They were laid off in 2022.
But instead of letting it crush them, they saw an opportunity.
They had this crazy idea about building a luxury resort in nature. And with suddenly more time on their hands, they thought…
“Why don’t we try to make this dream a reality?”
Well, they not only tried but succeeded, raising $792,484 on Indiegogo with their very first hospitality project.
Here’s their story.
Meet Melissa and Tanner Cummings – the founders of Cypress Resort.
Their journey didn’t start with hospitality. Tanner was a QA software engineer, and Melissa was an organic chemist turned PA who worked in Nephrology for over 10 years.
But everything changed when they were gifted a weekend stay at the Ritz-Carlton.
“That one weekend getaway birthed a dream and vision of offering a place to stay where people weren’t just surrounded by strangers but served by people who felt familiar. Felt like friends or family,” Tanner shared.
This dream sat dormant until 2022 when Tanner was unexpectedly laid off from his job. With three kids under 7 and Melissa 5 months pregnant, it could have been devastating.
Instead, it became the catalyst they needed.
Rather than jumping back into the corporate world, they decided to take their experience running a successful Airbnb (where they hit Superhost status in under 50 days) and turn it into something bigger.
Much bigger.
Their breakthrough came when Melissa discovered a hidden gem, a 48 acres of pristine land in Jasper, Georgia, less than 50 minutes from Atlanta.
But this wasn’t just any piece of land.
It had a 50-foot waterfall.
“I don’t know if we can develop this property,” Melissa said in a video she took for Tanner that day, “but if we can, this place will be unlike anything else.”
They went all in on their vision: a next-generation luxury resort that would combine the tranquility of nature with the service quality of a 5-star hotel.
Each Forest Villa would feature:
- Over 890 sq ft of indoor space
- Chef-grade kitchens
- 15ft windows for panoramic views
- Private hot tubs and saunas
- 800+ sq ft of outdoor living space
By the summer of 2024, with the help of my team at LaunchBoom, they were ready to launch.
On August 13, 2024 they went live on Indiegogo.
They raised $510,624 during the first 24 hours of the campaign.
And by the end of the campaign, they had made $792,484 from 549 new customers.
But here’s what’s really interesting about their success, it wasn’t luck or chance. It was the result of a carefully executed pre-launch marketing strategy.
Let’s dive into how they did it.
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Cypress Resort’s pre-launch marketing strategy
Making over $792,484 in 30 days is no easy task.
And hitting that milestone takes a combination of different marketing tactics, with the most important marketing tactic being the pre-launch.
More specifically, building an email list of real buyers before you launch your campaign.
The best way to do that is by using LaunchBoom’s Reservation Funnel System.
Here’s how it worked.
1. Cypress Resort drove traffic with Meta Ads
Meta ads are the first step to build a pre-launch email list. This is how Cypress Resort drove traffic. They tested many different variations of copy and imagery, but here was their best performing ad.
2. Cypress Resort collected email addresses on a landing page
The landing page is where they explained their product and collected email addresses. The landing page looked like this:
By the way, this is a screenshot from our LaunchKit software that all LaunchBoom Creators get access to.
3. Cypress Resort collected $50 reservations
This is the most important step and why we call this funnel the Reservation Funnel. Cypress Resort had this VIP offer for putting down a $50 reservation:
- $150 credit for gourmet food/ beverages; pre-stocked in your fridge prior to arrival
- Up to $550 off our starting rate of $995
- Exclusive pre-release booking link (Available NOW through Indiegogo at our BEST rates… but ending TODAY)
- Founding Member Status which includes your name(s) prominently displayed at Cypress
- Exclusive Access to future deals, offerings, and specials
The most important thing to know is that people who put down the reservation were way more likely to buy (30 times on average, in fact).
Cypress Resort got funded on day one
Leading into the launch, Melissa and Tanner had 4,071 people who had put down a $50 reservation deposit. Remember, there’s no better predictor of launch success than the reservations.
And just like we thought, their launch was a success.
On the first day, they made $510,624.
By the end of the campaign, they had driven $792,484 in revenue from 549 new customers.
This was all possible because they followed the LaunchBoom system, which is laser focused on getting creators the highest return on their investment.
Because at LaunchBoom, our goal is not to launch a successful product, but to launch a successful business.
Do you have an innovative product like Melissa and Tanner?
We can help you turn it into a real business (or dramatically grow your existing business).
We’ve worked with over a thousand product creators.
If you want to be the next one…
Click here to talk with a LaunchBoom expert.
