New schedule on track + inspirational crowd + meet your heroes
Backers in China: please send me your address in Chinese characters + your local phone number. Backers in Hong Kong: please send me your local phone number. Contact me via Kickstarter.com.
Risks to the project
We're coming to the end of the project. During the 30 days that the RiutBags are on the ship very little will change. They safely left China two weeks ago and are on track to arrive at Felixstowe, England, in mid May. I will do a final check of the 1000 RiutBags that arrive. Then they’ll make their way to Lincoln in north England where they’ll be packed, addressed and sent to you. The risks now remain the same, but with each day that passes the possibility of them occurring is reducing.
Your RiutBag will be posted from the UK 18-21 May 2015. Depending where you are in the world, it will arrive in the following two weeks.
Here's that video reminding you the journey the RiutBags are on:
Crowd inspiration: Thank you
As backers, we have such excitement when we back a project. We spot an idea + think: “I want to be part of that”, “I want one” and many other reasons. Actually, I think there are as many reasons for backing projects as there are backers.
When I spoke to my friends during the Kickstarter campaign – backers + well wishers – they said they were checking the Kickstarter balance every 10 minutes. It really surprised me to hear that it put a spring in their step to know something was happening because of hundreds of people - strangers! - coming together via the internet. They found it inspiring, mind blowing + scary all at once.
Of course, what it’s difficult to imagine when a project starts out are the problems which will come up. The problems can be with the timing of the project – like mine for April backers – or very different ones all together.
As a Kickstarter project creator, when you press “go” on the campaign, those 30 days are real work, but they are nothing in comparison to the project ahead. You are not signing up to caring for your backers for 30 days. You’re asking backers to join you in 30 days, and to look after them for the next 6 months whilst you try to make your product, and for a lifetime after its completion.
Forever you guys - the crowd of RiutBag backers - will be the people who started this: the global rucksack revolution. You’re the founders! You’re the early adopters, the people who believed in the idea and believed in me even before I’d proved myself. You gave me a chance.
That deserves a great RiutBag, clear communication + more thanks than I can give right now. One day I hope to be able to thank you again, once I’ve made Riut into profitable business. You are a powerful crowd. Thank you for using your power for good, support, constructive criticism, suggestions + to voice your praise still now, after 6 months of being connected through this project.
Here's the RiutBag's story on the website www.riut.co.uk for all to see. You are all part of this story + always will be.
Very soon you’re going to see what you’ve helped to create. It’ll soon be at your door, torn out of its packaging + on your back c:
Meet your heroes: it’s worth it
Back in update 14 I shared a book that helped me create Riut in a way that I hope benefits you. It’s called the Art of the Start, written by Guy Kawaski. He was Apple’s Chief Evangelist under Steve Jobs in the 1980s, he writes great books, is a software startup venture capitalist + is always to be found on the newest social media platforms.
A few weeks ago I decided to write to Guy Kawasaki, the author of the book, to thank him + show him that I was able to put his book to good use. The email address I found for him didn’t work anymore so knowing he is a fan of Google+ I guessed his gmail address…and it got through!
Not only did he reply, he agreed to meet up in Berlin. I thought it might be a quick coffee + goodbye. But no. As soon as we met we had lunch + then went on a tour of Berlin. We went to the East Side gallery in Friedrichshain and saw the art on the wall, to Check Point Charlie in the centre of Berlin, out to Moabit to a Car Museum + finished up in the Ka De We eating the finest asparagus – a must at this time of year in Germany! He tweeted + Periscoped our outings as we waited for Uber taxis. I sang 1840s German songs by Schumann to entertain the crowds online, we showed them the Berlin wall + even our asparagus.
He was expecting new software + hardwear companies to use his book to startup. I got to thank him and show him that his words helped to make a very soft hardwear indeed: the RiutBag. There were many ingredients to making this a successful project: together, you - RiutBag backers - and Guy Kawasaki played the biggest part.
Write to your heroes + meet up with them. You never know when they’ll turn around and say yes. That’s all for this fortnight.