I posted in 2016 about crowd-sourcing and it either didn’t grab too many listeners or everyone went their own way and QUIETLY thought about it. Here is something new and I’m absolutely certain we need it in Armstrong County and all the surrounding counties, too… crowd-funding expertise which might make or break a small company starting out on a shoestring budget.
A little bit of what I know:
- A lady in Erie County, PA, launched a Kickstarter campaign and it reached its targeted dollar amount in only TWO HOURS! She was assisted by a professor and several students from Mercyhurst College.
- IUP’s Tony Palamone said not long ago their SBDC has more demand than they can handle.
- An innovative shower fixture targeted $100,000 and used the headline “70% less water, better shower experience. It raised over $3.1 MILLION!
- A local elementary school wanted a “maker space” where students could make things and learn job skills. With the help of mostly sixth graders, they targeted $15,000 and raised more than $19,000 to buy the equipment they needed.
Links to my Kickstarter research:
- Lisa in Erie: see http://humbleelephant.com
- Shower Appliance: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nebia/nebia-shower-better-experience-70-less-water
- Maker Space: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/169546454/kiski-area-upper-elementary-makerspace?ref=5pxb1u
I’d like to hold some brainstorming sessions here at the office to see if ‘collectively’ we might be able to help local entrepreneurs build local jobs. I have quite a few ideas of my own, too!
Carl 724-548-7249
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