June 2012
1 post
When (profitable) small businesses can't raise...
In 11 months, BootstrapSolar has developed a product, brought it to market, and has almost sold out of the first production run. It is profitable and only slightly in debt, which is a rare thing for a business less than a year old. We have an improved version of the kit that’s almost ready to go into production, and a 2nd product line is in the works.
Except, there’s one minor issue....
October 2011
6 posts
I name thee...
A bunch of people (mostly on Kickstarter) pointed out that I (well, my kit) needed a better name. I thought hard, I took long contemplative walks, I talked to fortune tellers and oracles, I sought guidance from the heavens…
And decided to call it: Chi-qoo (“chee-koo”)
Well, here’s the real story (although, if you don’t like the name, I still blame the oracles). The...
It's happening!
The Kickstarter campaign ended successfully last night, with over $30,000 (or 400% of hour target) raised! So, we’re working hard to get the designs finalized, and get them off for manufacturing. There are still some details to work out, but it’s gonna happen. It’ll take about 2-3 weeks for the funds to show up in the bank, so current estimated shipping date is early November.
...
Here's to the crazy ones...
A Palo Alto company once bootstrapped a hardware business by hand-soldering circuit boards and selling their first product as a kit that came with a wooden enclosure.
No, we’re not talking about BootstrapSolar. We’re talking about Apple and the Apple I.
While the Apple 1 may not have been invented were it not for Steve Wozniak’s technical genius, Apple the company surely...
September 2011
12 posts
Kickstarter Goal Reached!
3 days 15 hours and 5 minutes.
That’s how long it took us to reach the goal of $7500 on Kickstarter. I’m particularly surprised (pleasantly, of course) that the vast majority of pledges were at the levels for which the reward was the actual kit. That tells me that, not only do people think this is a good idea, but that they actually want one too!
Even though we’ve reached the...
World Maker Faire NY Round-up
I finally managed to get a good night’s sleep last night. These past couple of weeks scrambling to get ready for Maker Faire were intense, but I’m glad I made it out here to New York.
A lot of people were interested in the kit, and judging by the number of people who said “I want one!”, I probably could’ve sold a few if they were available. In fact, the...
Kickstarter Campaign is UP! →
Become a Fan!
Hello and welcome Maker Faire people! (Also hello to you old timers… I guess.)
To stay up-to-the-minute on news about BootstrapSolar, “Like” the brand new Facebook Page I set up this morning. When the Kickstarter campaign goes live (probably tonight), I’ll post it there, and you’ll be able to get in on limited quantity specials, like the whole kit for only $75!
Hello New York!
I made it to New York safely! As I was packing my luggage, I worried the TSA might mistake all those electronic components, wires, and foil-wrapped-blocks (batteries) with something more nefarious. To hedge my bets, I put one prototype unit in my check-in luggage and put the other unit in my carry-on. Fortunately, I encountered no problems, and all my stuff arrived safely. Tomorrow, some laser-cut...
Approved!
Kickstarter approved my proposal after all. While the original rejection message didn’t seem like there was room for reconsideration, I posted some messages on my proposal page (as well as through their support form) and was able to follow-up with the moderator. The review process certainly felt klunky and was quite frustrating, but at least I eventually got the go-ahead.
I’m working...
Funding Plans A & B
I was frankly surprised (and upset, and disappointed, and angry) that Kickstarter rejected my proposal, so I did a little digging to see if I could figure out why.
On their start page, they say:
We’re not screening for taste at all, we only take this step to ensure that no one violates our guidelines
The rejection message I got did indeed make it sound like they were filtering for...
Rejected
I got a response from Kickstarter on my project proposal:
Hi Ryo,
Thank you for taking the time to share your idea. Unfortunately, this isn’t the right fit for Kickstarter. We receive many project proposals daily and review them all with great care and appreciation. We see a wide variety of inspiring ideas, and while we value each one’s uniqueness and creativity, Kickstarter is...
To infinity! And beyond! (Well, New York...)
I hadn’t even had a chance to wash off my playa dust when I found out my entry to the World Maker Faire in NY had been accepted. With less than 10 days to go, I’m scrambling to put together a booth and some schwag. Not to mention, planning a trip to the other side of the continent…
Also, I just submitted a Kickstarter campaign proposal. Phew. We’re going places! (Maybe.)
August 2011
9 posts
July 2011
9 posts
KitBiz and Sustainability
After some consideration, I decided to sell my solar power packs as kits instead of fully assembled gadgets. They will be super easy to assemble, requiring at bare minmum a screw driver, so the fact that it’s a kit shouldn’t pose much of a barrier to anyone who wants one.
There are some practical reasons to sell kits (e.g. lower assembly costs, circumventing consumer electronics...
Updates
All the pieces I need for the working prototype are either at hand or on their way, so I’m somewhat blocked right now. Once I have the prototype, I can shoot some video and start a KickStarter campaign. The “production” phase depends largely on how much money I raise and how much interest there is, because there are some options that are only feasible at higher volume (and...
Off to the 3D printers!
I finished the prototype enclosure last night (er, this morning) and got it sent off to a 3D printing service. In my admittedly utopian mind, this should’ve been as simple as uploading my SketchUp file and hitting a big “Materialize Now” button, but, alas, things weren’t quite so simple. I tried 3 different services, and here are some thoughts on each:
Ponoko - I really...
Solar panel test (preliminary)
I picked up the solar panel samples today, and did a super quick test in a parking lot. The results were somewhat disappointing. Open circuit voltage peaked at 6.8V, and short circuit current was around 620mA, which comes out to a little over 4W, and that’s a theoretical upper-bound. These are supposed to be 5W panels, so I’ll do some more testing, but I might need to find another...
Hello World
After a couple of weeks of serious tinkering, I’m ready to announce my next adventure: Bootstrap Solar. You can read more about this project in the About page, and if you want some background, see the Origins page.
My first product is a portable solar-powered USB charger for charging phones and other small USB-powered devices on the go. While there are similar commercial offerings out...
