The 24-Hour Kickstarter Rule That Launched Curious Elixirs

JW Wiseman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Curious Elixirs, a booze-free adaptogenic craft cocktail brand with the mission to redefine how people drink socially. In 2015, JW woke up one morning after having 20 drinks in a single night and deciding to radically change his relationship with alcohol. He was inspired to explore his curiosity about life with less booze and started Curious Elixirs. 

Combined with JW's interests in herbs and adaptogens, Curious Elixirs launched as one of the first brands in America to pioneer the non-alcoholic and sober curious movement. As a fast-growing leader in the N/A space, Wiseman has been able to forge relationships with the best Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants, nightclubs and hospitality venues, and DTC partners in the world, serving over 10 million bottles and cans of Curious Elixirs since launch.

Prior to Curious Elixirs, JW founded the Good Business marketing agency, helping companies that aim to do well and do good in the world. Primarily focused on the food and wellness industries, Good Business jumpstarted brands including Daily Harvest and Chomps. 

JW is also in the bar and nightlife industry, opening subterranean bar The Whiskey Brooklyn and boutique liquor store The Whiskey Shop, along with investing in Williamsburg's OUTPUT as one of NYC's premiere techno clubs. He is a creative marketer at heart working at companies JackThreads and Thrillist (the third employee).

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• [00:00] Introduction
• [01:20] The night that changed everything
• [02:48] Deciding to start Curious Elixirs
• [03:57] Years of kitchen tinkering
• [05:10] Launching three elixirs on Kickstarter
• [05:46] Klaviyo
• [07:57] Building the Curious Cocktail Club
• [10:10] Intelligems
• [12:01] The 24-hour Kickstarter rule
• [14:28] Who Curious is really for
• [14:52] Flowium
• [16:01] Winning press with persistence
• [18:06] eFulfillment Service
• [20:31] Building the marketing flywheel
• [21:51] Why wholesale came later
• [24:02] The $70,000 mistake
• [25:21] Keeping overhead low
• [26:48] Naming the sober curious movement
• [28:05] Where to try Curious Elixirs
• [29:38] Final thoughts

Resources:

• Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube
• Award-Winning Non-Alcoholic Drinks curiouselixirs.com 
• Follow JW Wiseman linkedin.com/in/johnwwiseman 
• Book a demo today at www.intelligems.io 
• Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest 
• Lower scale costs today eFulfillmentService.com/honest
• Book a free lifecycle diagnosis call flowium.com 

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