Need to fit your entire life (including computer) into a carry-on, use the same bag to summit a mountain, and then show up to a meeting looking the part? Well look no further, the Minaal backpack is here.
Doug Barber, Co-founder of Minaal, shares how he and his friend Jimmy Hayes came to develop their successful product, and went on to raise $350,000 on their first ever Kickstarter campaign.
From their 18,000 mile road trip around North America in a Plymouth Grand Voyager van, to Doug’s experience as a corporate lawyer in New Zealand, this entrepreneur’s path is anything but ordinary.
“It’s a mixture of travel for fun and seeing what’s along the way. If we know there’s a particular industry in a certain area, we will go check it out… because you can search things out on the Internet, but there’s a lot that you’re not going to find out until you actually go to the place and start talking to people.” – Doug Barber
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Travel Topics:
- Presenting as a guest speaker on the Nomad Cruise [0:55]
- The history of Minaal [1:25]
- From road trip to corporate law [3:12]
- How to plan the best study abroad year ever [6:00]
- Traditional job by day, business dreams by night [9:52]
- How to position yourself to run an international company [10:35]
- Living ‘cozy’ and eating ‘the meal of champions’ [12:05]
- The importance of developing quality fabrics for travelers [15:27]
- What you can learn from tailors in central Vietnam [16:58]
- How to develop a startup…. Hint: Teamwork makes the Dreamwork [20:00]
- Producing a prototype that speaks for itself [21:31]
- Benefits of getting honest feedback from your community [23:02]
- Pros and cons when creating a Kickstarter campaign [25:40]
- What it takes to build a brand and product [31:24]
- Finding inexpensive, high quality manufacturers and warehouses in Vietnam… Get prepared to get sweaty [33:07]
- How to choose the right factory to manufacture your product [36:35]
Minaal’s first Kickstarter video
Doug Barber’s Talking Points:
- Explore the world with Digital Nomads on the Nomad Cruise
- Connect with Doug:
Message | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube
Music Credit:
Take Action:
Doug was willing to take an 18-hour bus ride through rural Vietnam to research the highest quality manufacturers. What project or passion would drive you do to the same?