What The Heck is Crowdfunding?

We've received a good number of questions about our One Million Frogs campaign on Kickstarter, and surprisingly, the most popular is ... What is Kickstarter, and how to do I contribute?   Okay, well I suppose that's two questions.  Regardless, we wanted to take a second and give you all some background on Kickstarter, crowdfunding and how to contribute.  See the video below.  Thank you!

First, crowdfunding ... crowdfunding is the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people.  In this particular case, we are trying to raise money to self-publish a book.

The book, titled "One Million Frogs", will chronicle the past six years of our entrepreneurial journey and the trials, tribulations and comedy of errors that eventually led to our modest frog company making it to the Inc 500 list.  The stories and anecdotes are not only entertaining, but they will provide an entertaining and often emotional roadmap for other startup or aspiring entrepreneurs.  

In order for this book to be as fantastic as we know it can be, we have identified and started negotiations with a publisher, Advantage Publishing in Charleston, SC, that specializes in assisting writers in completing what would ordinarily be a very long, tedious and difficult task, especially while still trying to run a business (and two kids) simultaneously.

Through websites like Kickstarter, we can create a campaign and market the project to the general public.  In exchange for a contribution, individuals receive from the campaigners (us) a reward, the value of which is typically dependent on the size of your contribution.  In the case of One Million Frogs, we have a variety of great rewards, including an e-version, soft back and hard back  version of the book (once it's complete), t-shirts, one-on-one consulting from the authors, and even Tootsie Rolls.  

The important thing to remember is that if the campaign does not reach its funding goal (in our case, $15,000), nobody is charged, and we receive no proceeds whatsoever.  

For a little more, check out this link on Inc.com about crowdfunding.

Now, the second part of that question is HOW to make a contribution to the campaign.  It is rather simple ...

1. Visit www.Amazon.com and create a user profile.  You will need a valid email address and credit card (we'll explain why you need Amazon later)
2. Visit www.Kickstarter.com and create a user profile.  You will need a valid email address and an Amazon account
3. While on Kickstarter, find the campaign for "One Million Frogs"
4. Select the level you would like to contribute to the campaign
5. Share the link with your friends, family, associates, colleagues, and neighbors

That's it!

The reason you need an Amazon account is because Amazon is one of only a few services that permits customers to make a "purchase" on a credit card, but not charge the card immediately.  Therefore, if the campaign does not reach it's goal, no charge is ever made to your card (in lieu of having to issue refunds).

Here's a brief video which hopefully will further explain.  All the best, and as always ... THANK YOU for all your support!!