Kickstarting a New Type of Kitchen Knife – AOTK186

This week on Art of the Kickstart, we spoke with Adnan Butt, creator of the Titanium Series Knives. Learn more about how Kickstarter can help to launch a new product and how to build a successful product!

Titanium – Placing value in your hands

Key Crowdfunding Takeaways

  • Why Kickstarter can be a great way to launch a new product line
  • What types of feedback to expect to hear from backers
  • How to prepare for a crowdfunding project

Links

Connect with Titanium Series Knives

Transcript

View this episode's transcript

Roy Morejon:

Welcome to Art of the Kickstart, your source for crowdfunding campaign success. I’m your host Roy Morejon, President of Enventys Partners, the top, full-service, turn-key product development and crowdfunding marketing agency in the world.

We have helped startups raise over $100 million for our clients since 2010. Each week, I’ll interview a crowdfunding success story, an inspirational entrepreneur, or a business expert in order to help you take your startup to the next level with crowdfunding.

Art of the Kickstart is honored to be sponsored by Backer Kit and The Gadget Flow. Backer Kit makes software that crowdfunding project creators use to survey backers, organize data and manage orders for fulfillment by automating your operations and helping you print and ship faster. The Gadget Flow is a product discovery platform that helps you discover, save and buy awesome products. It is the ultimate buyers guide for luxury gadgets and creative gifts.

Now let’s get on with the show.

Roy Morejon:

… Welcome to another edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today I am joined by Adnan with Titanium Knives. Adnan, thank you so much for joining us on Art of the Kickstart.

Adnan Butt:

Thank you so much.

Roy Morejon:

Alright, so we recently just finished your inaugural Kickstarter campaign, raised almost $200,000 American, over 2000 percent funded, now the campaign just shifted to Indiegogo InDemand. Please give our audience a little bit of background about the product and the company itself.

Adnan Butt:

Ah, yes, it has been an amazing campaign so far, and we have been very much thankful to our backers. [inaudible 00:01:51] And we have been very much … It’s been a tremendous response for the products, for the brand and for all the stuff that we are presenting.

Actually the products as you see from the name of Titanium Knives, it’s a very unique knife. We are … we present this special product because it’s different than others.

Its uniqueness because of the titanium quality and the product itself [inaudible 00:02:31] We are into this [inaudible 00:02:32] but in a very short time, we have achieved a lot. The brand itself, the company, Sternsteiger, and the persons [inaudible 00:02:43] So we have been doing … It’s been a very different [inaudible 00:02:51]

So this particular product, the second gen of the Titanium Knives, is actually … Was just a breakthrough.

Basically, the first generation of the Titan, we had developed a product, but [inaudible 00:03:26] We were thinking that it must be more better.

Roy Morejon:

Beautiful.

So, I know that the Sternsteiger brand is very young, ambitious, and obviously fast-growing. You know, what I found unique was the fact that you guys are manufacturing these products in the City of Blades, in Germany, Solingen. What’s the story there?

Adnan Butt:

Well it’s a very traditional city. It’s traditional people. Mostly in Europe, especially in Germany, are more traditional to their brands as well. So, at the start of [inaudible 00:05:32]

We’ve been trying very hard. We’ve been doing it in a more traditional and modern way to present the brand with these products. So the people are amazed by the products and then they liked it. And that’s [inaudible 00:06:24]

Roy Morejon:

Impressive indeed.

So, what’s the backstory in terms of the company being founded back in 2013? It wasn’t originally a knife company was it?

Adnan Butt:

Not at all. Originally the idea was from a brother of the founder of the company of this brand. He was in his college studying there. It was originally for a niche, for the scissors, for the shears, for the hairs [inaudible 00:07:05] So, he has the sketches and some contacts in the City of Blades, so he contacted some companies and manufacturers there and started outsourcing stuff. So the idea came through the [inaudible 00:07:30]

The brand itself, the name, it tells you He came up with the idea of having this particular brand … It’s very [inaudible 00:07:52]

Me and my brother we’re very much younger … We used to watch CNN a lot, and we’re a very big fan of [inaudible 00:08:03]

Roy Morejon:

It’s all history now, right?

So, when you guys decided to create these Titanium Knives, what made you choose crowdfunding to launch the product line?

Adnan Butt:

Sorry, what?

Roy Morejon:

Why did you use Kickstarter to launch the product line?

Adnan Butt:

Well [inaudible 00:09:31] the new market perception and to get into the more range of the products so me and my brother came up with the idea [inaudible 00:09:45] and cast it into the hands of the masses. So, to get into the inspiration or to give the inspiration to some more people, so we came up with this. And there’s always a crowd here.

Roy Morejon:

How big is crowdfunding in Germany?

Adnan Butt:

No more than two percent. Maybe it’s less than two percent. Nobody knows about it.

Roy Morejon:

(Laughs) Interesting.

So what’s been the biggest surprise you encountered during the Kickstarter campaign?

Adnan Butt:

We’ve been, from the beginning until now, we’ve been amazed actually. The reach and the scope of the crowdfunding itself is beyond the borders. It’s amazing. We really don’t know this, we can’t say it, but it’s amazing.

Roy Morejon:

So what’s –

Adnan Butt:

It’s the future.

Roy Morejon:

Yeah, that’s the hope, right? So what’s been your experience with your backers so far, you know, in terms of engaging your customers, taking feedback, as I know you guys are preparing for manufacturing.

Adnan Butt:

Exactly, exactly. One of the things about the dynamic of our backers … We’ve got a lot of backers, we’ve got a thousand backers, so loads of people. So it’s not easy to make everybody happy so we’ve been having a lot of conversations with [inaudible 00:11:23]

So far it seems very positive. Even questions which were much harder [inaudible 00:11:45]

We love them.

Roy Morejon:

That’s great to hear.

So, what advice would you give to someone else, looking to Kickstart their cooking or kitchen gadget themselves?

Adnan Butt:

Actually, I would say to any entrepreneur or anybody who was just getting hooked up with getting an idea, it’s not through our product or any other product, they just have to do it. They really have to gather all their ideas and all of the stuff with good people around them. They really have to do it. It’s the next generation of [inaudible 00:12:37]

Roy Morejon:

I agree.

Adnan Butt:

You need the banks and lenders and you need to go to the exhibitions, and you need to go to other places, and then wait for … This is actually in terms of your idea and your product so you can just present it and then immediately known by their review or their status of your product.

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely.

So, Adnan, this gets us into our launch round where I’m gonna rapid-fire some questions at you. You ready to go?

Adnan Butt:

Yeah, go ahead, sure.

Roy Morejon:

Okay, so what inspired you to be an entrepreneur?

Adnan Butt:

I never give up. I seen my father doing [inaudible 00:13:39] So I’ve been inspired by my father and inspired by the success stories that I’ve seen and that I’ve been reading [inaudible 00:14:02] That is my inspiration so far.

Roy Morejon:

What’s your favorite meal?

Adnan Butt:

I like Indian food.

Roy Morejon:

So if you could have Indian food with any entrepreneur throughout history, who would it be?

Adnan Butt:

(Laughs) Well, [inaudible 00:14:20]

Roy Morejon:

Who did you look up to when you grew up?

Adnan Butt:

I looked up to my father. He is my inspiration. And I’ve seen him working for our own companies for products, and I’ve seen him working among [inaudible 00:14:48] Doing his own stuff with his own hands, sometimes for hours. When I used to be very young I used to just be there and just [inaudible 00:15:06] Yeah, I’m inspired by him.

Roy Morejon:

What business book or what book are you reading right now?

Adnan Butt:

I’m sorry?

Roy Morejon:

What book … What’s the last book that you read?

Adnan Butt:

The last book that I read was the Secret.

Roy Morejon:

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Adnan Butt:

Among the very successful companies from Germany in the kitchenware and cutlery.

Roy Morejon:

Last questions in the launch round. What does the future of crowdfunding look like?

Adnan Butt:

Sorry?

Roy Morejon:

Last question in the launch round: what does the future of crowdfunding look like to you?

Adnan Butt:

It is very bright. It is very bright, and I guess the next generation and the next future is doing business only through this way. [inaudible 00:15:58] This is the future. [inaudible 00:16:02] brilliant future.

Roy Morejon:

Excellent. Adnan, you’ve been great. Please, give us your pitch. Tell the audience what you’re all about, where people should go, and why they should go buy a set of titanium knives.

Adnan Butt:

I would just say, to [inaudible 00:16:18] and to our admirers and our backers and everybody who loves … Who are [inaudible 00:16:28]

Roy Morejon:

Excellent. Audience, thank you so much for tuning in. Make sure to visit artkick.wpengine.com for all the show notes, a full transcript, links to everything we talked about today, including the Indiegogo in demand campaign, and of course thank you to our crowdfunding podcast sponsors: the Gadget Flow and Backer Kit. Adnan, thank you so much for being on Art of the Kickstart.

Adnan Butt:Thank you very much. My pleasure. Thank you very much.

Roy Morejon:

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Art of the Kickstart, the show about building a better business, world, and life with crowdfunding. If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to visit artkick.wpengine.com and tell us about it. There, you’ll find additional information about past episodes and our Kickstarter guide to crushing it. If you loved this episode, leave us a review at artkick.wpengine.com/iTunes. It helps more inventors and entrepreneurs find the show and helps us get better guests on here to help build your business. If you need a more hands on crowdfunding strategy, please feel free to request a quote on commandpartners.com. Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll see you soon.

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