Taproom Coffee — Crowdfunding

When Jonathan Pascual decided it was time to start Taproom Coffee, he was faced with the same problem as many other startup entrepreneurs — finding funding. He started by going through the normal channels. He dipped into his savings and got loans from family and friends, but when that wasn’t enough he had to look elsewhere.

Crowdfunding was a relatively new thing at the time so Jonathan started researching sites like KickStarter and IndieGoGo. His research showed him that others in his same industry had used crowdfunding to successfully launch their businesses, so he looked to learn as much as he could from their experiences.

Interestingly, Jonathan approached his crowdfunding initiative as a two-pronged attack. First, (and most obviously) he used it as a way to secure the last bit of funding he needed to open the doors of Taproom. However, he also approached his crowdfunding initiative as an initial marketing campaign- using it to generate awareness with people who could one day become his customers.

The result? Jonathon exceeded his funding goal and many of his contributors are now regular customers. He describes what he did in this 6 minute video:

Check back next week for more of Jonathan’s story.