Crowdfunding YOUR Project - 10 Steps to Getting Started

[Note: Our Kickstarter project ended at midnight on July 1, 2010. This Blog was intended to parallel the Final 48 Hours of our project. Frankly, there just weren't enough eyeballs on the blog, my Tweets, or the Kickstarter project. We didn't meet our funding goal, however, I learned a lot, and have more in my arsenal than before. Thanks for your support and interest! I'll pick this up again soon; but now, I've gotta catch up on everything that's been waiting on the back burner.]




Okay, so hopefully you have your own idea for a Crowdsourcing project. For those of you who do, and just want to know how to get started, you've come to the right place.

Where to Start
Chances are, if you're reading this and wanting to launch your own project, you've already "started." What I mean is, don't discount everything that got you to this point. Here's at least 10 Things to help you get started on your own Crowdsourcing project:

1. Write down your idea
You don't have to show anyone, but write it down. Decide what you want to focus on. For some of us, there are competing ideas, for others, you already know exactly what you want to build/create/share. Write a general draft of a one-pager that captures what your project is about. This will be an iterative process, but starting with a sheet of paper or a Word doc, will help you focus on your project's idea.

2. Don't second-guess your idea
If you wrote it down, don't second guess it. You'll have other ideas, and you'll change your mind a million times. That's okay. Just pick a target/project before you burn up time deciding which project to pick. Hint: you can *always* change your mind. Don't let the fear of the "wrong" choice stop you.

3. Social Media
4. Roadmap
5. When to do What
6. Week 1
7. Week 2
8. Week 3
9. Week 4
10. Wrapup

[These are the next sections. Want me to keep going? Post a comment. :)]

Initial Thoughts on Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing

Thanks for reading. This blog will hopefully share enough of our first crowdfunding project to be useful for you. A few things to set the discussion, but I'll try to present the information to be as general as possible, but must warn you that it will be heavy with references to Social Media, Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, etc. It will also dive pretty deeply into Twitter as a Marketing Tool. Not really sure the exact path we'll take, but I'll start at the beginning of my process and bring you up to speed on where we are now, in the last 48 Hours of the project.

A few things to keep in mind:

* Anyone can do this. What we're doing may be unique in it's purpose, but the process and tools are available to anyone willing to spend the time to learn how to use them. I will focus heavily on software, startups and entrepreneurial "stuff," but if you have a passion for something and would like to bring it to market. You'll want to stick around. :)

* Consult "The Google" for a Primer on Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing. I'll post a link when we're out of time on Kickstarter.

* We've come a long way. It's not an easy thing to do, but you can see your idea through to market. Our focus won't be on details of "failures" see eslacker.blogspot.com for my thoughts on that. We're focused on the awesome groundswell of support around Creative, Innovative, Problem-Solvers and otherwise, motivated folks. We're not interested in what-ifs, general negativity or ways that things can fail. If you spend the mental energy on the what-ifs, the what-is-es never come.

* This will only be valuable if you participate. Visit Kickstarter and take a look around. Find something of interest and see what they're creating. Think of how your project could be "just as good if not better" than something you see. The point here isn't about "better" though, it's about all of us creating stuff together. Don't take it as a personal challenge to "out-do" someone you see, but rather a way to take the good and leave the bad of the example they've given you.

It's pretty cool. If you're not excited yet, visit www.kickstarter.com right now! :)