The top ten things we learnt from launching our own product on Kickstarter

The 10 things we learnt from launching our own product on Kickstarter

At the tail end of 2017 in a tiny hotel room in New York's Chelsea District we finally pressed launch on our very first Kickstarter product - an attachment for the much loved Aeropress coffee maker that turns it into a slow drip cold brew coffee system. It was a simple idea, and a niche one, so we certainly weren’t expecting too much from it.

Fast forward 12 months and we have a growing business that is almost as profitable as our everyday jobs in design consulting.
It's been quite a ride with one hell of a steep learning curve and many mistakes made along the way, so here is our run down of the top 10 things we learnt from it all.

At the tail end of 2017 in a tiny hotel room in New York's Chelsea District we finally pressed launch on our very first Kickstarter product - an attachment for the much loved Aeropress coffee maker that turns it into a slow drip cold brew coffee system. It was a simple idea, and a niche one, so we certainly weren’t expecting too much from it.

Fast forward 12 months and we have a growing business that is almost as profitable as our everyday jobs in design consulting.
It's been quite a ride with one hell of a steep learning curve and many mistakes made along the way, so here is our run down of the top 10 things we learnt from it all.

01. Work to an invested deadline

We timed the launch of our product to coincide with the New York Coffee Festival. Coming from the UK we knew that this was not the cheapest of options but it felt right, our key audience was in North America as the cold coffee scene has really blown up over there. In doing this we created a physical deadline that we had to meet, this helped us make quicker decisions and move pass some design decisions that we may have deliberated on for a long time given the chance.

It was up to the wire, we pressed launch when we only had one prototype that actually worked at the time and we managerd to get through 3 days of handing out samples to an enthused group of people and get real feedback early on in the campaign.

01. Work to an invested deadline

We timed the launch of our product to coincide with the New York Coffee Festival. Coming from the UK we knew that this was not the cheapest of options but it felt right, our key audience was in North America as the cold coffee scene has really blown up over there. In doing this we created a physical deadline that we had to meet, this helped us make quicker decisions and move pass some design decisions that we may have deliberated on for a long time given the chance.

It was up to the wire, we pressed launch when we only had one prototype that actually worked at the time and we managerd to get through 3 days of handing out samples to an enthused group of people and get real feedback early on in the campaign.

02. Niche is good

We knew that we weren't likely to be able to retire off of the back of this product, as it was such a specialised area and took quite a lot of explaining to those who weren't into their coffee quite as much as we were. But, as it turned out, being niche proved to be one of the greatest things about embarking on this venture.

Yes, we had a small audience, but that audience was really switched on, receptive and, most importantly, really encouraging. We got great feedback from people who genuinely wanted to help us make the product better. We also knew who many of the key opinion makers were within the industry and worked directly with them to create content that they could share with their followers, helping us to build our audience across multiple social media channels.

02. Niche is good

We knew that we weren't likely to be able to retire off of the back of this product, as it was such a specialised area and took quite a lot of explaining to those who weren't into their coffee quite as much as we were. But, as it turned out, being niche proved to be one of the greatest things about embarking on this venture. Yes, we had a small audience, but that audience was really switched on, receptive and, most importantly, really encouraging. We got great feedback from people who genuinely wanted to help us make the product better. We also knew who many of the key opinion makers were within the industry and worked directly with them to create content that they could share with their followers, helping us to build our audience across multiple social media channels.

03. Look after your audience and they will look after you

This is a bit of a no brainer, but it's worth focusing on as we think many people neglect the fact that a Kickstarter audience are more than just customers, they are investors in you and your ideas. They have bought something that doesn't exist yet, so don't get annoyed when they ask for updates and progress reports or chase you for when they will receive their item, because without them you have no product.



This initial audience can become invaluable later on down the line when you want to release your next product, if you keep them involved in the journey then they can become some of your most passionate and loyal customers.

03. Look after your audience and they will look after you

This is a bit of a no brainer, but it's worth focusing on as we think many people neglect the fact that a Kickstarter audience are more than just customers, they are investors in you and your ideas. They have bought something that doesn't exist yet, so don't get annoyed when they ask for updates and progress reports or chase you for when they will receive their item, because without them you have no product.

This initial audience can become invaluable later on down the line when you want to release your next product, if you keep them involved in the journey then they can become some of your most passionate and loyal customers.

04. Selling a product globally is easier than you think (with a few caveats)

We went into this project expecting to hand pack our product and ship them out to people around the world. However, to date, we have not packed a single box ourselves. To fulfill our Kickstarter orders we teamed up with a fulfillment centre based in Hong Kong who picked, packed and shipped our product to over 1000 backers in more than sixty countries around the world.

We have since launched our online store via the shopify platform which links directly to our logistics partners in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom and allows them to send out orders as they are received.

04. Selling a product globally is easier than you think (with a few caveats)

We went into this project expecting to hand pack our product and ship them out to people around the world. However, to date, we have not packed a single box ourselves. To fulfill our Kickstarter orders we teamed up with a fulfillment centre based in Hong Kong who picked, packed and shipped our product to over 1000 backers in more than sixty countries around the world.

We have since launched our online store via the shopify platform which links directly to our logistics partners in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom and allows them to send out orders as they are received.

05. There’s no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to manufacturing in China

Things happen fast in China, really fast, not long after discussing a project with a supplier you can have a working prototype Fedexed to your desk, which is truly amazing. But we soon found that the initial ‘convenience’ quickly transformed into endless rounds of adjustments with plenty of misunderstandings and backwards steps included. It soon became obvious to us that it would be much cheaper to get on a plane and work through the problems face-to-face with our manufacturer.

05. There’s no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to manufacturing in China

Things happen fast in China, really fast, not long after discussing a project with a supplier you can have a working prototype Fedexed to your desk, which is truly amazing. But we soon found that the initial ‘convenience’ quickly transformed into endless rounds of adjustments with plenty of misunderstandings and backwards steps included. It soon became obvious to us that it would be much cheaper to get on a plane and work through the problems face-to-face with our manufacturer.

06. Prototyping and 3D printing can only take you so far

With our product it became integral to continue testing throughout the development process to make sure it continued to work to the specification we planned for originally. So each new design iteration brought on a new range of prototypes which we tested successfully. Once we pushed the button on mass manufacture the first products off the line we tested failed miserably... how could this happen? 



Mass manufacturing brings up new challenges that you just cannot replicate in a prototype, how the materials react to the environment they are in, how they are stored and handled, all these factors changed the way our product behaved.

06. Prototyping and 3D printing can only take you so far

With our product it became integral to continue testing throughout the development process to make sure it continued to work to the specification we planned for originally. So each new design iteration brought on a new range of prototypes which we tested successfully. Once we pushed the button on mass manufacture the first products off the line we tested failed miserably... how could this happen? 



Mass manufacturing brings up new challenges that you just cannot replicate in a prototype, how the materials react to the environment they are in, how they are stored and handled, all these factors changed the way our product behaved.

07. Expect to fail

We’ve had some spectacular failures along the way. But as much as they can have us in tears, tearing our hair out in frustration, or laughing hysterically at our misfortune, they are all to be celebrated as they are a clear indicator to show we are pushing ourselves along, just don't make the same mistake twice!



Here are a few of our “favourite” mistakes to date: Miscalculating the final cost of shipping rewards to our Kickstarter backers. Producing and donating a run of limited edition products for a global event only to have them get stuck in customs and miss the show. Promising to deliver a cocktail book to our backers with no prior knowledge of cocktail making or the amount of work that was needed to produce a book for free.

07. Expect to fail

We’ve had some spectacular failures along the way. But as much as they can have us in tears, tearing our hair out in frustration, or laughing hysterically at our misfortune, they are all to be celebrated as they are a clear indicator to show we are pushing ourselves along, just don't make the same mistake twice!



Here are a few of our “favourite” mistakes to date: Miscalculating the final cost of shipping rewards to our Kickstarter backers. Producing and donating a run of limited edition products for a global event only to have them get stuck in customs and miss the show. Promising to deliver a cocktail book to our backers with no prior knowledge of cocktail making or the amount of work that was needed to produce a book for free.

08. Get used to wearing many hats

As each day passes the list of jobs we find ourselves doing grows longer and more varied. Along the way we have discovered that there are a surprising number of tasks that no one really specialises in but are integral to the running of a successful campaign. So, from the beginning, be prepared to be that person. 



We have educated ourselves on things that we had never thought we needed to know - like shipping times to Brazil, import duty thresholds to Sweden, Korean food safety labelling requirements, patent application processes for China, and, most importantly what the literal translation of PuckPuck is in the Philippines (it's what you think).

08. Get used to wearing many hats

As each day passes the list of jobs we find ourselves doing grows longer and more varied. Along the way we have discovered that there are a surprising number of tasks that no one really specialises in but are integral to the running of a successful campaign. So, from the beginning, be prepared to be that person. 



We have educated ourselves on things that we had never thought we needed to know - like shipping times to Brazil, import duty thresholds to Sweden, Korean food safety labelling requirements, patent application processes for China, and, most importantly what the literal translation of PuckPuck is in the Philippines (it's what you think).

09. Think beyond your campaign ends

We got to the end of a successful campaign and had raised more attention and investment than we thought possible when we started out. However, being so focused on what was happening in the day to day we hadn’t even started to plan what came next.

If we had we would have been ready to transfer all the momentum we had gained from Kickstarter onto another service that allows you to carry on taking pre-sales after your campaign ends. We ultimately got there by setting up an Indigogo ‘InDemand’ page a week or two later, but we could have been a whole lot more organised.

09. Think beyond your campaign ends

We got to the end of a successful campaign and had raised more attention and investment than we thought possible when we started out. However, being so focused on what was happening in the day to day we hadn’t even started to plan what came next.

If we had we would have been ready to transfer all the momentum we had gained from Kickstarter onto another service that allows you to carry on taking pre-sales after your campaign ends. We ultimately got there by setting up an Indigogo ‘InDemand’ page a week or two later, but we could have been a whole lot more organised.

10. It's a lot of fun

Would we do it again? Oh yes! The people we have met, the conversations we have had and getting to build a loyal customer base are some of the most rewarding things we have done to date and we are planning to continue on in this fashion and help others to do so as well.

10. It's a lot of fun

Would we do it again? Oh yes! The people we have met, the conversations we have had and getting to build a loyal customer base are some of the most rewarding things we have done to date and we are planning to continue on in this fashion and help others to do so as well.

If you have an idea for a crowdfunding project that you need assistence on or need a bit of advice, drop us a line on hello@twoatsix.com

If you have an idea for a crowdfunding project that you need assistence on or need a bit of advice, drop us a line on hello@twoatsix.com