Hello All,
I have pondered on making this update but as someone that wants this community to succeed, I do have to push my pride aside. So please bear with me...
InkBlot Finances
InkBlot makes 2140.18 USD/ month (GROSS) Stripe, Paypal or Patreon fees not included
InkBlot needs to make 2850.00 USD/month
Who is covering the difference? Myself. The 710 bucks is coming out of my own personal finances because I personally still believe in this community and the existence of this site. Most sites and projects like this don’t make it far. We have been around for 3 years+
Team Size vs Userbase
Current users: 35,471 worldwide Daily Active users: 400+ Weekly: 2800+
Monthly Users: 11,200+
Team size: 20 Is this good? No. Our team is stretched extremely thin. And as most of you know, if the team can not keep up then a site will be brought to its knees. Tech Support, Moderation, community events, drive team, these are all the teams that make InkBlot go around. Yes, development is important, there is still only two of us, but our volunteers and staff make InkBlot for what it is.
Instar
Instar a patreon/kofi/membership-like tool to be tested and integrated into InkBlot at a later point, has tried to launch. It was ALWAYS in the cards since the kickstarter. But it has had a very slow roll out. With a small percentage of 4% this would be majorly competitive. Why so low? Because we do this for the community. It is enough to keep the servers online and pay the part-time staff what they need to maintain it as well as fix bugs. Where is it? Delayed. We dont have the team size. We dont have the finances for an extra testing server. The code is written, the service is ready but we cant stretch this thin. I can stress how important it is to have the hands to do this.
What's the bad news?
Being so entangled in this company, as founder, I am finally at my limit. I more than happily give money, time and sweat to the company. I believe it in truly and with all my heart. But it hit me when I faced an eviction notice on my door that I can NOT keep in this way.
Giving 700USD+ every month is running me down, risking myself homeless. As many already know, I don't get paid for my work with InkBlot. Never have. I am so used to giving my time and money to this dream, that its second nature to give and give. But I cant continue if I risk running myself homeless. I wish desperately that this was better news. I wish that Instar can launch and that this was a post about a good update to make InkBlot better but it is not.
This is a call for help.
And I can not see this company continuing because I myself cant continue. It is unfortunate that I am so deeply woven into this company that if it were to sink quickly, it is because I myself have broken. I need to detangled myself from it ASAP.
What can we do?
We need volunteers. Moderation for InkBlot and for Instar. Community Events helpers. People that can help grow with the growth of our users.
Applications here: https://jobs.inkblot.art
We need memberships/and or donations. The deficient we face can no longer be helped by one person. This site eats resources and will continue to eat resources as it grows. This issue of money will never go away. if it is not clear that art sites and gallery sites are not a business then it is now that I beg that you understand, this is a business. And without investors this issue is in our lap every time.
https://ko-fi.com/inkblotapp
We Need a Co-founder. I can no longer do this on my own. This has out grown me. Trying to juggle all of the teams, make all of the meetings, and survive working two jobs outside of inkblot is running me down. I need to detangle and welcome someone just as passionate and dedicated to this vision. A rigorous interview process will be needed for this. And I would rather someone internally than externally.
I have no application for this yet since I am still meeting with my mentor about this process, but you can email me interest jay@inkblot.art
Sticker club? Shop?
I can no longer sustain the sticker club. Again another weight I have taken on personally and given my situation of barely surviving, I can not. I will finish this year's orders and stickers owed and remove that reward. It is understandable if folks don't want to continue in that tier(s) as the sticker club was an incentive but it is just not sustainable at this time. ETA of end of this month as my sister helps me with orders and rewards. As for the shop it will just have to be something that is closed and only opened in tandem with Fundraisers/Membership Drives. And orders handled by the shop assistant or third-party.
End Note
I am not giving up. I am not stepping away. But I realize that if I don't make these changes and cry for help, InkBlot will not survive. I am sorry to disappoint. I am sorry this is not good news. I hope that with these changes, we can survive.
-Jacob Brown
InkBlot Founder