Hello,
Back to school’s a long way off, isn’t it? It’s already September 20!
For those of you who have just arrived, previous episodes are here!
As I mentioned in mid-summer, I’m up to my neck in marketing, so that’s what this letter is all about.
Before I jump in, here’s some news:
the “Classic” machine
At multiplié, we call the 80s-colored Memphis machine “classic”.
There are also plans for a medieval version (a shameless plagiarism of the teenage engineering synthesizer).).
It’s not due any time soon, but rather in 2026, so there’s no reason to wait and buy the classic version as soon as it’s available.
On the electronics front, I’ve received some boards from PCBWay (the first ones were made by Philippe himself) and they work… badly. Well, if Paul uses them, they work, but if I use them, they resist. We’ve solved the problem: they’re all moving to Paul’s house.
The “high definition” model is now alive and ready ready to face thehe spotlights. All that remains is to film a demonstration for television (Facebook channel).
Finally, some very good news on the industrialization and production front: I’ve found the right partner. The only hitch: he’s in Normandy. So I won’t be able to use the“Produit en Bretagne” logo, but at least the machine will be“Made in France“.
Other machines
The LEGO machine is coming along nicely. We’re going to try and finish it next Saturday with Loïc, and we’re waiting for quotes for the bricks. If all goes to plan, it could be ready for Christmas, and we’ll be announcing the news during Maker Faire Lille on October 19, 2024.
As for Maker Faire, don’t forget to come and see the giant machine François-Xavier and I are building – especially François-Xavier, who thinks big (visit his exhibition at Espace Art et Liberté inCharenton-Le-Pont from September 26).
As for the cardboard machine, I informed buyers that I was reserving this version for the workshops I organize with young and old alike. I offered to send them the LEGO version instead (or refund their money, of course).
ONE-MILLION-DOLLARS
At first I thought I’d launch the project quietly, as I did with the MiniMit or the TagTagTag kits, but seeing such positive and enthusiastic feedback, I figured the machine could become a success ( 🇫🇷!) and decided to aim high: reach the million 💰 on Kickstarter.
So I imitated Léon Marchand: I decided to go and train in the United States, and a few weeks ago I joined the Launchboom gas pedal. Launchboom.
It’s another world, folks.
Here are a few of my colleagues’ projects (the beach towel with phone pocket is not a huge success).
My life is now punctuated by “Office Hours”, a sort of discussion where everyone presents their current issues (usually the cost of acquisition). These discussions take place in the evening, as Launchboom lives in San Diego. For the moment, I don’t have any issues, so I stay at the back of the room and listen.
Next step: launch the “pre-launch”, which consists of testing the “audience/messages/visuals” mix using Meta ads and a $1 booking page in exchange for a substantial discount on the final price. Do you follow?
We have to hurry because this year there’s an election (November 9, I checked), which is driving up the price of Meta ads.
I had considered launching the Machine before Christmas, but given my unreasonable ambitions ($1M), it seems more appropriate to wait until January, when people will have “Recover From Christmas Gifts” (verbatim). The period after Thanksgiving is not very conducive to deferred purchases.
A new financing model?
While I can finance the design and industrialization, I had no idea I would need to invest so much in marketing.
The question is how to raise these funds, bearing in mind that we need to move fast and that our needs are not huge (we need to finance pre-launch marketing expenses and the launch of the Kickstarter campaign).
I first thought of the classic “Tech” model, i.e. an investment in exchange for capital (with a current account contribution rather than a capital increase) and I already have an investor (Thanks Bertrand!).
My friend Michel also suggested that I take inspiration from film financing, i.e. a model where producers receive a share of the “receipts” (and are credited in the credits!) in exchange for an investment.
I’m not aware of any technology projects financed in this way, but they may exist.
Thank you and see you soon!
Olivier