7 Secrets From the Man Who Turned a Kickstarter Flop Into the Most Successful Campaign Ever

A decade ago, Ryan Grepper decided he wanted to be able to make frozen mixed drinks while picnicking with his friends and family. So, he attached a blender to a weed whacking engine.

The picnic-ready frozen drink machine was a hit at outdoor parties -- and it inspired a product that, as of today, has raised more money on crowdfunding site Kickstarter than any other product ever. That single act of problem-solving ingenuity launched a million-dollar idea, times ten.

Building on his initial contraption, Grepper eventually designed a cooler with a blender built in. The Portland, Ore.-based serial inventor also added a smattering of snazzy features including speakers, a phone charger and rugged wheels. He dubbed his pimped-out cooler “The Coolest.”

The idea for The Coolest stemmed from Grepper's first invention: a blender/weed whacker contraption that could be used to make mixed drinks outside.

Last month, he launched a crowdfunding campaign, seeking to raise $50,000 for large-scale production. The campaign -- which closes Friday -- has since raised more than $10.3 million, breaking the previous record set by the Pebble smartwatch in May 2012.

Perhaps the most remarkable component of Grepper’s story, though, is not that his MacGyvered cooler raised mega money, but that six months earlier, The Coolest was a dud. That’s right -- in its first Kickstarter campaign, launched last November, The Coolest failed to make its $125,000 goal.

At a glance, the two campaigns don’t look all that different. So, what gives? How did Grepper’s crowdfunding campaign fail the first time and, a few short months later, rock to the top of the most funded list?

Entrepreneur.com tracked down Grepper to get his best advice on running a blockbuster, come-from-behind Kickstarter campaign. Here are his secrets.

1. Have a fully equipped prototype available to show in photos and videos. Grepper had built a version of The Coolest when he launched on Kickstarter that first time, but he wasn’t able to fashion all of the features promised. For example, having a USB charger in The Coolest was a “stretch goal” that would be included if the campaign hit a threshold, but it was not embedded in the prototype featured. Also, the wide-wheels and space divider were not built into the first prototype. By the time he launched his second campaign, he had a fully retrofitted prototype. “It is such a visual medium that I think that is one of those minimum steps I would suggest people make is bring their design to a state where people can see what the product is going to be rather than imagine how great this will be.”