XXL Tactical Multi-tool Hair Clips: Tacticlip® – 4″ EDC Tool

Ultra-sized hair clips: control unruly & thick hair. Minimalist 4″ inch survival multi-tools.

Vacuum plated. FREE USA shipping 📦🇺🇸

On Kickstarter

The ultimate  hair clip for unpredictable lifestyles.
  • HAIR IS KEPT CONTROLLED: The barrette easily snaps into place
  • SAFE, NO SHARPENED EDGE: Designed to be safe in the hair
  • VERSATILE: The ultimate every day carry (EDC) multi-tool
  • COMFORTABLE & LIGHTWEIGHT: Clip & forget… until you need it
  • Stainless steel, electro vacuum plated.
You have made our last 9 Kickstarters a huge success, and so we are back with our famous tactical hair clips… NOW IN XL.
For unpredictable, active lifestyles

◣ Tactical Survival Bandana w/ Emergency National Park Map on Kickstarter

For the unpredictable lifestyle:

XL Survival Bandana in Blaze Orange

BONUS: Printed with a quick reference emergency map of the top 8 National Parks. (choose from any of the 8, below)

This cravat is the must-have for all adventurers. Whether you’re an outdoors renegade or an urban warrior, this high quality, lightweight bandana is an essential in your EDC or bug out bag. 
 World’s largest tactical survival bandana   
As outdoor adventurers and world travelers (+32 countries), we grew frustrated with tiny square EDC bandanas. And our backup paper maps of National Parks wasted away after every trip. So we combined the most favorite facets of the world’s top adventure bandanas into one, single design: Tacticouture’s Survival Bandana
Triangle bandanas are listed as a must-have in survival situations by world renowned survival experts. 
Our huge 40x40x52” inch opens up a world of solutions in emergency scenarios. Be one step ahead of trauma and emergencies with this lightweight, tactical advantage.
 ★  10-in-1 Survival Multitool  
Combining navigation (map) with the dozens of utilitarian purposes of a bandana. The Survival Bandana is printed with the 1 of 8 National Park maps (your choice). It is a map that is durable, impervious to water, and crushable.

 ★  –  Innovative & lightweight: Weighing the same as a paper map only with 10x times the amount of uses.

 ★  –  Survival: Tourniquet, sling, “stop-the-bleed” first aid compression, large particle water filtration, and protection against sun, ice, and dust. High Visibility orange: Bright color designed for signaling, hunting, and marking. 

"Bandanas are extremely useful in survival situations..."

“Bandanas are extremely useful in survival situations…”
 ★  –  Utilitarian: a practical, memorable keepsake for thru hikers, survivalists, campers, trailer runners, horse riders, mountain bikers, cyclists, hunters, and EDCers. Made from 100% absorbable cotton.

The Survival Bandana is a must-have for those adventurers who are always on the move. Ditch the paper map and become a minimalist outdoor warrior with this 40x40x52″ inch bright orange bandana.

Digitally printed graphic of 1 of 8 of the top-rated and most trafficked National Park maps. You will now have not only emergency, backup navigation, but a slew of practical bandana uses.

Our field testers have used the Survival Bandana for…
  • Navigation (map)
  • Protection from the sun, ice, and dust
  • Sweat absorption (not something you get with a polyester bandana)
  • Tournique
  • Sling
  • Splinting
  • Bleeding compression
  • Large particle water filtration
  • Sleeping eye mask for travel
  • Signaling
  • Hunting safety
  • …and many more creative uses
An essential piece to your survivalist kit, Tacticouture’s Survival Bandana is an invaluable tool in your adventure toolbox.

Get your Survival Bandana here

Entrepreneur: Tips on Successful Crowdfunding, The Courier Herald Newspaper

BUSINESS

PAGE 3 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 ENUMCLAW COURIER-HERALD
Subscribe to the Courier Herald | PDF Version

Local entrepreneur gives tips on successful crowdfunding

By Ray Miller-Still | Editor

If there’s one thing you should glean from exploring crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter or GoFundMe, it’s that there’s no limit to what ideas people have, or what other people will spend their money on.

For example: The Bug-A- Salt, a Nerf-gun looking device that shoots regular table salt to disable or kill insects. There’s nothing it does that a regular fly swatter can’t, except for, well, giving you the thrill of bringing down that pesky fly with a toy pump-action shotgun.

For whatever reason, the IndieGoGo campaign raised more than $577,000 with 10,764 backers, even though they were only looking for $15,000.

But not every campaign is successful — according to Statistica.com, roughly 37 percent of all Kickstarter projects were fully funded as of December 2019, with the other 63 percent falling short of their financial goals.

 

Field testing the Ballistic ScarfBeau Chevassus, Enumclaw councilman and Kickstarter entrepreneur, has been busy testing out his newest product, a scarf made of kevlar, before he starts a crowdfunding campaign.

started in 2016. Billed as
the world’s smallest MP3 player, it was meant to allow workers all over the world — specifically those with little to no literacy skills — to listen to the Bible.

The campaign was a hard flop; only $1,000 of the $29,000 was raised. Even when the campaign re-launched in 2017 with a $999 goal, the project was only fully-funded with 30 seconds left on the clock.

Other ventures were wildly successful. In August 2018, Chevassus started a Kickstarter for the Tacticlip, a women’s (or men’s — we don’t judge) hair clip that also functions as a ruler, small saw, mini screwdriver, wire stripper, and fire starter, if you have flint. Although he only asked for $1,000, the campaign raised nearly $13,000, which allowed him to buy his product in bulk and start selling elsewhere.

“I always start first with my ultimate goal, and how do I get there. My ultimate goal is to… get products on Amazon, because in that way, it’s automated,” Chevassus said in a recent interview. “If I can get to that point, that frees me up to actually do what I truly love to do, which is Knok Studio and charity film work all over the world.”

FROM START TO FINISH

There are many factors that can make or break a crowdfunding campaign, but there’s no real formula for success — just a lot of hard work and a generous pinch of good luck.

Clearly, you first need to have an idea that people will buy into; Chevassus suggests identifying a problem and coming up with a solution.

“I know that seems really ‘no duh,’ but you won’t believe how many people pitch something out there that isn’t really a solution to a problem,” he said.

For example, the Tacticlips address the issue of women’s clothing lacking pockets, and thus, they can’t easily carry around a multi-tool device. After you have your idea, it’s time to start research- ing — specifically, how the crowdfunding market operates and what potential investors expect.

“In times past, if you want to start a business, you would get a whole bunch of capital together, get a five- year business plan, find a storefront, and you hit the ground running. You’re going to gamble and hope that consumers come in,” he said. “On Kickstarter, it’s the opposite — you don’t have a product, and you actually sell something that doesn’t quite exist, and you get your customers around you, and then you start the business.”

But that doesn’t mean you should start a Kickstarter with nothing but that idea in your head and hope people are interested. “Lay pipe before you actually launch,” Chevassus said. “Get all of your contacts in a row. Get all your marketing stuff in line.”

He admitted that for his first projects, ones that started before 2016, he didn’t follow his own advice.

“I was like, I’m going to wait until the capital comes in. I don’t want to waste time on something that won’t be funded,” he continued. “I’ve learned the vital importance of actually buying proof- of-concept products from multiple factories, which takes some money to do.”

In other words, you have to spend money to make money; Chevassus is doing this with a new clothing product he expects to launch soon.

“They’re like, ‘You want a kevlar, bullet-proof, slash- proof, fire-proof scarf? Well, that’s going to be $70 shipped from our factory,’” he said, adding that situations like that can be scary, especially for someone just starting out. “But I’d much rather have a tangible prod- uct before I go to a thousand people and promise it can be done. “It’s kind of the chicken or the egg — you need the capital to create it, but you have to create it to raise the capital,” Chevassus continued.

But that does not need your prototype needs to be perfect and complete. In fact, Chevassus warned against what he called “analysis paralysis.”

“‘Done is better than perfect,’” he said, quoting Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook.
“I want to be careful with that, because a lot of people then say, ‘Does that mean you can’t strive for perfection?’ No, it means don’t get obsessed with all the little details to the point where you don’t progress.”

Beau chevassus in Nicaragua

Beau Chevassus in Nicaragua, field testing the Ballistic Scarf

As for the marketing portion of the Kickstarter, you may want to get in contact with “influencers” — people who review and market products online — to talk up your idea or product around the time your campaign begins. However, Chevassus believes there’s no real formula for success- fully finding an influencer who would be interested in helping you out.

“It’s saturation. You just have to tell yourself, for every 10 people I contact, one person is going to say, ‘This matches my blog audience, I’d love to do it,’” he said.  All of this, Chevassus said, is a lot of work—more than what some people expect.

“Be prepared to work 16 hour days. It is not easy. A lot of people are like, ‘They float this out there and they’re just going to relax and retire early in the Bahamas,’” he continued. “No, no, no. When people say passive income, there is nothing passive about [it]. It takes so much hard work to get to the point of automation.” At this point, a crowdfunding campaign should be well prepared: there’s a working prototype and a manufacturer that is willing to create the product; there are people who are talking up your product and sending their followers to the campaign; and the campaign is active and engaging its investors with updates on what’s happening behind the scenes, keeping the anticipation alive.

But nothing ensures a successful campaign, and at some point, you may want to consider quitting while you’re behind.

“To answer the question, ‘When do you quit?’ is when you are no longer providing a solution,” Chevassus said, “Again, that sounds
like a ‘no duh,’ but you won’t believe how many people don’t actually bring their head above water and go, ‘the market is saturated with these things, I should pull the plug and focus elsewhere.’

“The old way of business is that you never quit — you have your five-year business plan and you’re going

to stick to this no matter what. You’re going to ride the market for five years, because banks want to see that five years. The want to see that you’re bought in and committed,” he continued. “Now, the new way of doing things is you have to adapt, which is a euphemism for quit. Quit things that aren’t working… Every successful crowd funder can relate to ‘giving up your Isaac’; that is, at some point it is necessary to let go of something. Some- thing you’ve invested count- less hours in. Something you’ve made that you’re emotionally committed to. This is extremely difficult to let go, but wildly necessary to focus like a laser beam on what’s truly important.”

To learn more about Chevassus, head to his blog at chevassus.com.

Subscribe to the Courier Herald

 

 

 

Newest invention: The Knifelace™ – Knife & Necklace Combination

gif of knife necklace knifelace

gif of knife necklace knifelace

I am please to announce the release of the Knifelace.  Patent-pending, trademarked, and just launched on Kickstarter.  I hope it serves our wonderful ladies with a practical tool that is gorgeous and non-obtrusive.

Specs

  • Blade style: Hawkbill / Raptor Claw
  • Blade material: 3CR13 stainless steel
  • Pendant material: Hammered & polished Nickel plated Zinc Alloy
  • Chain material: Stainless steel
  • Chain length: 20" inches / 61 CM and able to extend up to 24" inches for extra slimming look
  • Chain clasp: Lobster clasp
  • Packaging: Origami-style gift envelope

Get yours on Kickstarter

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Strong magnets keep the blade safely in place.

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Gorgeous look goes with any outfit.

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Business Cards Do Not Work. You Should Stop.

business cards are obsolete

Heart check here: Have you considered whether business cards are actually hurting your business? Your nonprofit? Your side hustle? 

No I'm serious. 

Here are my top 5 thoughts why these cheap little pieces of cardboard should go the way of dial-up modems:

1. WHERE DO YOU PUT THEM? No one has a Rolodex anymore. Just use your smart phone, ask for their number, and immediately send them your contact card or text.

Bonus: You just got THEIR contact info too, instead of just a one-way information-giving scheme.

business cards suck

2. TODAY THERE’S THIS THING CALLED THE INTERNET. In the west (not Asia), business cards are discarded or forgotten about within seconds of handing them over. Think about it: When you need to contact someone, where do you go? Perhaps Facebook? Their website? There's even a new tool called "Google" that I've heard can be used to find people's contact info.

BONUS: When they search for you online, they can actually copy/paste or quickly click on your email and instantly send you a message. No need to physically read tiny text on a business card and manually input it.

3. THEY GIVE A FALSE SENSE OF CLOSURE. Ever notice that handing a business card to someone is the END of a conversation? Ever notice a smug bit of triumph as they hand you their business card, as if they just closed a deal? It's so sad. The point of a sales call is not to hand someone your contact info... it's to close the deal.

4. THEY TELL PEOPLE YOU’RE DESPERATE. If you must hand out a business card, please, please, please... only give ONE.

- A salesman's thinking when he gives more than one business card: "This person will distribute these for me."

- What people really think: "This salesman is so desperate, he has an oversaturation of business cards that he's trying to deplete."

business cards are old

5. EVERYONE DOES IT. A major key to being a good communicator (the #1 skill for being a good salesman) is being different and memorable. When everyone is using business cards, it essentially tells everyone that you’re exactly like everyone else. Seek to be different. Pursue innovation.

share_contact card knok studio

There are so many other physical objects you can give in place of a business card. We at Knok Studio love giving custom-designed stickers. Even if they don't use the contact info on the back of the sticker, at least they walk away with a sweet piece of memorabilia to put on their water bottle. Sure they’re more expensive, but at least they don’t get thrown away.

Sometimes I even physically write my information on a napkin or sticky note, along with a little cartoon drawing. Some people give magnets. Buttons. A flash drive... Really anything but a tiny piece of paper cardboard with information that they can freely get online.

It's okay to recognize that business cards are obsolete.


knok studio marketing stickerKnok Studio among other brilliant lil' marketers on top of Mailbox Peak