With the funds contributed by our Kickstarter campaign supporters, we’ll be able to offer more styles, in more sizes, to more people!
I always told myself that the campaign would be a success, though at times I had my doubts. Two thirds of Kickstarter projects never get off the ground. Even more sobering, 15% of projects never receive a single pledge! Ouch! That would have been quite a blow to my confidence!
We are already deep into plans for new styles. But in the midst of all the excitement, I’m a little anxious. Some big decisions are coming up. It takes a bit of courage to make a critical decision, especially when you have incomplete information. Often times its months before we know if we made the right call. Just this week I’ve made decisions about manufacturing and setting up our charitable giving campaign. And its only Wednesday!
Whatever happened to the days when the most critical decision I made was what to have for dessert?
With the Kickstarter campaign done, I’m eager to focus on the next stage of our growth. I wanted to use this blog to remind myself of how fortunate I’ve been. I’ve met many truly inspirational people. I’ve even been lucky enough to hire some of them. And I’ve learned about everything from injection molds to accounting systems.
You have no idea how much there is to know about zippers!
My team and I have learned a lot over the last year. For me, one of the most important things I learned was not how to manufacture shoes. It was how to approach a difficult decision with confidence.
Confidence is critical. Confidence says we can when the odds say we can’t. Confidence is the belief that if one approach doesn’t work, another one will. There are some tough decisions coming up. I still have the occasional doubts, but they are fleeting thoughts. My team and I may not always come up with the right answer the first time, but I’m confident that we’re asking the right questions.
If only making decisions was as easy as zipping up a pair of BILLY shoes!
With confidence and comfortable feet,
Billy