I think there are three kinds of people: Those who have ideas and never act on them, those who fail at making their ideas a reality, and those who succeed. The good news is that you can be all three people in the same lifetime.
My name is Mike O'Reilly and I've gone down a lot of different paths. Skateboard and Saw is a journey I want you to be a part of.
I've written books, screenplays, poetry and magazine articles. I've developed iPhone apps, built websites and interactive eBooks. I've toured the nation as a cross-country mountain bike racer. I've spent ten years playing drums in rock bands. I've created a line of backpacks that you can now buy at Walmart and other stores. But if all that equated to vast riches I would not be asking you to help me raise $8K to get my latest project off the ground.
This whole thing started about a year ago, when I was trying to build my own longbow from a skateboard. I became obsessed with the idea of being the first person to ever do it and, although I achieved that goal I realized the process was far too complicated to make any money, and the market was too small.
I think it's still possible to make a living building simple products, because I think there are still people who value things made by hand. Skateboarders make up some of my customer base, but I don't worry about marketing my creations only to skateboarders. Some people like my work just because it looks cool and they can't get these things anywhere else. Here's a good place to plug my Etsy store!
The $8K I'm trying to raise is very important because it will allow me to not only purchase some equipment and materials I need, but it will help me draw attention to my business through advertising. As the branding guy for the backpack company I founded and sold, I understand how and where to spend this money, because I've done it before. Whatever cash I raise, I'm going to spend only 2/3 on advertising, and as marketing budgets go that's still pretty small, but the important thing is that that I know where to spend it.
The upside for you, as a contributor, is that even if I don't reach my goal you'll still receive something really cool as a reward, because I appreciate your support. When you help me out with real money it shows your belief in me as a woodworker, yes, but also as a businessman and as a person.
Let's say you've given me $15 but you don't see the needle moving much on this campaign. If you REALLY want to see this thing take off you can help IMMENSELY just by sharing this effort among your social media connections like Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, Pinterest and whatever else people are doing, these days.