James and Lisa Shipley are a dynamic husband-and-wife team. They are Kickstarter veterans by now, trying out a large variety of ideas to see what sticks. Because they are so market-savvy, they have been able to use the crowdfunding format of Kickstarter to their advantage. Their most recent project, a cookbook called Meatless Mondays: A Beginners Guide, is a response to the ever-popular New Year’s resolution to eat healthy.
I had the opportunity to chat with both of them about their history with Kickstarter, their current project, their publishing company, and more.
You have been hosting Kickstarter campaigns since 2012, with some success. Why did you choose Kickstarter in particular for crowdfunding for your various projects?
James: Kickstarter was the front-runner at the time, gave us ease of use, and is easier for sponsors to use.
A few of your projects raised a substantial amount more than their goals. For example, Chocolate Truffles, a Beginner’s Guide raised $1,166 more than your goal, Two Bears Chocolates raised $1,510 more, and Bread: A Beginner’s Guide raised a whopping $4,739 more. Why do you think these projects in particular were so popular?
Lisa: As we use Kickstarter as our primary means of market research, when a book or food project is popular, then we know we have hit a vein of some kind. The next question is to figure out what kind. Chocolate Truffles was a blind hit, but Bread was a follow-up to figuring out that people like our beginners guide format that is designed for busy people who don’t have time to make mistakes and who have busy families to satisfy.
James: We also noticed that we received many international orders for the Chocolate Truffles cookbook, so we took that popularity to indicate a need to present conversions for metric measurements, Celsius temperatures, and equivalent products for items like yeast and eggs.
Your profile lists that you are the owners of Two Bears Chocolates. Was the campaign by this same name your initial funding to get the business going? How did this process go?
James: The Two Bears Chocolates business was doing well when I was located in the Twin Cities, but when I moved to Ohio, my business had to evolve to a more website-driven business. When I met Lisa in Ohio, we started creating Two Bears Chocolates projects which helped that change process to begin and again proved to be valuable for deciding on products which would be well-received.
What is special and unique about your latest book project, Meatless Mondays: A Beginner’s Guide?
Lisa: After hearing from friends who want to try a realistic change for the New Year that they could keep for more than one month, we thought that we would try an idea that involves just committing to one day a week of healthy eating that is not about eating salads.
What are your favorite recipes that are set to appear in the book?
James: I love avocado for its richness and protein, so I will offer several of my favorite uses for avocado.
Lisa: I love sauces, as a different sauce can make all the difference when you are bored with a dish, so James will offer a number of mild but flavorful sauce recipes that he has created to satisfy my need for change.
Your interests seem to be very eclectic, running both a chocolate company and a publishing company. How do you believe these two key interests mesh?
James: I enjoy making chocolates, candies, and desserts as well as having been a chef in various restaurants, but I hear all the time from friends and customers who want to learn to make my food for their friends and families. I decided to start writing cookbooks, and I wanted to take the self-publishing route to be able to make any cookbook that people want. Lisa is my editor, my public relations, my business manager, and my brand designer, so we keep everything under one roof to be more efficient and more cost-effective. We really enjoy working so close and are a great team.
Lisa: We also use our friends and family members to taste-test our goods and trial-make our recipes to ensure that our finished products are amazing. Sometimes we receive feedback that applies to just Two Bears Chocolates items, just Shipley Publishing cookbooks, or both, but we always have a list of people who are excited to be a part of our process. We also receive new ideas and feedback on finished items from our Kickstarter sponsors, which we take very seriously, as these people drive our new projects and have become loyal followers for multiple projects.
What books of yours have been the most well-received?
James: After Kickstarter launching, we place our books for sale through Amazon, and Caramel: Sauces, Candies, & Desserts has been our best seller, both in the US and internationally. There are few books which indicate how to make caramel from scratch, and our book describes several different methods and has a master formula for the one that I think is the most versatile and most likely to be successful and safe to make.
Are you passionate about cooking in generally, or strictly sweets such as your chocolates?
James: I am passionate about all cooking, which began when I would follow my grandmother around her kitchen when she was a chef in the Minnesota Northwoods. My passion for all types of cooking and baking have led me to learn a great deal about international foods, pastry, and chocolates.
Lisa: I was raised with family members who enjoyed cooking and baking for home use only, but then I worked with James and found a growing interest in the many new ideas that his vast experience and teaching nature present.
If you have any other relevant comments you would like to add that I haven’t addressed, feel free.
Lisa: My favorite cookbook project so far has been the Movie Inspired Meals Cookbook & Trivia Game, as it is so fun to make a meal and play the trivia game to figure out what movie inspired it. We even did a special meal for our friends with a beautiful “date night” style dinner that we brought to their house and set up in their house as if they were in a restaurant. We played the trivia game and left them with the movie to finish out their evening, while we took the dishes and mess back to our house.
James: We appreciate this opportunity to be introduced to your audience, Sarah.
If you feel inspired to support them, head over to their Kickstarter campaign! Even $1 helps, but for every level of funding, you could earn more rewards, such as copies of this cookbook and others in their series of beginners guides!
