In recent years, with the growth of social media and connectivity, people no longer have to rely on larger companies or grants to get their personal or professional projects funded. Crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter have collectively already raised $34 billion globally in 2020. 

Once seen as ‘charity’, crowd-funding is now fast becoming a solution that artists, creators, and entrepreneurs can use to accumulate funding for visionary ideas, new technology, unique products, personal needs, and niche offers that would ordinarily struggle to get the attention or funding from the traditional channels.

Indeed, some crowdfunding campaigns have gone on to become massively successful, multimillion-dollar businesses. To give one example, Oculus VR virtual reality goggles started out with a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 that raised $2,437,429 USD. The company was later acquired by Facebook in 2014 and was forecast to amount to 4.95 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2019.

So for those looking for funding, what is it that creates a successful crowdfunding campaign? How do you get people to back your project and pledge?

We caught up with Ian Mackenzie, New Paradigm visionary artist, filmmaker, writer, speaker, and facilitator, to talk about ways in which artists can use models like crowdfunding to bring their ideas and gifts to the world. We also discussed Ian’s unique take on the current pandemic, his journey to becoming a filmmaker, and deconstructing the cultural narratives that we live by.

Ian has taught the subject of crowdfunding online for 6 years, through webinars and online courses like ‘Crowdfunding for Social Change’. He is an authority on what it takes to stand out and get funded and has some advice for readers looking to get funded via crowdfunding.

Here are three things to focus on in order to run a successful crowdfunding campaign

Niche down

For Ian, it’s more important to know who you serve and cater to them, rather than try to be everything for everyone.

“Maybe there’s only a hundred people on the planet that would love what you do, the very specific thing you do, and it’s better to aim at them than to try to appeal to the masses and draw in ‘kind of interested’ people,” he says.

Ian talks about resonance, and how that ‘resonance’ between you and your people is what matters – “you actually want somebody who is aligned with and interested in what you’re doing… you don’t want somebody who is kind of interested or has to be seduced into it because they’re always gonna be a tension, they’re not going to be that satisfied…”

Cast aside the ‘rhetorics of success’ based on the current market

For Ian, resonating with your target audience is more important that ‘selling x amount’ or ‘hitting six figures’ or whatever the rhetorics of success of the current paradigm are.

Ian stresses that you don’t need thousands of people flocking to your page or to be pandering to a certain standard of what success is in order to be successful – “when you are liberated to reach out and make contact with the very specific fans and people that really jive with what you do, you recognize that you really don’t need that many people to support you, to keep going… it’s actually a relatively modest amount of numbers… Patreon is a really great example of that…”

Tell a compelling story and focus on the WHY

According to Ian, “ Everybody has an interesting story if it’s told in a way that really highlights its compelling nature…it does really come down to, can you tell a compelling story?”

Your job as an artist or a creator is to “excavate what is true” and to compel people to act by interacting with their emotions through sharing the personal level of what you do – “how would describe what it is you do over dinner? Something personal about that that really connects…why do you do what you do, what’s so compelling about it for you?’

“Your task as you craft your offering is to bring that level of passion that people can feel – oh wow, you’re really passionate about this – because it evokes the principle of resonance…” and resonance is precisely what pulls the ‘aligned’ people to you, which we already touched on in point 1.

Giveaway

Apply to win Ian’s course “Crowdfunding For Social Change”, along with a signed copy of his graphic novel “Amplify Her”. You can apply to win here, a winner will be announced next week.

Connect

Check out Ian’s podcast, documentaries, blog posts and Patreon account here

Take Ian’s donation-based webinar – Patreon for Artists 

Startups and self-run ventures are the way of the future – with the right idea, the right team and a little dash of being in the right place at the right time, you have the potential to take something from its humble beginnings in someone’s basement to enjoying exponential growth and worldwide reach.

It stands to reason that it’s no surprise that everywhere you turn you see new startups, entrepreneurial businesses or those wanting to try their hand at creating something unique and new in the world, hoping it to strike it lucky and stumble across the next ‘big’ thing.

What sets the ventures that succeed apart from the ones who never get off the ground?

What does it take to be the CEO of a successful startup and to solidify the global impact of a company? Furthermore, how can those of us with multiple passions and interests narrow in and choose just one to focus their energy on and see the start-up through to fruition?

Unconventional Life caught up with Doug Campell, a parallel entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of Solid Power – a leading developer of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles who has partnered with the likes of Ford and BMW – along with co-founding 2 additional Colorado-based startups.

Doug’s mental strength and drive come from his passion for physical activity  – “for me exercise is my religion” and it allows him to stay grounded, unwind and perform at the level he does. In fact, he believes that it is his ‘life experience’ and the discipline that was involved in being a professional cyclist that allowed him to be able to run multiple startups and succeed so much in his entrepreneurial ventures.

“As I got into being a professional cyclist that taught me the discipline… it’s a lot like a business – success comes very very slowly in business and cycling kinda taught me that.”

For Doug, he has had a highly non-linear career, not completing tertiary studies until very late into his 20’s and doing things fairly out of the classic sequence of what you would expect – “I didn’t just wake up one morning and think, ‘Gosh I’m going to just start one company after another…’”

Doug sees himself as an opportunist and attributes his success and his ability to juggle many different pursuits at the same time to this, even if it wasn’t intentional initially – “for me stepping into the world of being an entrepreneur was a little bit of a kid in a candy store sort of situation”.

He talks about how he wanted to pursue everything and how choosing what he chose to pursue “was really scratching whatever itch of the day was there…”

Doug admits that it came as quite a surprise when all the ventures he was involved in took off the way they did – “when things really start to take off there’s a point where you look in the mirror and think… I didn’t necessarily plan for this”.

Doug’s advice for multi-passionate entrepreneurs and those wanting to pursue a start-up of their own is really to realize “it’s not all about you as an entrepreneur… you need to recognize early on that you need help”.

“For me… it really comes down to come down to a high degree of humility… recognizing what you’re good at, what your individual superpower is, but also recognizing that everything else is not necessarily your superpower and finding people who compliment you.”

Doug advocates that it’s super important to find people who compliment your strengths and support you in the ways you need, “embracing this team mentality and focusing on what you individually are good at and then delegating, outsourcing or deferring to others on everything else.”

He also stresses that you need to keep the end game in mind, particularly in the super early stages and that you’re “ok to exchange a paycheck for equity” which makes it even more important to pursue something that you are truly passionate about, as it might be some time before you see any financial remuneration for your effort.

Giveaway!

Doug is giving someone the chance to win a branded Solid Power T-Shirt.

Connect

You can learn more about Doug and the work he does by finding Solid Power on twitter or Linkedin, or you can head to entrepreneurialdisfunction.com his personal blog.

Have you ever tuned in to the business reality show Shark Tank where people pitch ideas to potential investors? For people who are familiar with this hit tv show, you know it’s more or less like a real shark tank where you survive or get eaten.

Shark Tank is a platform that gives promising entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of five investors who have built fortunes in different industries. The people who make the best pitches get their ideas funded while the ideas that are not well explained, no matter how good they seem are turned down.

For this reason, it is imperative that you learn the necessary skills to deliver an engaging pitch in a limited time because let’s face it, long narratives bore people quickly.

This week, Jules Schroeder had the chance to sit down with Oren Klaff and pick his brain over pertinent issues when it comes to getting people to invest in your idea or company. Author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and investment banker are, among the many hats that he wears.  He is also one of the world’s leading experts on sales, raising capital, and negotiations. His book, Pitch Anything, has become a required reading throughout Silicon Valley and has sold over a million copies. Anything he touches turns to gold. For this reason, it was only necessary to have him share with us the secret to having an investor not only say “yes” to your idea but to actually pump money into it.

Oren shares with us his journey to success and practical tips on how to deliver a pitch that moves an investor to channel money to bring an idea into reality.

1. Value yourself & your product or service

It is crucial that you value yourself and everything that you bring to the table. Oren says, “When someone detects that you’re adapting to who they need you to be, you upset them.” You cannot afford to say yes to everything that a potential investor or client says to you just to please them. Investors will not trust you with their money the moment you let outsiders dictate what you should or should not do. They might conclude that you do not know what you want because you are so easily swayable. When you have your own values, you become more compelling. That is what makes you charismatic.

2. Observe trends in the market.

You must understand the market that you want to tap into. Ask relevant questions and find answers first before going to an investor. These are some of the relevant questions that Oren suggests you look into;

How is the market changing? What is the buying behavior for the market? How are you going to promote the product or service? What geography are you targeting? What does your business model look like?

People love the idea of something new but the concept must still be embedded into something that has been in existence for long. You must, therefore, observe trends in the market to learn the graph and know how your new idea fits into the usual way of getting things done.

3. Sell a concept that will create massive change

It is difficult to sell something that will have a very limited effect on the industry. You need to come up with something that will still radically change people’s lives two to three years from now. Investors see the essence of putting their money into an idea or business that creates massive change and is equally long-lasting.

You must point out ways in which your idea will alter the industry such that it will be completely different in a few years to come. Avoid unnecessary details about how your product is not like the others. Almost everything that exists in the world today has been done before. Hence, you must just find a way to communicate how your idea will change and benefit what is already in existence in the world.

4.Invest in your idea

An investor will expect you to make a substantial contribution to your business. If you have spent very little in ensuring the visibility or running of your business it shows that you are not serious about it. If you cannot take your own company seriously, how can someone else?

Oren Klaff’s greatest point is that the same effort that goes into coming up with a business idea should also go into seeking investment. You may have one of the best ideas in the world, but the way you deliver your idea will determine whether you sink or swim.

Giveaway

Win Oren’s excellent book, “Pitch Anything“.  Double Giveaway! if you register at orenklaff.com you could win a fully-funded trip to Southern California where you will have Oren as your city guide and business consultant.

Get in touch

If you are interested in connecting with Oren, you can reach out through his website.