More VDSIS

Oh yes, it will!

[**Studio Neat's _It Will Be Exhilarating: Indie Capitalism and Design Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century_**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092OPXX4/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=wwwaustinkleo-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B0092OPXX4&adid=15DRP61AQCZEN6CWNMNP&) [Studio Neat](http://www.studioneat.com/) is Dan Provost & Tom Gerhardt — two fellas who launched two products I own with very successful Kickstarter projects: the [Cosmonaut](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B007EW9ISM/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/), a fabulous iPad stylus, and [the Glif](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B006W8Z4FK/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/), a tripod mount for iPhone. _IWBE_ is a short book about what they've learned in the two years of being in business for themselves. >Don't make a product because you want to quit your day job... Don't make a product because you want to get rich. > >Make something great because you care deeply about it. Make something because you stay awake at night thinking about it. Make something because you feel invigorated when you work on it, and anxious when you don't. Studio Neat is what you might call a “[small batch business](http://kottke.org/09/09/small-batch-businesses)” — a company intentionally staying small so they can focus on the work they really want to be doing. (The authors quote Walt Disney from back in the day: “We don't make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.”) I picked up their book after seeing a few tweets about [their XOXO talk](http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/31811280614). I particularly liked this bit: “Tell a story. People really do want to see how the sausage gets made.” The idea is that today customers want to feel connected to creators and they want to know where their products come from. This happens best when creators speak directly to their customers, tell stories “straight into the camera,” share lessons, insight, and cool bits of inspiration, and show their behind-the-scenes process(es). “The best way to promote your products and your company is to simply be active online. Do stuff. Make things. Say things. [...] By putting things out there, consistently, you can form a relationship with your customers. It allows them to see the person behind the products.” Dan Provost blogs over at [_The Russians Used A Pencil_](http://www.therussiansusedapencil.com/)

It Will Be Exhilarating (Dan Provost, Tom Gerhardt)

Fantastic piece by Todd Anderson about best practices on Kickstarter. I know I've made the mistake of reward over-complication in the past. I've only skimmed the article as of posting this, but a) it makes me incredibly happy to see Kickstarter doing so well, because that means thousands of people around the world are seeing their projects grow, and b) keeping up to speed on what other kickstarters have learned is always a good idea. 

Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. divx

This was the first Kickstarter project I helped fund. The Glif is a really nifty iPhone 4 accessory, and the story of how it became a reality is inspiring.