$300K in 30 Days? Here’s How Cathryn Lavery Crowdfunded Her Success

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Jan 23, 2025

In this conversation with Cathryn Lavery, founder of BestSelf Co., she shares her inspiring journey from crowdfunding success to navigating business challenges. Cathryn discusses the key elements needed for a successful crowdfunding campaign, including the power of storytelling and community engagement. She opens up about overcoming difficulties like embezzlement and the complexities of selling and buying back her company. Tune in to learn transformative marketing strategies and how resilience plays a crucial role in entrepreneurship.

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ADVICE

Crowdfunding Email List

Build an email list of interested people before crowdfunding.
This helps Kickstarter/Indiegogo see your project as successful, sending you more traffic.

ADVICE

Simplify Crowdfunding Rewards

Offer simple crowdfunding rewards, focusing on the main product and multiples.
Include a low-cost reward for supporters who don't want the main product but still want to contribute.

ANECDOTE

Crowdfunding Success Story

Cathryn Lavery aimed for $15,000 in her first crowdfunding campaign, exceeding it in 1.5 days, ultimately raising $322,000.
This allowed her to produce 30,000 units and strategically set up the company without needing further funding.

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Ever wondered what it's like to build, sell, and then buy back your own company?

You're in for a masterclass in resilience, strategic planning, and personal growth with today's guest, Cathryn Lavery.

Cathryn is the powerhouse behind BestSelf Co., a brand that revolutionized goal-setting with its innovative journals.

In this episode, we dive into her journey—from crowdfunding her first journal and raising over $300K in just a month, to navigating embezzlement, partnership struggles, and ultimately selling and re-acquiring her business.

Click play to hear all of this and:

(00:04:30) The one thing you need to build before launching a successful crowdfunding campaign.

(00:06:04) How to set up rewards to keep your crowdfunding campaign simple.

(00:07:24) How backers can supercharge your campaign.

(00:08:46) The details of Cathryn's first crowdfunding victory.

(00:10:58) How to navigate the game of logistics after a successful crowdfunding campaign—because the hard part comes next.

(00:12:51) The key to setting up your timelines and delivering on customer expectations.

(00:13:31) How to know when it’s time hire help.

(00:16:03) How Cathryn got invited to Tony Robbins’ event?

(00:17:01) What Cathryn learned during her experience in Fiji with top mentors.

(00:19:16) The marketing strategies you need to implement to accelerate your scaling process.

(00:19:59) How to innovate in a category packed with competition.

(00:28:07) Why being a problem-based company trumps being product-focused.

(00:28:47) What happens when business partnerships go south.

(00:34:22) Bouncing back after uncovering embezzlement. Cathryn details the legal battle and how she fought to protect her company.

(00:42:03) What happens after you sell your business. Cathryn opens up about the personal projects she took on and the shift in her mindset.

(00:46:20) Why Cathryn decided to take back the reins at BestSelf.

(00:49:57) How AI is helping Cathryn streamline her business operations in ways that save time and money.

Listen to Related Episodes:

Connect With Cathryn:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathryn.lavery/
Check out BestSelf (Use Code JASMINE for 20% off): https://bestself.co/

For full show notes, visit jasminestar.com/podcast/episode512