For tech-savvy, entrepreneurial types, Kickstarter campaigns are a well-knowncommodity. You pledgefinancial support and are offeredincentives; if the goal amount is reached, your card is charged. If the goal isn't reached, you keep your money. But while gearing up to launch her Kickstarter campaign, Yael Krigman--cake pop evangelist and founder of Baked by Yael--quickly discovered that most of her target audience isunfamiliar with Kickstarter. Yael is trying to raise money to open DC's first "cakepoppery," a bakeshop and event space that would offer an assortment of baked goods including bagels, rugelach and of course, cakepops.

"A lot of them thought I was asking for donations," she tells us, "and they didn't understand why a for-profit business would do that. Others thought I was soliciting investors, and asked to see my business planbefore pledging anything."So she's been careful to frame the Kickstarter pledges as "pre-sales," offering incentives like gift baskets and cake pop parties in return for pledges. She surveyed her customer base to determine what incentives would most appeal to prospective pledgers. "I'm trying to make it as easy as possible for people to support my business venture." Yael's Kickstarter campaign ends Sunday. You can check it out at www.bestcakepopever.com.