Crowdfunding Uncut | Kickstarter| Indiegogo | Where Entrepreneurs Get Funded

LS41 Nathan Hirsch

In this interview with Nathan Hirsch, he explains how he’s taken the hiring process for virtual assistants and created a series of SOPs that can save any business owner time and money. Nathan started his entrepreneurial journey back when he was in college, selling used student textbooks at rates much lower than what the school offered. When the school eventually forced him to stop, he turned to selling products on Amazon. As his online business grew, he quickly realized he needed to find rel...

LS40 Maneesh Sethi

Understanding your customers is the most critical part of any successful marketing campaign. In this video, I have the pleasure of speaking with Maneesh Sethi, founder of Pavlok, as he gives some helpful advice for startups or existing brands looking to grow their audience and tap into an additional cash flow source. Maneesh created Pavlok, a wearable device that releases a mild stimulus called a “snap” to help you reduce cravings, break bad habits, and change your life. He has used IndieGoG...

LS39 Norman Farrar

A press release is one of the most useful types of advertising because it allows you to attract the attention of media outlets, which can then create massive visibility for your product or service. In this interview with Norman Farrar, we discuss the importance of having a good PR strategy and some of the right ways to take advantage of this oft-overlooked form of publicity. A press release is essentially a pitch to journalists, influencers, marketers, or whoever else will push your product...

LS38 Steve Lawson

-- Join my Online Community for Product Creators (Launch and Scale Your Product Online): https://www.facebook.com/groups/launc... -- Sometimes, all you need to do in order to succeed is to focus on the big picture. In this video, I get to speak with Steven Lawson, creator of The Monk Manual planner, about personal and brand growth, visionary ideas, and the keys to achieving them! The Monk Manual is a quarterly planner inspired by timeless monastic principles and designed to help you live a f...

LS37 Derral Eves

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4KE... In this interview with Derral Eves, the brains behind the Squatty Potty, we discuss video marketing strategy and the importance of video in marketing. Although the Squatty Potty isn’t a Kickstarter video, it is an incredibly effective video that has helped garner billions of dollars in sales. By implementing some of the advice given by Derral in your own Kickstarter videos, you can boost your sales and improve the success of your campaign. As a video ...

LS36 Tim Moser- Giveaway

​How do you build an audience that's super-engaged and desperate to buy your product? In today's video I speak to Timothy Moser, founder of MasterOfMemory.com, who managed to do exactly that using a giveaway contest strategy. I think you'll agree, his approach was ingenious! Although Timothy gives most of his content for free via his website, he was able to launch a course that resulted in an almost unheard of 10% conversion rate (from lead to sale). This unique approach focused on a giveaw...

LS35 Chris Prendergast

In today's video I'm speaking with Chris Prendergast, founder of Jamstack. As someone who has raised cash in the past from investors but also had a very successful crowdfunding campaign too, Chris had some great insights into the pros and cons of using crowdfunding instead of venture capital or a loan. We had a great discussion about why crowdfunding is such a great way to solve cash flow and inventory financing problems faced by so many entrepreneurs. We also dive into why even as a seven f...

LS34 Gareth Everard: Why Kickstarter Can Ruin Your Life If You Aren't Careful

⭐ If you enjoy this interview with Gareth Everard please subscribe for lots more great crowdfunding content⭐ Gareth Everard ran a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign when he launched the first product that led to the founding of Rockwell Razors. He used that first Kickstarter product to launch several other successful product lines and made the transition to make it a sustainable brand. But his road to success was not an easy one. In fact, Gareth's dream soon became a nightmare when he d...

LS33 - My Weird Rewards Hack

CFU 134 -- The final Episode

In this final episode of the Crowdfunding Uncut podcast, we explore what's next and how you can keep us in your earballs. Visit launchandscale.crowdfundinguncut.com to learn more.

CFU 133 - [Reprise] How Timothy Moser uses giveaway contests to build up an engaged audience that is hungry to buy on DAY ONE

What if you could launch your project and have a super-engaged audience lining up to buy your product? So many blogs, and guru’s harp on having a big email list before you launch. What if it wasn’t about that? What if it was about how engaged they are?  "90% of the people who sign up for my Giveaways end up reading their email, and about 50-60% respond to that email", Timothy Moser, MasterOfMemory.comThis rings true for a lot of things. If you have a tiny list of raving fans, I guarantee y...

CFU 132 - [Reprise] How Your Kickstarter Campaign Can Ruin Your Life | feat. Gareth Everard

Gareth Everard ran a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign when he launched the first product that led to the founding of Rockwell Razors. He used that first campaign to launch several other successful product lines and made the transition to make it a sustainable brand. But his road to success was not an easy one. In today’s episode, Gareth shares his story of the manufacturing problems he ran into and what he did to keep those troubles from causing his product to fail. If you’re launchin...

CFU 131 - [Reprise] A Deep Dive Into Facebook Marketing Strategy | feat. Rachel Pedersen

Rachel Pedersen is a Facebook marketing strategy specialist. In this episode, she helps you dig deeper into Facebook advertising and shares her most helpful tips and insights into how to do it well. Rachel provides solid answers to detailed questions. Listen to this interview to learn how to use Facebook ads in a way that will stand out, engage your audience, and lead to a successful product launch. Targeting: Who is your potential market, and what message will resonate with them? The firs...

CFU 130 - [Reprise] "Stay True to Your Art": How Max Temkin Raised or Helped Raise $10 Million on Kickstarter with NO Paid Advertising, Rejecting "Marketing Tricks", and Ignoring "Guru Advice" (Like Mine!)

"The smartest thing we did was reject old fashion, old media, old world advice of how to trick people into giving you their money" - Max Temkin  If you are becoming frustrated, depressed, and disillusioned learning about how to raise money to fund your project, then this podcast will inspire you. Max Temkin has directly raised, or advised in a number of projects that have raised over $10 million total on Kickstarter.  You MAY have heard of them… In December, 2015, Max raised $1,479,0...

CFU 129 - [Reprise] How to Run an Outstanding Campaign on a Small Budget | feat. Elena Favilli

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, a book of short stories about extraordinary women,  surpassed one million in preorders, in spite of the small budget that was available for advertising. Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo did not expect the success that came their way. But, looking back, they have realized the steps they took that all worked together for their project to become the most funded book in crowdfunding history. Listen to this interview with Elena Favilli to hear the story of th...

CFU 128 - [Reprise] 1.8 Billion Youtube Views Can’t Be Wrong: How Derral Eves Uses The Power Pitch Formula To Create Captivating Videos That Educate, Entertain, Inspire, And Sell Millions Of Dollars In Products And Services

Have you ever seen a Mystic Unicorn poop creamy, delicious, ice cream? If you caught the viral sensation ad for the Squatty Potty then you are familiar with some of Derral’s work. But Derral was not always making millions of dollars for himself and his clients creating incredible direct response video ads. After Derral Eves graduate from college with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising he landed his “dream job”: As a Hospital Administrator. No Really. That WAS his dream jo...

CFU 127 - [Reprise] Product Validation and Price Sensitivity | feat. Brian Creager

Wondering how to get product validation and calculate your costs?  Today’s conversation with Brian Creager is a great place to get started. In three years, Brian went from $500 a month to $250,000 a month! Listen to this episode to hear Brian’s expert advice about how to find a product, how to tap into the market for that product, and how to discover costs and set prices. If you want to crowdfund a product and sell online, you need to listen to this episode! How do you know if your product ...

CFU 126 - [Reprise] Thinking like a CEO: How to Outsource | feat. Chris Ducker

Cheat Sheet Burnout is inevitable if you try to do everything yourself. When you start to feel overwhelmed, that is when you should start outsourcing. Start small, with discrete, one-off tasks, that you could do, but someone else could do a lot better. For example, if you aren’t a graphic designer, don’t  mess around in photoshop! As you get used to outsourcing tiny projects, your confidence in other people and their abilities will grow. Never settle for less than awesome. If you fail...

CFU 125 - [Reprise] Considering Investment? Here's the Cheat Sheet | feat. Matt Bodnar

My guest today is Matt Bodnar. He is the host of the Science is Success podcast and a part of the Fresh Hospitality Firm. He’s here to share with us today how to get VC investments and whether they’re right for your business.   Investment with Fresh Hospitality   Fresh Hospitality invests across the food value spectrum. They invest in farming and agriculture through packaged foods.  They also invest in technology, marketing, and accounting that fits around their ecosystem. They're ab...

CFU 124 - [Reprise] The Facebook Ads Hack That Helped Ravean Raise $1.33M on Kickstarter| feat. Bryce Fisher

When weighing the options for crowdfunding, most project creators opt for a months-long process to ensure optimum success. In some cases, however, time is not abundant. This was the case when Bryce Fisher of Ravean Heated Jackets approached his first Kickstarter campaign. The timeline from idea to prototype to crowdfunding campaign was just a few weeks long, giving Bryce a time crunch to meet his goals. The question is, how do you find success with so little time to raise funds? In his chat ...

CFU 123: Why Kickstarter Is Good For Your Business | The Power Of Kickstarter

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and many others have been around for about 10 years now, and yet there are still lots of people who don’t understand why Kickstarter is good for your business. In this quick video, my aim is to explain the power of Kickstarter and other similar crowdfunding platforms and the potential that they have for your business or personal needs. Put as simply as possible, crowdfunding platforms allow you to raise money for projects with the help of...

CFU 122: Crowdfunding Too Early | What To Know Before Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding too early is a common mistake a lot of entrepreneurs make with their campaigns. They don’t research what to know before crowdfunding before jumping in. Today we’re going to take look at a key stress point in your campaign and how to avoid it. I have a major beef with many marketing agencies that deal with crowdfunding. They don’t talk about the phase of production that comes right after the successful end of your crowdfunding campaign. Most agencies and fundraising coaches giv...

CFU 121: Can Your Product Succeed On Kickstarter? | How To Run A Successful Kickstarter Campaign

Can your product succeed on Kickstarter? We’ve been going over different tips and tricks on how to run a successful Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign, but it’s time to talk about your product itself. It doesn’t matter how well-prepared your campaign is – you first need to see if your product is a good fit for crowdfunding in the first place. Crowdfunding is an amazing tool for raising money, but it simply can’t be done for any and all products – at least not easily. People who support the v...

CFU 120: Kickstarter Popularity Algorithm | How To Launch A New Product On Kickstarter?

The Kickstarter popularity algorithm is probably the most overlooked factor for ensuring a successful crowdfunding campaign. If you want to know how to launch a new product on Kickstarter or IndieGoGo successfully the algorithm is something you need to be aware of! The Kickstarter popularity algorithm is based on the idea of social proof. In order to have social proof a campaign needs early support before the majority of potential backers start to see and support it. In the crowdfunding wor...

CFU 119: How To Set Your Kickstarter Goal | Funding Goals For Your Kickstarter

Knowing how to set your Kickstarter goal is a tricky but an extremely important part of your crowdfunding campaign. Funding goals for your Kickstarter project involve a lot of factors, but the bottom line is that the goal has to be reached. The first thing to understand about crowdfunding goals, particularly on Kickstarter where your campaign’s goal needs to be reached for you to get anything, is that you actually have two goals to consider – the public goal and your personal goal. To prope...

CFU 118: Avoid THIS Kickstarter Mistake: How To Plan Your Kickstarter Campaign For Maximum Success

Dreaming of launching a kickass crowdfunding campaign for your project? There’s one common Kickstarter mistake you need to avoid at all costs. It’s super important that you keep this in mind when researching how to plan your Kickstarter campaign. Let me explain … The key to success on crowdfunding sites is to really understand the mindset of potential backers. That includes knowing when the right time is to launch your campaign. One thing I see over and over again – and in fact I’ve been gui...

CFU 117: How to Use Instagram Giveaway Contests to Fuel Your Pre-Launch Efforts | feat. Jocelyn Schade

In today's episode, we take a look at how MadnessPlanner.com, a current planner brand that's getting ready to release their latest planner, is using Instagram Giveaway contests to gain brand traction and build their audience. Jocelyn Schade launched Madness Planner on Shopify earlier this year. Madness Planner, as I like to describe it, is the un-planner for creatives. Planners seem to be one of the hottest products to launch on Kickstarter right now. But when Jocelyn was searching for a...

CFU 116: Stop Self-Sabotage with Techniques Learned From a Hostage Negotiator, with Paul Nadeau

Khierstyn’s guest for this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut is Paul Nadeau, skilled hostage negotiator and the person who is going to revolutionize how you think about stopping self-sabotage. He takes his knowledge of negotiating with people in crises and applies it to personal and professional situations, giving you the best chance at finding success and happiness in your own life. It’s an episode that is going to help you advance your career, find fulfillment, and learn how to prevent your su...

CFU 115: How to Use Leadership to Drive Impact Within a Multi-Million Dollar Business, with Chris Thomson

Leadership, motivation, and entrepreneur are three of the biggest buzzwords in today’s business environment. Chris Thomson, business owner and partner for Canada’s Student Works Painting, has built a company that brings in over $17 million in annual revenue, has raised over $1.3 million for various charities, and plugs highly-skilled undergraduate students into a working business model. Khierstyn herself is an alumnus of the program and on this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut she and Chris dis...

CFU 114: How to Sell on Amazon After a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign - Ben Arneberg

With nearly 50% of all e-commerce sales occurring on Amazon, many crowdfunders are asking the question, “how can I take my product and sell on Amazon?” On this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut, Khierstyn has a conversation with Ben Arneberg, founder of Product Fuel and creator of crowdfunding giants Willow & Everett and Terra Mat. Ben shares his top tips for crowdfunders looking to move into the e-commerce space after a successful campaign, how to rank highly within Amazon’s categories, and man...

CFU 113: The Unconventional Guide to Investing in your Key Relationships | feat. Jayson Gaignard

If there’s one area of business all entrepreneurs and crowdfunders need to understand, it’s the art and science of investing in relationships. On this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut, Khierstyn interviews Jayson Gaignard, founder of Mastermind Talks, about the story behind the Talks, how he maintains influential relationships with his network, and the best questions to ask to spark great conversations. You don’t want to miss Jayson’s passionate insights, and your network will greatly benefit f...

CFU 112: How to Become an Effective Leader Using this Simple Daily Hack: Gratitude | feat. UJ Ramdas

Many entrepreneurs start their company and launch their products because they want to implement healthy change in the world. Khierstyn’s guest for this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut, UJ Ramdas, and his company Intelligent Change is doing just that - encouraging people to embrace healthy change and document positive growth through beautiful personal journals. Their conversation takes you through the company idea formation process, product launch, endorsements, and the importance of infusing e...

CFU 111: Crowdfunding Success, Building a Remote Team, and the Gadget Flow Story with Evan Varsamis

On this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut, Khierstyn interviews crowdfunding success mogul Evan Varsamis, founder and CEO of Gadget Flow. He has built a platform that puts innovative products in front of over 25 million people per month, runs an international team remotely, and has some great advice for aspiring crowdfunding professionals. You don’t want to miss their energetic and informative conversation, so be sure to catch this episode. The story behind crowdfunding platform giant - Gadget ...

CFU 110 - Developing Creative Networking, Being a Unique Entrepreneur, and Making Impactful Friends Feat. Sol Orwell

Few entrepreneurs are as unique, engaging, and great at creative networking as Sol Orwell, founder of nutrition advice empire Examine.com. He is also the creator of websites garnering over 200,000 visitors per day and a fanatic chocolate chip cookie enthusiast. On the first official Crowdfunding Uncut episode for 2018, Khierstyn interviews Sol and asks him key questions about his successful empire, why he thought to connect his love of cookies with creative networking events, and his top adv...

EP 109 : Being an Entrepreneur is Like Doing a Triathlon Feat : David Roher

My guest today is David Roher. We’re talking about doing things that people may think you’re crazy for doing. We recently completed an Iron Man Triathlon. It was the hardest endurance activity I could have ever done.   [03:36] How David Knew He Wanted to do a Triathlon   David and his wife live an average life. When David was 38 his father had a heart attack. To help with his therapy he made his dad exercise. He started hearing about triathlon’s and it was something that interested h...

EP - 108 Building an Unlikely Niche on Kickstarter Feat : Ted Flemming

  My guest today is Ted Flemming. He’s used Kickstarter to raise awareness and funds to his non-alcoholic beer brewing brand. He raised a little under $30,000 for his project! He’s here to share why he used Kickstarter for his campaign.   [02:33] Why Non-Alcoholic Beverages?   Ted began getting into the craft beer scene in his late-20’s. His journey was cut short due to a diagnosis of Crones disease. he also became a father around the same time. It made him change his focus towards...

CFU 107 - Considering Investment? Here's the Cheat Sheet | feat. Matt Bodnar

My guest today is Matt Bodnar. He is the host of the Science is Success podcast and a part of the Fresh Hospitality Firm. He’s here to share with us today how to get VC investments and whether they’re right for your business.   [01:50] Investment with Fresh Hospitality   Fresh Hospitality invests across the food value spectrum. They invest in farming and agriculture through packaged foods.  They also invest in technology, marketing, and accounting that fits around their ecosystem. Th...

EP 106 - Finding the Meat In Crowdfunding Feat: Tim Ray

My guest today is Tim Ray. He is the founder of Carnivore Club. An E-Commerce subscription based company that offers meat from different artisans around the world.   [02:04] Stories That Drive Crowdfunding   Carnivore Club is a subscription e-commerce business launched in 2013. Tim was working a 9-5 during the time of the dollar shave club hitting the scene. Tim tells us how wine clubs are a great example of subscription e-commerce based businesses. Because of their stories and deliv...

EP - 105 How to grow from entrepreneur to business buff : Feat Sacha Brant

    Introduction: Get Your Time Back   My guest today is Sacha Brant. There was a point when I was in desperate need of someone to help give me back my time. I had outsourced multiple times and ended up having to micro-manage every thing. Through one of our business groups I was able to find Sacha who is the founder of Sassy Lasses. A business built to optimize and take care of your pain points as an entrepreneur. This allowed me take back the time I was losing doing back end things I ...

EP 104 Insider Lessons Gained from Launching Successful Products Feat: Dale Backus

Insider Lessons Gained from Launching Successful Products   Dale Backus has a story with ups and downs, hard work and wins, and some really amazing entrepreneurial lessons. He’s won crash the doritos contest not once but twice. He used some of these earnings to help fund his startup. That startup is now doing over $20m a year in revenue. That business is  SmallHD, a camera accessories company. Big wins for a young man of 31 years old.   Khierstyn and Dale are working together on a ne...

EP 103 Influence Marketing; Expert Secrets to Fast, Inexpensive Growth : Feat James Swanwick

We’ve been looking forward to this week’s guest for some time. Khierstyn joined James on a panel listening to Amazon sellers. She listened to how he was able to grow organically through influence marketing. Brands can fast-track by doing paid advertising however influence marketing is long term.   Many business owners and entrepreneurs don’t understand how to leverage influencer marketing. Therefore, James is the perfect podcast guest. He’s going to help us better understand his journey,...

EP 102 - Expert Secrets to Leverage Email Automation and See Results Feat Chris Davis

Unsure where to start?   Too many email marketing platforms to choose from?   Then this podcast is for you. This week I’m joined by Chris Davis who is the Educational Director of Content of Active Campaign. We’re going to take a deep dive into what active campaign is doing behind the scenes, how you can go about selecting an email service to provide, and how to get started with email marketing and automation.   Where You Were and Where You End Up Might not be so Different   I...

EP 101 Pitch Perfect; How to Get Media Coverage at Any Stage Feat Janet Murray

They met at Tropical think tank in the Philippines and now they are ready to sit down to podcast 12 months in the making!   Who is Janet Murray   Janet Murray is the founder of soulful PR specializing in helping small business owners sculpt and pitch their ideas and stories to the media. She’s a freelance writer/editor who runs a successful Paid web group called Soulful PR Studio. Alongside a booming podcast and masterfully written blog, Janet is always on the go. I must also mention ...

EP 100 Max against Humanity; I did it my way. Feat Max Temkin

For episode 100, Khierstyn wanted to do something big. Bigger, better, and cooler than ever! What’s better than bringing back the podcast’s most downloaded guest? Nothing, that’s what. Especially when the guest is  Max Temkin of Cards Against Humanity!   Max and his team, they aren’t like everyone else, nor do they want to be.  They wear their honesty and integrity on their sleeve. It's about good products selling, no matter how you market them.   Sit back and enjoy as Max shares his...

99 - How to Harness the Power of Your Story| Feat. Chris Rawlings

How to Harness the Power of Your Story   Have you ever met a travel digital nomad? Have you ever wanted to be one? Have you ever wanted to use your life experience to shape your e-commerce future? Chris Rawlings joins Khierstyn on a deep dive into his experiences. A tale which leads him to San Francisco in search of new VC (venture capital) investors for his next big idea.   The Spice of Life; Using Story to Elevate Products   Three years ago, Chris was working in the solar...

98 - Your Customer Base Is Your Best Resource for Product Innovation| feat. Jason Tafler

  When Jason Tafler switched from the world of corporate start-ups to designing his own product, he purchased technology and an e-mail list from a company who had a product similar to what he wanted to create. But rather than just move forward to design his product the way he wanted it, he did a survey of the customer base to find out what was important to them, and let their feedback influence his product design. On this episode, Jason shares the fascinating story of his journey toward cr...

97 - How to Conquer Fears and Live a Limitless Life

Would you like to rise above your fears to live a life without limits? In today's podcast, Khierstyn talks with Joel Runyon, of Impossible HQ, about how you can conquer those fears and achieve what seems impossible.   Joel shares his inspiring story of how he turned his “can’ts” into “cans”. He stopped clinging to excuses and acted; Started running. Joel trained for and ran marathons, triathlons, and eventually, an ultra-marathon in Antarctica! The tough physical discipline required to...

95 - How to Raise Money for a Film or Creative Project | feat. Kasia Kruk

Crowdfunding to raise money for a film or creative project is a bit different from crowdfunding for a physical product. On this episode, Kasia Kruk shares her experience of crowdfunding for several film projects and provides insights into the process that she used successfully. Listen in to get great tips on building and engaging your audience, communicating with them effectively, and providing creative rewards for a non-physical product. Kasia Kruk’s story - from film festival volunteer to...

96 - How to Build Your Kickstarter Audience on a Limited Budget| feat. Tyler James

Do you have a great Kickstarter product and a small budget? Many people don’t realize that you can be successful on Kickstarter even if your project isn’t huge. It is like a video game, and you get to set the difficulty level based on your goals. Tyler James, of ComixLaunch, has worked with projects of many sizes. On this episode, he provides insights into how to build your Kickstarter audience, regardless of the size of your budget. Listen in to learn how to activate your existing power bas...

94 - How to Run an Outstanding Campaign on a Small Budget | feat. Elena Favilli

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, a book of short stories about extraordinary women,  surpassed one million in preorders, in spite of the small budget that was available for advertising. Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo did not expect the success that came their way. But, looking back, they have realized the steps they took that all worked together for their project to become the most funded book in crowdfunding history. Listen to this interview with Elena Favilli to hear the story of th...