Well this came around at an interesting time!
I am the fellow with the new vertical growing system. We have spoken via email, briefly, a few times. I am interested in sending you a unit for review and getting honest feedback from someone with a "50,000 Foot" flyover of the country that is
permaculture in all of its vastness and fringes.
Permaculture is not any one thing, that's for sure. There are parts bigger than others, but to define those parts would not be easy. And it's not just stuff like homesteading,
hugelkultur, etc. Your interest in lightbulbs is a perfect example. (I will decide to take that challenge and build a lightbulb anyone can repair a 100 times. But there are so many other pressing things...) I hope to appeal to
permaculture people with this device, but I don't know the audience too well. I have had much better success with gardeners, actually. But I digress.
Ok, to the point.
You have seen the device I think. Go to
Webpage and look at the gallery for a refresh.
I have been inventing a very long time. Some moderate success, but the problem has always been, as you are well aware coming from a tech industry, that most venture capital people practically want the company a raving success before they will invest. That's not a slam on capitalism. The people that earned the money and gained the
experience to wisely invest capital do a much better job than any other system invented so far.
But there has always been a huge gap betwixt startup and capital funding.
I think you see that gap filled with Kickstarter situations like yours. It is the first step for making little things, bigger and better things. It is truly a market dynamic, the people speaking in favor without government or managers in the way.
I have listened to the talks you did with a few people about their Kickstarter campaigns- very informative. I don't think you realize how many people you effect with the hard won wisdom of this site. Your series informed me that I was not ready to start a crowdfund yet. There are too many other ducks out floating on the
pond to round up- but it remains a viable thought. Having experience as the struggling inventor and refugee from corporate America, I have learned a few things from the education of your series and the information practically applied.
The first lesson from the series, which I recommend everyone listen to prior to asking questions here, (Please link if you can find them) is, "Can you build it?"
In other words, do you want to be just the inventor and buy the services of a manufactuer or do you wish to be the owner of "Honcho INC." BIG difference there! So the basis I learned from your series was, "What's it going to take?" If you don't know that, it seems your Kickstarter will do one of two things. Fail, or get you into a situation where you can't fill the orders. Pride is all that failure costs. The second one would be far more costly...
So it seems to me that the very first... lie that's so easy to believe about crowdfunding is, "Build it and they will come."
They certainly won't. Trust me. For every one even moderately successful Kickstarter, there are likely 1,000 that fail.
Therein, as Shakespeare said, lies the rub. Would you agree with that Sir?
It then seems to me that any successful Kickstarter lies in two things.
1. Having an audience &
2. Knowing that audience.
So how does one reach an audience?
And once you reach, how do you know they have interest
enough to vote with their dollars? What's "critical mass" in terms of numbers to actually create a viable crowdfund? I understand that will vary from idea to idea, but certainly there are guidelines you may be able to illustrate.
Thank you again for your answers and time. Many that you will never know appreciate the effort.
JR