Its an interesting one, crowdfunding. And over the last few years it has both made a big impact on how entrepreneurs, bands, artists and others are funded. It has also certainly divided opinion on just how viable the model of crowdfunding is. One thing that few people are admitting is that crowdfunding can be really hard work. And – a couple of campaigns later – I’m a staunch believer that the most important part of this fund-yourself-golden-carrot is the crowd, not the funding.
A crowd funding campaign is a bit like a wedding cake; it’s all about layers, and if you leave it sitting in the freezer, it won’t get eaten. A successful campaign identifies and engages with its core audience, then moves out beyond it and eventually gathers enough speed of its own that it (you hope) becomes contagious. And secret to all of this really working, is the work that you as the project creator puts in. Over the last 7 months or so, the 7 campaigns which have been successfully funded on StartMe, had one thing in common. They all put an enormous amount of work in – and today they are better of for it.