It's occasionally valuable to take some time to listen to the collective wisdom of entrepreneurs, great personalities, and leaders who have distilled their k
SME Pals is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Top business ideas using crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a relatively novel way for startups and entrepreneurs to raise money to support their fledgling companies - and sometimes it actually works.
Like most online endeavours, it isn't particularly hard to set up a crowdfunding campaign and start raising small bits of capital from thousands of individuals who find your idea intriguing.
It isn't hard to set up, but it is very hard to raise significant amounts of cash. The truth of the matter is that most people who try crowdfunding don't succeed. For every success story, there are a thousand failures.
You can browse through any number of ideas on two of the better known crowdfunding sites:
You'll notice that a few have raised a fair amount of capital, but most are struggling to make more than a few dollars. So what is it about the ones that succeed that turn them into multi-million dollar smash-hits?
- Compelling idea: Things that people immediately go "that's cool"
- Great perks: Offering contributors perks that are fun, valuable, unusual, etc
- Existing fan base: Doesn't hurt to have a few thousand people in your corner to start with
- Well presented & professional: Let's face it, we're generally not going to invest in something that looks like a dog's breakfast (unless it's actually a new type of dog's breakfast)
There's more to this list, but really, if you are planning on trying out crowdfunding to raise money for one of your own ideas, then the best thing to do is look at the top earning campaigns and work out what they did right.
So, with further delay, here are the best performing crowdfunding campaigns to date...
1. Coolest cooler
Raised: $13,285,226
Backers: 62,642
2. Ubuntu edge
2. Ubuntu edge
Raised: $12,814,216
Backers: 27,635
3. Pebble: ePaper watch
3. Pebble: ePaper watch
Raised: $10,266,845
Backers: 68,929
4. Ouya: Game console
4. Ouya: Game console
Raised: $8,596,474
Backers: 63,416
5. Pono music
5. Pono music
Raised: $6,225,354
Backers: 18,220
I guess there's one additional attribute of the most funded campaigns that we could add to our list, and that is:
- Choose the right crowdfunding platform: Kickstarter has 4 out of the top 5 campaigns, and 8 out of the top 10
So, looking at the top 5 business ideas that have, or are, being turned into a reality through crowdfunding, what is that you think makes them stand out from the thousands of other campaigns that aren't as successful?
Share your tips and experiences in the comments.
Organic search traffic from Google is so valuable that many businesses come to rely on it as their primary source of income.
And while it may seem that the sun will never set on high converting organic traffic from the search giant, you might want to think about what would happen to your enterprise if the flow dried up.
I've experienced both the frustration and despair of losing Google traffic to an unknown and unexplained penalty (only large, important businesses get the information they need to recover in a matter of days or weeks), but have also seen how other companies have thrived without Google entirely.
Having access to a great tool like Google Trends means that it is easy to keep an eye on how important brands and
Ever wondered just how much you can earn in a career working from home? The answer is millions of dollars - if you've got what it takes.
The SBA (Small Business Administration) is a United States government department tasked with supporting and nurtur
Did you know that business card design can directly impact the success of your organisation?
Small retail businesses and eCommerce sites need to consistently choose the best products to sell in order to maximize their profits.
But trying to find this information is not always easy, and there are plenty of "silver bullet" sites (and con men) that will try to make a profit by advising you to stock products that give them commission.
It's far better to be able to do your own research into which products offer the best value for money for your own customers and clients. After all, you know your business best.
Being an entrepreneur is something that should be encouraged and nurtured in everyone from an early age - especially in a country like the U.S. where the economy relies on small business.
Every school and university should offer a range of courses designed to empower young people to take an idea and turn it into a profitable enterprise, with confidence and competence.
Sadly, most educational institutes seem intent on sticking to dry, academic curricula that might teach young minds how to think, but don't prepare them for the harsh realities of the real world.
Despite spending most of my time working on my own startups, I find myself drawn to reading about what other people are up to, or making use of - whether it
Isn't it frustrating that some people just seem to have that entrepreneurial knack - business opportunities just seem to go their way again and again?
Use the best business software and services to help start and grow your company quickly and efficiently - with the least cost.
Here are some great ideas that incorporate free stuff (products and services) in order to generate trust, improve revenue and grow your business.
Most consumers like getting free stuff (especially online consumers), so giving away a valuable free offering can help to drive traffic, generate buzz, earn trust, and make money.
This article will give you five great ideas for free product and service offerings that you can integrate into an existing organization or use to help grow a startup.
