I was paid and turned free with a idea explaining a problem Pacific Power had.
Given a tour with Both companies engineers, and a few extras dressed pretty
I was given a cocktail napkin drawing to work with. Then a few cards when our engineer found another job.
Pacific Power called a few years later,
I declined a multi million dollar deal because the company I worked for was too busy to build
& I didn't want to move

Someone else was buying the rest of the parts, equipment, personal, transportation, property & Labor, while I supervised.