How do you handle adversity? Do you learn from it and move forward or does it tend to knock you back and cause you to question your approach? James Daigle joins the podcast to share his experience with crowdfunding and the lessons he’s learned along the way. In our conversation, James opens up about his first two unsuccessful crowdfunding campaigns, what he learned from the process, how his third campaign succeeded, why it’s important to keep your backers in the loop and so much more!
Don’t forget to build an audience!
Building an audience is not an easy or straightforward endeavor, but it can set you and your fledgling product up for long-term success. Too often startup entrepreneurs charge ahead and fail to take the time to do their research and connect with an audience that will fan the flames once they launch. James Daigle wants as many entrepreneurs as possible to learn from his oversight and take the time to find an audience before it’s too late. During a product launch is the worst time to be searching for an audience, do the legwork and connect before you launch! To hear James go into further detail on this important topic, make sure to listen to this episode!
Responding to disappointment.
Let’s face it, an unsuccessful crowdfunding campaign is a tough pill to swallow. You pour time, resources and energy into an exciting project only to see it fail to reach the level of success you had hoped for. What do you do, scrap the whole thing and go back to the drawing board? For James Daigle, everything started off promising, they had the right tools and an ambitious goal, but they failed to reach their goal by $4,000. Instead of letting this disappointment sour him on the crowdfunding platform, James used this lesson as fuel and went on to launch two more campaigns before he found success. What can you learn from James’ story?
Finding a path forward.
Determined to find success through the crowdfunding platform, James Daigle and his team went back to the drawing board. Experiencing a second setback would knock most people out of the game but James pushed forward and tried for a third crack at getting a product funded via crowdfunding and he succeeded! If you are convinced that you have a product that will benefit the marketplace then stand behind it and don’t give up. Be prepared to face adversity and challenges, they can either defeat you or help you learn along the way. Learn more helpful lessons from James’ inspiring story by listening to this episode, you don’t want to miss it!
Why you need to keep your backers updated.
You’ve heard of the golden rule, right? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Consider that wisdom as you launch your product! Put yourself in the shoes of your backers and treat them as you would want to be treated by someone you’ve invested in. It really doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. If you don’t trust your ability to consistently follow up with and engage your audience, then outsource it! The last thing you want to do is cause ill will with the people who’ve taken a chance on you. For more perspective on this subject, make sure to listen to this episode with James Daigle!
Key Takeaways
- [1:05] James Daigle joins the podcast to talk about his experience with crowdfunding.
- [3:00] James talks about his first crowdfunding effort.
- [6:50] Why it’s important to set realistic fundraising goals.
- [9:00] The wisdom of building a crowd of fans before a product launch.
- [10:30] Building off of crowds from previous campaigns, the third time’s the charm!
- [12:45] Why you need to keep your backers in the loop.
- [15:00] James enters the Launch Round, rapid-fire questions.
- [17:00] Why you should check out James’ work with Ubiqweus.
Links
Connect With
- Check out the Ubiqweus website
- Follow James on Twitter
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 20% 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.
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