What I've learned developing a product in public

Testing and experiments to validate the Climber Sling Bag Product

Hello there,

I’m coming at you with another short newsletter in preparation for our Kickstarter launching next week.

Yes, I’m releasing a product into the world!

This week I’m sharing how I validated the idea for my Climber Sling Bag launching on Kickstarter next week.

From Idea to Launch: My Journey with the Climber Sling Bag

Turning a good idea into a great product isn't just about how amazing the idea is, but also about how you present it. I learned this invaluable lesson after grad school while working on my own product ideas alongside my full-time job.

Inspired by James Dyson, who emphasizes that learning to sell a unique product empowers you to invent your own thing, I started developing something I'm really excited about— a better gym bag for climbers.

It’s designed to help climbers keep their gear organized and shoes fresh. Initially, I was hesitant to share it beyond my circle of friends because I was worried about what others would think.

But I realized the power of getting feedback when I started sharing publicly to build a reservation list, testing different messages through ads. One surprise was the discovery that people care more about staying organized than about avoiding stinky shoes.

I have collected a solid list of potential customers for our Kickstarter launch on May 7th. Experimenting with live ads and listening to customer feedback proved crucial in refining our product.

If you're thinking about turning your idea into something real, my advice is to create a prototype, share it broadly, and be open to learning from what people tell you. This experience can motivate you and improve your product more than you might expect!

Worthy & Remarkable

• Finally a well-designed climbing pant for women - check out the impressively successful Pangoo Pants on Kickstarter ($145k!)

• This beautifully shot video by Peter McKinnon really makes want to take analog photos… almost

• A comical video of Magnus Midtbo and PewDiePie bouldering outside in Japan!

• Sling Bag Review by Nate Pakula, Climbing Guide in Joshua Tree (#SelfPromotion)

One Thing from Me

I know this isn’t exactly “from me” but it’s the quote boucing around in my head and I find it incredibly insightful.

This lesson comes from serial entrepreneur and investor Codie Sanchez:

"A capable optimist is worth six times more than a brilliant pessimist.
There's a whole world of people who want to tell you why you can't do things. It's actually very cheap and easy. It's super easy to tell somebody why something's not possible. It's actually quite hard to convince somebody that they can.
Getting people to believe that they're capable is hugely powerful.”

— Codie Sanchez on The Deep Dive Podcast

Optimistically,

Jono

PS - one ShowerThought to consider next time you wash your clothes!