Art of the Kickstart

Build a business ON FIRE with John Lee Dumas. John joins to share the critical characteristics and lessons of 1000s of successful entrepreneurs and the importance and effect of dedication and daily change to growing a 7 figure business in under two years. Success Quotes "If you want to be, DO." "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." -Jim Rohn Firestarting a Freaking Awesome Business! * The power of branding and messaging * Why dedication is everything to reach success * How to scratch your own itch to create your startup's unique selling proposition(USP) * Why practice makes better * How to deliver value * Why it's important to understand your strength and partner for skills * The key attributes of successful entrepreneurs * How to mature and outsource to increase business growth * Why lifestyle matters in planning for the future * How the little things lead to massive results * Why it pays to push forward without all the answer Links We Talk About * entrepreneuronfire.com John Tweets Too * @johnleedumas Business Books * The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness * The Compound Effect Love the Show? Leave us a Review     [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] Crowdfund Academy Listener Special [clear-line] [clear-line]     [clear-line] 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.

Blast off the efficiency of your business and build a physical product recurring juggernaut while diversifying incomes and outsourcing unsexy tasks...that's what internet entrepreneur Ryan Lee and I discuss today and 80/20 effective of upleveling your business. Tune in to think outside the box and build a better, more sustainable startup! Success Quotes "Don't write like a copywriter but communicate like a friend." Smart Drugs and Entrepreneur Upleveling * The power of authenticity in  marketing and sales * Why everything needs to be about the end user - tell stories! * How to create an entrepreneurial initiative * The effect of small steps towards huge success * How to take advantage of new opportunities to maximize a technology * Why it's important to diversify your business * The way to outsource and grow your team effectively * If you don't need it, don't do it - OUTSOURCE! * Why customer service creates incredible insight into the business * ***The real 80/20 effect on business***Become more effective * How to focus on the most the important drivers in your business * Why you should not feel guilty about breaks and the importance of breaks in business * How to incorporate recurring revenue into physical products businesses * Why subscription services creates a killer business model * How affiliates and outside the box thinking increases bottomline Links We Talk About * ryanlee.com Ryan Tweets Too * @_ryanlee Business Books * The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results * Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat * Scientific Advertising Love the Show? Leave us a Review     [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] Crowdfund Academy Listener Special [clear-line] [clear-line]     [clear-line] 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.

Startups and entrepreneurs are enhancing cognitive performance and business success like never before. Today Smart Drug Smarts founder Jesse Lawler joins to share the evolution of nootropics, hacks to boost mental performance, predictions on wearables, tech and the quantified self movement and much more. Sci-Fi startup time... Success Quotes "When going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill Smart Drugs and Entrepreneur Upleveling * Why entrepreneurs need to keep going and changing * Ways past job experiences push us in other directions * How to get people and employees charged up * Building up to 17 employees and overcoming your weaknesses * How find a cofounder to complement your skill set * What are noootropics and how are people using supplements to boost performance * The taboo effect outside the norm productivity * L-Theanine - Coffee without the jitters! * Fish Oils - Boost your brain! * The importance of diet in long term health and success * How drugs research into preventing Alzheimers create neuro-enhancers today * Where smart drugs are going in the future * How wearables and quantified self are exponential evolving * Will technology create a "new race" of humans Links We Talk About * smartdrugsmarts.com * longegity.com Jesse Tweets Too * @lawlerpalooza Love the Show? Leave us a Review     [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] 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.

Athletic brothers opening the Internet of Things and hardware tracking to sports performance and hydration. Trago's already funded their Kickstarter and working the marketing and PR to push high tech performance and customer focused creativity onward. Tune in for mistakes with the media, email marketing strategies and ways to fund fast! The Trago Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] [clear-line] Success Quote "The job is never done until the tools are put up." [clear-line] [clear-line] Key Crowdfunding Takeaways * The dynamics and benefits of building a business with the family * How the environment inspires startup tech product ideas * Why sports affect startups * What the biggest hardware product challenges and how to deal with them * When founders NEED to bring in outside experts * Ways DIY are transforming prototype products - 3D printing! * The benefits and powers of entrepreneurial hubs * Move forward or die, the importance of progression to perfection * How to control aspirations to not get overwhelmed - too many startup opinions * High profile testimonials and how to get them * The importance of understanding customer needs, not ideals * What research shows for product design and market validation * Why multiple mentors are better than one * How to time press pitches for better campaign coverage * Strategies to hack list building launches [clear-line] Links * trago.co * buzzsumo.com [clear-line] Influential Book * Man's Search for Meaning Connect with Jac * @drinktrago * Trago's Facebook Love the Show? Leave us a Review [clear-line]  

Neil Patel joins today and breaks down post-Kickstarter internet marketing, customer acquisition and sustainable business success. Today interviews is full of strategies to boost conversions, grow your business and get products profitable as quickly as possible. Enjoy! Neil Patel Marketing Gems * How physical product entrepreneurs can get exposure * Way guest posts are a great strategy to build an audience * Repeating customer strategies for sustainable sales * Building a mailing list to acquire customers * How and why to use autoresponders * Split testing for product startups and what you need to know * The power of customer surveys and analytics * Passion vs profit for startups - you must solve problems! * Should your startup take outside investment or not * The importance of agility and pivots in startup team success * How to execute and focus on customers vs founder desires * Crowdfunder strategies to post-Kickstarter internet marketing * How to learn effectively from past mistakes * Why me-too businesses and products are lame and not successful in long run Neil's Businesses are Badass! * HelloBar - Opt-ins on your site * CrazyEgg - Heatmaps and customer tracking * QuickSprout - Blog on incredible marketing tactics * KISSMetrics Neil Tweets Too * @neilpatel Love the Show? Leave us a Review     [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] 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.

Brands are building out Youtube Channels to grow audience and gain fans and customers. Today Austin Evans, a Youtube tech and product star with near a million followers joins the podcast to help entrepreneurs and crowdfunders uncover the power and potential of Youtube marketing - including Youtube SEO and strategies to sell with ultra-engaging product videos! Youtube Marketing and Product Videography Unlocked * The ins and outs of Youtube marketing * How to start with Youtube and build up to almost a million subscribers * Why it's awesome and awful to be an early adopter * Video mistakes everybody makes and how to avoid them * How to create an engaging product video and what makes it great * Strategies to come through on camera and crush your Kickstarter video * The power of testing and experimentation * Product pitch strategies to get Youtube exposure * The crowdfunding changes coming with Youtube and Indiegogo affiliates * How to win the Youtube SEO formula * Understanding your audience and tailoring branding and messaging to make an impact Links from the Show * Austin's Epic Youtube Channel Austin Tweets Too * @austinnotduncan Love the Show? Leave us a Review     [clear-line] [clear-line] [clear-line] 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.

Today we're talking China sourcing, manufacturing and building business designed to dominate retails sales. Platform88 founders and product production specialists Jacob Rothman and Jason Wong join Art of the Kickstart to share their experience working with brands, big and small, to bring physical products into retail chains around the world. The interview's incredibly helpful for Kickstarter creators looking to scale and grow quickly and is a must for any considering manufacturing abroad. Product Creation and Manufacturing Insights * Why understanding China from afar is incredibly challenging * The two types of Kickstarters and the challenges for each * Manufacturing in the US vs finding factories in China * Retail arbitrage and how big businesses discounts work for online sales * How hard it is to use Alibaba and what to look for in a manufacturer. * Understanding business models and retail margins * The extra challenges startups miss on retail sales * How to choose the best business model for your startup * The consolidation of retail and what it means for entrepreneurs * How to manage supply chains and scaling a startup's manufacturing * Why design for manufacturing MUST be done directly with your factory * The value of getting your feet wet with visiting China factories Links from the Show * Alibaba issues and what to know * Platform88 Find Jacob and Jason on Twitter * @Platform88net * jason.rothman@platform88.net * jason@platform88.net [clear-line] Love the Show? Leave us a Review   [clear-line] 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.

Scott Voelker, the Amazing Seller joins Art of the Kickstart today to share his success story sourcing and selling private label products via Amazon FBA(for more on this, see this post). During the interview Scott, a past life internet marketer turned private label product convert shares his story and strategies he's used to a grow exponentially over 6 months in business and tactics crowdfunders or physical product entrepreneurs can use to leverage Amazon as a sales channel for success. Ps. This was recorded on same day as Seth so the echo issue is still here, sorry. New episodes will not be like this but content is golden. Amazing Amazon Insights from Scott: * Why family can be a driving force behind a successful entrepreneur * The progression of entrepreneurship and building new businesses * What it is private labeling and how does it work * Retail arbitrage and how big businesses discounts work for online sales * How to create your own brand and build a customer base * Why competing on price is a surefire strategy to failure * The evolution of ecommerce, online business and Amazon * How Amazon allows you to track customer demand and competition to plan products * The importance of customer service in long term sales and testimonials * Strategies to automate Amazon success * Why building business upon an existing channel speeds the sales and testing Learn More About Amazon and Check Out Scott's Podcast * The Amazing Seller * My interview on Scott's podcast - crowdfunding for private label products * FBA ALLSTARS - My new Amazon FBA Podcast Find Scott on Twitter * @scottvoelker11 [clear-line] Love the Show? Leave us a Review [clear-line] [clear-line]     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.

Seth Godin joins Art of the Kickstart today for an enlightening and inspiring break from our typical crowdfunded creation saga. In today's interview with author, entrepreneur, icon and all-around great guy, Seth and I breakdown his views on success, sustainable business and building a legacy to be remember and loved by. I was personally shocked by some of Seth's views but in retrospect agree with most all of what he shares and think entrepreneur and Kickstarters are in need a massive wake up call. Ps. Sorry about the slight echo, recent move to Vietnam but will solve for future episodes. Startup Gold From Mr. Seth Godin: * Why hustling's the wrong way to get ahead in business and why hustlers never win. * The delusion of Kickstarter and why successful campaigns fail * What it means to really think bigger * Why "winners never quit" is a BS mindset * How to have an overnight success and the Raman woes behind the scenes * Why most products on Kickstarter are pointless * How to build a business and following the right way * Why Seth's Kickstarter raised over $250k and fully funded in just 3 hours * The concept of the Dip and planning for pain before starting your startup Seth Blogs Daily, Worth Checking Out: * Seth's Blog * sethgodin.com Find Seth on Twitter * @thisissethsblog A Few Great Books by Seth * Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers * Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable--Includes new bonus chapter * The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) * All Marketers Are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works--and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All * What to Do When its Your Turn (and its Always Your Turn) Transcript Matt Ward: Art of the Kickstart, Episode 102. Welcome to theartofthekickstart.com, where entrepreneurs are constantly pushing the envelope to build businesses of greatness. Inventors are innovating, creating the products of the future, and backers stand strong for what they believe. These are some of the great thinkers, investors, and leaders of our time. Here are their stories. Welcome to Art of the Kickstart guys. Today I am absolutely thrilled. We have an incredible guy on the line.

Updated May 2, 2018. As an entrepreneur looking to successfully build a product-based business through crowdfunding, you may be wondering: if Kickstarter has X number of backers and Indiegogo has Y number of users, why not run a campaign simultaneously on both - more backers, more exposure, more overall funding, right? This is a common misconception, something founders frequently find themselves asking, and is worth looking into. Thinking about running a crowdfunding campaign? Here's what you need to know! 11 Reasons Simultaneous Kickstarter and Indiegogo Projects are an Awful Idea 1. Multiple campaigns splits your network Some of your friends and family will back one campaign, while others will back the second campaign. 2. Smaller network means less initial funding from friends and family With fewer people visiting each campaign page, you'll have less funding on each page as well. 3. Less early funding = less virality Without going at least semi-viral and expanding beyond just friends and family contributions, your company can never succeed. For entrepreneurs, crowdfunding provides not only the funding to bring the project to live, but more importantly market validation, a dedicated audience, and product ideas and suggestions, which will ultimately help your company grow and evolve over time. 4. Poor rankings mean less organic backers In general, the majority of crowdfunding backers browse the most popular pages. These are usually the vetted products with social proof, the coolest projects, and the campaigns most likely to succeed. To get in on these opportunities and really kickstart your business, you need to be on the popular pages and dominate - which means you need as many backers as possible. 5. Mismatched marketing isn't effective Kickstarter success almost always comes down to marketing success, which is largely determined by effort. You'll be pitching publications until your fingers tire, your mind fades and you fall asleep at the computer - anything to make it happen. One big blog post, one exclusive or product review, this can make a massive difference in funding and getting that kind of exposure takes effort, brute force effort. Well, what happens when you split this time and energy between campaigns? You won't be able to easily pitch both projects to journalists and bloggers, and anyone who finds your story will likely be a bit confused and put off by your disjointed goals. 6. More options makes things confusing Most of your network wants to help. Ask nicely and a nice portion will do anything within reason to help support your success. Keeping it simple with one campaign makes it easy. 7. Backer bias against being the "other woman" Crowdfunding gives a typical product launch a more personal touch. Your story and mission are as much a part of your success as your product. The trust and loyalty a crowdfunding project cultivates with backers can be easily damaged by a multiple-campaign approach. With two options, suddenly backers become just a source of money, rather than a meaningful part of the story and business. 8. More work, less results Launching campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo at once requires significantly more work than a single platform launch, with a minimal return on the investment of your time. 9. Fulfillment will be a nightmare One of the biggest and most unexpected hurdles crowdfunders face following a successful Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign is fulfillment. Between manufacturing mishaps, actually communicating with backers and getting shipments, labels and packaging perfect - fulfillment isn't easy With multiple campaigns, fulfillment becomes even more difficult. Suddenly you're dealing with two different platforms and two different sets of backers.

An Irish invention improving upon the age old of struggles of camping...tune in for a deep interview on overcoming corporate and building a high end, completely original company looking to make massive waves in the retail distribution for outdoorsy products. The Thermo Tent Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] [clear-line] Success Quote "You can't build a business in one month but you can certainly destroy a brand in a month." [clear-line] [clear-line] Key Crowdfunding Takeaways * Will people pay for it - the critical question to product success * Ways to deal with bad suppliers and find factories to work with * Strategies for China sourcing products * Why you must solve your own issues for better product design * The reason big companies don't always build the best products * Ways to target customers and niche down for success * Post-Kickstarter strategies for distribution and growth * The role of tradeshows and partnerships in product scale * Understanding intellectual property and what you need to know * The importance of professionalism in product-market fit * The power of mission in business success [clear-line] Links * thermotents.com [clear-line] Influential Book * Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett/2015 Golden Anniversary Edition Connect with Alex * @thermotents * ThermoTent's Facebook Love the Show? Leave us a Review [clear-line]  

Hey guys I would like apologize for the massive hiatus. As some of you may know, I am currently living and working in China directly with my manufacturer for Shido Stand to try and prep the world's coolest and most portable standing desk for Kickstarter. The thing is though, I speak ZERO chinese, do not have an interpreter and have learned a ton in the process of being on the ground in manufacturing central. This podcast is a bit off the cuff, a solo spiel where I try and share what I have learned about sourcing, dealing with suppliers and the daily hassles and unexpected adventures of living in China. It's pretty short, actionable for you and hopefully helps you on your journey to a kickass Kickstarter company and beyond. For more insight into the topic of China sourcing and manufacturing, check out the following posts and podcasts: * 9 Necessary Tips for Startup Manufacturing and Moving to China * China Sourcing Strategies PLUS Alibaba to Build a Serious Supply Chain for your Startup * The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Alibaba Sourcing Cheers, Matt

Kano raised $1.5 million to put computer kits, technology and innovation in the hands of the world. Here's how a small group of motivated geeksters looking to change the world actually did. Education and empowerment by building an open source computer company... The Kano Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] [clear-line] Success Quote "Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come." -Victor Hugo [clear-line] [clear-line] Key Crowdfunding Takeaways * Why it's critical to build a business around an idea * When it's time to revolutionize * How simplifying technology creates a mass market appeal * Mass market vs niche products and what focus on * The importance of testing products across the planet and listening to customer feedback * Why entrepreneurs ought to look to the future * The story strategy and how your company plays into success * Why mixing arts and science - logic and creativity is how to appeal to people * Authenticity's effect on startup success * How to learn anything and build a business for the new world * The power of hands on physical products [clear-line] Links * kano.me [clear-line] Influential Book * How to Win Friends & Influence People * The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell) Connect with Alex * @alexnklein * @teamkano * Kano's Facebook Love the Show? Leave us a Review [clear-line] [clear-line] 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.

Today Marc Barros, the man behind Moment's more than $1 million in creative Kickstarter funding joins to share strategies for conceiving companies, building products and scaling a successful business. Worth a listen if connecting with Kickstarter backers and building a multi-campaign based Kickstarter company sounds awesome to you. The Moment Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] [clear-line] Success Quote "Just do what you're passionate about." Key Crowdfunding Takeaways * Why it's much easier creating a Kickstarter success the second time * When it's time to use crowdfunding to validate a product * How technology is transforming products and industries * Why it's important to be passionate about a product or project * The importance of adding employees and ideas slowly * What makes a successful company culture * Powerful strategies for prelaunch buzz and Kickstarter success * Why story wins backers over on Kickstarter * Going from a product to a company and growing a business * How make your photography pop and why you need designers on the team Links * momentlens.co * Marc's Post: HOW WE RAISED $450K ON KICKSTARTER [clear-line] Connect with Marc * @marcbarros * @moment * MomentLens' Facebook Kickstarter Love * Peak Designs * Nude Audio * Studio Neat Love the Show? Leave us a Review   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.

Turning serial ideas and inventions plus shitty job to play the bills into a revolutionary consumer products company...that's what Ryan Frayne did. Here's how seeking solutions and never being satisfied led to a breakthrough technology from an unlikely source and a startup that crushed it on Kickstarter. The Windcatcher Kickstarter Campaign [one-half-first] [/one-half-first][one-half][/one-half] [clear-line] Success Quote "There’s plenty of crappy jobs but you only have one life, make most out of it" Key Crowdfunding Takeaways * Why you don't get lucky out of the gate and strategies to keep going * How shitty day jobs can empower inventors to grow * Why licensing's a terrible idea for product creators * The reason Kickstarter crushes big companies for launching business * Why trademarking in China can be a gamechanger * One way to turn common issues into killer product idea...why entrepreneurs are efficient and lazy * Why inventors can never be satisfied with a product * The best strategy to vet product ideas * How lean startups and putting products out there starts success Links * windcatchergear.com [clear-line] Books Mentioned Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant * @WindcatcherGear * Windcatcher's Facebook Love the Show? Leave us a Review   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.