Focus on what you need

It’s time to focus on your budget and really look at what you need to make the project work, because setting your goals too high might actually hurt you. It takes a lot of work to get a project funded and you should be realistic about what your needs are.

This was one mistake my co-producer and I made during Identifying Nelson that almost cost us the project. John and I debated whether we should go for $20,000 or $15,000. Obviously, when making a movie you want as much money as possible. We went back and forth but ultimately decided on $15,000. The thinking was that we would hope for higher amount and have the lower amount as a safety net. I am so glad we made that decision, because in all honesty, I don’t think there was any way we would have made it to $20,000. It turned out $15,000 was just in our reach.

Look at all of your research and try to determine what is the minimum amount that you need to do your project. You may have a bigger vision for your project, but try to keep it small at first. The goal should be to get funded. If you do a really great job and get overfunded, then you might be able to do your project as envisioned. However, if you don’t get funded, you might not be able to do anything.

Should you undershoot your goal? No. Be honest about how much your project is going to cost. If you need to raise $50,000 minimum to do your project, then that’s your goal, not $35,000. Do the work and figure out exactly what you will need to complete your project and its reward obligations.

A Kickstart’s Guide to Kickstarter TOC:

pssst…you can read all of this offline by downloading the e-book.