Podcasts about kickstarter success

In this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Brynn Snyder, co-founder of Slate Flosser, shares how she and her dentist husband tackled one of the most overlooked aspects of health—flossing. Together, they reimagined oral care with a product that could prevent gum disease, heart issues, and more.But flossing is just the beginning. This episode dives into their journey through a $194K Kickstarter campaign, battling knockoffs on Amazon, and scaling a Shopify store with sustainability and innovation at its core.Brynn reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating a physical product, why subscription models are key to recurring revenue, and how staying passionate can make or break your business.Flossing might not seem revolutionary—until you hear this story.Show LinksSlate FlosserKickstarter CampaignSlate Flosser on AmazonSponsorsCleverific: https://cleverific.com/unofficialZipify: http://zipify.com/KURTAddress Validator: https://www.addressvalidator.com/Work with KurtGrow your Shopify store with me: https://ethercycle.com/applySee our recent client successes: https://ethercycle.com/work

Brandon Sanderson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stormlight Archive series and the Mistborn saga; the middle-grade series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians; and the young-adult novels The Rithmatist, the Reckoners trilogy, and the Skyward series. He has sold more than 40 million books in 35 languages, and he is a four-time nominee for the Hugo Awards, winning in 2013 for his novella The Emperor's Soul.Sponsors:Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: https://cressetcapital.com/tim (book a call today)Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic: https://Seed.com/Tim (Use code 25TIM for 25% off your first month's supply)Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 4.00% APY on your short-term cash until you're ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, you can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms apply. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.Timestamps:00:00 Meet Brandon Sanderson07:10 Soundcheck Fun and Memory Skills11:21 Brandon's Writing Journey and Creative Process25:35 Teaching Creative Writing and Publishing Insights38:08 Brandon's Early Reading Experience44:18 Discovering the Magic of Storytelling45:32 A Journey from C Student to A Student47:02 The Influence of a Great Teacher48:51 Understanding Narrative and Plot56:42 The Art of Character Development01:09:42 Balancing Writing and Personal Life01:24:04 Meeting Editors and Early Struggles01:24:30 First Book Sale and Financial Realities01:25:28 The Danger of the Second Book01:25:49 Hitting the Bestseller List01:26:34 Amazon and the Changing Market01:29:03 Entrepreneurial Shift and Direct Sales01:36:45 Building a Team and Crowdfunding01:42:50 Kickstarter Success and Lessons Learned01:52:22 COVID and Creative Freedom02:02:53 Brandon Sanderson's Colbert Report Cameo02:03:48 Kickstarter Success and Subscription Boxes02:09:01 Test Readers and Feedback Process02:14:16 Warbreaker and Creative Commons Experiment02:22:50 Navigating Publishing Deals and Platforms02:33:26 The Wheel of Time Opportunity02:42:36 The Call to Finish The Wheel of Time02:43:10 Negotiating the Deal02:43:56 The Struggles of Mistborn02:45:02 The Cosmere and Building an Audience02:48:25 The Death Spiral in Publishing02:52:29 Magic Systems and Their Importance03:00:39 Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic03:14:35 The Zero Law and Final Thoughts*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emilie Wiliams and Julia Deister are the Co-Founders of Hydrific, a venture under American Standard, a company you may have heard of before! Together with LaunchBoom, we launched a product together called The Droplet on Kickstarter which raised over $114,000 on Kickstarter with over 640 backers. Beyond the funding, in this podcast, Emilie and Julia share all of their learnings and processes they follow to build a successful product.

Ever wondered what it takes to launch a successful Kickstarter campaign in today's ever-changing economic climate? Join us on the Crowdfunding Nerds podcast as Andrew and Sean dive deep into the evolution of their Deliverance board game campaigns. From dissecting the differences between their original and current campaigns to leveraging Kickstarter's platform advancements, we explore how to adapt to economic shifts and convert followers into backers. Discover the power of a well-crafted pre-launch page and how engaging potential backers early can set your campaign up for success. Plus, we share our secrets to a dynamic launch day, including live streaming as a real-time FAQ and celebration hub. Cross-promotion takes center stage as we reveal our strategic collaborations and the importance of genuine relationships in maximizing campaign reach. Tune in for insights on navigating paid advertising challenges and adapting product offerings to meet economic demands. This episode is packed with actionable strategies for crowdfunding success!   Links to check out: Table Top Analytics: tabletopanalytics.com   Check out our website at crowdfundingnerds.com and join our bustling community on Facebook.   Stay Nerdy!

In this episode, we explore how self-published authors can adapt to new technologies and innovative marketing strategies to boost book sales and build a community of dedicated readers.

Creator Matthew Schofield is in the ComixLaunch Pro spotlight this month. Matt is an animator, storyboard artist and director who has worked on films such as Cats Don't Dance, Prince of Egypt and The Iron Giant. In this interview with Clay Adams, Matt shares his creator owned journey bringing his superhero comedy webcomic, Steamroller Man to Kickstarter.

Emilie Wiliams and Julia Deister are the Co-Founders of Hydrific, a venture under American Standard, a company you may have heard of before! Together with LaunchBoom, we launched a product together called The Droplet on Kickstarter which raised over $114,000 on Kickstarter with over 640 backers. Beyond the funding, in this podcast, Emilie and Julia share all of their learnings and processes they follow to build a successful product.

Susan (S.E. Smith) recently dove into her first Kickstarter. In this episode, Susan and Narelle Todd discuss what they found out along the way and how to tailor the world of Kickstarter campaigns for self-published wide authors.

Welcome to a personal journey into the world of More Than Human! In this podcast, Susan (S.E. Smith) shares the inspiration behind creating this thrilling series and why she offered it as a Kickstarter. The series all began with a question: What if humans were believed extinct in a world dominated by shifters? This idea sparked a creative fire that led to the development of the More Than Human series. Join us as we dive into the themes of love, survival, and acceptance that drive the story. Discover how Susan's passion for storytelling and exploring unique worlds has shaped Ella and Ty's journey and set the stage for Mitchell and Jayden's adventures. Learn how Susan's experiences and imagination intertwine to bring these captivating characters and their world to life. And gain an understanding of why Susan's passion for immersing her readers in her worlds inspired her to launch her two new books in the More Than Human series on Kickstarter. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

We all get overwhelmed sometimes, but do you have the drive and the passion to do something about it? If yes, then today's episode of Crowdfunding Demystified will really resonate with you. Meet Ryan Kulp, an entrepreneur who turns out to be pretty slick with crowdfunding, too. His recent campaign raised nearly $160K from more than 1,300 backers.  Hear about Ryan's incredible story of how he created the TRMNL, a way for anyone to stay connected and focused without being overwhelmed. This 7.5” e-ink display screen connects directly to the apps that you care about while minimizing distractions, reducing blue light exposure, and avoiding “doom scrolling”. As a software wiz, Ryan used his self-taught hardware skills to go from an idea to a hugely successful campaign with 20 working prototypes in less than 8 months.  But it hasn't all been a bed of roses, and Ryan gets very candid about challenges along the way. With host Salvador Briggman, you'll discover breakthrough strategies that can radically reinvent your campaign, including: How to create a killer prelaunch campaign The importance of sharing the story of your product How to make the most of Kickstarter Ways to continue success with future campaigns or an online store …and so much more.   Don't rely on computer algorithms to bring in the money. Get ready to learn the tools you need to unleash your passion on the world. Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call Subscribe for Weekly Crowdfunding Tips Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. The FREE Kickstarter Email Course  The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook TRMNL on Kickstarter TRMNL

In this episode, we delve into an inspiring conversation with Emma Delage, CEO of Studio Camelia. Emma shares her journey from working at Ubisoft Paris to founding her own independent game studio based in Montpellier, France. We cover the challenges and wins of starting a new game company, focusing on JRPGs, and navigating the complexities of fundraising and Kickstarter campaigns. Emma's story exemplifies resilience, conviction, and the importance of staying true to one's vision, offering invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and independent game developers, when plans A, B, C and D fall apart. Congratulations to Studio Camelia for closing their Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/studiocamelia/seed-a-vibrant-tribute-to-jrpg-classics Follow their JRPG Alzara: https://studio-camelia.com/ 02:28 Meet Emma Delage: CEO of Studio Camellia 03:46 Emma's Journey Before Studio Camellia 05:36 The Birth of Studio Camelia and JRPG Passion 09:50 Building the Team and Early Challenges 13:47 Funding the Dream: From Surveys to Investors 19:33 Kickstarter Success and Community Support 29:18 Values and Vision: Creating a Unique Studio Culture 32:31 Reflections and Future Aspirations

Do you think that one crowdfunding success is the end of the road? Think again! Because today's guest on Crowdfunding Demystified has run 15 successful campaigns on Kickstarter over the last 10 years.  Meet Jacob Wood, founder of Woodies Clothing whose most recent campaign raked in over $100K from almost 500 backers. His newest product is the next generation performance jean and jacket that offers custom sizing, incredible stretch and comfort, and RFID blocking pockets. And, he's a long time subscriber to CrowdCrux.com! Host Salvador Briggman leads you on Jacob's journey from a naive crowdfunder with grassroots techniques to a winning clothier who will teach you how to: Play the Kickstarter algorithm Partner with newsletter organizations Build a group of loyal backers Design powerful creatives …and tons more. He will even tell you the best day of the week to launch your campaign! So if you don't know much about crowdfunding, let Jacob's confidence and familiarity with Kickstarter give you the confidence to launch your own unforgettable campaign.  Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call Subscribe for Weekly Crowdfunding Tips Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. The Kickstarter Launch Formula (Get free audio book with Audible's 30-day Free Trial) FREE Crowdfunding PR Course Woodies Clothing on Kickstarter Woodies Clothing

On this episode of the eReads Podcast, David Hankins returns to share his insights on launching a successful Kickstarter campaign. Learn from an expert about the strategies and tactics that can help you turn your creative ideas into reality. Make sure to grab your pens and notebooks because this is an episode you won't want to miss!Social Media Links:Website: https://davidhankins.comFacebookTwitter (X) InstagramBooksAudiobook copy the award-winning short story “Death and the Taxman” .“Death and the Taxman” – Writers of the Future winner, Volume 39 (2023)“A Properly Spiced Gingerbread” (DreamForge Magazine) – 2022 Winner of the Critters Readers Poll for Best Magical Realism Short Story“Reassessed Value” (Third Flatiron Anthologies) – on Tangent Online 2022 Recommended Reading List“The Last Quest of Corbin the Coward” (Factor Four Magazine)“Hell's Bureaucracy” (Unidentified Funny Objects Anthologies)“Another Day on the Orbital Ranch” (DreamForge Magazine)Connect with LizWebsite https://lizbullardwrites.comEmail: liz@Lizbullardwrites.comInstagramTiktokFacebookAmazon Author PageBooksSnow Fall (FREE) Prophecy Trilogy Series

Carin Luna Ostaseski's journey into the world of Scotch whiskey is an inspiring tale of discovery and resilience. As a graphic designer for 17 years, she grappled with questions about her identity and passion. It was a chance encounter with a glass of Scotch that sparked a deep connection within her. The flavors and stories woven into each sip ignited a new purpose, leading her to embark on a whiskey adventure. Overcoming financial challenges and societal expectations, Carin's determination shone through as she delved into the unconventional path of creating her own Scotch brand, Sia. Her pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to change the narrative surrounding Scotch whiskey are a testament to her entrepreneurial journey. Carin's story resonates with the pursuit of authenticity and the courage to pursue one's true calling, making her a beacon of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to carve their own unique paths in the spirits industry. In this episode, we cover: Secrets to Starting a Scotch Whiskey Brand and carve your path in the spirits industry. The Power of Crowdfunding for Spirits Brands and revolutionize your approach to funding. The Entrepreneurial Journey of Immigrant Founders and gain insights into overcoming unique challenges. Connect with Paul here: Website: https://innovativewealth.com/Podcast Website: https://businesslegacypodcast.com/ The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Career Change 00:01:00 - Whiskey Adventure and Inspiration 00:03:53 - Unconventional Start and Kickstarter Success 00:06:32 - Financial Challenges and Imposter Syndrome 00:09:29 - Overcoming Rejection and Personal Growth 00:13:18 - Pursuing Passion Over Expectations 00:16:40 - The Power of Asking 00:17:19 - Shifting Perspectives on Money and Success 00:21:48 - Manifesting Success 00:23:54 - Embracing Authenticity Resources Instagram Handle: You can find more about Carin Luna Ostaseski and her Scotch whiskey brand, Sia, on Instagram by following @siascotchwhisky. This is where you can stay updated on the latest news, events, and promotions related to the brand. Website: To explore more about Sia Scotch whiskey, including its story, products, and where to purchase, visit their official website at siascotchwhisky.com. Here, you can also find information about their grant program and any upcoming launches. Purchase Sia Scotch Whiskey: If you're interested in purchasing Sia Scotch whiskey, you can do so through reservebar.com. They offer shipping across the United States. Business Legacy Podcast: For more episodes of the Legacy podcast and to learn about the co-hosts and their guests, visit businesslegacypodcast.com. You can also leave a review and show your support for the podcast on various platforms.

Today's guest, Lisa Guenst, is the Owner of ToothShower, a fast-selling new flossing alternative for shower use that gained over $400,000 on Kickstarter and sold on QVC. In this interview, Lisa reveals how she grew her business from the ground up as a new entrepreneur and shares the important lessons that she picked up along the journey. Part of this includes reducing the cost of manufacturing, order fulfillment, customer acquisition and incorporating a lean methodology into her product development process. Join us now to see how these factors affect business growth and scalability. You will also pick up tips on crowdfunding, marketing and more. In today's episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we'll cover the following:The importance of releasing a minimum viable product (MVP) when trying to introduce an innovative productRunning a successful crowdfunding campaign amidst tough competition and limited opportunities for awarenessBenefits of crowdfunding for early-stage startupsCrafting effective business plans to help you understand your business vision and close more dealsAnd so much more! If you want a convenient way to spend less time flossing and keep your gums healthy, check out the ToothShower. With it, you can conveniently water floss in the shower. Visit www.toothshower.com to learn more.To be a guest on our next podcast, contact us today!Do you have a brand that you'd like to launch or grow? Do you want help from a partner that has successfully launched hundreds of brands totaling over $2 billion in revenues? Visit HarvestGrowth.com and set up a free consultation with us today! 

What if I tell you that you're gonna learn exactly what went into raising a $376,284 Kickstarter by the end of today's episode? Well, buckle up cause that's precisely what we're getting into today! In this episode of the Crowdfunding Demystified podcast, Salvador Briggman speaks to the creator of Klydoclock, Ran Kramer, about the pre-launch strategy that led to a $376,284 raise on Kickstarter. Ran has an incredible story to share, from how he came up with the idea to the prototyping process to launch. For example, you'll discover: What he learned about calculating the different price points and reward tiers The methods he used to validate his product idea in the first place. How long the entire process took from idea to launch …and much more! Sponsors:  Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook The FREE Kickstarter Email Course  Klydoclock on Kickstarter Klydoclock

If you want to do a crowdfunding campaign, you need to be willing to take feedback early on. This works like magic and today's story proves it! In this episode of the Crowdfunding Demystified podcast, Salvador Briggman speaks to Ian Esplin and Jacob Sheffield, the team that raised two 6-figure crowdfunding campaigns for a game-changing solar charger.  You'll get a sneak peek into their pre-launch strategy, including: How they managed to build credibility with the community How long the development phase took them And why they decided not to rely on organic traffic only Hope you enjoy the episode! Sponsors:  Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook The FREE Kickstarter Email Course  Sego Charger on Indiegogo InDemand Sego Innovations

Welcome to another episode of Art of the Kickstart, where we explore the world of entrepreneurship and innovation. On this episode we are joined with two exceptional guests. First, we have Melissa Davis, the ingenious mind behind SitBax, a revolutionary bleacher seat with a successful Kickstarter campaign raising over $80,000. Melissa, a dedicated mom, shares her inspiring journey from idea to crowdfunding success. Our second guest is Forde Aley, an expert in product development and sourcing, who has worked with major retailers on a diverse range of products. Join us as we dive into the dynamic world of startups, from concept to execution, and be inspired by these remarkable entrepreneurs.

I cover the final details of my now-succesful Kickstarter campaign, including why I am making a special this way in the first place. I also get too worked up over what I'm supposed to be focused on vs what other people care about. And then a fact about movie reviews sends me off on another spiral. You can get a free digital version of my book by signing up for my twice-a-month newsletter full of all sorts of useful stuff: http://www.sladeham.com Please consider telling a friend if you dig the show.

In this episode, Stevie Wildcard and Anthony forget the word "cloaca" and accidentally summon an Ostrich diety. They answer Questions From The Colony, discuss the incredible Kickstarter success, and basically get weird and laugh for 40 minutes.

Over the past few years, writer and publisher Travis Gibb (Orange Cone Productions) has had a lot of success on the Kickstarter platform. Now, he's seeks a roundtable of creators' advice on how to best translate his crowdfunding success into success elsewhere?

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Darya Forutanpour, Founder and CEO of Blanktech and her father Babak Forutanpour. Together they created Blanktech, a weighted blanket designed for full functionality while reading or lounging. They looked at the market, filled with known brands and created a product that combined the features they wish had existed in one product. Listen to learn their process from idea through prototyping to launch. This father-daughter has deep admiration and care for one another, and that translates into a thoughtful product Short on time? Here's what we talked about. After an idea, it's time to do market research to make sure it doesn't exist. Especially when the idea is a fairly simple one, make sure that you're creating something new, or a new iteration on a concept. Darya and Babak prototyped most of the product close to home, here's how they went about it. Babak's launched products before, but says finding the right partner was a key to success. He found that partner was his teenage daughter. Links Blanktech's Kickstarter Campaign The Blanktech Website Note: As an Amazon Associate, Art of the Kickstart may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by ProductHype, the leading crowdfunding newsletter. Publishing weekly, ProductHype showcases five of the best, most innovative and exciting crowdfunding projects in an absurdly unique way. Their audience of more than 300,000 crowdfunding fans regularly back featured products and eagerly awaits the newsletter to learn about the new ideas that creators are bringing to market. Learn more about having your project featured in ProductHype, or join the HypeSquad today! Transcript View this episode's transcript Roy Morejon: Welcome entrepreneurs and startups to Art of the Kickstart, the show that every entrepreneur needs to listen to before you launch. I'm your host Roy Morejon, president and founder of Enventys Partners, the world's only turnkey product launch company. From product development and engineering to omnichannel marketing, we've helped our clients launch thousands of interventions, and earn more than $1 billion in sales over the past 20 years. Each week, I interview a startup success story, an inspirational entrepreneur, or a business expert, in order to help you take your launch to the next level. This show would not be possible without our main sponsor, ProductHype, the weekly newsletter that goes out and shows you the best inventions that just launched. Make sure to check out producthype.co and join the HypeSquad. Now, let's get on with the show. Roy Morejon: Welcome to another edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today, we are starting super early in the morning because I am super excited to speak to Darya and Babak Forutanpour, founder and CEOs of the Blanktech. Darya is a junior in high school. Yes, she has started super young, which I am really excited about. They're in San Diego, California. In her free time, she enjoys lots of things, but mostly solving problems in novel ways. She's joined by her dad, Babak, who helped with the prototyping and manufacturing process. This is actually your third invention together. So I'm really excited to, one, have you guys on the show, and talk to our audience. So welcome to Art of the Kickstart. Darya Forutanpour: Thank you so much for having me. Babak Forutanpour: Yeah, Roy, it's a real pleasure, man. It's an honor. You're one of the guys that's been in the game the longest. My first Kickstarter was, oh wow, six, seven years ago on AryaBall. And you and I worked together on that. And so it's actually an honor to be on your show because you're one of the OGs. So it's our pleasure. Roy Morejon: Yeah, they've kept me around for some reason, I don't know. I love this and I obviously really was excited about having you guys on the show, Darya,

What's the secret to launching a killer Kickstarter campaign? It's not having a perfect page (though that doesn't hurt!). It's about dreaming big and taking action and in today's show, we deep dive into what that actually looks like in real life! We are so excited to have author and creator Phoenix Grey speak to Salvador Briggman on today's show about how she managed to turn her idea into reality, get people excited about it, and hit her funding goal, all of which within a very, very short timeline and with limited resources! You'll learn: Why did she launch on Kickstarter instead of using more traditional publishing methods? The dos and don'ts of doing the marketing entirely on your own And what is her biggest piece of advice to first-time creators? Grab a pen and paper, and get ready to be inspired! Book a Coaching Call with Sal Sponsors:  Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist.

What's the secret to launching a killer Kickstarter campaign? It's not having a perfect page (though that doesn't hurt!). It's about dreaming big and taking action and in today's show, we deep dive into what that actually looks like in real life! We are so excited to have author and creator Phoenix Grey speak to Salvador Briggman on today's show about how she managed to turn her idea into reality, get people excited about it, and hit her funding goal, all of which within a very, very short timeline and with limited resources! You'll learn: Why did she launch on Kickstarter instead of using more traditional publishing methods? The dos and don'ts of doing the marketing entirely on your own And what is her biggest piece of advice to first-time creators? Grab a pen and paper, and get ready to be inspired! Book a Coaching Call with Sal Sponsors:  Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist.

In this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Chris Noyes, Co-Founder and CEO of Pet Object. Pet Object is a thoughtfully designed, high-quality litter box made for cat parents everywhere. Developing the idea took Chris years, but with the help of an agency to engineer the product and his own research on the backend, he made it happen. His campaign launched and fully funded on Kickstarter.  Listen to learn how Chris and his team created a product that stood out in a market with thousands of options. Short on time? Here's what we talked about. New products take persistence. It took ten years of planning, designing and prototyping to make his dream a reality. Chris had the visual idea behind his product but needed to outsource to make it real.  Some entrepreneurs are scared off at the thought of outsourcing, but Chris advocates for it. Pet Object's name has a simple background but proves that titles don't need to be entirely unique or independent to make an impact. Chris' SEO research aided in developing the name. 3D prototyping Pet Object helped the team visualize how timeless their product could be and how beneficial it would be for other cat parents. Links Pet Object's Kickstarter Campaign Note: As an Amazon Associate, Art of the Kickstart may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by ProductHype, the leading crowdfunding newsletter. Publishing weekly, ProductHype showcases five of the best, most innovative and exciting crowdfunding projects in an absurdly unique way. Their audience of more than 300,000 crowdfunding fans regularly back featured products and eagerly awaits the newsletter to learn about the new ideas that creators are bringing to market. Learn more about having your project featured in ProductHype, or join the HypeSquad today! Transcript View this episode's transcript Roy Morejon: Welcome entrepreneurs and startups to Art of the Kickstart, the show that every entrepreneur needs to listen to before you launch. I'm your host Roy Morejon, president and founder of Enventys Partners, the world's only turnkey product launch company. From product development and engineering to omnichannel marketing, we've helped our clients launch thousands of inventions and earn more than $1 billion in sales over the past 20 years. Each week I interview a startup success story, an inspirational entrepreneur or a business expert in order to help you take your launch to the next level. This show would not be possible without our main sponsor ProductHype, the weekly newsletter that goes out and shows you the best inventions that just launched. Make sure to check out producthype.co and join the Hype Squad. Now let's get on with the show. Roy Morejon: Welcome to another edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today I am super excited because I am talking with Chris Noyes a serial brand builder, animal lover who obsesses over thoughtfully built projects or products. He is the co-founder and CEO of Pet Object, which is a product company with the focus on objects designed with the pet in mind. Collectively, the founding team brings over 60 years of experience in the branded consumer good space. Let's welcome everybody, Chris Noyes, thank you for joining us today on Art of the Kickstart. Chris Noyes: It's great to be here. Thanks for having me. Roy Morejon: Yeah, I'm super excited to talk because you've been a longtime client of ours at Enventys Partners, not only from the launching of your active Kickstarter campaign that's going on right now. So for all those listeners, go check out Pet Object on Kickstarter, but also you've been working with us from an engineering standpoint. So really I want to talk about all of those things and the idea and the evolution that it's gone through but before we dive into all of that, Chris, let's give our audience the elevator pitch on your product and what ...

Over the past several years writer Caleb Palmquist has been on a mission to discover through trial and error what works for him when it comes to crowdfunding his creative projects. In the process, he's had to let go of some things that simply weren't working and learn what does work on Kickstarter from some of the top creators on the platform. As a result, he's in the midst of his best launch yet for Unicorn: Vampire Hunter #1-5!

Kickstarter Success!Saturday morning cartoons, 'RRR','Stranger Things Season 4','Strange New Worlds','Scooby Doo'. Flint goes on another Rant! Rossy skims over the 'Regened' issue. All this plus a review of the Galaxy's Greatest Fanzine. Fanzine being the key word!

Here's the thing: Whatever you think about Kickstarter, getting 100% funded is realistic. That's because success has nothing to do with luck. Instead, all you need is hard work and a formula to follow. And today's guest is an excellent example. In this episode of Crowdfunding Demystified, you'll hear Salvador Briggman talk to Dale. He has been able to build multiple successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, and his latest one for a minimalist and modular wallet, MagSnap Wallet, raised over $393K. And no, he isn't a guy with a fancy business degree. Instead, he is a college dropout who still found a way to succeed with crowdfunding!  During your listen, you'll hear Dale speak about: Secrets for creating a high-converting Kickstarter campaign The difference between a dreamer and a successful Kickstarter The best niches for effective campaigns So if you're still on the fence about starting your first Kickstarter campaign, then listening to this is a must. You'll hear some actionable tips for making it successful. So grab a pen and paper, and enjoy your listen! Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call Join the Smash Your Kickstarter Goal community Subscribe to CrowdCrux Newsletter Get Access to the Free Kickstarter Course Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. MagSnap Wallet

Fantasy and sci-fi author Brandon Sanderson's incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign should be celebrated by authors and readers. And yes, there are plenty of lessons for writers and other entrepreneurs to take away from Sanderson's campaign.Here's how Sanderson's campaign ended: 185,341 Kickstarter backers for a total of $41.75 million!Ray Keating is the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. So far, 15 Pastor Stephen grant adventures have been published, with more coming! The more recent books in the series are Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story, and What's Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story. Signed books are available at www.raykeatingonline.com and paperbacks and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.Also, order Ray Keating's collection of columns and essays Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  –  signed books  or at  Amazon.And one of Keating's latest books on the economy is  Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know, which is available at  Amazon  in paperback or for the Kindle edition, and signed books at  www.raykeatingonline.com. Plenty of time to get things done in 2022 with the The Lutheran Planner 2022: The To Do List Solution  combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done – using monthly, weekly and daily to-do lists – with encouragement, inspiration and consolation from the Christian faith. Also, it comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.Or, The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution combines the same simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.Read Keating's columns on a wide range of issues at www.KeatingFiles.com. Listen to Ray's other podcasts – the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes podcast and the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast.Check out www.DisneyBizJournal.com.Love Ray Keating's Pastor Stephen Grant Thrillers and Mysteries? It's the Perfect Time to Join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, Join the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at

Have you ever dreamed of creating an ultra-successful Kickstarter campaign? If you have, let me ask you one thing: What is holding you back? Are you waiting for the right moment? Do you feel like you're not qualified for success? Whatever it is, know that these are just self-limiting beliefs, and you need to overcome them. If you don't, you might regret not taking any action when you grow old. So start taking action now! You might find out that your idea is a successful one. That happened to today's guest. In this episode of Crowdfunding Demystified, you'll hear Salvador Briggman talk to Steven, who raised an astounding $160,607 for Hannibal: Artbook, which is based upon a television masterpiece, Hannibal. While this was his team's sixth artbook project, it was his first Kickstarter campaign. He didn't even have a Kickstarter video, but the campaign still succeeded! While you listen, you'll hear Steven talk about: How the campaign was able to get fully funded in 18 minutes The #1 mistake to avoid when setting your funding goal The difference between a successful and a failed Kickstarter So, let me ask you again: what's holding you back? You can do it! And with the invaluable knowledge in this podcast, you'll have a higher chance of success. Grab a pen and paper, and enjoy your listen. Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call Tune in to Sal's Live Workshops The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. Hannibal Artbook

Here's the thing. Creating a successful campaign is simple! All you have to do is follow the process of a successful Kickstarter, and your funding is almost guaranteed. And once you've cracked the code, you'll be able to replicate it over and over again. Don't believe me? Well, listen to what this episode's guest has to say! In this episode of Crowdfunding Demystified, you'll hear Salvador Briggman talk to Erik, the co-founder of Redshift Sports. He started using Kickstarter back in 2013 to launch his brand and has created four successful Kickstarter campaigns throughout the years. His latest one, Arclight, is for smart LED bike pedals, and he was able to raise an enormous sum of $421,983 from more than 3,000 backers. How crazy is that? You'll hear Erik share many valuable tips about launching a crowdfunding campaign. These include things like what not to do, how to write a campaign description, and much more. You'll even hear him talk about how Kickstarter has changed throughout the years. So if you're looking to build a successful campaign, listening to this is an absolute must. You'll hear many insider tips that will increase your chances of success. So without further ado, take out your notebook and enjoy listening! Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show Book a coaching call Tune in to Sal's Live Workshops The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. Get Help With Your Campaign Arclight Bike Pedals

Sometimes catchy ads aren't the best for your crowdfunding goals. A paid advertisement can jumpstart your Kickstarter campaign, but only if you play your cards right. And when you fail at it, you'll not just lose the money you invested, but you'll also postpone your launch. Fortunately, there's another way! In this episode of Crowdfunding Demystified, you'll hear about Frank West's mega-success story and how he was able to collect a jaw-dropping $1,408,300 for his competitive card-drafting and cat-placement board game called “The Isle of Cats”.   And he reached that goal in just 31 days! But here's the best part! Instead of paying thousands of dollars for fancy Facebook ads, he used what he calls organic marketing. That and more will be covered in today's podcast episode. So if you ever wanted to go to the next stage with your business idea, listening to this is a must. You don't want to miss out on the golden nuggets of information! So take your notebook out, and enjoy your listen! Resources and Tools Mentioned on the Show   Book a coaching call Tune in to Sal's Live Workshops The Kickstarter Launch Formula Audiobook Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! Download their free shipping and fulfillment checklist. The Isle of Cats  

"Apples to Apples meets Shark Tank" in SideHustle, the party game for entrepreneurs. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, the team behind the game is looking for ways to raise awareness and stand out on the crowded Amazon marketplace. In this coaching episode, you'll meet co-founders Darby Rollins and Tomer Soran, who (along with a 3rd co-founder, Tim Palladino) are looking for some ways to expand on the initial traction and grow a brand in the "productive play" space. To help out with this one, I enlisted Side Hustle Show alumni and e-commerce and branding pro, Scott Voelker.  Full show notes

Are you looking for a podcast episode that updates you on all the latest developments of your favorite indie video game & graphic novel about flying bunnies, AND contains bad jokes about 90s Nintendo character naming conventions and Catholic church doctrine?? Look no further! This episode of Hold on Tight has it all! Co-creators Tim and Megan Bungeroth gab about the status of the Air Hares video game and graphic novel, share some injury-related news and shamelessly plug opportunities for spon-con (which have so far gone unanswered, but Netflix, if you're reading this, give us a call!!). They also talk about what's next and how Bunny Backers old and new can continue to follow along and get involved with Captain Rabbo and her crew. For more information on Air Hares: Visit airhares.com. Sign up for our newsletter - subscribers will get exclusive early access to the game demo! Follow @airhares on Instagram. CREDITS: Air Hares Theme original music in this episode composed by Tim Bungeroth & Jaksanapong Tilapornputt. New Wave remix by Muresan Radu. Produced by Megan Bungeroth & Tim Bungeroth for Wondoro® Ltd. 2021 All rights reserved.

Today the extraordinary Kickstarter book project by a British commercial photographer, Marc Wilson; A Wounded Landscape, Bearing Witness to the Holocaust, based around 22 Holocaust survivor stories, a project that has a most gentle nature and revealing serendipity at times. For many photographers, Kickstarter is a route to publish and I also talk with Marc about his experience using this method. See the SHOW NOTES for this episode which also has a link to tomorrow's Patreon only edition which is available to all listeners. The show is supported by MPB.com

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that gives an enormous opportunity to start-ups as well as long time entrepreneurs to kickstart or launch their products. It takes full time effort to crush a kickstarter campaign though. So, in this episode, I’m gonna be sharing with you 3 successful tactics to get your next product launch funded. This episode is not about Kickstarter basics but some personal tips and tricks on how to crush your kickstarter campaign.   In This Episode: [09:30] My personal 3 Kickstarter success tactics [00:45] Sharing with your 2 news and teaser about meetups [02:00] Easiest way to find and join Amazon Seller meet- up is our website amazonsellermeetup.com [02:50] Ton of offering via amazongroupchat.com [04:08] A crowdfunding platform- Kickstarter [06:00] Kickstarter.com and how it could help and what pledges could do [07:57] A full time effort to crush it at kickstarter. [09:52] #1 Fund your way to the top By setting a budget every month Finding related products and back their campaign. [13:35] Advance the relationship by engaging as audience to related products [15:45] Strategic partnership with other kickstarters. [15:57] #2 Have a previous kickstarter campaign under your belt. [18:30] Getting into the kickstarter algorithm. [21:03] #3 Creating a hitlist. [22:15] Getting organized.   Book Reference: Everyone’s A Critic By: Bill Tancer Links and Resources: Wizards of Amazon Wizards of Amazon Courses Wizards of Amazon Meetup Text “Amazon” to 69922 Wizards of Amazon on Facebook Wizards of Amazon on Instagram Wizards of Amazon on LinkedIn Wizards of Amazon on Twitter

Renderwave's Oldrich Stibor shares the secrets and strategies behind the massive success of his current Kickstarter launch for a new digital art tutorial book, Colorpedia, available at ComixLaunch.com/color.

Renderwave's Oldrich Stibor shares the secrets and strategies behind the massive success of his current Kickstarter launch for a new digital art tutorial book, Colorpedia, available at ComixLaunch.com/color.

In which Eddy, Dixie, and Matthew discuss tips and advice on how to remain productive as writers, developers, and editors during a time of pandemic (and generally, really). * They Came from Beyond the Grave! Kickstarter Success!* Effective methods of time and productivity management* Tackling a sizeable project with little direction* The benefits of procrastination* Finding inspiration for your work* How to not become jaded* What we're doing to enjoy ourselves LINKS* Scion Origin: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/246765/Scion-Second-Edition-Book-One-Origin* Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rules/* Monarchies of Mau, Pugmire, and Pirates of Pugmire: https://www.realmsofpugmire.com/* Paper Mario: The Origami King: https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Paper-Mario-The-Origami-King-1782440.html* Cuphead: http://www.cupheadgame.com/* Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire: https://eternity.obsidian.net/* Journey of Wrestling: https://journeyofwrestling.com* Fall Guys: https://fallguys.com/* Office Ladies: https://www.earwolf.com/show/office-ladies/* West Wing Weekly: http://thewestwingweekly.com/* Hellmouthy: https://player.fm/series/hellmouthy-1930900* Fake Doctors, Real Friends: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-fake-doctors-real-friends-60367049/* Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men: https://www.xplainthexmen.com/* Soviet Sherlock Holmes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Sherlock_Holmes_and_Dr._Watson

For many of us, this is "launch season" for our toy and game products. And even though this podcast has given plenty of valuable information about launching a successful crowdfunding campaign, there is always more to learn. So The Toy Coach is back at it, asking questions and getting answers about launching a product on Kickstarter, but this time...it's with a focus on games! This week, The Toy Coach is joined by educator and Game Designer, Joe Slack, to learn all about his current Kickstarter project Relics of Rajavihara. Joe stops in to share his inspiring journey of launching a game to Kickstarter and funding it in just 4 days! This episode shines a light on the importance of building buzz around your idea for 6 months to a year before your launch. There is also a focus on the value and methods of finding a supportive online community to provide valuable feedback throughout your product development. Joe also shares a bit of his game design process and leaves aspiring game designers with a few words of wisdom.Ok toy people, let's do this! Pop your earbuds in and take a listen.SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW THIS PODCAST!Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today because I don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling super positive, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Those reviews help get the word out to other inventors and entrepreneurs like you! It's also fun for me to read. Go to my iTunes page, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you find most helpful about this podcast. Thanks a lot, toy people! MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEJoe Slack - Check out Relics of Rajavihara on Kickstarter!Episode sponsor - www.thetoycoach.com

iiRcade is made by gamers, for gamers. Jong has assembled a dedicated team of gamers who have made this incredible product available for everyone. This revolutionary machine takes you back in time to play all the games you love, while also bringing forth a modernized device for the new age gamer with a sleek and futuristic look. iiRcade Kickstarter Campaign  Links and Resources  Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! The Gadget Flow: Their website reaches 28 million people per month! They have a new unboxing series on YouTube where you can get your product unboxed by a tech expert. You can also get feedback for your campaign by using Crowdinsight. iiRcade Kickstarter Campaign  Book a Coaching Call Kickstarter Launch Formula

Adam talks about traveling 9 hours south to see his dad, Patreon and Kickstarter news and more. Support Adam's newest kickstarter for his book by going here: http://kck.st/2WNpYKA

Oru Kayak made a large splash in 2013 by launching the first folding kayak on Kickstarter. Since then they've launched 5 more models, each with a successful ending. Jess Anthony runs Oru Kayak's marketing efforts and in this episode, we chat about what it takes to launch a successful Kickstarter as well as Jess's mission to increase equal representation for all people in the outdoors. From the episode:  "I think you have a platform for communication, for ideas to move, to spotlight work other people are doing, and to contribute to projects they're doing."         

Ovation Comics Publisher and writer of Battle Royale Planet, Goth Ghost Girl & Infinity Agents John Schlim, Jr. joins Tyler for a frank discussion on the perserverance and problem solving required for success on Kickstarter and beyond.

Ovation Comics Publisher and writer of Battle Royale Planet, Goth Ghost Girl & Infinity Agents John Schlim, Jr. joins Tyler for a frank discussion on the perserverance and problem solving required for success on Kickstarter and beyond.

What if you launched your Kickstarter, and just a few days later the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic? Well, that's exactly what happened to my guest today Marjorie Spitalnik. Marjorie walks us through her Kickstarter experience as she learned to pivot in the most uncertain of times. Our guest today learned everything she knows about running a successful Kickstarter during her campaign and she is certain that if she could do it, you can too.In today's episode, you learn the equivalent of going door to door in the modern age, and how to resonate with the right people to increase the visibility of your Kickstarter. We talk about partnerships, cross-promoting, and more. Trust me, you don't want to launch your Kickstarter campaign without first listening to this episode.Ok toy people, let's do this! Pop your earbuds in and take a listen.SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW THIS PODCAST!Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today because I don’t want you to miss an episode. Now if you’re feeling super positive, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Those reviews help get the word out to other inventors and entrepreneurs like you! It's also fun for me to read. Go to my iTunes page, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what you find most helpful about this podcast. Thanks a lot, toy people! MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODELittle Rebels Online: www.wearelittlerebels.comLittle Rebels IG & FB: @wearelittlerebelsContact Little Rebels: hello@wearelittlerebels.com CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS EPISODE? HERE’S MORE.Download the Transcript (coming soon)Download Audio on iTunes or Download Audio on SpotifyJoin the Making It in The Toy Industry Facebook Group

We all know someone with an allergy - maybe it's minor, but there are also those friends or family members who have severe allergies - the scary kind. Today, we meet JJ and Catherine Jaxon, former investment banker and journalist who met in, New York. They are on a mission to prevent allergies in children through Mission Mighty Me.JJ and Catherine partnered with Dr. Gideon Lack – the world-renowned pediatric allergist who discovered that most peanut allergies can be prevented, and whose research changed the pediatric feeding guidelines around the globe to create this amazing product and project. Join us as we learn about their love story and the challenges of working together, managing family, and launching a food product. To learn more:https://missionmightyme.com/Welcome to the Love or Work Podcast, hosted by Andre Shinabarger (Physician Assistant, Grady Hospital) and Jeff Shinabarger (Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Plywood People). They are asking the question: Is it possible to change the world, stay in love and raise a healthy family? 100 interviews where Jeff and Andre learn from other working families in the journey of marriage, purpose and parenting.Website: www.loveorwork.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/loveorworkLove or Work is a project of Plywood People.Plywood is a non-profit in Atlanta leading a community of start-ups doing good.www.plywoodpeople.com

Success through Failure on Kickstarter.Success on Kickstarter can be such a problem when it leads to so many failures. And a good failure can lead to long-lasting success. These are the lessons, Host Richard Bliss, takes away from his conversation with Guest Brad Talton of Level 99 Games.Brad successfully raised $25,000 on Kickstarter with no business experience and lost about $25,000 on the project. He discusses the three phases Level 99 Games has passed through on their way from success to failure to success. Brad talks about the his growth from sole proprietor to bad manager to being a failed business owner. And how all of this led to his success as a business owner today.

October 24, 2018 - Sales Process Dom Cappuccilli, 'SectAway Kickstarter Monica Wood and Pivot Disrupt Transform Marcia Daszko

Tammy Rant: Founder. Mother of two. Lover of dogs. Career saleswoman who once poured wine for Oprah. Tammy was shocked to find no easy way to carry her babies comfortably, so she created her own solution with TushBaby.

It's a Kickstarter spectacular! Writers Henry Barajas and Nicole D'Andria join the show to talk about their respective comics projects on Kickstarter, as well as their experience in the industry for publishers Top Cow and Action Lab, respectively. To finish off the show, Batman writer Tom King tells us why he loves comics.Henry's Kickstarter: https://goo.gl/WQSEf4Nicole's Kickstarter: https://goo.gl/Cfs3LABrought to you by PanelxPanel MagazineSubscribe via: iTunes | Google | Stitcher | RSSFollow the Show: Twitter | InstagramContact: Letters@TMBCWorkshop.comFollow Kent: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramFollow Jason: Twitter | InstagramMore TMBC Podcasts

Today, I brought Andrew Hagen onto the podcast to share with you his experience having raised more than $1 million on Kickstarter with three crowdfunding campaigns.  His products include a series of biking accessories that help you record what happen around you so that you don't run into traffic issues and arguments as a cycler. Weekly Newsletter: http://www.crowdcrux.com/subscribe  Sponsors The Gadget Flow: Their product discovery platform reaches 22 million people per month! They’ve helped more than 5,000 crowdfunding campaigns and have a social media following of more than 700,000 followers. Fulfillrite: Kickstarter and crowdfunding reward fulfillment services. They come highly recommended! BackerKit helps crowdfunders with the survey and order fulfillment process. Don’t buried in spreadsheets and manual data entry!

How can you take advantage of the insights and lessons learned by an entrepreneur who’s enjoyed multiple campaigns of Kickstarter success? What if all of those tips and lessons were compiled into a book? Look no further! Special guest, Andrew Hagen joins the podcast to discuss his new book, “Kickstarter Success.” In our conversation, Andrew touches on his first Kickstarter campaign, what makes a product a good fit for crowdfunding, why it’s vital to connect with influencers, and much more! You don’t want to miss a minute of this engaging episode featuring Andrew! A product that will perform well with the crowdfunding community. Have you ever wondered what is it that makes some products more successful than others with the crowdfunding community? Take this opportunity to hear from Andrew Hagen as he opens up about his Kickstarter success and the common thread he has seen with products that go the distance. According to Andrew, it all comes down to the ease with which a seller can package and ship their product to their buyer. If a product causes packaging and shipping difficulties, it is less likely to gain momentum with the crowdfunding community. To hear more insights from Andrew and his experience with launching successful crowdfunding campaigns, make sure to listen to this episode! Connecting with the right influencers can make all the difference! Once you’ve chosen the right product to bring to the crowdfunding community, you’ve got to figure out how to best position it for a successful campaign. What would be your first step? On this episode, you’ll hear from Andrew Hagen as he reveals the one practice that he points to his Kickstarter success. In Andrew’s experience, connecting with the right influencers and getting them to speak about your product can end up making a significant impact on the chances for your product's success. Andrew encourages entrepreneurs to go after the top five influencers in their space and work hard to get their support and adapt to their feedback. Learn more about this important step in the crowdfunding process by listening to this episode! Three components of a successful crowdfunding campaign. If you had to boil it all down to three components that consistently lead to successful crowdfunding campaigns, what would you include? Would you choose innovation, product quality, marketing, or a something else? On this episode, successful entrepreneur Andrew Hagen shares the three components that he has identified as vital to a campaign's chances of success. Planning Preparation Research To hear Andrew expand on each of these components and how he’s seen them play out in his crowdfunded campaigns and others, make sure to listen to this informative episode! Advice for crowdfunding success. While you’ll be immensely better off for having read, “Kickstarter Success” what other advice does Andrew Hagen have for entrepreneurs looking to put their best foot forward with their upcoming crowdfunding campaign? On this episode, Andrew shares his advice that leaders like you can use to make the most of your pre-campaign efforts. While it may take some time, Andrew stresses the importance of thoroughly researching the platform that you’ll use to launch your product. Know your platform inside and out by interviewing and researching past campaigns to see what worked well and what led to failure. Learn more helpful tips from Andrew’s wealth of experience by listening to this engaging episode! Key Takeaways [1:05] Andrew Hagen joins the podcast to discuss his book, “Kickstarter Success.” [2:00] What was the first product Andrew launched? What did he learn? [3:00] What makes a product a good fit for crowdfunding? [4:30] Why connecting with influencers can make all the difference. [5:30] Andrew talks about why he wrote his book and what he hopes people get out of it.   [6:30] The critical role of planning, preparation, and research.

There are many folks out there handing out crowdfunding tips like candy on Halloween. But how many of them really know what they're talking about? My guest today is Derek Miller, a guy who is one of the Kickstarter success stories who has earned the right to coach others on how to be successful in crowdfunding. The tips he gives for developing a successful crowdfunding campaign on this episode are worth their weight in gold. We talked about pre-campaign essentials, how to build trust during the campaign and the best investments you can make with limited funds to ensure your campaign is as successful as possible. You won't want to miss this conversation. Want a crowdfunding tip that truly helps? Here it is: Decide exactly who your audience is going to be - an agency? Companies? Niche hobbyists? Before you go too far into your planning for a crowdfunding campaign you need to know exactly who your ideal customers are going to be. Your product or creative endeavor may be a great thing, but who is really going to buy it? You can't guess at that, you need to know for certain. In this conversation, Derek Miller explains how there could be many different audiences for your campaign and why you need to do the homework required to figure out who the best audience is and optimize everything to get their attention. That's a crowdfunding tip that is truly helpful and will set you up for success. The most important thing a creator should do before launching a crowdfunding campaign When I asked Derek Miller for his number one tip for crowdfunding success he said that every campaign Creator needs to do one thing before they even think about setting up a crowdfunding campaign. Talk to your fans and audience. Make sure you have asked every question you can think of, then go back and ask more questions. You need to know exactly what the pain points are of the audience you were trying to market to so that you can cover all the bases and address the issues you haven't even thought of. That will enable you to test your product long before you put it on Kickstarter and optimize it in ways that really meet the needs of your audience. Derek has lots of great crowdfunding tips like this that he shares on this episode, so make sure you listen. Derek’s top crowdfunding tip: Don’t waste your money on things proven not to work. Stick with basics like building an email list There are many practical things you can do to make your crowdfunding campaign successful, but if you only had one thing to focus on, what should it be? Derek Miller says one of the most important things you can do is to capture the email addresses of people who are interested in what you have to promote so that you can directly communicate with them about your progress, the launch of your campaign and everything that comes after that. Having a captive audience that is interested in what you have to sell is the most vital thing to the success of any product launch, whether through crowdfunding or typical marketing channels. You don't want to miss any of the crowdfunding tips that Derek has to share, so make time to listen to this episode. The future of crowdfunding success will be dependent on one word: Trust. Work hard to establish a professional and trustworthy image before starting a campaign Derek Miller believes that the crowdfunding space is becoming more and more crowded, which in turn requires that campaigns be more professional and clear about the level of integrity behind their campaigns. In a word, it's about trust. The campaigns that are successful on Kickstarter and Indiegogo in the future will be the ones that effectively communicate trust to their audience. If you hope to be successful with your crowdfunding campaign, Derek Miller is a great resource for you to learn from and he shares many of his own lessons learned, including the mistakes in the successes, on this episode. Key Takeaways [1:08] Derek Miller,

This week on Art of the Kickstart, we have a slightly different type of interview! We spoke with Shawnee Kilgore, a musician whose Kickstarter project gave her the opportunity to work with screenwriter and director Joss Whedon. Tune in to hear more about why Kickstarter is a good fit for musicians, how to prepare to launch an album on Kickstarter and much more! A Long and Precious Road: Shawnee's New Full Length Album! Key Crowdfunding Takeaways Why Kickstarter is a good fit for musicians How long it takes to prepare for a music project on Kickstarter How to tell your friends and family about your Kickstarter project in a personal way Why it’s important to be authentic throughout your entire Kickstarter campaign Links A Long and Precious Road on Kickstarter The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff Shawnee Kilgore and Joss Whedon - Back to Eden (Official Music Video) Connect with Shawnee Kilgore Shawnee Kilgore on Facebook @ShawneeKilgore on Twitter @shawneekilgore on Instagram Shawnee Kilgore on YouTube Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Click here to learn more and list your product - use coupon code ATOKK16 for 25% off! Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by BackerKit. BackerKit makes software that crowdfunding project creators use to survey backers, organize data, raise additional funds with add-ons and manage orders for fulfillment, saving creators hundreds of hours. To learn more and get started, click here. Transcript

Episode 3 brings you AshLee Winterrose. AshLee and her husband were dealt a challenging blow while still in college, forcing her to become the primary family provider. Hear how she went from meager teacher's salary to budding entrepreneur.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this episode of Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Vin Clancy, experienced entrepreneur, growth hacker, speaker and successful crowdfunding creator. Tune in to learn more about how to make Facebook work for you, different strategies for growing your audience and much more! Key Takeaways How Facebook groups can help you reach more people What growth hacking is and how it can help build an audience How a Facebook group can be better than a blog How to decide if building a community through a Facebook group is the right choice for your business When cold emailing is the best way to build an audience How to use viral campaigns to build an audience Links vinclancy.com Traffic and Copy Facebook Group Vin’s Kickstarter Campaign QueueAt The 48 Laws of Power Connect with Vin @vincentdignan on Twitter @successallday on Instagram A Special Offer from Vin If you enjoyed this interview with Vin Clancy, you can get "The ONE secret to getting your posts seen on Facebook (+ 26 secret hacks of the Facebook algorithm)” ebook for free here: Http://growthclub.us/Facebooksecrets It contains the secret that will double your Facebook engagement overnight, as well as 26 other hacks legendary marketer Vin Clancy used to build a six-figure business via Facebook posts - with zero PR. You’ll find out why posting times are very over-rated as a metric, as well as the lazy thing you do about 50% of the time which kills your reach. Note: Everything is correct at the time of writing this (last week) - the Facebook algorithm changes often, so use these tactics while they're still fresh. In addition, anyone who signs up to receive the ebook will get Vin’s “How To Do a Successful Kickstarter” webinar (normally $99) for free if they email cris@vinclancy.com with the subject line "Kickstarter plz" and the email they used to sign up for the Facebook secrets eBook. Sponsors Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by The Gadget Flow, a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save, and buy awesome products. The Gadget Flow is the ultimate buyer's guide for cool luxury gadgets and creative gifts. Click here to learn more and list your product - use coupon code ATOKK16 for 25% off! Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by BackerKit. BackerKit makes software that crowdfunding project creators use to survey backers, organize data, raise additional funds with add-ons and manage orders for fulfillment, saving creators hundreds of hours. To learn more and get started, click here. Transcript

Three things are necessary for Kickstarter Success. #1 Building the Audience - James tells us how #2 Professional Artists - You can't get by with amateur #3 Pre-marketing - You must invest time to build up to your campaign James Hudson knows what he is talking about and identifies clearly those three things that you must do to be successful. Ignore his advice at your peril.

Gloomhaven raised over $300,000 on Kickstarter and printed 10,000 copies of the game. Distribution had 2,200 copies for retailers but suddenly demand spiked at 25,000 copies. Isaac Childres, creator of Gloomhaven and owner of Cephalofair games explains how a successful Kickstarter project brought it own set of challenges. He shares some secrets of what you should watch out for and lessons learned. And how he is planning on meeting demand that is 10x higher than he anticipated. These are good problems to have.

Host Mike Legary follows up from last year’s successful TrapTap Kickstarter campaign with founders Bryce North and Dustin Refvik.

Did you know $2.5 billion dollars have been pledged to Kickstarter projects? BIllion. With a B. That's just for successful campaigns. Only 35% of campaigns end up getting funded on Kickstarter. So what can you do ensure success on Kickstarter? Joining us to tell us to share crowdfunding secrets of success is Scott Adamson, co-founder of Kickbooster Inc. Since launch, Kickbooster has worked with over 1300 crowdfunding campaigns, has been featured by tech writers at Tech Crunch, Gadget Flow, Art of the Kickstart and Crowd Crux, and was promoted on Product Hunt. Kickbooster has quickly become a staple tool in the crowdfunding community. Scott has personally worked with hundreds of crowdfunding campaigns including a handful of multi-million dollar projects that have used both the Kickstarter and Indiegogo platforms to raise seed money for early startups and innovative ideas. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group — Links: Kickbooster Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com

Ali Kothari is still a student at Northeastern University but that hasn’t stopped him and his co-founder, Johnny Fayad, from founding New Grounds Food. After getting tired of not having time to make breakfast or coffee in the morning before class, they had an idea to create a way to eat their coffee. Thus, their product, the CoffeeBar, was born. In this episode Ali shares amongst other things: His secrets to Kickstarter success When he realized they had a strong idea Northeastern’s IDEA Accelerator Getting to a shelf-ready product Mistakes made early on How they got their product on the shelves Why they partnered with the Chain Collaborative How starting a company was different from what he expected   Links from the Episode: Mosaic at Northeastern Kickstarter WeWork Jaho Ogawa Starry Unreal Candy New Grounds Food on Twitter   If you liked this episode: Follow the podcast on Twitter Subscribe on iTunes or your podcast app and write a review Get in touch with feedback, ideas, or to say hi: nic {AT} startupbostonpodcast [DOT] com

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared is a YouTube phenomenon. Created in the vein of innocent children’s programming, over the course of each short episode, the action always descends into mind-bending, hilarious terror. The nightmarish combination of puppets, sing-along tunes and raw meat has helped them notch up 100 million views and 900,000 subscribers on YouTube. Our guest on Crowd Scene today is Ben Lole, a London-based creative producer who is part of the core team behind Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared. Ben’s here to explain how on earth this ever get made… In 2014, after making two episodes on their own, the team turned to Kickstarter in order to raise enough money to create four more. In 29 days they raised £105,000 – that’s about $150,000 for you Americans – from 3,500 backers. In the news we talk about ARKYD – a $1.5m Kickstarter campaign that just refunded its 17,000 backers three years after raising enough money to put a telescope in space. As always, please help us out by writing a friendly review of this show on iTunes. In return for each review, Mike will personally come to your house and perform a scene-for-scene re-enactment of the movie ‘Titanic’. Show notes on crowdsceneshow.com

If kickstarters are an art then Jacob Durham's a master. 3 times he has managed to run explosive campaigns -- listen to his insights now!

We're talking about comic book Kickstarter success in this episode of Crowd Scene. The world of graphic novels is a fascinating scene for budding entrepreneurs and storytellers. Certainly the massive success of Marvel Comic adaptations into blockbuster films has demonstrated the mainstream appeal for comic books. In this episode we get some insights into what it takes to create and crowdfund an original comic book as we speak to writer Ryan O'Sullivan and editor Neil Gibson about their work Turncoat and their recent, and very successful campaign on Kickstarter. As always, if you leave a positive review for us on iTunes, Mike will buy you a round of drinks and serenade you with songs from his album.

How Fabienne orchestrated a $100k+ Kickstarter campaign on her own (and why she doesn’t recommend it to everyone). The three pieces of advice from successful Kickstarter mentors that helped her be successful

On the show today we’re talking to Rob Loukotka. Rob is an artist in Chicago who also happens to be a huge fan of the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons. He decided to bring these interests together by illustrating a poster containing every single product from the Acme Corporation! If you’ve seen the cartoon, you’ll remember that Acme was the fictional company from which The Coyote bought things like dynamite, bombs, a giant magnet and a whole host of other paraphernalia, all of which was supposed to help him catch the Road Runner. It turned out that Rob wasn’t the only one with fond memories of the cartoon, because more than 3,000 people backed his Kickstarter campaign to create the poster and even though his goal was a modest $3,000, he ended up raising $105,000 in a campaign that ended on Christmas Eve. We also discuss Cory Feldman's adventure into crowdfunding in this week's news. Links to that – and everything else – are on our website crowdsceneshow.com. Check it out immediately. As always, leave a nice review for the show on iTunes and Mike will buy drinks for you and your friends all night long.

Bonus Barrel is back in the new year! Well, recorded in the new year. So that counts. Rob brings in a random, unplanned topic this week. Intending to talk about open world GAMES, we instead mostly talk about what exactly IS an open world game. Sandbox games, MMOs, other weirder choices all get brought up and discussed. In the end.. do we agree? Do we have a good enough definition? Probably not, but we'd love to hear YOUR input. We also cover some news. News this Ep: -Sony Trademarks "Days Gone" - New Mistwalker game in 2016 - FFXV inspirted by Last of US? - Occulus Rift... Pricing - Mario Kart Shenanigans - PS4 Badass Sales - Psychonauts 2 Kickstarter Success! - NX Predictions - A Boy and his Blob Re-release - Clash Royale Check out our youtube episodes too: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTt2EcGHud0 All of the awesome music and SFX can be found at the following: Music in today's episode: Chibi Ninja and We're all under the stars (Erik Skiff) @eric-skifffreemusicarchive.org/music/Eri…ibi_ninja ericskiff.com/music/freemusicarc…flu…eflux_-_catnip SFX freesound.org/people/StarsAreFor…ing/sounds/112332/ www.freesound.org/people/acclivity/sounds/22952/ Liscenses: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Scuba Steve time....the underwater adventures of an inventor and entrepreneur crushing Kickstarter, funding in days and turning a personal passion and project into a crowdfunding success story. Yeah, you should tune. The PakPod Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] Success Quote "I just need to know what I need to know next." Key Crowdfunding Takeaways Why you NEED to bring your own crowd ahead of time Challenges creating manufacturing and production times How to scratch your own itch for product creation Why some startups NEED help and team to succeed What inventors must learn about entrepreneurship and design Why partnerships are powerful business boosts The power of proof and testimonials How hard a Kickstarter campaign can be to run Why making money makes making money easier Ways to cross-promote crowdfunding projects The power of mindless brainstorming Why startups should fail fast, faster The reason ideas are worthless [clear-line] Links pakpod.com [clear-line] Connect with Steve Pakpod's Facebook Pakpod's Twitter Love the Show? Leave us a Review [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] Crowdfund Academy Listener Special [clear-line] [clear-line]

Discovery Channel videographer and underwater creative Dan Burton of Eye Mirror shares the story of long term business building with challenges, setbacks and Kickstarter crowdfunding success. If you've ever wanted 360 degree amazingness in video and product creation this product is absolutely worth checking out. The Eye Mirror 360º Kickstarter Campaign Key Crowdfunding Takeaways The challenges of coming to market too early Why doing what you love is a great way to build a business How find an amazing cofounder The challenges of showcasing complex products What happens when a project goes on a long break Why Kickstarter photography products do so well The reasons to build a product you would use yourself How to use new technology to create a whole new class of products Why delivering a product late to backers can be beneficial Success Quotes None. Just do what you love. Links Eye-Mirror.com The Eye Mirror Android App [clear-line] Connect with Dan @EyeMirror360 @DanDiver Kickstarter Love AirDog PowerUp 3.0 Paper Airplane Our Sponsor eFulFillment Service: Want to get your rewards out to backers and eliminate the hassle of post-campaign shipping? EFS can help with tons of crowdfunding experience and special discounts for Art of the Kickstart listeners these guys are a great bet to help your business grow. Love the Show? Leave us a Review  

Chloe is the writer and director of the horror film ‘Crazy Golf‘, a Kickstarter success story, soon to premier in London, UK. Chloe is a an independent filmmaking powerhouse; her first short film ‘Itch‘ was selected and screened at Lindfield Arts Festival, and since then she has independently written, directed, produced the films ‘Ebb and Flow’, ‘Afternoon Breakfast’, & ‘Working Lunch’. Chloe on Twitter: @ChloePhilippou Chloe on the Interwebs: www.ChloePhilippou.com See the Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1914069584/crazy-golf-horror-movie

Here are 6 key statistics you need to know and follow to ensure Kickstarter success.

Michael DiMartini from Everest Bands come on the show to chat and share his success with us. He's gone from failed businesses to two successful Kickstarter campaigns and an amazing product line sold through Shopify. Michael doesn't just sell watch bands. He sells literally the best rubber watch strap made- and it's for a Rolex. We discuss: What Everest Bands is all about (it's more than just swiss rubber) What goes in to a successful Kickstarter The ROI of Facebook likes What it takes to be a luxury brand The Apple Watch Michael's favorite watch And his single best tip for Shopify store owners. Check out Everest Bands Shopify store or their Facebook campaign. PS: Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes and write a review. iTunes is all about reviews! Full transcript [opening music] Announcer: This is the Unofficial Shopify Podcast with Kurt Elster and Paul Reda, your resource for growing your Shopify business, sponsored by Ethercycle. Kurt Elster: Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast. I'm your host Kurt, and with me is my business partner and co-host Paul. Paul Reda: Welcome. Hello. Kurt: Joining us today is Michael DiMartini from Everest Bands. He is one of our favorite clients, a Kickstarter success, a manufacturer and a Shopify store owner. Michael, it's around 3:30 there in St Loius, what are you up to? Michael DiMartini: Well, if it was Friday, I'd be drinking a cold one. Kurt: There you go. Michael: Obviously, I am excited to do this first inaugural podcast with you guys and really appreciate it. Super excited to talk more about our company and Shopify and the great job that you guys have done for us. Kurt: Thank you. Tell us a little bit about Everest Band. What's an Everest Band? Michael: About two and a half years ago, my partners and I came up with an idea for a rubber Rolex replacement watch strap. Now, two years later, we had a successful Kickstarter with our first rubber strap. We are on our second version now, made in Switzerland. Just recently, last month, we had our second successful Kickstarter for a leather strap. It was a wonderful experience. Thank God for Kickstarter. Kurt: [laughs] This band is made in Switzerland, huh? Michael: Yeah. Our rubber strap is entirely made in Switzerland, rubber-wise. We actually have a steel oyster link that is attached to it and we coat that with a coating called DLC, diamond-like coating. That is actually from here on the US. Kurt: I think, I and a lot of people, we have ideas. We're like, "Oh, we got this great idea for a thing." Making a thing is hard. It's easy to have an idea. It's tough to actually get it manufactured. How did you go end up in Switzerland, asking a manufacturer to build your rubber? How does that happen? How do I get there? Michael: To be very honest, we actually had two previous versions. One was made, or tempted to be made, here in the St. Louis area. Honestly, it was a complete epic fail and we did not actually produce any straps for sale. We had a second version that was also made in the United States. That was a very good strap. We had some limitations with the manufacturer on, basically, material choices. We traveled the globe to find what we think would be the absolute best manufacturer. Honestly, the Swiss just blew us away with their technology at rubber molding. The company we use specializes in rubber watch strap molding. I can't list the names of the companies, but probably the top 10 watch manufacturers in the world use them to make their rubber straps. I actually had to pretty much beg them to take my business. Kurt: Did you pretty much beg them or did you literally beg them? Michael: Oh, no. I got on the proverbial hands and knees and literally said, "Please, please make my strap." They said, "Sure. We'll do it." How did I get there? A lot of research. Honestly, a tremendous amount of research and actually asking industry experts. I asked other watch companies who they used. Kurt: I think that's one of the things a lot of people should do or don't know how to do is, do I go out and ask people in my industry or even competitors, "What are you doing? How do you do it? Can I pick your brain?" Did you do that? How do you go about that? Michael: Yes, of course. There's a two-part answer to that. One of them does relate to Kickstarter. Whenever you're producing a product like we produce or really anything of a higher-end level, don't be embarrassed to ask others how they're doing it. For sure, other people are more than happy to help. We just started with other watchmakers, high-end watchmakers. They were very open with us. Some were, of course, tentative for giving us any information whatsoever. When they immediately found out that we weren't a competitor, a direct competitor in any way, they were more than happy to talk to us. Kurt: Really, the only barrier to entry is you psychologically just being willing to go out and ask. What's the worst that can happen, they say no? If you don't ask, you've guaranteed that you get nothing out of it. Michael: Honestly, let's call it, any entrepreneur has to have some balls. Kurt: [laughs] Right. It took me a long time to get there. Michael: You can't be fearful of being told to drop dead. Kurt: [laughs] That's a good line. That's a great quote. We should include that as a tweet. Tell me, what goes into...You got the seed money or got this off the ground using Kickstarter twice now, right? Michael: Yeah. Just a really quick back story, I had another business that was a failure, to be honest. I think that the best entrepreneur is the one that get kicked down at least once or twice and they then learn from those mistakes and take it from there. Our first business, completely unrelated in every single facet, local business, didn't deliver a product, delivered a service, et cetera, was a failure because of a lot of different things. One, we added too much debt to the business. When we were looking at the product itself, the product idea, we felt that Kickstarter was perfect for us. It gave us the ability to have a presale, so we knew if the product was worth doing. We did of course put a lot of money into it at the very beginning. The amount that we put in was a little bit more than what we got from Kickstarter, but really Kickstarter did finish line us on our first product. On the second one, we took a completely different direction. We were going not for what we did on our first one, where we were trying to get the seed money to finish the project. It was more of wanting to make sure the market place wanted the product. We, of course, used the funds to pay for the finish line of the second product. We also didn't go after retailers, for example. We just went after the general public. On our first Kickstarter, more than half of our Kickstarter proceeds were from retailers. If I was doing this all over again for a first time, I definitely would try and get retailers involved in my first product. Kurt: Now that you're a Kickstarter veteran, if you had one tip for someone who's about to launch their product on Kickstarter, what would it be? Michael: The first tip that I would give is you really have to have your crap together. I mean it. Kurt: It's a good tip. Get your shit together! Michael: Get your shit together! Don't start Kickstarter with questions, because you're going to get annihilated, number one. Number two, when I say that, I mean there are so many different levels to that. Starting with that, not only do you become an expert in your area through at least understanding the part that you're going to sell and manufacture, number one. Number two, you're going to want to have excellent pictures of a prototype. You want to have connected with the lowest level of purchasing. Usually, that's through forums and different items that are connected to some type of social media connection. Yes, get your sit together. Paul: You mentioned social media, and we think that social media advertising is sort of bullshit here. It's a lot of snake oil. It doesn't get the ROI that the social media people like to claim it does, at least in our experience. However, you have a ton of Facebook Likes and the majority of your traffic comes in via Facebook. Why do you think you were able to pull that off? Michael: That's a really good question. To be really honest with you, I think that each business has a different successful tool in some level of marketing. For example, we seem to have a product where people need to physically see it. With social media, we can present pictures constantly. When we have a Facebook Like, for example...and I'll be honest, it costs us very few cents per Facebook Like, whereas in other industries it's very expensive to acquire a Like because... Kurt: Actually, I didn't know that Likes are on like a bidding system where it varies by industry. How many Facebook Likes do you have, anyway? Michael: We have 128,000. We're probably going to achieve today 129,000. Kurt: How many did you have where you saw it really was paying off for you, in terms of sales? Michael: Probably after 5,000. Honestly, after about 5,000 Likes. Kurt: So, 5,000 is the baseline that people should be shooting for and 100,000 is ideal. Michael: Actually, to be very honest with you, our end goal for Facebook Likes for the end of 2015 is over a million. Kurt: Yes! There's no limit, so why not shoot for the ceiling? Michael: Exactly. To better answer your question, because that's a really good one especially for entrepreneurs, Facebook, Instagram, those things are free. There is no form of free marketing better that that. It costs you money to put a sign on the wall of your office or your storefront. It costs you money to have, honestly, Ethercycle do work for you. Facebook is free. Social media's free, but to make it successful, you need those tools behind you, like Ethercycle's work, like a sign maker for your outside, like a very good business card printer, so on and so forth. That is what gets you the end success. Paul: Social media marketing takes a lot of time too, which people just assume that it's a thing that just happens for free and you don't have to worry about it. There's a lot of time-suck there as well. Michael: Yeah. For my own self, as the marketing person for our company, I focus 50 percent of my day on social media. Development of it. Paul: Earlier, you mentioned forums and that really tickled something in my brain. Another one of our big clients that works in aftermarket auto parts and they do millions of dollars in revenue a year, a portion of their sale staff is just devoted to pumping up the product on forums and selling on forums. Because a forum dedicated to the kind of product that you're selling is essentially just a captured audience of people that are super interested in what you want to sell them. Michael: Yeah. A forum is a community of hobbyists, obviously. Some of them are not hobbyists. Some of those are people like, for example for us, a watch repair company. They might have access to a forum and they keep up to date on what's popular and what not. That's how a lot of our business has come from, especially on the retailer side. To be very honest with you, we involve ourselves enough to give a presentation of new products and ideas but not so much that we're going to get kicked off. Because it's a club. That's what it is. Paul: You think to swoop in and be, "Buy my stuff!" You can't spam them. Kurt: [laughs] Paul: Engaging is the word. You want to engage. Not just spam. Michael: Yeah. Exactly. At the end of the day, let's call that as it is, no one likes to be sold anything, everybody likes to buy stuff. Kurt: Speaking of buying, you're selling a luxury brand. You're selling a premium item for people who have already bought from a luxury brand. You only sell for Rolex, correct? Michael: On Everest Bands, yeah. We do have a secondary site, we don't need to get into that today but yeah. Our primary focus is Everest and Everest Horology products in general, just only focuses entirely on Rolex users, Rolex owners and wearers. Kurt: All right. I think luxury brands as an idea fascinate me. I know we've gone back and forth about it in the office. Sometimes you have to tease out, "Is this just a product with a very expensive price tag?" It's purely a status symbol. Rolex is extremely well made. It's a premium product. It's well made. At the same time, everyone knows it's expensive. Starting Rolex, brand new, is going to be eight grand. For a product like Everest Brands, it's a luxury product. How did you get to become a luxury product? What's the barrier to entry to be a premium luxury brand? Is it just a big price tag? What is it? Michael: A lot of people are trying to make things in different countries right now for a super low cost. The consumer today of course likes value but, if you're talking about a luxury product or becoming a luxury company, you have to remember that, what does the end user want? True end users. Luxury purchasers. Quality is a corner stone of whatever you're making. Second - longevity of life. Don't think that people with money have any interest in buying something over and over again every six to 12 months. They're just not interested in doing that. It's very uncommon that you see a destroyed Gucci bag or a pair Ferragamo shoes that are quite a few years old and still look excellent. Mercedes Benzes last a very long time. They're not a car that you drive for three years and throw away. At the end of the day, Everest makes a product that is the highest quality in the world. There is no better rubber strap or leather strap ever. The longevity and life of our product is very long. From a luxury standpoint, our service is extremely high. I have direct communication with almost with every single costumer at some level. Kurt: All right. A luxury brand obviously is more than just the premium price. You have to back it up. If you're going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk and have a product that's number one in its category, in terms of precision manufacturing. Then being able to back it up with customer support, so people don't even have to wonder. They know they'll be able to get a hold of you. Speaking of luxury products, premium brands, we can't ignore Apple. You're a watch guy. I'm into watches. I think partly you've got me into watches. The Apple watch was just announced yesterday. I'm dating this podcast a little bit. The Apple watch just came out. I love it. I think it looks great. For $350, I don't think you get a watch that's better. What do you think? Michael: First, obviously Everest has had its own level of getting kicked while it's down, we'll say, when we were first starting. I'm not going to kick the Apple watch while no one's even really seen it yet. Do I think it's going to hurt the hot horology world? Absolutely not. I don't think it's even going to get remotely dent Rolex, Omega, Bell & Ross's sales because, honestly, people buy those products because they love the watch. They could care less about time keeping. Paul: Yeah, I agree with you there. Hublot has nothing to worry about. But in my mind, judging by what I've read and what I've heard you and Kurt talk about about the low end of the watch industry, in terms of the low end of the luxury watches, the kind of things that are available at that price point, it's my impression that the Apple watch blows everything out of the water at that price point. Michael: Yeah. The other side of the spectrum is - not to try and compare entirely a Rolex to an Apple watch...I have a Rolex. It's seven years old. It looks brand new. I treat it well but I don't have a seven-year-old iPhone, gentlemen. Kurt: [laughs] Good point. Michael: Do I think it's going to be somewhat or something that you replace every three to four years at a maximum? Yeah. The Everest Band, for example, I am still wearing the original first single piece that came off the assembly line today and it still looks as if it's brand new. That was a year and a half ago. Again, it just goes back to the whole luxury idea. Is Apple producing a luxury product? No. They're just producing a great piece of technology that has a lot of advancements. It's not going to affect Hublot. It's not going to affect Omega. It's not going to affect Rolex. But on a low end line, say for example a Casio? Yeah. Casio, Seico, low ends, they're going to feel it. They're going to feel the heat pretty hard probably. Kurt: The sub-five hundred dollar people are in trouble. The heirloom, status symbol and $10,000 watches have nothing to worry about. Michael: Yeah. I don't particularly see that Southwest is affecting private jet sales. Kurt: [laughs] Good point I didn't figure it out that way. Michael: Lets call it as it is, but do I feel the Southwest is probably affecting American Airlines in sales? Hell yeah, gentlemen. Come on. It like $98. Give me a break. To go up to Chicago from St. Louis, I would pick that over $300 flight on American Airlines, for example. Also, there's a million of those, but I'm excited to see what happens with the Apple iWatch, especially because I watched kind of amazingly as the Pebble watch was coming down the pipeline. It was in its Kickstarter when I was doing my first Everest Band Kickstarter. We are brothers from another mother. I really feel that the Pebble hasn't really hit the marketplace the way they thought it would. Paul: I think that is true. Every smart watch that's come out. Kurt: Every smart watch, yeah. Michael: Oh yeah. Kurt: I had a Pebble watch, I thought it was an awful. I wore it like handful of times and I ended up selling it. I lost money on it. It's just not a good product. Michael: Then, on top of it, I really almost feel bad for Pebble, because they had such enormous phoenix rise at the very beginning with, I think it was $10 million in sales... Kurt: I know they broke a record for fundraising on Kickstarter. Michael: Oh yeah. Just recently the Coolest Cooler knocked them off the top. More importantly, they had countless issues. They couldn't get the damn thing out for a year. I can tell you right now, our customers were...we were late by three weeks and they were freaking out. I just feel that when it comes down to being successful, selling a product and what not, there are a lot of different parts that have to play in to it. The one great thing about Apple is that they are so well organized that this multiple-billion dollar company is going to probably hit it really well on their first version. The first iPhone was pretty sweet, but I am worried that, honestly, it could be the next Newton. I don't know if you guys remember that P.O.S. Kurt: Yeah. I love it. The only thing I can ever think of about the Newton, I think a lot of people our age too, is the Newton on the Simpsons. Paul: Yeah, "Eat up Martha." Kurt: "Eat up Martha." Paul: The main thing that is in my mind is that I don't wear watches. I don't understand why anyone would wear a watch, because I have an atomic clock that I carry around in my pocket at all times that also does things more than a watch. Kurt: It's jewelry really... Paul: No. and I don't... [crosstalk] Kurt: It's jewelry that happens to tell the time. Paul: I don't wear any jewelry, so it's kind of meaningless to me. I saw the smart watch and, because I'm stupid, I was kind of like, "All right, I kind of want it a little bit." Kurt: It's not stupid, it's geeky. It's another screen. I see the attraction. Michael: I totally see the attractions too, because honestly, you don't fit in to...like Kurt fits in to it but not everybody fits into that wanting of a high-end watch. Honestly, Rolex probably produces about a million high-end time pieces a year annually. Kurt: That blows my mind. A million people a year are spending $8,000 plus on a watch. Paul: I was doing research on how the watch might affect Apple's bottom line, because I am an Apple shareholder and... Kurt: That makes two of us. High five. Paul: ...the world watch market produces something like 1.2 billion watches a year. If 1.2 billion watches get made, Rolex makes 1 million of them. That's less than one percent. [laughs] Kurt: It's still crazy. Paul: I'm sure in terms of revenue, they're way higher, but not in terms of watches produced. Michael: Exactly. At the end of the day, you've got 1.2 billion watches being made annually. There's going to be a large percentage of them that are going to last a very short amount of time. They're $20, $15. They're $75. You know what? You're right. I think the Apple watch is a creative, brilliant idea that is well-designed. I'm simply not going to bang it, even though...I don't think I'll ever buy one. But it's just a different animal. Paul: It's a different thing. Kurt: It's a new market. Man 2: I think Jony Ive said during the video that, "You know, we are going to replace Rolex." He made some crack about replacing Rolex and a lot of those brands. That is kind of like, "All right. You are not right there." Because that's... Kurt: Don't be reaching for the stars. [crosstalk] Paul: This is a different thing they are selling. They both might be called watches, but they are different things. Michael: Rolex is not a buggy whip, gentlemen. Honestly, for him to say that shows, sadly, that even though he's a beautiful and wonderful designer, his complete and utter ignorance on the watch industry is completely...he overly showed it during that point. Paul: I'm really excited to listen to this in five years and then we're like, "Oh man, Apple controls everything. We were idiots." Kurt: [laughs] "I can't believe Apple bought Rolex." Tell me, you are a watch guy, what's your favorite watch? Michael: I hate to say that I'm a...Even though I love complex, beautiful watches, I have to still say that the Rolex Submariner, in it's simple form, it's absolutely the most beautiful watch I've ever seen. It is a timeless, gorgeous definition of what a watch should be. It's accuracy is absolutely impressive. It's an over a 60-year design that's slightly evolved to almost absolute perfection with their current version. I look at so many other watches, and you just don't ever see that. When you look at watches, in general, or really products in general, let's just start with the car or anything like that or the Internet for that matter, very seldomly do you see one company be able to take their vision from 60 years ago and still keep running with it perfectly. Kurt: Yeah, it's true. The Rolex Submariner shape is classic and timeless, like people will always recognize a bottle of Coke, I think number one, and number two, they'll know Rolex when they see it. Michael: Not to try and push Ethercycle in any way, but... [crosstalk] Kurt: Oh no, please do. Please do. Michael: I know, but I really feel like one thing that you guys did great was that...I said to you during our design meetings that I wanted a website that showed the essence of Rolex's website and Rolex's presence. I didn't want to be Rolex. That's not what my intension was, but you guys were able to take the essence of that. That's complex. Countless people try and make watches just like Rolex watches, and they are completely off the mark every single time. It's good to see you guys, actually, were able to both manufacture my idea of what our website should look like but also give it that same feeling that it's going to last. I'm not going to change my website six months from tomorrow. I actually think that we are only going to minorly evolve it over the next two or three years as technology develops better in Shopify. Kurt: That's the way to do it. I think the people who have the most success are not the ones who tear down their website every six months, but instead are doing just constant iterations. With you, it's really every two weeks, even sometimes weekly, we're making continuous changes that really add up to better conversion and more sales, et cetera. Speaking that, as a Shopify store owner, give me one tip for Shopify store owners. Michael: The one tip is I do believe you need to trust something as important as your website to professionals, because if you are going to run a website like Shopify's -- very well built technology -- you can download one of their templates. You can figure out how to put some images and things like that. At the end of the day, the consumer is very short lived in their decision-making online. I look at the amount of time that people are on our website, and they are only there for a minute or two really sometimes. Kurt: A minute and a half is good. That's extraordinary. Michael: That is such an integral important part. To spend 2, 3, 4 thousand dollars on something that you are going to have as an asset in your company for the next 12 to 24 to 36 months...it's kind of foolish to think that, "I will just download a fifty dollar template and just start going with it." You need professional guidance, especially, even at a base level when you first do Kickstarter, when you first do this things, when you're first coming up with the product idea or your first, you're even just starting up a retail store online, you need to have that guidance. Because without that, your conversion rate will be much lower. Even if you think it's looks great and your mom does too, it doesn't matter. What matters is the end consumer has complete confidence in buying the product and you need the company to really do that and develop your website. Kurt: Hell yeah. God, I'm going to have to embed that audio on the second website now. [laughs] Paul: Autoplay audio now on the website. Big conversion. People love that. Kurt: You are right. That is a conversion killer. [laughter] Kurt: I think that I learned a lot. I hope other people learned a lot. It was really good. It was great having you. Michael I looked forward to talking more with Everest Bands and really growing that brand. Thank you for joining us. Michael: Thank you guys. Again, I really feel, not to go back a couple of times to do something, but if you're going to do a Kickstarter, you really need to get things organized. One of the most important things in organizing it is the image that you put out there, because if you don't have that, you will fail. Kurt: Your number one tip is still, will always ring true in my mind and it's good to hear it, "get your shit together." Michael: Get your shit together. Don't start without your shit together boys, because it's going to fail. I had a great time... Paul: Advice for everyone. Michael: Yeah, honestly. Your mom told you when you were 18 years old, "Get your shit together." Kurt: All right, this is fantastic. Thank you, Michael. Michael: Thanks guys. Paul: Thank you. [closing music]

Star Trek: Ambush. Through Enterprise we learned a great deal about the events of the 22nd century, but the one-hundred-year gap between the end of Enterprise and the start of The Original Series remains largely a mystery. A new short film entitled Star Trek: Ambush aims to fill in some of those gaps. Ambush will introduce a new ship and a new crew whose existence is well known to the Federation, but something that would best be kept secret. Set just after the events of "Balance of Terror," the story focuses on a single away mission to rescue a captured Commander and how the Federation ultimately dealt with the Romulans, after the incident involving Kirk and the Enterprise. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Greg Lock, the producer of Ambush, to learn more about the project.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Meeting Greg (1:55) The Genesis of Ambush (8:37) Working with Miniatures (14:46) Scouting Locations (21:10) Bridging ENT and TOS (22:05) Cast and Crew (27:05) Kickstarter Success (30:11) Find Out More (35:59) Closing (38:37)

Jamey Stegmaier joins me as my co host and tells us how to build long term success on Kickstarter

Lee Schneider, founder of Digital Fundraising School, looks at successful Kickstarter and IndieGoGo campaigns, explains why they work, and passes the lessons learned on to you, so you can put them to work in your own successful crowdfunding campaign.

Chase and Jenna sit down with Noah Rosenberg of Narratively to discuss Kickstarter Success, building the company, and his devotion to exclusively to sharing a city's untold stories—the rich, intricate narratives that get at the heart of what a place is all about.

Monty Singleton has a Kickstarter project called Ghosts N Goblins, but he also has a passion for sharing. As part of his campaign, he has launched a 20 days of 20 hours of tweeting to help promote his project.To stay that organized you need tools to make your job easier. Monty lays out the 10 tools he is using for his Kickstarter project and how he is maximizing their use. I love Monty's energy and enthusiasm. We also discuss how he went about getting my attention, which can give insights into my listeners who are looking for ways to get noticed.

Support Sound Design Live on Patreon for as little as $1: https://www.patreon.com/sounddesignlive In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with musician and electronic instrument maker Moldover about the Kickstarter campaign for his new album. Moldover shares the mistakes he made with his first album and the important changes he made this time around. We also discuss new hardware he has been working on, in ear monitors, and the importance of tragedy in art. http://sounddesignlive.com/behind-moldover-kickstarter-success

On this episode of Word Balloon, we check in with Greg Rucka , who with artist Rick Burchett and webmaster Eric Newsom have begun their Kickstarter campign for the Web comic Lady Sabre and The Pirates Of The Ineffable Aether  . As of this posting they have exceeded their initial goal, but as Greg points out that means there are more books that can be published beyond the 192 page OGN. We also discuss Greg & Michael Lrk's new Image comic Lazarus, which begins in late June.Then fresh from his FCBD siging in Chicago we catch up with Jamal Igle . His new female hero Molly bdanger also had a successful kickstarter campaign, and now the character made her print debut in Action Lab's FCBD book. We talk about how Jamal created the character, what he learned fom his KS experience, and what's next for both Jamal & Molly Danger.Writer Charles Soule makes his Word Balloon debut, talking about his current work at DC (Swamp Thing & Red Lanterns) Marvel (Thunderbolts) and 2 exciting creator owned projects from Archaia (Strange Attractors out next week), and Oni Press (Letter 44 coming in October )

Our C2E2 coverage begins with floor interviews from Jimmy Palmiotti, Kyle Higgins, Doug Mahnke, and Scott Allie.Then we check in with Mark Schultz who has a Kickstarter Campaign for a new collection THE ART OF MARK SCHULTZ CARBON and a hardcover edition of XENOZOIC.More Kickstarter talk with Greg Pak & Jonathan Coulton as they combine their musical and comic book talents for the graphic novel CODE MONKEY SAVE WORLD.We wrap up with the C2E2 Podcast panel featuring Wendi Friedman (Double Page Spread) Stevie Disme (Comic Book Queers) Chris Marshall ( Collected Comics Library ) Brian Pants Christman ( Comic Geek Speak ) , and Mike Pfeiffer ( Most People are DJs ) 

  A Quick Breakdown Stefan Loble did not inheret $1M and quit his job. He did not go raise VC (Venture Capital) or Angel investment capital. He did not have twenty years of experience in the men’s apparel industry. What was his qualification for greatness? Passion.  

  A Quick Breakdown Stefan Loble did not inheret $1M and quit his job. He did not go raise VC (Venture Capital) or Angel investment capital. He did not have twenty years of experience in the men’s apparel industry. What was his qualification for greatness? Passion.  

What is Kickstarter? Let's talk to Emmy Award winning writer Leslie Nipkow and Broadway veteran T Oliver Reid about their success with the program. Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control and responsibility over their own projects. They spend weeks building their own project pages, shooting introductory videos, and brainstorming what to offer as rewards to those who pledge money to back their projects. Rewards are things like a copy of what's being made, a limited edition, or a custom experience related to the project. Every project creator sets their project's funding goal and deadline. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal all backers' credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short no one is charged. Since it's launch in April 2009: $331 million pledged to projects 2.6 million people have backed a project 28,000 projects successfully funded But Kickstarter is about much more than money... People come to Kickstarter to build community around their projects. It's inspiring to be supported by people you know, and amazing to connect with strangers who are discovering your ideas for the first time. TIME Magazine listed Kickstarter as one of the Best Websites of 2011 and one of the Best Inventions of 2010 Check out more at www.kickstarter.com