Crowd funding What, why and how Dr Caezar Al-Jassar Alley Cat Games Ltd

Topics Quick overview Who I am My business How I got into crowd funding What is crowd funding? Finding the right product Building your team Marketing/building a fanbase Campaign page Logistics Delivery to your customers

Alleycatgames.com, @alleycatgames and info@lab-wars.com Hello! I am Caezar I am here because I’m a Birmingham University alumnus and I’m passionate about crowd funding and business! . You can find me at: Alleycatgames.com, @alleycatgames and info@lab-wars.com

My business Alley Cat Games

Go big or go home

$309,000 raised 3900 1 happy client + return business! On kickstarter 3900 backers 1 happy client + return business! Woot!

£63,000 raised 2100 3000 mailing list subscribers 3 board game related projects 2100 Backers 3000 mailing list subscribers Woot! 1 year (operation)

What is crowd funding?

Let’s Brainstorm

What is crowd funding? You are building a crowd Way to raise funds for a project (bypassing a bank manager) Pool of people who are willing to pay for a product that doesn’t exist yet Use a platform to create a page to put across your ideas/concepts Different platforms work for different projects “Crowd funding is the rock concert of entrepreneurs” You are (mostly) building a team – you can’t do everything yourself International market

How I got into crowd funding

How I got into crowd funding By accident Always thought of business ideas but didn’t have the courage to start one up Board gamer! On holiday Playtest, playtest, playtest Get the product ready

Why I used crowd funding

Why I used crowd funding Small investment Complete control over final product Vision To learn about project management Access to funds without needing to convince a bank manager Best suited platform for a creative project to get off the ground Lots of resources available on how to present your project

Finding the right product

Finding the right product Play to your strengths What do you excel in or are passionate about? Research, research, research Who is your demographic? Creative or innovative product What you can’t do: Establish a law firm, offer memberships, services etc. Essentially: you need to offer a physical product, e.g a book, a board game, a watch etc.

What would you launch, why and who would you market to?

Network, Network, Network Build your team Network, Network, Network

Building the all star team It is unlikely you can do everything yourself Who will do the work required to get the project off the ground? Look at lab wars/cauldron master….

Building the all star team Graphic designer Illustrator Playtesters Understanding wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend Manufacturer Bank (international transfers) Logistical partners Start a Ltd ? Marketing manager Project manager

Marketing / building a fanbase “Build a better community”

Marketing / building a fanbase Who is your fanbase? Who is your demographic? How do you access them? Where are they most likely to see your product? Mediums? Facebook? Twitter? Reddit? Instagram? Online presence You are the brand Blog Active contributing backer on others’ campaigns

Importance of building a fanbase Campaigns that fund quickly will catch the eye Funded campaigns more likely to receive backing If you receive 33% of your target in first few days you are more likely to fund Essentially, you need a crowd of fans ready on day 1 to say “I believe in this product” which sends a strong signal out to others saying this is something they should back too.

Building your campaign page Stand out from the crowd

How would you best showcase your product?

Building your campaign page Pick a name Project video Funding goal? Graphic design Time and length Reward levels (including a $1 level) Early birds? Stretch goals? Bundles? Shipping Delivery timeframe Updates

Main image

Reward tiers

Shipping

Updates – connecting with your backers

Logistics Delivering on time

Logistics Manufacturer Shipping Fulfilment Costs (weight, dimensions, pallets) Time frame? Where are the risks in the chain?

References

Winners?

Alleycatgames.com, @alleycatgames and info@lab-wars.com Thank you! Any questions? . You can find me at: Alleycatgames.com, @alleycatgames and info@lab-wars.com