Blue Sky RVCrowdfunding Options

What Is Crowdfunding?

• The process of raising small amounts of capital from a large number of individuals and/or investors to finance a new business venture.

• Crowdfunding expands the pool of investors from whom funds can be raised beyond the traditional circle of owners, relatives and venture capitalists.

How It Works

• Research and plan campaign goals

• Build a fan base for the business idea

• Launch the actual crowdfunding campaign to target fans and investors alike

Crowdfunding Options

• Reward-based crowdfunding: entrepreneurs pre-sell a product or service to launch a business concept without incurring debt or sacrificing equity/shares.

• Equity-based crowdfunding: the backer receives unlisted shares of a company, usually in its early stages, in exchange for the money pledged. The company's success is determined by how successfully it can demonstrate its viability.

Investor Backed Platforms

• Equitynet.com – I would start here based on the included business planning software.

• Fundable.com• CircleUp.com• Crowdfunder.com

Donation/Reward Based Platforms

• Kickstarter.com – More geared toward selling products and online services.

• IndieGoGo.com – The best option found for raising capital with donation based funding for a small business venture. It may be best to break up the campaign and fund parts of a project under this platform.

Why build a fan base first?

• Higher crowdfunding success rates due to credibility. You are real, people can see more about your project than just a plea for funding assistance.

• Valuable feedback from future customers. You can see what they really want and cater to that.

Is it feasible for an RV Park?

• Yes! With planning, research and the right mix of influencers in social media, participation in the camping/RV life style niche, and mainstream coverage.

• Promotion work can be done on a budget to get started. Web presence, social media, video, forum participation, guest blogging, and reaching out to popular bloggers and media can all be done cheaply.

To Get Started

While the fan base for the RV park is being built, it would be wise to start by reaching out to investors on Equitynet.com and similar sites to help determine their expectations.

There is no reason not to begin getting involved in discussion groups for people interested in the RV/camping lifestyle. I would avoid any pitch and just work on relationship building and focus on learning what people really want.

Additional Resources

• Top Three Crowdfunding Models

• The Economic Value of Crowdfunding in 2014

• Getting Funded Online

• Forbes Top 10 Business Crowdfunding Campaigns Of All Time

Presented By:

Victoria G. Gateshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriagates