Evertree: Use it Forever

Hi, my name is Michael and I'm disrupting the large home appliance industry. 

I've been a repair technician for about 14 years and I can no longer recommend a high-quality brand for my customers to buy. The machines are becoming less reliable, more complicated,  and more expensive to fix.

Sometimes a manufacturer will discontinue the supply of replacement parts, making their machines impossible to repair at any price. Homeowners are paying more for cheaper machines. Appliances are being thrown away sooner, and the situation is only becoming worse. 

Home appliances don't get replaced when they break down; they get replaced when they can't be fixed any more.

Decades ago I ran a nuclear reactor for the U.S. Navy. The training gave me an in-depth understanding of technology.

In the last 14 years I've worked on more than 10,000 home appliances. In every case the failure was caused by something small; a wear item consisting of a few ounces of metal or a few grams of silicon. But when repair parts are too expensive or no longer available, we throw away the whole machine. It's like throwing away a car because it needs tires.

Every month in the U.S. we trash 5 million large home appliances. Image credit: The Irish Times

With a few changes while the machines are still in the design stage, we can build appliances that never need to be replaced. By using the same reliable, open-source components across the brand and ensuring wear items are available for the distant future, an Evertree home appliance can always be repaired at a very reasonable cost, no matter what its age. We are reintroducing a 100-year-old concept: Indefinite Longevity®.

Evertree home appliances look like – and work like – every other appliance brand out there. From a user experience there's no difference. But under the skin they're simpler; they're built from a short list of reliable components. They're designed to be maintained, not replaced. Upgrades in technology are retro-compatible.  An Evertree machine is designed to last a lifetime or two. Each machine has a Born-on Date and a 'Planted By:' nameplate. Planting an Evertree creates a legacy for your children, your grandchildren and your grandchildren's grandchildren. 

Each machine costs about the same as every other appliance on the market. But their Indefinite Longevity® and low repair cost results in the lowest cost of ownership of any brand on the market. 

The appliances will signal the owner when service is needed, and if there's a breakdown, repairs are quick and inexpensive. Homeowners will need fewer repair visits from a technician, meaning fewer days away from work. 

We're disrupting the industry. In a few years we'll have a factory in Southeast Wisconsin building enough machines every year to inspire our competitors to copy our design philosophy. When we're finished, other manufacturers will have one or more lines designed for Indefinite Longevity®, so homeowners and landlords around the globe will have the opportunity to save money and the environment at the same time. 

The plan is to gather  0.42% of the industry's annual revenue and invest it in infrastructure designed to permanently cut the cost of appliance ownership for everyone - everywhere. This is money we're already committed to spending the next time we replace our existing home appliances. 

Initially, we're raising money to hire a local PR firm to manage a  professional crowdfunding campaign designed to sell 3,000-5,000 prototype machines. The larger crowdfunding campaign will pay for the engineering, the cost of materials and for the manufacturing of the prototypes. 

A well-run crowdfunding campaign is surprisingly expensive to pull off. There's videos to make, digital artwork, marketing, swag, and more. All told, we'll spend about $40,000 to raise $3 - $4 million. The PR company needs $6,000 to get started.

A fundraiser for a fundraiser? I know. I know. The irony isn't lost on me either. If only I had known a year ago what I know now...

Gratitude break! THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for reading! You are such a patient person. Good news: the fun part is just ahead:





TOP TEN reasons people support Evertree: 

10.  Saving money AND the planet? It's a no-brainer!
9. I want to take my friends on a tour of the factory to see my name on the wall
8. I'm thinking about India and China and how many new machines they'll need in the next few decades.
7. I like the idea of 600-800 new manufacturing jobs in Southeast Wisconsin 
6. Shopping for a fridge is so much fun! (not)
5. I'm an appliance technician and I want my customers to own Evertree machines
4. As a landlord I'm looking at the bottom line
3. It's about time someone's looking out for the little guys and gals
2. Nobody ever bootstrapped anything without help
1. This is my planet. I live here.


Don't forget to make a contribution before you share! With all the bad news out there, wouldn't people love to hear some good news for a change?


Evertree.
Buy it once. Use it forever. 

 Thank you for disrupting the home appliance industry with us!

Sincerely, 
Michael


Got a second for a one-question survey? We'd really appreciate it! Thanks!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LM6HYRM