I watch the Apprentice on a weekly basis, my cringe'O'meter is in overdrive, I make it through an entire episode with at least five eye-rolls, two or three "really's?" and a guaranteed "what are they thinking!!".
Sometimes their ideas have a little 'something', like the On Air camera built into a jumper, it needs a bit of rethinking, however, there is the start of an idea there. But the solar-powered, light me up phone charger jacket...way too much going on! And yes, the solar panels do need to be exposed!
So that got me thinking, where do you turn to when your idea is better than anything the Apprentice candidates dream up. First, do you have an original idea? Yes, tick. Are you passionate about your idea? Yes, tick. Have you done your market research? yes, tick. Have you written a business plan? Yes, tick. Next step, secure your funding or find those investors, there are several fantastic online fund sourcing sites you can turn to, to possibly find potential funding:
Kickstarter
https://www.kickstarter.com "We’re a home for everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of projects, big and small, that are brought to life through the direct support of people like you. Since our launch in 2009, 7.3 million people have pledged $1 billion, funding 72,000 creative projects. Thousands of creative projects are raising funds on Kickstarter right now" - Source kickstarter.com About Us Page
CrowdFunder
www.crowdfunder.co.uk "Crowdfunding is an alternative means of funding that allows individuals to take their ideas forward and make them a reality with the power of the crowd and change the world around them. Everyone has a great idea and here at Crowdfunder we want to make as many ideas as possible succeed. Whether you own an existing business, want to launch a new one, are a school, work in the creative industry, need funds for a social enterprise, are a charity, or are just an individual with a fantastic idea then we can help you raise the funds needed for your project" - Source CrowdFunder.co.uk About Us Page
UK Crowdfunding
www.ukcfa.org.uk "Imagine being in contact with 100,000 like-minded people who each want to invest £10 in your business, project or venture online. That’s the basis of crowdfunding – literally sourcing funds from a crowd. The idea is young, but it’s rapidly growing in popularity. The success stories are racking up too. According to Nesta, crowdfunding raised $1.5 billion for businesses in 2011, and in 2012 one project raised over $1 million." - Source UK Crowdfunding homepage
Good Luck with your Business idea, leave a comment with a link to your website, would love to see successful business ideas from using Crowd Funding websites.
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