Testing the waters with LaunchRock and KickStarter

Ari M May 11, 2011 Posts 4 Comments

Risk Management

If you are considering launching a website or a service online there are always pros and cons to weigh up. While you have to consider hosting fees and the cost of a domain, the main resource such a web venture will consume is your time. It can be intimidating to launch a brand; you’ll usually have to create a press release, and work hard to ensure it is circulated as far as possible.

Work Hard?

Of course there are ways of making things easier. LaunchRock and KickStarter for example. LaunchRock is actually a project of Jameson’s here at LessDoing, so naturally we’re going to take the time to plug it. It essentially lets you create a beta page and interested people are able to sign up in advance. It is a great way of testing the water and seeing if your idea has potential; a large response usually means you’ve got something worth investing in. Hipster used a similar tactic of a basic viral loop to great success, with over 10,000 people signing up in the first two days. In a different niche, yet equally awesome is KickStarter. KickStarter is a crowdfunding platform for the creative type. If you have an artistic idea or project that you think is constructive, or that other people would be interested in then you post a proposal on the site. Viewers then have the opportunity to comment on and donate to your project.

Money and Traffic

So if you need the cash to back something ethical and artistic, or you simply want a platform from which to launch a website, one of these services will be for you. Who knows, perhaps you could even combine the two…

About The Author

Ari M

In 2006, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Crohn's is an incurable disease of the digestive tract. My case was severe, and required over a dozen daily medications and several hospital visits. After reaching a personal low point in hospital, I decided he would do everything in my power to strengthen my by then weak body. Through a combination of yoga, nutrition, natural supplements and rigorous exercise (Ironman and Crossfit) i was able to fight back the symptoms of Crohn's until I was finally able to suspend my medication. Eventually I was declared free of all traces of the 'incurable' disease, and competed in Ironman France in June of 2011. I has since spoken at seminars and at a regional TED Talk about my struggle against a seemingly insurmountable opponent. Through the process of data collection, self tracking, and analysis, I helped develop Less Doing. This was a way of dealing with the daily stresses of life by optimizing, automating, and outsourcing all of my tasks in life and business. Now I focus on Achievement Architecture, helping individuals be more effective at everything.