Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Tips for Crowdfunding Success

As we continue our June theme of being Powerful, Purposeful, and Productive, we’re diving into one of the most accessible — yet often misunderstood — ways to raise money for your business: Crowdfunding.

In a time where traditional funding can feel out of reach, crowdfunding empowers entrepreneurs to raise capital with the support of their community — whether that’s friends, family, customers, or strangers who believe in your vision.

💡 What is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a method of raising money by collecting small contributions from a large number of people, typically online. In return, supporters (also called backers) may receive perks, rewards, early access, equity in your company, or simply the satisfaction of supporting a mission they believe in.

It’s not just about money — it’s also about building a movement around your business idea.

💼 Types of Crowdfunding

  1. Reward-Based Crowdfunding
    Backers receive a product, discount, or exclusive perk. Best for pre-launch products or creative projects.
    Popular platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo

  2. Equity Crowdfunding
    Supporters become small investors and receive equity in your company.
    Popular platforms: SeedInvest, Republic

  3. Donation-Based Crowdfunding
    Used for causes or community-based businesses; backers give without expecting anything in return.
    Popular platforms: GoFundMe, IFundWomen

Tips for Crowdfunding Success

Crowdfunding isn’t just “post a link and wait.” It requires strategy and consistency. Here are a few proven tips:

1. Start with a strong story.
People don’t just back products — they back people. Share why you started, who you’re helping, and what impact their support will have.

2. Build your audience before launching.
Success depends on how much traffic you can drive to your campaign. Start marketing early using social media, your email list, and word of mouth.

3. Create a campaign video.
Videos boost trust and conversions. Show your face, explain your mission, and invite people to be part of your journey.

4. Offer great rewards.
Make sure your perks are enticing and sustainable. Think early access, limited edition offers, shoutouts, or behind-the-scenes access.

5. Keep the energy up.
Post regular updates, thank your backers, and create urgency. Momentum is key in the first 7–10 days.

6. Follow through.
After your campaign, be transparent about timelines, fulfillment, and next steps. Keep communication open even if things change.

Let this be your Powerful, Purposeful, and Productive funding season.

North Aware Founder Jamil Khan Gives Inside Look at Kickstarter Crowdfunding

north aware - jamil kahn - kickstarter - smartparka

People who live in cold climates need outerwear to protect them from often harsh elements. Jamil Khan lives in Canada and has experienced his share of frigid winters. That was the driving force behind his idea to found North Aware, an apparel company that came out last year with the Smart Parka – the first winter coat to include built-in gloves, a removable liner, length extension and separate pockets for your hat, glasses, and technology.

“People who live in cold weather understand a good coat is a necessity, not a luxury,” Jamil Khan explains. “You need to know your winter coat will protect you.”

Taking his idea from concept to reality, however, was challenging to say the least. The first hurdle he had to cross was to secure start up capital, and for this reason, he turned to Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding platform.

“Our product was really well-suited for the platform,” Khan says. “The Kickstarter community is very supportive of new products.”

North Aware’s Kickstarter campaign, which was launched in January of 2016 and ran until late March, raised over $3.25 million, more money than any other crowdfunding campaign in Canadian history, in fact. With an original goal of generating $30,000 in start up capital, it’s safe to say the results of the campaign exceeded Khan and North Aware’s wildest expectations.

However, North Aware’s story is far from typical and the vast majority of Kickstarter campaigns fail to reach their initial funding goals. While Khan was genuinely amazed by the positive response, he is quick to acknowledge a host of factors that contributed to the campaign’s success.

“Prior to launching our campaign, we advertised on different platforms to build momentum,” Khan said. After building a base of interested subscribers, the North Aware team contacted them to promote the campaign launch. Once the campaign launched, word spread rapidly, with people sharing it with their friends and social networks at an unprecedented rate.

“We reached our goal on the second day. It felt great, but it was a mixture of joy and responsibility. We immediately got busy taking the campaign to the next level,” he explains. “We really didn’t have time to celebrate.”

The campaign continued to raise funds at record breaking speed, but there were some pitfalls along the way.

Launching a successful Kickstarter campaign is “a learning process, all along the way,” Khan adds. “Whatever you do, the first time you will do it wrong. Don’t be afraid of mistakes.”

Khan says that the majority of backers pledged their support in the last ten days, with the bulk of supporters hailing from Toronto and New York.

“If you look at our photos and videos on the site, they’re all set in metropolitan areas,” Khan says, a marketing decision he explained was intentional. Additionally, all of the photography and videography used as part of the Kickstarter campaign was professional in nature, another conscious choice.

“With Kickstarter, it’s really important how you present photos and videos. Do it professionally. Spend time on how you display your products.”.

Obviously pleased by the overwhelming success of North Aware’s campaign, Khan would “absolutely recommend Kickstarter for people starting out” trying to market a new product.

“Kickstarter is great for publicity. You can start playing with the big boys right away,” he says, which isn’t necessarily true of other funding sources.

Khan’s advice to those considering a Kickstarter campaign is “to create a really good product people need and want,” and then “get the word out anyway you can, as quickly as you can. If you have 100 ways to get the word out, you do all of them.”

 

Product Design – More Than Meets the Eye

I recently read an insightful and catchy confessional article by a product designer in RedShift: https://redshift.autodesk.com/small-business-tips-product-designer-confessions-part-1/. It struck me how each of the lessons she raised from a business point of view has its parallel from an intellectual property and legal point of view.  So, I thought in today’s post, I would map out those IP related tips to round out the sharing of insights from one entrepreneur to another.

 

  1. Do Your IP Homework Before You Launch – As much as you need to know the ins and outs of launching a crowdfunding campaign, or working with the manufacturing cycle that supports a product sales cycle, you also need to know what intellectual property issues to consider before you put a product into circulation.  Certain intellectual property rights that can give your product a competitive edge in the market place require that you take steps to secure those rights before you do the big reveal (e.g. patents and industrial designs).  Among other things, taking steps to register IP rights before you launch a product can deter the making of copycat goods and give you access to border control remedies to prevent counterfeit product from entering into circulation.

 

  1. Every New Solution Should Trigger an IP Evaluation – So you know your shiny new product is one of a kind and deserves some attention from an IP standpoint, but what about all of those tricks of the trade that make production easier, packaging snazzier and distribution more efficient? Having a 360 IP view of these processes and product branding tools offers you more opportunity to structure your business so that you can keep your price points down and present your product to capture the heart and minds of customers. Whenever you tell your customers that you have a proprietary process that allows you to put less stress on the planet, or offer packaging that doubles as a handy tool to get the best use from your product, there is innovation there to evaluate for its IP value to your business.

 

  1. Be Sure Your Partners Understand and Value IP – If a manufacturer who makes 25 cent souvenirs is not a good fit for making your high end home product line, then neither is a manufacturer who does not bring into the equation a discussion or contractual terms to address how you will manage IP rights between you.  Partners who do not pay attention to IP rights as part of their up-front business dealings are less likely to have robust systems in place to prevent your CAD drawings (or blueprints as they used to call them in my previous lifetime), end-up in the wrong hands.  One way to gauge their sophistication and attitude towards the IP rights of their partners is indeed to meet them and to start-off the business discussion with a request for a non-disclosure agreement. Observing the response you get can tell you whether there is an alignment of business values to merit taking the discussion to the next level.

The moral of this story, is that for every business consideration, there is a parallel IP and legal consideration, and while they may not always be easy to recognize it is worth the effort to look into with everything else.

Ariadni Athanassiadis is the lead attorney of Kyma Professional Corporation, which provides intellectual property (IP) legal services to help your business develop and benefit from the creative efforts and assets that make it distinctive. Whether it is your brand, product, services, designs, technology or business processes, Ariadni can help design IP legal solutions which let you make the most of what you give to your business.

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Ariadni Athanassiadis

Kyma Professional Corporation

T: 613-327-7245

E: ariadni@kymalaw.com

W: www.kymalaw.com