Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Less and Me do?
Bettina Theissmann: I'm Betty, founder of Less and Me, and I work as a freelance photographer for hotels, startups, and creative agencies. After eleven years of permanent employment, I threw everything overboard and followed my heart. I started my own label for sustainable and upcycled stationery. Less and Me is the first brand to make stationery products entirely from leftovers. Even more: with Less and Me, I want to ensure that no more trees have to be felled for paper. I work toward this goal every day. Less and Me combines minimalism, design, and upcycling. The first product is a journal on the topic of "Self-discovery through minimalism" made from apple paper.
Very good support in advance
Munich Startup: How did you prepare for the campaign and where did you find good support?
Bettina Theissmann: I received very good support, for example from the very beginning through financial Funding from the Department of Labor and Economic Affairs of the City of Munich. In addition, before starting my campaign, I Pre-start-up coaching There, in addition to the business plan, I was able to gather valuable input for the crowdfunding campaign.Meetup and the 'Startnext Academy' were very valuable points of contact for me.
Munich Startup: How did you benefit from the crowdfunding support from the City of Munich?
Bettina Theissmann: The Crowdfunding video is crucial for a successful campaign. The funding enabled me to have a professional video created and generate additional visual content for social media. And I created a landing page with a countdown for the crowdfunding campaign back in December. There, I ran paid social media advertising until the launch and built up my newsletter subscribers.
Munich Startup: What was the most helpful tip you received while preparing the campaign?
Bettina Theissmann: Community, community, community. Everything depends on your own community. Thanks to this tip, I was able to start communicating relatively early and thus grow my community in advance. And now, as the crowdfunding campaign is underway, I realize how incredibly important and necessary your own community is for a successful campaign.
Less and me: Built a community early on
Munich Startup: What advice would you give to other founders who are considering launching a crowdfunding campaign?
Bettina Theissmann: Start early enough and spread the word about your idea and the crowdfunding project. Take enough time to define your target audience and conduct a few interviews with potential customers. Ultimately, a crowdfunding campaign is an effective market test that delivers excellent results. Preparing the campaign and communicating during it are very intensive and sometimes require some courage. Just do it.
Munich Startup: What are you most proud of about the campaign?
Bettina Theissmann: I am incredibly proud that on the first day of the Crowdfunding campaign We've already raised over 2,000 euros. I wasn't expecting that. It makes me very happy. It shows that unnecessary deforestation is still an issue in the paper industry, and now is the time to switch to alternative resources, i.e., scraps and upcycling.
Effective market testing
Munich Startup: In many crowdfunding campaigns, market testing or marketing are the primary focus, in addition to financing. How is that with you?
Bettina Theissmann: For me, too, the crowdfunding campaign is a market test. And, of course, community building and marketing are the focus. For me, it's important to bring a product to market that's truly helpful. In the case of the apple paper journal, it's helpful for us to rediscover ourselves by using less. And helpful for our environment by offering a real alternative to conventional paper. Through the crowdfunding campaign, I can verify whether this is true.
Here you can find the collected tips of the Munich Startup editorial team on the topic Crowdfunding.
