#57 - Light up your growth with Jared Carlin & James Shamim

Jared Carlin and James Shamim, co-founders of Willow, share their journey from identifying a common household problem to launching a solution on Kickstarter. In this episode, they dive into how they grew Plant with Willow beyond crowdfunding. They also give great tips on nailing your story, maintaining engagement with your backers, and building a community.

Problem:  

Australians kill 72 million plants a year. Imagine how big this could be globally. 

Solution: 

A sensor device to track your plant's health with a mobile app that teaches you how to look after it. 

One big piece of advice: 

Have a large enough customer base and problem to warrant going after it. Find the passion in what you are doing. Maintain that level of passion – test, iterate and learn. 

Bullets:

(00:00 – 02:52) - Introduction to Jared Carlin & James Shamim 

(02:53 – 03:54) - Origins of Willow – where the idea came from 

(03:55 – 06:41) - Pop Quiz – What business would they start today? 

(06:42 – 08:46) - When they knew Willow was onto something 

(08:47 – 10:42) - How to move from identifying a problem to building a product 

(10:43 – 14:41) - Tips for Kickstarter success 

(14:42 – 19:57) - Growth challenges with hardware 

(19:58 – 20:44) - Who uses Willow today? 

(20:45 – 21:56) - How Willow works 

(21:57 – 22:47) - How most plants are killed by their owners 

(22:48 – 25:35) - Sensor technology behind Willow 

(25:36 – 27:05) - Gamifying the product experience 

(27:06 – 28:56) - Growing beyond Kickstarter 

(28:57 – 30:58) - Marketing channels and content strategies 

(30:59 – 32:20) - Designing a workspace for success 

(32:21 – 33:04) - The team behind Willow 

(33:05 – 33:57) - Where Jared & James focus time as founders 

(33:58 – 36:35) - Partnership with Bunnings 

(36:36 – 38:13) - What’s next for Willow 

(38:14 – 39:57) - One big piece of advice for founders 

(39:58 – 41:38) - Show & tell – One thing they can’t live without 

(41:39 – 43:56) - Storytelling in sport 

(43:57 – 45:04) - Wrap up

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