Small business: Crowdfunding - Belinda Tuki, Honest Food Company

Belinda Tuki, founder of The Honest Food Company.

Belinda Tuki is the founder of Auckland-based The Honest Food Company, which produces handcrafted and raw protein foods that are free from grain, dairy, gluten and sugar.

Can you tell me about the crowdfunding project you ran for The Honest Food Company?

I was crowdfunding to set up my own gluten-free, raw food kitchen, so I can increase production at The Honest Food Company and offer opportunities for single mums who wanted to get back into the workforce via paid internships. My target was $35,000, which was successfully reached.

Why did you choose crowdfunding as a way to raise funds as opposed to other avenues?

I wanted to be accountable to my tribe, to my community. The purpose and mission of The Honest Food Company - as well as providing grain- and dairy-free goodies - is to help provide a community for women who are returning to the workforce after spending time out being mums. They're people who want to get back into work, but may not have the experience or confidence to find a job that inspires and motivates them. The Honest Food Company will provide these mums with a chance to be part of a caring team, while learning new skills and feeling part of something bigger. Hopefully that will fuel that fire inside of them to pursue a great job, or maybe even go into business for themselves.

Your project ran on PledgeMe. What were the factors that led you to choose that platform?

PledgeMe was actually not my first choice; I originally launched on Pozible. I'd spent three weeks promoting the campaign - sending sample packs out to influencers in social media, doing speaking engagements and ramping up my already growing community of supporters - then on day one Pozible went offline for a few hours. We also had trouble with Paypal, which was the only way supporters could pledge.

So thankfully Anna from PledgeMe approved our campaign quick-smart and we turned off the Pozible campaign, and relaunched on PledgeMe on day four. So it wasn't the best start!

What was the journey like while the campaign was running and what worked well for you in terms of driving people to pledge?

I thankfully hired an amazing crowdfunding specialist - Kat Jenkins, from Multitude - which made all the hiccups bearable. The campaign rewards were created based on her recommendations, and having someone knowledgeable in crowdfunding definitely made it a lot 'easier'. We had a social media strategy, primarily using Twitter, and having the support of influencers broadened the reach of the campaign.

But crowdfunding is not easy. You have to put yourself out there, which is not the typical Kiwi way. But that's what I had to do everyday, both online and offline, for at least three weeks before the campaign began and for the three weeks that it ran. I learnt more about myself from this experience than from any personal development course I have ever been on!

That said, I was absolutely blown away by the support I received from my tribe - many of whom I didn't know personally - who believed in what The Honest Food Company is all about.

What stage is your business at today, and what are some of your immediate plans now the campaign is over?

My campaign finished at the end of June so right now I am fitting out my kitchen and aim to have it registered and in production five days a week by the end of July. I will also be at The Food Show in Auckland, thanks to assistance from Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development. Now I want to get The Honest Food Company's collection into as many cafes and real food stores as possible.

What are three key tips you'd have for other small business owners looking to run a crowdfunding campaign?

1. Hire a crowdfunding expert.

2. Plan, plan, plan. Crowdfunding campaigns are successful because of the planning and promotion done prior to launch, so preparation is key.

3. Believe in yourself and what you are wanting to achieve, because it can be a crazy ride.

Coming up in Small Business: Australia is often the first market small businesses target when going offshore, but it's not always easy to crack. If you've got some war stories to share about your small business crossing the ditch, drop me a note: nzhsmallbusiness@gmail.com.