This is Julia Massey & The Five Finger Discount’s (hereafter referred to as JMFFD) second Kickstarter project.

Their first project was successful and spawned some fine happenings for the band including playing at SXSW and getting a single in rotation in Seattle.

Clearly, they are doing a few things right…

View Julia Massey & The Five Finger Discount’s Kickstarter

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BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME

I am not a huge Kevin Costner fan.

I know that his character did not actually deliver the mis-quote above from Field of Dreams, but I had to get that out there…  I digress.

My very favorite thing about this project is an observation by Julia that is absolutely true but so often overlooked.

Julia Massey:  Believe in your project, and others will. And by believe, I mean, feel genuinely excited about it. People will “get it” if you are. I’ve seen friends of mine who were lukewarm about what they were doing, and therefore felt bashful about promoting it. Confidence is the key to putting the horse before the cart. Seems simple, though!

AMEN, people!

The one factor that can determine a project’s failure or success more than anything else is your very own belief in your project.

All things flow from this.

You spend the time to create an artistic vision and purpose worth backing which you believe in and you will not be able to help but “sell” it.

But you won’t be “selling”, you’ll just be sharing.  And that is what Kickstarter is all about…  Sharing and Collaboration.

Once you believe in yourself, others will follow.  Learn it, live it, love it.

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PUT YOURSELF IN THE PACKAGES

I am excited to reiterate this point.

You are obviously putting yourself into the music, artwork, and personal appearances.

But how else can you put yourself in there?  Because fans want a personal connection to the artist.  When you do more than serve up the tunes, you are creating additional connection points for fans to grasp.

Check out how JMFFD did it:

• $25 – bobbleheads.  How awesome is that?
• $50 – personalized T-shirts with iron-on by Julia
• $75 – hand drawn, personalized posters by the bass player
• $200 – participate in a photo shoot
• $800 – they’ll cook you dinner AND play, most band do one or the other!

This is a cool little list that really supplements the standard palate well.  Think about what you have to offer and capitalize on it.  Anything that you can provide with your time like hand-drawn art or cooking dinner will contribute solid dollars towards your project!

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THE TAKEAWAY

It all starts with you:  your vision, belief and self-confidence.

Take this lesson to heart.  If you are in the middle of designing or just contemplating your Kickstarter project, be sure you’ve nailed it.

If you are apprehensive, better to spend the time to get straight now than to let it kill you later.