Crowdfund Investing For Dummies

Part I: Tapping the Potential of Crowdfund Investing 7

Chapter 1: The Crowd’s in Your Corner: Funding or Investing in a Business 9

Chapter 2: Tracing the Origins of Crowdfund Investing 23

Chapter 3: Raising Capital for Your Startup or Small Business with Crowdfund Investing 41

Chapter 4: Becoming Part of the Crowd: Investing with Caution 67

Part II: Planning Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign  83

Chapter 5: Defi ning Your Goals and Financial Needs 85

Chapter 6: Focusing on Your People: Building Your Crowd and Your Team 109

Chapter 7: Picking a Powerful Crowdfund Investing Platform 127

Chapter 8: Networking Your Way to Successful Funding 141

Part III: Managing Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign  155

Chapter 9: Making Your Pitch 157

Chapter 10: Troubleshooting Campaign Problems 177

Chapter 11: Moving Forward When You Reach Your Funding Target 191

Part IV: Running Your Business with Your Investors in Mind  207

Chapter 12: Communicating with Your Investors 209

Chapter 13: Crowd Mentality: Staying Afl oat in the Face of Investor Revolt 219

Chapter 14: Knowing Your Options If Your Plans Go Astray 231

Part V: Becoming a Crowdfund Investor  243

Chapter 15: Evaluating Crowdfund Investing Opportunities 245

Chapter 16: Committing Your Capital 259

Chapter 17: Adding Value: Playing the Right Role as an Investor 271

Chapter 18: Exiting a Crowdfund Investment 283

Part VI: The Part of Tens  293

Chapter 19: Ten Best Practices for a Crowdfund Investing Campaign 295

Chapter 20: Ten Reasons Every Country Should Consider Crowdfund Investing 301

Chapter 21: Ten Crowdfunding Cases 309

Chapter 22: Ten Stories That Inspire 315

Appendix: Resources  321

Index  325