Dirt Road Travels: Austin Company to Know
“We launched in March, 2011 on Kickstarter. Our funding goal was $15,000 and we did well over $200,000. I was absolutely blown away by the campaign’s success. So it was 0 to 60 in no time. This emotional high of, ‘Wow! This is something that people are hungry for!’ But also, I was a grad student and had 2 part-time jobs and it was a wrestle to know how to make the transition to full-boar entrepreneur. That high was followed by a season of very low lows, because after the Kickstarter campaign, it was essentially just me and a couple of my good friends left shouldering the responsibility of fulfilling about 2,000 orders to 40 different countries. And overall, it took 3 years of hard work and bootstrapping before I could take any income from Kammok. But it’s been absolutely incredible. If you believe in what you’re doing — at the core of who you are — and you dig, and you dig and you dig, then I believe that is the best equation for personal success. If you can say, ‘I’m doing this because I believe that this is really the intersection of my skill and my passion, and it’s also the best way for me to contribute to the world at this time,’ then go for it. At Kammok, we’re working to help others, making them more capable to act. We’re united in the mission of inspiring others for the adventure of changing lives and getting outside.”
Greg’s Austin Must: “Granny’s Tacos food truck is just behind our office and it’s the best kept secret in town. I think the perfect day would be hiking the Greenbelt, paddle boarding or canoeing on Lady Bird Lake, walking through South Congress and finishing up with drinks at Contigo. They have the best Old Fashion I’ve ever had.”
