In this, the final episode of season 2, I am joined by Charles Clark, founder of IP ARKITEK (https://www.ip-arkitek.com/). We chat about the roles intellectual property can play in business and its relevance especially to small businesses. We touch on the building blocks of a practical IP strategy and the importance of ensuring that IP is not viewed in the abstract but seen as a key that can unlock aspects of your business plan.And we hear Charles' own story, which took him from a young boy watching his dad tinkering with cars, through roles as a research engineer, to the world of patents (and IP more generally) that ultimately led to him founding IP ARKITEK.  And we discover why Charles might just be the James Bond of the patent attorney world!Charles Clark is an internationally recognised expert in IP strategy, having been included in the IAM300 of the World’s Leading IP Strategists since 2015. He has additional recognitions in the field, including being listed as an IP Star by MIP.He has a degree in physics and qualified by exam in the UK and Europe as a patent attorney. Initially, after graduating university, Charles followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the UK’s MOD research and development establishment (later becoming QinetiQ), where he worked as a research scientist developing novel laser systems and optics for military applications and vehicle defence systems. This work brought him into contact with the world of IP and he pivoted his career to train as a patent attorney. Over 20 years of his career were spent in-house where he gained first hand experience of  handling and managing IP in various business processes, such as initial public offerings (at the LSE and NASDAQ), all phases of acquisitions on the buy and sell side (identification, assessment and integration), divestments or exit planning, contracting or partnering with third parties, as well the day to day IP operations needed to build world class IP portfolios. Since 2008 he has been in leadership positions with different organisations in various sectors, including precision engineering, manufacturing, consumer goods and energy.You can contact Charles via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkcharles/Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world's leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategistContact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk