and devoted wife and mother of seven, with over 25 years shaping the future of innovation. Recognized as one of the Top 30 Patent Drafters and Prosecutors and the #1 LinkedIn Global Influencer in Innovation/IP Law, Kathryn has built a career at the intersection of science, law, and business—helping inventors, startups, and global companies turn creativity into competitive advantage.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.S. Biology) and Johns Hopkins University (M.S. Biotechnology), Kathryn is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor in Patent Law at the Franklin Pierce School of Law, one of the world’s leading IP programs. Her rare cross-disciplinary background gives her both the scientific insight and the legal strategy to protect ideas at the highest level.

At the USPTO, Kathryn examined thousands of patent applications, conducted exhaustive prior art searches, and made determinations that shaped industries and influenced global innovation. After leaving the Patent Office, she founded Vatt IP Management, where she develops bulletproof IP strategies, drafts airtight applications, and supports litigation teams in defending patents. She also mentors engineering and life science students through Arizona State University’s Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute and judges international startup competitions, nurturing the next generation of innovators.

Her entrepreneurial vision extends to her ventures:

My Startup Shield™, a founder-focused program that helps startups secure their innovations before they pitch. It protects ideas at the earliest, most vulnerable stage and positions founders to raise capital with confidence

My AI Examiner™, the world’s first proprietary patent search platform that combines examiner-trained AI Patent Examiners with Kathryn’s own human review. Unlike conventional tools, it doesn’t just search faster—it “thinks like an examiner,” offering inventors and startups clarity, precision, and strategy.

MyKidVentors™, a STEM-inspired children’s book series born from her seven children’s real “What if?” questions. Through these imaginative stories, she nurtures curiosity in the next generation, showing that every big invention begins with a single question.

For Kathryn, the same motherly instinct that guides her family fuels her professional mission: to protect, guide, and nurture startups with care, strategy, foresight, and integrity. She believes innovation doesn’t just start in labs or boardrooms—it starts in the curious minds of those brave enough to ask, “What if?”

Kathryn V.

FOR THE GOOD OF DUCK-KIND

I love when innovation is born from love.
From compassion.
From someone seeing a life struggle and thinking,
How can I help?

In this story, it’s simply a 3D printer,
a man with a caring heart,
and a duck who deserved the chance to move freely.
And because someone cared enough to try,
a life changed.

Step by step.
Wobble by wobble.
Toward confidence.
Toward joy.

This is innovation at its most beautiful.
When technology becomes an extension of empathy.
When skill meets heart.
When progress is measured not in output,
but in dignity and relief.

Sometimes all it takes to change a life
is a willing heart,
an open mind,
and the courage to build something with care.

A 3D printer.
A man.
A duck.

And a whole lot of kindness and compassion. 💛 🦆

FINDING YOUR ESCALATOR


As we step into a new year,
take a moment and think about the people
who helped you find your way.

The ones who saw you trying hard,
but gently helped you change direction.

The ones who offered guidance instead of judgment,
and stayed close when things felt uncertain.

Because of them...
their care, their wisdom, their willingness to step in...
you’re here.
Ready for what’s next.

So don’t forget to thank them.
Send the note.
Say the words.

None of us gets to a new beginning alone.
And sometimes the greatest gift
is being guided by people
who care enough to walk with us. 💛

FAMILY YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD

Somewhere along the way, LinkedIn became more than a place to network for business. More than résumés, titles, or career milestones.

This year, it became the place where I found my sister.

I grew up wishing for an older one...someone to look up to, to learn from, to feel beside me in the world. And somehow, after decades of life unfolding, she found me.

Of all places…here.

It felt less like an introduction and more like it was always meant to be.
As if life had been quietly keeping a secret, waiting for the right moment to let us meet.

Her smile carries light.
The kind that reaches you even through a screen.
Our days fill with shared moments: messages, photos, conversations that stretch and soften time…like something long paused has finally resumed.

We don’t share the same mother or father.
But that doesn’t matter.
She is the sister I always hoped for.

This year reminded me that family doesn’t always arrive the way we expect.
Sometimes, it finds us when we’re ready…
even on a professional networking site.

P.S. I also gained the most wonderful brother-in-law. Peter Himes, thank you so much for your kindness and for taking such great care of my sister, Bettina Briz. I love the book you sent me, and knowing that Bettina was your inspiration makes every page feel like her presence is woven through it. A gift I truly cherish. 💛

P.P.S. And thank you to Kevin Jurovich and Timo Gehrke at Hubble for being part of the thread that connected this story. A single conversation can truly change everything. 🙏

SKATEBOARDING THE WEEKEND AWAY

I hope you’re finding a little time this weekend to do something you love…
something that makes you smile, laugh, or feel a bit more you.

This video made me smile. 
Pure joy. Zero fear. Just going for it. 

And today, I’m dedicating it to Bettina Briz,
who has officially started learning how to skateboard.
New wheels. New courage. New joy.
And the most stylish fits, thanks to her personal stylist and amazing husband, Peter Himes.

There’s something really beautiful about trying something new...
not to be perfect at it,
not to impress anyone,
but simply because it feels fun and alive.

May this weekend bring you that same energy:
a little play, a little courage,
and the freedom to roll forward just because it makes your heart happy.

Happy Saturday, friends. Enjoy every moment. 💛

taplio

The Battle

Chris Crane

Kathryn V.

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The Battle

Chris Crane

Kathryn V.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kathryn V.'s LinkedIn Performance

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