Most likely if you've been following us you are a friend of a DeVore. Most likely myself (Christopher DeVore). One year out of college and a few adult experiences down I have came to a conclusion about my professional pursuits. I really believe I will find the most passion in my life following my own path. By this I don't mean being a lazy bum and getting into weird things, but I mean putting in some hard work and trying to run my own business. I think FNO is a great way to start that path.
So what is next? Well Maryland for starters. I am returning to Maryland to give Father Nature Outdoors one big push. If that push works then awesome, if it doesn't then it is one more step in the learning process.
That one big push will take place in the next two months. We have a FNO Kickstarter Campaign set up to start running in just a few weeks. The campaign will include bandanas, waffle shirts, and a final camping product we have been perfecting for 10+ months. We are looking to raise just over $6000 because due to previous sales and other sources, this is all we need left to get on a larger scale.
For those of you who don't know, Kickstarter is a crowdfunding website. It is essentially a way for customers to pre-order a businesses product or service in order for them to start up. Outdoor Industry products have done surprisingly well on Kickstarter with more successful campaigns including a sleeping pad raising $140K and an alpine hammock raising $40K in the past year. We just need $6000 and I think we can do it. Because Man it would be suhweeet!
What can you do to help? Lots of things-
1) Help fund the project monetarily and get sweet products in return (Do not feel obligated, I stopped guilting people after my 4+ years selling raffle tickets as a kid for Boys and Girls Club)
2) Just simply share our campaign once on Facebook. Even if you can't afford to help fund us, the fact that you are willing to say hey check out my friend (who isn't crazy) and his company would means loads to me.
3) Even liking our Facebook posts is support. This makes FNO more visible to customers, businesses, fans, and possibly Mark Cuban with a spare $6000
4) There a millions of other small ideas, but those are the three biggest areas where I will need help.
It is said that running a Kickstarter campaign is a full-time job in itself. I have put about 4 months of research into how to make a successful campaign, but you never know until you try. You can learn best from trying.
"A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others"
Let's hope I have learned enough from others, but here goes nothing!
-Christopher DeVore