“I love the idea of crowdfunding. I'm a huge community builder, super connector, and I love the idea of building an army of people who are fighting for us to succeed.” @cbm #DTCPOD“Our products can create a lot more intimacy and conversation. And I think it's a beautiful thing in a world that's increasingly digital to be in the physical product space.” @cbm #DTCPOD“And I think building interesting networks and online communities allow you to move a bit faster, even if the industry does not move at that pace.” @cbm #DTCPOD“There's an initial boom when you launch and then waves of booms with periods to mellow out. That’s how we've done a pretty good job at keeping that momentum going.” @cbm #DTCPOD“We post every day on Instagram. We're commenting on other people's posts. And I think that engagement is really important.” @cbm #DTCPODWe Speak About:[01:20] About Courtney and AKUA[03:20] AKUA’s history in crowdfunding[07:15] Developing the initial Kelp Jerky product[10:55] The sustainability of using kelp[13:45] Courtney’s transition from tech to food[15:35] Building a community with your brand[19:40] Richard Branson’s testimony for AKUA[23:50] Advice for other founders[25:45] What’s next for AKUAProduct lines can be both sustainable and successful. Courtney Boyd Myers, CEO and co-founder of AKUA, joins the POD to talk about AKUA’s dedication to sustainable meat alternatives in the form of ocean-farmed Kelp. Courtney first learned about kelp through a friend, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to growing kelp farms, which started her interest in kelp. AKUA utilized crowdfunding to expose their product and build an online community surrounding their brand. Kelp is both a sustainable source of food, but it is extremely high in nutritional value. The Kelp Jerky was their first product, trying to start with a dried, shelf stable product for their customers and later expand into other meat alternatives. Building an online community is important in developing your brand. The transition from the tech industry to the food industry for Courtney. One of the biggest challenges was the differences in pace between tech and food, but building a community was essential to Courtney’s success. Creating a product was difficult for Courtney and she underestimated the product development timeline. She created a facebook group to foster growth and build the community for her brand. Timing is important and maintaining momentum with content is important to keeping the community engaged and invested in your product. Stay tuned as Courtney shares her experience launching her sustainable meat alternative using kelp as well as building a community through crowdfunding and creating meaningful content. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.Mentioned Links:Follow Courtney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbm/AKUA’s website: https://akua.co/AKUA’s Republic Page: https://republic.co/akuaFollow AKUA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeakua/Follow AKUA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifeakua