CFU 111: Crowdfunding Success, Building a Remote Team, and the Gadget Flow Story with Evan Varsamis

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On this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut, Khierstyn interviews crowdfunding success mogul Evan Varsamis, founder and CEO of Gadget Flow. He has built a platform that puts innovative products in front of over 25 million people per month, runs an international team remotely, and has some great advice for aspiring crowdfunding professionals. You don’t want to miss their energetic and informative conversation, so be sure to catch this episode.

The story behind crowdfunding platform giant - Gadget Flow

What started in 2012 as a part-time project quickly grew into a crowdfunding giant that now hosts over 10,000 products across 140 categories. Gadget Flow is the third largest Indiegogo partner and they have successfully worked with over 6,000 customers thus far. Evan and his team recognized a niche market need for technology and design products that may not get picked up by large platforms such as Amazon and Etsy. They are able to host a wide spectrum of products and give backers exactly what they need to know (tech specs, images, brief descriptions, etc.) in a beautifully simple way. To hear Evan tell his engaging story, be sure to listen to this episode of Crowdfunding Uncut.

How Evan’s Gadget Flow team gauges the potential crowdfunding success of a campaign

Not every campaign or product idea that comes across Evan’s desk will be successful. Gadget Flow currently has an acceptance rate of 78-80%, and the team is highly trained to differentiate the gems from the duds. By using an internal evaluation process they look at the top campaign specs: funding time remaining, the quality of the presentation, and if the product’s team has been following established steps for crowdfunding success. Evan’s employees look for those unique teams that aren’t just shooting in the dark when it comes to marketing and campaign efforts. Their #1 red flag? If a campaign has less than 10% of their goal raised after five days of campaigning. Be sure to hear the full story behind the evaluation process by listening to this episode - your campaign can’t afford to miss it.

How Evan built a global remote team for Gadget Flow and his strategies for overcoming telework challenges

The current Gadget Flow team is comprised of 25 people in 8 countries. How does Evan manage to lead such a diverse team? And why did he choose to pursue remote teamwork rather than a traditional office setting? The answer is found in commute time - he was tired of wasting precious productive hours commuting to and from a physical workspace. He found that highly skilled employees and contractors often do their best work in their own environments. By allowing (and even encouraging) his team to remain in their hometowns and countries, and utilizing remote work tools such as Slack, Evan created a global team that is passionate about Gadget Flow. He tackled the issue of creating a strong company culture by implementing weekly video calls with each one of his team members. Evan’s desire was to encourage personal connections, even though miles and time zones separated each individual. It’s such a great story and a testimony to dedicated team members, you don’t want to miss it.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:53] Khierstyn introduces her guest for this episode, Evan Varsamis, founder and CEO of Gadget Flow
• [2:29] Evan describes his professional background and the idea behind Gadget Flow
• [5:10] Gadget Flow’s ideal customer, and how Evan’s team gauges potential campaign success
• [8:59] The ideal timeframe for submitting a product to Gadget Flow and the biggest red flags Evan’s team looks for
• [11:24] The 5% and 3-5 day timeline Gadget Flow follows
• [13:43] The balance between internal and external funding goals
• [15:31] Khierstyn asks Evan what he would do if a campaign failed to meet its internal goal, but met its external goal
• [17:31] Khierstyn shares her thoughts on digital marketing for crowdfunding success
• [20:49] Evan shares his best piece of advice for creators
• [21:14] How Evan built a successful remote team, and why he chose to go virtual
• [30:09] The one area in which Evan has seen remote work go wrong

Resources & People Mentioned

• SPONSOR: Gadget Flow - get your project in front of over 25 million people per month and receive 10% off your service with code “Uncut10”
• Remote work tool Slack

Connect with Evan

• Gadget Flow’s About Us website page
• Evan’s personal website
• Evan’s portfolio on Huff Post
• Connect with Evan on LinkedIn
• Follow Evan on Twitter
• Follow Evan on Facebook

Connect With Khierstyn

• www.CrowdfundingUncut.com
• On Twitter: @KhierstynRoss
• On Facebook
• On LinkedIn