You need to know “Where you are coming from, and where you are going”.
So here are 3 good reasons why we’re talking about this now:
1) This topic is dear to me.
2) There has been a lot of hot debate on the subject for years.
3) Fact: 65.41% of all Gaming Kickstarters fail. So it’s deeply relevant to your campaign before you even launch.
Quitting, Cancelling, Seeing it Through
Quitting
Quitting is what you do before you commit; before you click the “Launch” button.
If anything you’ve read thus far has scared the pants off of you, you should consider quitting.
“Quitters never win”, but in a manner of speaking, neither do Kickstarter Project Owners. They may “Fund” or “Kickstart a life long business venture that humiliates Hasbro!” … but “Winning” and “Losing” are not really factors. So don’t feel like a wuss if you choose jump ship.
It always brings relief when you hear about an engaged couple that calls off their Marriage. Better now than after the altar, right? Kickstarter success is nowhere near as big of a deal as Marriage, but it IS a huge commitment to HUNDREDS of people. Therefore, you should consider it properly before you invest the time, and ask for the trust of so many others.
The Kickstarter Designer/Publisher life just might not be the life for you. And that would be ok. It’s not the life for a lot of people. Plus, anybody who puts their family life before their Kickstarter dream is real man, and is to be applauded. That may require “quitting”. I can’t emphasize enough: Family before Kickstarter. Because it will take more time than you expect, and put more strain on your family-life than you’d like. Obviously, a choice you need to make together.
Ok, that’s “Quitting”.
Cancelling vs. Seeing it through
Ok, so you went for it. The project is running, it’s not looking good, and the experts are saying that your project is doomed… What to do?
If – you’re less than 25% funded by your halfway point…
Cancel
…because, frankly, you’ve done something seriously wrong. You didn’t plan like everybody told you to. People have shown you that they don’t like what you’ve shown them, or don’t trust you to bring it to completion for any number of reasons. Cancel now, and send a humble apology Update, speaking of your plans for the future. (YES, you can send updates after you cancel OR fail a project.)
If – you’ve got more than 50%, or even a flat $10,000 (regardless of %), raised by your halfway point, then…
See it Through
Also affectionately called: “Running It Into The Ground”.
First of all, there’s nothing wrong with Hope. Enjoy it. Beyond that…
Here’s 4 great reasons WHY you See It Through even when there’s no hope left:
- You have made friends, they’re supporting you, and they’re hoping too.
- Tons of people that you don’t know about yet have “Starred” your project (that means clicked for a “48 hour reminder email”), so they’ll be back in the last 48 hours. They’ll inspect the growth of the page, and how you’ve handled the situation.
- Many of those that view your project in the last 48 hours will show their support even though they know you’re not going to make it. They’re called: New friends. They’re also the ones most likely to back you again on a reboot. You don’t want to miss getting to meet this amazing group of people.
- You can forever send KS Updates after you fail. So if you’ve got the will to do what it takes to redesign, fix your mistakes, and launch a “Reboot”, then you’ve got all those new friends that can return to show their support on Day 1 to generate the bandwagon interest that Kickstarter tends to thrive on.
If you’re not willing to do a reboot: Cancel. …obviously.
Unless you just want to make new friends; but those new friends will be begging your for a reboot. Fair warning. ; )
Related Resources:
For more of my thoughts on this, you can read my interview with Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games.
Ready to relaunch/reboot? Read this BGG Post for a great pile of info from another’s experience.
Click here to be brought to Article #4.