I have to say, this was really helpful. it comes in three pieces and it's also a mini intelligence test in that you have to be smart
enough to find the first one, the second one and the third one.
Well intelligence test is a bit un-pc... Let's call it a skills test. Yeah, that works much better. You have to have enough skills to find it in the first place.
Or maybe a luck test? I was looking for a vertical farming section on Permies.com and happen to search for crowd funding on a whim...
There is a lot of great info here.
But you must understand, this is essentially three people sitting on the back porch of their internet, talking about the failure of a Kickstarter and the successes of same. It's not highly polished, directly to the point and condensed into a 30 minute package for only $19.95. It's real people, sitting on the back porch and talking about how to both fail outright, fail by actually getting your
project funded and how to really win\win with Kickstarter. Grab some
coffee or tea, sit down and be prepared to listen... and listen... and listen some more. Have a pad, because the diamonds can fly past PDQ. It’s better to download the file and paly it on your computer or device, because trying to backup the online version is painful. And you will want to listen to something you missed because the dog is barking, the cat yacked up on the carpet or the mailman is at the front door.
Is there coal to shovel here among the diamonds? Yes. But COAL is useful! You can use it to power a ship and go somewhere! You can make steel with coal. You can keep your house warm. You can even
sell it! More people need coal than need diamonds- and the market is much bigger that the market for diamonds.
It may not apply 100%, but they talked about things I had no flipping idea I would encounter. Plus, they sort of compare notes and talk about their various -and utterly different- perspectives. Actually, that's really important if you are trying to get both a broad and a narrow view of what a Kickstarter campaign can do for you- and how it can ruin your life in the process.
If you just wanna know RIGHT NOW how to run a Kickstarter and succeed, this won't help. Some topics can’t be explained that fast. But I feel now like I know these people and trust the validity of their opinions. And that's really important. Opinions, well everybody has one. Informed opinions, now that's something rare. Everybody in this podcast is either asking good questions, giving good answers or saying, "Hey, that's not a good idea and will ruin your life. Here's what you
should do instead." Plus, Paul talks about things the other people had no idea to even ask about.
And here’s an interesting point. Paul has actually run a successful Kickstarter! Four or more of them by now!
So it's worth the hours to listen to all three separate podcasts.
If this project is going to be become your job, don’t you want to know what to expect? The last thing anybody want is to fail.
I don't mean fail to reach the goal and not get funded on Kickstarter. THAT CAN BE A VERY GOOD THING! It is a market validation of your ideas and ability. No, what I mean is that you succeed and then not deliver what you said you would.
I have had that happen in my life due to misunderstandings, medical problems, etc- and it's not fun. Trying to apologize to people who gave your money... well if I could make it up and restore their money that’s still not enough. You still have to deal with all the misplaced trust. The straight up shame, bag over your head, I want to crawl into a hole and bury myself is not success- IT IS FAILURE. A funded failure, but failure nonetheless. We are all high on our own pet thing, whatever that is. But Solomon had a great proverb about how easily men deceive themselves.
"It is pleasant to see plans develop. That is why people pursue foolishness even when they know it as such." (That's a paraphrase from the Bible according to JR, but it is accurate.)
Essentially, it's intoxicating to run a Kickstarter and see people signing up! But in reality, that could be the worst thing ever if you can't actually deliver. This bunch makes it clear that ducks need to be all lined up and quacking before you run out and do that Kickstarter. Plus, they tell you how to build the ducks, put them in a row and make them quack. Age and
experience over youth and enthusiasm friends.
So saddle up and sit down and listen to these three podcasts if you even have a WHIM about starting a business in general- and specifically a crowd funded business.
Jeff
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