My Kickstarter arrived - After four years and eight months
I was late to the Kickstarter party. In fact, I was late to the whole crowdfunding party and did not hear about Kickstarter until 2013. Considering that the site started in 2008, that’s pretty late. I became aware of the site when the claimed video game composer Jeremy Soule decided to crowdfund the first solo project.
I enjoy the work of Jeremy Soule and so in April 2013, I backed his project. On December 23, 2017, I finally received the album I played a small part to kick start. Obviously, this seemed like the perfect time to me to think back on all the projects I backed through Kickstarter!
My Kickstarter Backstory
I have a mixed backing history. According to my Kickstarter profile, I have backed 5 technology projects, 1 music project, 4 games, 2 fashion projects and 3 design projects. Of course, the categories are based on what the creators or at least Kickstarter determined. Because at least one of the projects categorised under design, namely High-Tech Heels & Flats that Feel Like Sneakers Inside, I would have put in fashion.
Now I could go through each of my projects and provide a review or commentary on them. But in light of waiting for a Kickstarter to come to fruition for 4 years, I decided to write a bit more on what I have learnt, how crowdfunding has changed and the struggle with the fear of missing out!
Lesson Learnt #1: Successful kick starts don’t always translate to sustained success
Two of the design projects I successfully backed were for or related to the Pebble Smartwatch. Firstly, I am a proud owner of a Kickstarter Backer version of Pebble Time. Secondly, I am a happy owner of a wireless charging dock for the Pebble. Pebble is, of course, a famous example of a massively successful Kickstarter campaign that ultimately could not spawn a sustainable company.
Pebble came on my radar just as I was getting into Kickstarter as it was the around the same time the first Pebble campaign launched. I didn’t back the original Pebble Kickstarter campaign because, by the time I saw it, the campaign had been overfunded by something like 200%. That told me that the Pebble folks were going to miss their delivery date and not by a little. It takes time to ramp up manufacturing capacity after all. So I took a pass but did buy two original Pebbles for myself and my brother once the watches saw retail release.
However, I liked the more fashionable look of the Pebble Time and so decided to back the project. I had also backed the ill-fated third campaign for Pebble, the one they launched just before Pebble assets were acquired by Fitbit and the whole company shut down. I got a refund, but it was still very sad to see the company go, especially since Pebble was somewhat successful in spawning a whole ecosystem around their watch. Plus, I am still wearing my Pebble and enjoying what it adds to my digital existence. So learning that lesson that successful Kickstarter campaigns will not necessarily lead to sustainable businesses through Pebble was upsetting.
Lessons Learnt #2 : I am getting the most utility out of the two fashion projects
The first fashion project I was back on Kickstarter was a simple expansion campaign launched by Strathberry of Scotland to expand they’re the reach of their brand. I bought one of their midi tote bags and found myself using it almost every day. It’s just a very nice, high-quality bag. Strathberry’s have since become extremely famous and is now known as that bag brand Meghan Markle likes. So it is unlikely I will see them back on Kickstarter anytime soon.
The other fashion project I backed a simple steampunk inspired jewellery campaign. That campaign seemed to have been made by a solo creator who seemed to have used Kickstarter to sell a bit more of her products. It was one of the first campaigns I backed that was a reflection of what a lot of Kickstarter campaigns are now, chiefly a way to sell pre-orders. The only difference between me getting my steampunk inspired pendent through Kickstarter from a normal web store was that I indicated to the creator that I was willing to wait as she made the pendant. While even with Etsy, you expect prompt delivery, although, I would not be surprised to find that the creator in question had moved on to Etsy.
Lesson Learnt #3: FOMO is real but I can usually resist it, usually
I think we all know that the fear of missing out drives a lot of our impulse purchases. Kickstarter can be very FOMO inducing because you do get reduced prices, and sometimes, the products you are buying may never make it to mass sales. I have backed and then backed out of a number of campaigns by first giving into FOMO and then coming to my senses.
However, I haven’t always succeeded. For example, I bought two Metawear Bluetooth Sensors without really thinking about what I was going to use them for and as a result, I still haven’t managed to put them too good use. One FOMO moment I don’t regret giving into is Nura Headphones as they really are the best headphones I have ever owned. That said, I am getting better at resisting my FOMO urges. I mean, I recently resisted Batman.
Lesson Learnt #4: Apparently, I’ll wait forever for Jeremy Soule’s music
So this brings me back to Jeremy Soule. I don’t think I would have waited as long as I did with this campaign for my backer reward with any other campaigns. I certainly would have asked for a refund around the two-year mark, if not sooner and not only because the communication was fairly poor from Jeremy Soule’s side. However, I was reasonably confident that Jeremy Soule wasn’t planning on taking my money and running. Also, the relatively low amount I put towards the campaign was a factor in why I stuck with it.
Would I have backed the campaign back in 2013 if I knew I had to wait until the end of 2017 to get my soundtrack? I don’t know. I think I will have to listen to The Northerner Diaries a few more times with my Nura Headphones before I can properly answer that question.
