Prior to this week, I had a very limited knowledge of Kickstarter. My only exposure to the platforms has been through my fiancé; a few of his friends from high school and college have started Kickstarter funds for various projects. However, beyond that limited exposure, this week’s assignment is something brand spankin’ new for me!
This week was clearly a HUGE week for Kickstarter! As of March 3rd, Kickstarter passed ONE BILLION dollars in pledges – pledges that 5.7 million people have made to the various projects housed on the platform. Those 5.7 million people hail from 224 different countries and territories in all seven continents!
While browsing through the site, there were a few ideas that caught my attention along the way. The first account that grabbed my eye was something called NailSnaps. I love painting my nails; however, truth be told, I’m pretty terrible at it! NailSnaps “lets you turn your photos into one-of-a-kind nail polish stickers you can apply yourself in minutes for custom art.” NailSnaps describes the process in three easy steps:
- Design – the free NailSnaps app lets you design exactly how you want your photo or image to appear on your nails
- Print – they will print and ship your high-quality nail polish stickers once you have completed your custom design
- Rock – easily apply you nail polish stickers in minutes, no dry time, not heat and no waiting (they will last about a week)
NailSnaps goal is to raise $47,381 to finalize their app and get their printing facility in Los Angeles up and running. Folks who pledge $20 or more will receive their choice of one or more of set of pre-designed prototype nail polish stickers.
Another interesting account I found was Sharon Wee Creations: Adorable Cakes for all Occasions. She is looking to create a “detailed guide to cake decorating with lots of cute, whimsical fondant covered projects.” By the looks of her account, she’s AWESOME!
According to her plan, the book will include eleven main projects and five smaller projects ranging in experience/difficulty levels from beginner to upper intermediate. The book will also contain templates, a guide to the appropriate tools to use and basic recipes.
Her book is completed and she is just seeking the necessary funds to take it from her computer to a physical book. She is also making a custom USB thumb drive featuring her “signature teddy bear.” She set her goal at $5,000 and has already surpassed that! As of today, with only two hours to go, she has 364 backers and $25,262!
I wish I had an interesting enough idea that I could put onto Kickstarter! I am definitely far from being creative or innovative enough to take advantage of all that Kickstarter has to offer. However, I’m more than happy to share my finances with folks that are imaginative and brave enough to put their ideas out there and seek assistance to make their dreams come true!
Questions to Ponder
- Have you ever used Kickstarter, or other crowdfunding platforms, on your own? If so, how was your experience and would you suggest it to other creative mind?
- Do you think that crowdfunding is an efficient and effective use of time? How else would you suggest folks acquire the necessary means to create their potential products?
Ta-ta for now!
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Hi Lacee,
I loved the projects you came across on Kickstarter! Truth be told, I’m also really bad at painting my nails, so I usually just end up paying to get them done, $30 later and 3-4 days later, my nails are already chipping. The custom-designed nail stickers seem like a really cool idea that a lot of girls would want to take advantage of. While my baking skills mostly consist of reading instructions on a Pillsbury or Betty Crocker box, I loved hearing about Sharon Wee’s cake-decorating book. It sounds like she has a lot of great ideas and is just looking for a little extra financial help to make her dream a reality.
Before this week’s assignment, I had only gone on Kickstarter once because my friend had written a book and had set up a project on the crowdfunding platform to raise money to publish it. Sadly, I got so wrapped up in watching his Kickstarter video and reading his incentives that I completely forgot to donate. But if I his project was still going on, I would’ve donated! To me, Kickstarter is the perfect platform for aspiring musicians, actors, writer, dancers and techies to realize their dreams. I don’t think there’s anything else out there right now that can even compare, but, then again, I haven’t tried searching for another platform.
Hi Lynette!
Thanks for reading! I think us girls are pretty much all in agreement that NailSnaps really needs to happen! I love their idea and concept! I agree that Kickstarter seems to be the perfect platform for aspiring musicians, film makers, authors and all around dreamers! I think it’ll be interesting to see how Kickstarter and other similar platforms begin to change the way we do things!
GREAT post! I loved the two projects you highlighted. I too am horrible at painting my nails so that is a cool project. I had never heard of Kickstarter until this project. I am not the most creative person when it comes to ideas and projects, so I didn’t really have an idea that I wanted to get funded. The second project that you highlighted really appealed to me. I love baking and cooking, but cakes sort of intimidate me. Especially intricate ones. I would 100% use her book and try a few fun cake projects on the weekend. Great post!
Hi Casey!
Thanks for reading! I had a very limited knowledge of Kickstarter before this week, but I think we all found some pretty incredible projects! I loved NailSnaps! I really hope they get to their goal – even though it does seem a bit lofty! The baking book is an awesome idea and she is incredibly talented! However, I don’t think I would have the skill to recreate her work!
Lacee,
Like you prior to this week I knew very little about Kickstarter, but once I began browsing I was immediately impressed by the creativity behind most of the projects. I love both of the projects you mentioned especially NailSnaps. It is such a fun idea that I hope they receive 100% backing.
I think crowdfunding can be successful if people go into knowing exactly what they need and have a clear plan of action for accomplishing their projects.
Hi Emily!
Thanks for reading! I completely agree – the creativity and imagination behind the majority of the projects on the site is amazing! There are clearly some that are much more serious about getting their funding than others though. I think it’ll be interesting to see how Kickstarter and similar sites change the way we think about fundraising and such!
Hi Lacee,
While I knew about other types of funding websites, Kickstarter was also new to me. The website is very interesting, and I think it’s a great way to collect funds for larger projects. I know that if this had been around when I was in high school, we so would’ve used it to come up with funds for all the activities we did. Back then we had do stuff like sell brownies to gather up the funds to pay for activities.
Hi Patricia!
Thanks for reading! I completely agree! Had Kickstarter or similar platforms been around when I was fundraising for prom, life would have been much easier! Instead, I was stuck with trying to sell magazine subscriptions to people who really didn’t care!
Oh my goodness, how much do I love that NailSnaps idea?! I get so lazy about painting my nails, and this ensures that I’ll have a cool new nail design to rock each week. It’s crazy how large the project goal is, however. I wonder if they’ll reach it. I think this is a project that requires a breakdown of costs because to me, $47,000+ just doesn’t make sense.
I’ve used Kickstarter before and my advice would be to cover all your bases and research as many successful projects as possible to see what works and what doesn’t. You never know what may spark an interest, but you also don’t want your project to be a flop. It’s very tricky because you don’t get to keep the donations unless you’re fully backed.
Hi Nhi!
Thanks for reading! I love the NailSnaps idea as well! I hope they are eventually able to accomplish their goal and begin producing their product! I do agree with you that their monetary goal seems a bit high and they really don’t explain the reasoning at all. I loved the point that you brought up about covering all of your bases – that is completely true and something that every Kickstarter (or similar platforms) account should be doing!
Hi Lacee,
I have never used a crowdfunding platform for a project of mine. I wrote in my blog that perhaps down the line, I may consider using Kickstarter to fund the novel I have yet to finish writing. I’d rather not start a campaign until I have it all written though — have to finish graduate school before I finish that novel! One of my writer friends used Kickstarter for this reason and I thought it was a great idea she did that.
I think if the traditional funding routes aren’t working (bank loans, gaining investors, etc.), Kickstarter and similar sites are great avenues to explore. Instead of having one lender that’s making a big risk by placing a large amount of money into your business, you have several lenders, thereby minimizing their risk and getting you the money you need.
Hi Amanda!
Thanks for reading! A novel?! That’s awesome! I hope you actually do get that finished and published! I think that utilizing something like Kickstarter for that project would be a great idea – especially if you’re having trouble finding the funds via a more traditional method. Good luck!