FoodTruckr Heroes: Bakin’ Bakery

This week’s FoodTruckr Hero has earned a spot in our Hall of Fame before even opening for business.  That’s an impressive feat—but this future food truck owner really made an impression on us!

Meet Bakin’ Bakery, a food truck opening in April 2014 in Denver, Colorado that is described by owner Renee LaLonde as “a sweet and savory bacon infused food truck.  Inspired by fresh local, seasonal, and foraged ingredients.  Heavily community influenced.”  Sounds like a tasty recipe for success, right?

Of course, it’s not just the awesome truck description that has us thinking this truck will make a mark on the Denver community—it’s the successful food truck Kickstarter campaign that raised $28,091 (about $1,100 over the goal amount!) by the time the project ended last December.  A grand total of 234 faithful fans backed the project, and we’re sure most of them must be dying to see Bakin’ Bakery make it out on the road.

How did our latest FoodTruckr Hero fully leverage the power of crowdfunding to create an awesome and fruitful campaign?  We’re glad you asked!  There were several key things that Bakin’ Bakery did right, but today we want to focus on the awesome campaign video that kicked the project off.

How Bakin’ Bakery Used Storytelling to Stir Fans to Action

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of storytelling here on FoodTruckr, and Renee’s Kickstarter campaign video really puts the principle into action.  Click here to watch the video, and then check out how she used story-telling to connect with fans:

From the opening sounds of Renee baking in the kitchen to the beautiful lighting to her infectious smile, a friendly video introduction immediately draws viewers in to the story of this aspiring FoodTruckr.  Renee opens by explaining that she’s been baking since she was two years old (as the camera moves to a photo of her as a toddler with a rolling pin).  She talks about how her parents bought her first Easy Bake Oven when she was five years old and says, “I knew I was going to be baking for the rest of my life.”  It’s a fantastic story, and one that definitely makes viewers want to offer their support.

Of course, this great story alone isn’t enough to make people open up their wallets—it’s also pretty important for viewers and visitors to the campaign page to feel like they want the project owner to succeed.  That’s where Renee’s friendly, down-to-earth approach comes in.  As the video progresses and viewers listen to Renee talk, they get the sense that she is the type of friendly, approachable person they could easily hold a conversation with.  She tells personal stories with ease, and is simultaneously self-assured and humble—a tricky combination to pull off!

“Throughout my entire decade of my 20s, I baked almost every day,” Renee says.  “It was awesome.  I shared it with all my friends and my family, and I just now realized that I could make a living out of this… and that I’m going to!”

We love the way Renee came to the realization that she could turn her baking hobby into a business after many years of doing it on the side for fun.  It’s a common experience that many aspiring food truck owners can relate to, and it delivers a strong emotional appeal to her campaign.  A+ and gold stars all around!

What’s Next for Bakin’ Bakery

Not only is Renee confident in her future success, but she also has the support and hungry fans to back her up.  She explains in the video that she is selling her Bacon JAM! at local events and shops, and that she’s gotten some great feedback from local catering and wedding events coordinators.

Additionally, the Kickstarter campaign gives fans the chance to see Renee’s strong belief in local ingredients, her experiences with ingredient foraging (which led her to make a peach doughnut with a honeysuckle glaze…yum!), and even get to meet her dog, Vernon.  The campaign video clocks in at just under four minutes, but viewers have the unique opportunity to meet the individual behind the business—and then become inspired to donate to make that business idea into a reality.

As we mentioned earlier, Renee’s Bakin’ Bakery Kickstarter campaign reached its successful funding goal, and she’s planning to open her truck this month.  We can’t wait to see how she does.  If her approach to customer service and high-quality bacon-infused goods are as great as her Kickstarter campaign, we just know there will be crowds of hungry Denver-ites knocking on her truck’s window!  Way to go, Renee!

P.S. For those of you who want to learn more about crowdfunding and how to implement your own successful campaign, stay tuned for Wednesday’s “How to Start a Food Truck” lesson!

image and video from the Bakin’ Bakery Kickstarter campaign page

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