This is a guest post by designer Jim Clark
When I first found out about Kickstarter, I thought it was a great idea. I’ve been making things all my life. As the owner of a visual effects and imaging studio, designing, rendering and visually developing creations is right up my alley. I wanted to use Kickstarter to prove the popular viability of my creations. If the crowd funded my ideas, there was a good chance that the market at large would also be interested.
When I came up with the concept for the UNRULY line of GoPro cases and accessories, the Kickstarter crowd loved the idea. Our two primary products, the Headcase Pro and HeadGear, hit $36,000 in funding — $9,000 more than our original goal — in 30 days.
I thought I understood the process that came after funding was complete. Prior to Kickstarter, I’d taken multiple product lines from concept through manufacturing and delivery. These products were sold in high-design outlets, including Fred Segal and MOMA San Diego. It turned out that those previous victories had little bearing on what happened with Kickstarter. Funding was only half the battle.
With Kickstarter, everything that came after the funding was unexpected and frustrating. Here are my lessons learned.
Read more at VentureBeat
