- It starts with you. You have to be willing to take a risk on
this if you are going to ask others to do the same. Is selling your
car or part of your 401K starting to look real? Good; that means
you're obsessed. (For those who answered No, either you are already
independently wealthy-congratulations! Or you may have to
re-evaluate how serious you are about this.)
- Crowdfunding is the name of the game, the place where many
startups really get started. It's not about money only, but about
validation and social ideation. But it's tricky. Raising $500K on
Kickstarter is not longer the anomaly, but shipping 4,000 units on
time is no joke. Once again, please, call Dragon Innovation.
- Crowdfunding: Your first 8 hours a e critical to your success.
Months before you kickoff your Kickstarter campaign, start teasing
your friends, family, and media with your invention. Start
trickling information to build interest, support and viral sharing.
And when they day comes, ask 500 people you've nurtured for the
past three months to support, you and create that first-day
momentum you need to hockey- stick your funding run.
- Savvy social marketing can be a lifesaver. If that's not
strength, consider hiring someone to help you. And if nobody seems
to care over social, you might want to pivot your idea before you
launch your campaign.
- Accelerators/Incubators are another source of resources. I'm
not a big fan of software accelerators, but I'm one for hardware. I
wish I knew of one to join when I started in 2010.
- Venture capital is all about money. When the public backs you
through crowdfunding, the venture capitalists will start to pay
attention. And if someone in this league picks up your project, you
may gain access to other resources and partners.