Have you ever had an idea that was considered “out there?” In the world of crowdfunding, that might mean you have an idea that could get some funding. You don’t need to have a million dollar idea to have something become profitable for you. Unique ideas really do stand out on platforms like Kickstarter. Just look at the $67k that was successfully raised to create a RoboCop statue or the $50+k raised for tastier potato salad and you’ll find evidence of this fact.
Why do these unique ideas get funded? You could say that some folks are able to put the “fun” in funded.
It’s Time to Stop Putting Ideas on the Back Burner
Everyone has some crazy ideas that creep up in the recesses of their mind. In the past, those ideas were dismissed because they were deemed to be too radical or just plain stupid. For modern crowdfunding, however, one person’s “stupid” is another person’s “that’s the greatest idea I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Take the case of Jaime Meline. He’s a grass-roots independent musician who sent an email to his followers that said he had some crazy ways to engage his fan base for funding. One of his ideas was to remake their new album using nothing but the sounds of cats. He thought it was a joke. One fan took it seriously and started his own crowdfunding campaign to get the money for the cat album. It didn’t raise $40k. It raised $65k.
Or you can look at the idea of an art student named Noboru Bitory. He proposed making a video about how good a Chipotle chicken burrito happened to taste. It raised $1,050 and his most popular reward was a simple PDF that rated burritos on a taste scale.
The proof is in: you can set the bar lower and still have a profitable idea.
Why Is Being Unique the Flavor of the Day?
In the past, Kickstarter had a vetting process that required an extensive amount of review before a campaign could be approved. In June 2014, Kickstarter changed their internal rules and launched a feature that would let people launch a campaign immediately. The results speak for themselves. People are supporting everything from potato salad to plastic blocks that are in the shape of a modern smartphone.
What does this mean for the average entrepreneur? That the gloves are off. You don’t need to follow any of the advice that people have about creating a Kickstarter campaign that can be successful. With a unique idea, you really can create something that people are going to want and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot to do it. You can launch immediately, have no backers to start, and still be able to taste sweet success.
Or mustard sauce. Or the smell of a new fertilizer. Or the joy of posing with RoboCop. It’s all up to you.
Strong proponent of individual liberty and free speech. My goal is to present information that expands our awareness of crucial issues and exposes the manufactured illusion of freedom that we are sold in America. Question everything because nothing is what it seems.
