After running 10 successful Kickstarters, we think it’s pretty safe to say that Don Moyer of Calamityware is something of an expert in running a crowdfunding campaign or two. Don and his partner Lynnette Kelley were recently featured on Kickstarter’s Google+ Creators Hangout and shared quite a bit of useful, real-life experiences they encountered on their crowdfunding travels.
This interview was originally posted on October 7, 2015. We added an AI-generated transcript on October 4, 2024.
Calamityware is still a client of Fulfillrite. To date, they have launched over seventy Kickstarter campaigns!
Start of Interview
Julio Terra: All right. Welcome everybody to this week’s Creators Hangout here at Kickstarter. My name is Julio Terra. I’m an outreach lead for design and technology at Kickstarter, and I’m going to be your host today. I’m really happy that we have Don Moyer and Lynette Kelley joining us. They are prolific creators, having completed 12 projects, with their 13th project live right now. They’ve worked on everything from plates to mugs, bandanas, prints, and their current project is a great puzzle. Their work always has a special touch of humor and whimsy. Many of you probably already know their work, but if not, you should definitely check it out. I’m a huge fan.
Before I turn it over to them, I just want to remind everyone that this is a live conversation. You can submit questions through the Google Hangouts page, Facebook, or tweet them to Kickstarter Tips. So, Don and Lynette, thank you very much for joining us.
Background and Introduction
Lynette Kelley: You’re welcome. Thanks for having us. Great to be here.
Julio Terra: To get us started, I wanted to hear a little bit about your background. What were you both doing before you started CalamityWare and all the projects you’re now running?
Don Moyer: I’ll start. For 40 years, I was a graphic designer and writer, solving problems for corporate clients. Recently, I retired and now get to indulge in projects I like to do—no clients, just me. So everything is about Don having fun.
Julio Terra: Awesome. So, I guess that answers the next question I wanted to ask—when you started, did you have a sense of where you wanted to take it? Did you plan for it to become as big as it has, or was it initially just a small side project?
Don Moyer: My dream has never been, and still isn’t, to build an international juggernaut of commerce. I’m just trying to do projects that I think are fun, and Kickstarter is perfect for that. It lets you find others who want to support a project. When I launched the first project, I didn’t know if it would succeed, but it was nice that it did. Then I got hooked and did a second one, and so on.
First Project Experience
Julio Terra: Awesome. Let’s talk a bit about your first project. You mentioned that you weren’t sure if it would succeed when you launched it. Can you tell us more about that experience? What were your expectations, and what was the biggest challenge you faced?
Don Moyer: Sure. Let me give you a little backstory. I love to draw and keep sketchbooks where I draw every day. Right now, I’m working on octopuses. A few years ago, I inherited an old blue willow pattern plate, and I thought it would be fun to draw one in my sketchbook. When I finished, I felt like it needed a pterodactyl to make it more fun. When I posted that on Flickr, where I share my sketchbook, people started saying, “That would be nice if it were a real porcelain plate.” So, I looked into it, and it seemed feasible to have plates made.
I had always wanted to do a Kickstarter, so I defined the project on the platform just to see what would happen. The result was a plate similar to this one, which became our first project. We had a couple hundred backers who wanted to have dinner with flying monkeys, and the project succeeded. That opened my eyes to all the logistics and administrative details, which wasn’t my focus at the time. That’s where Lynette and her husband Jack came in.
Joining the Team
Lynette Kelley: I’ve worked with Don for almost 20 years at the design firm he founded, and that’s how we know each other. Last May, in the middle of the third plate project—the sea monster plate—it really took off, and Don was overwhelmed with all the details. Jack and I were very interested, so we asked Don a lot of questions. Even though he’s retired, he still comes to the office hangout. Somehow, we just decided to help him out.
So, we’ve been on board since then, helping with the back end of things. I handle the operational tasks, customer service, and accounting, while Jack is in charge of marketing. He helps keep our customers informed and engaged with CalamityWare.
Building a Community Around Your Projects
Julio Terra: Awesome. And building on that, one of the things you’ve done very successfully is build a community around your projects. Your first project had around 350 backers, if I recall correctly. Now, with your dinnerware projects—plates specifically—you average over a thousand backers per project. How have you been able to grow the community and keep it healthy?
Lynette Kelley: Back in May of last year, in the middle of the Sea Monster plate, we were picked up by Colossal.com. That turned out to be a colossal boost for our audience, and that plate really took off. I think our customer base has built itself from there. We got another boost when we did the mugs this past summer, again from Colossal.
That kind of outreach has been a big help. It’s funny how one mention from Colossal leads to many other bloggers becoming interested in our product. We get a lot of free advertising without even being directly contacted. So, finding that one special niche that gets you a lot of visibility can really help grow your community. We’ve been fortunate to have that connection.
Organic Growth and Outreach
Julio Terra: How did that happen for you guys—was it purely luck? And what kind of work were you doing before to get the word out about your projects?
Don Moyer: I’d say it’s about 66 percent luck. The rest is something you can control by trying to reach out to people who might be interested. With all these projects, we’re aiming for products that are beautiful, utilitarian, and funny. That’s not for everyone, but for the people it does resonate with, it works well. When a blogger gets it and likes the idea, they want to write about it and share it with their audience. But connecting with them isn’t exactly a science.
Julio Terra: What about your actual backers? I know you’re averaging around 1,100 backers per project since your fourth one. Do you keep track of how many of those are repeat backers? Do you do anything to actively cultivate that relationship between projects?
Lynette Kelley: We don’t have a great system for tracking all of that, but I did go through the projects recently to see who has backed everything. We have about 30 people who have backed every single project. To those 30 people, if you’re watching, we are very grateful! We reach out to those people to thank them specifically for their support. They’re very important to us.
Why Kickstarter Works for CalamityWare
Julio Terra: It’s impressive how many products you’ve launched on Kickstarter. You even have your own website now, but what keeps you coming back to Kickstarter to launch new products and designs?
Don Moyer: Kickstarter is perfect for me because all my projects are experiments. I want to see what amuses me and what will amuse the people following me. I could be wrong, so Kickstarter allows me to present a project and get feedback without the financial risk. Traditionally, people would make things and then fill their basement with unsold stock. Kickstarter makes that problem go away.
Julio Terra: That’s great. A quick reminder for everyone—if you have questions for Don or Lynette, feel free to submit them through Google Hangout, Facebook, or tweet to Kickstarter Tips.
Advice for First-Time Creators
Julio Terra: Now that you have 13 projects under your belt, if you could give advice to the Don who was running his first project, what would you say?
Don Moyer: I’d tell that Don—whether he’s older or younger, I’m not sure with this time travel stuff—watch out for the administrative details. Having 300, 500, or 1,000 sponsors brings a lot of responsibility. The burden of taking care of them is bigger than I anticipated. You’ll need to answer more questions, send more emails, and create more thank-you notes than you’d expect. I’m not complaining—it’s wonderful—but it’s bigger than I imagined.
Lynette Kelley: I’d add that fulfillment was something we underestimated early on. For the first few plates, we relied on the shop that produced them to handle shipping. But by the third plate, with over 2,000 backers, they couldn’t keep up. We didn’t realize that soon enough to adjust, so our customers experienced delays over the summer. Since then, we’ve switched to Fulfillrite in New Jersey, and they’ve been fantastic. They’ve made it possible for us to expand from just plates to bandanas, prints, and note cards. Handling logistics for all of that is much easier now.
Julio Terra: So, partnerships really matter?
Lynette Kelley: Absolutely. Having the right partnerships makes a huge difference.
Production and Fulfillment Challenges
Julio Terra: Let’s talk more about the challenges of producing and fulfilling products at scale. You’ve expanded from just plates to bandanas and prints. How has that process been for you?
Lynette Kelley: Having a great fulfillment center makes things so much easier. For example, if a customer receives a broken plate, I can go into the fulfillment center’s website, copy their order, and ship them a replacement. I can do this within a day, and the customer gets their new plate quickly. That ability to solve problems fast makes customers happy, and that’s important to us. Having good fulfillment partners is key to maintaining good customer service.
Managing Unexpected Challenges
Don Moyer: Great. I want to go back and comment on a couple of questions you asked. One of my hobbies is sponsoring Kickstarter projects that other people are doing, just to see what trouble they run into. I love reading those emails and updates explaining delays, like “the magnetic thing didn’t work,” or “the shoulder straps are the wrong color.” I used to have those problems, but we don’t anymore. My products aren’t innovating new production methods; we use traditional ways of making things. But even then, logistical surprises can still pop up and slow things down.
If I could coach my younger self starting out on the first Kickstarter project, I’d say, don’t assume everything will go smoothly every day. There will be problems, and that’s part of the fun.
Lynette Kelley: It’s important to keep your backers informed. Don does a great job of keeping them updated on the process so that they’re not surprised when something is delayed.
Don Moyer: Most sponsors expect bumps along the way, and they want to hear about them. That’s part of why they’re supporting Kickstarter projects—they don’t expect it to go perfectly, but they do want updates.
Lynette Kelley: Whether the news is good or bad.
Planning a Kickstarter Campaign
Julio Terra: Let’s talk about planning for a campaign. There’s a lot of work that goes into it before you click the launch button. Since you’ve done so many campaigns, how do you approach the planning process?
Lynette Kelley: It’s funny you ask that because just last week, I made a to-do list for our team covering everything we need to do from start to finish for a Kickstarter project. I was shocked by how long the list became! I was assigning tasks—things Don does, things I do, and things Jack does. There’s a lot involved. But I’ll let Don talk about the pre-launch work because he typically starts it.
Don Moyer: Kickstarter provides plenty of tools and advice to help with planning, so it’s not a mystery the first time. Planning a project is about pinning down a thousand details. You have to define the product or reward, figure out how to make it, who’s going to help you make it, and who’s going to help you deliver it. A big question is always, what funding level are you shooting for?
Julio Terra: That’s actually one of the next things I wanted to ask—how do you determine how much money to ask for? I get that question from creators a lot.
Setting Funding Goals
Don Moyer: The advice I give people is, make sure you ask for enough, because you can’t go back and ask for more. That’s not how Kickstarter works. So the goal needs to be high enough, but I like to set it as low as possible to reduce anxiety about reaching it. Remember, for me, this is all about having fun.
Julio Terra: So you’re saying set it as low as possible, but ensure it’s enough to cover costs?
Lynette Kelley: Exactly. In our case, we always calculate based on what we need to produce, like 3,000 puzzles or plates. We figure out the bare minimum cost to do that—just enough to pay the manufacturer. That’s how we set our goal, and why it ends up being low. Don wants to make sure the project happens because it’s fun for him, so the goal has to cover costs but be achievable.
Future Product Plans
Julio Terra: That’s great. One of your fans, Kelly, is asking, “When are you going to make bowls to match the plates?”
Lynette Kelley: That’s a good question, Kelly.
Don Moyer: I think it will be early 2016. The designs are almost perfect, and I’m working out some production details. We’re working on it.
Lynette Kelley: It’s coming.
Don Moyer: Small plates will be coming at the same time too.
Julio Terra: Make sure to follow that planning checklist!
Don Moyer: Absolutely.
Storytelling on Kickstarter
Julio Terra: Moving on, one of the things I often tell creators is that Kickstarter isn’t just about raising money—it’s a storytelling platform. You’re telling the story of an idea you want to bring to life, and you want people to help you on that journey. Can you share your approach to storytelling on Kickstarter and any recommendations you have for other creators looking to bring their products to life?
Don Moyer: I’m not sure my approach would work for everyone, but I believe in showing my enthusiasm for the project. At its core, that’s all I’ve got—something I’m excited about doing, and I hope others want to help me do it. So, I show up in the video, explain why I think this idea is important, and talk about why the product is beautiful, useful, and funny.
I also try to keep the video as short as possible. I wish I could get it down to 10 seconds!
Julio Terra: Your newest video is really short—funny and short!
Don Moyer: Yeah, they’re under a minute now, which I like. They don’t have to be short, but they do need to show enthusiasm. I get nervous when a Kickstarter project looks like a corporate attempt to launch a product, with no personality or character. That doesn’t feel right to me, but it might work for others.
Effective and Wasteful Marketing Tactics
Julio Terra: We touched earlier on how being featured on Colossal.com was big for you. Are there any tactics you’ve tried that didn’t work or felt wasteful? And what’s been your most useful tactic?
Don Moyer: Let me start with what was wasteful—that’s where my mind goes first. Two things come to mind. First, you might be tempted to think your friends and family will be a good source of support, but that’s not true. I won’t get into the details, but if you think your sponsors will come from your close circle, that’s not where they are.
Lynette Kelley: We’ve also tried a few crowdfunding marketing services that reach out during campaigns, offering to help with promotion. Every time we’ve tried those, it hasn’t been successful. We haven’t seen any significant boost or movement in the campaign metrics. It just doesn’t feel like it’s been worth the investment.
Avoiding Events
Julio Terra: Have you guys ever done any events to showcase your beautiful products? Has that ever worked or been attempted?
Don Moyer: Well, Don’s not an event guy. I would pay extra to stay home during an event, so no, I’m not putting anything like that on my calendar.
Lynette Kelley: Yeah, we’ve never done that sort of thing.
Julio Terra: Just a quick shout-out—we’ve got about seven minutes left. If anyone has more questions, please submit them through Google Hangout, Facebook, or Twitter using #KickstarterTips. One thing I think is awesome is how you’ve been able to build a business around these amazing creations. You now sell them on your own website. Can you talk about how you’ve structured your process to make these creations into products you can sell on an ongoing basis?
Building an Ongoing Business
Lynette Kelley: Sure. When Don finished the first project, there were extra plates left over. He didn’t know what to do with them, so he started the online store at Calamityware.com. That’s really how it all began. Each time we run a project, we order more than we need, and then we sell the remaining stock through the website. Jack does a great job managing the site—handling the look and feel, processing orders, and keeping everything running smoothly. It almost runs itself because Jack manages it so well.
Julio Terra: So, just to clarify, you produce more than what’s needed for Kickstarter, and then you sell the extras? Once a plate sells out, is that it, or do you restock?
Lynette Kelley: That’s a great question. We talk about this all the time. For plates 1, 2, 3, and 4, we reordered when stock got low because we wanted enough for holiday sales. But we don’t always know what the future holds. Some items may not get reordered. We play it by ear, and a lot depends on what Don wants to do.
Don Moyer: Yeah, I’m inclined to let things run out of stock. Once they’re gone, they could be gone because I’m focused on designing the next product. I’m always thinking about what’s coming next—bowls, cookie jars, snowshoes, whatever—but not necessarily on keeping old items available.
Lynette Kelley: Occasionally, we also add small products to the website that never went through Kickstarter, like note cards or pocket squares. They’re just fun little things Don wanted to do. We do small, limited runs and sell them directly through the site.
Handling Updates
Julio Terra: Let’s touch on updates for a moment. You mentioned earlier how important it is to keep backers informed. Can you elaborate on how you handle updates during and after the campaign?
Don Moyer: I love doing updates. I want people to back my projects just so they can get my updates! I try to pace them at least a week apart, usually two or three weeks, depending on what’s happening. My updates always include images and actual news. I don’t like updates that don’t have any real content. I enjoy writing the updates almost as much as creating the original project.
Lynette Kelley: In addition to Kickstarter updates, we also send out a newsletter every two weeks to all our subscribers. It’s similar—we try to share news, even if it’s just updates like “this product is shipping” or “this is in production.” We aim to keep people interested and informed.
Julio Terra: Do you approach updates differently when a project is funding versus after it’s funded and you’re working on fulfillment?
Don Moyer: I think of updates more as progress reports—telling backers how we’re doing, not begging for more sponsors. I usually set the funding goal low, so we hit it within 24 hours, and there’s no time to worry about getting more backers. The updates are really about how things are going, what problems we’ve encountered, and how we’re solving them. Sometimes, there’s even good news, like when things are ahead of schedule.
Future Plans
Julio Terra: As we wrap up, what can you share about your plans for the future?
Don Moyer: I’ve got a bucket list of at least a hundred projects I’d love to do before I kick the bucket. I won’t get to them all, but as long as I have the energy, there are a lot more I want to create. In 2016 alone, there could be nine projects—if Jack and Lynette let me! We’ve got some cool stuff planned—more plates, small bowls, cookie jars, puzzles, prints, and some surprises.
Julio Terra: It’s been such a pleasure talking to both of you. And a big thanks to Jack in the background for keeping everything running smoothly. To everyone else, thanks for joining us, and we hope to see you next week for another Kickstarter Creator Hangout. Thanks again!
Lynette Kelley: Thank you!
Find Calamityware
You can check out Calamityware’s cool line of plates, bandanas and more at Calamityware.com and follow them on twitter at @calamityware
