Crowdfunding is becoming an increasingly popular way to fund small businesses and start-ups to get them off the ground. The fundraising platform is also used by non-profits, artists, musicians and many more. But with so many people using the tool, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to get your message seen by the masses. Therefore it’s more important than ever to ensure you are doing everything you can to make sure your campaign is as effective and powerful as possible.

Choose the right platform

With more than 600 different crowdfunding platforms available worldwide, it’s important to take some time and do your research to find out which platform will be best for your particular campaign. The most popular sites currently are Kickstarter and Indiegogo where in exchange for donations users receive a range of special rewards, dependent on the size of their donation. But there are also more investment based platforms, where users directly invest in businesses, buying shares and stakes in the company.

Make the most out of your existing network

Harnessing your existing network, such as family, friends along with past and present business connections, is a vitally important part of any crowdfunding campaign for a number of reasons. This existing core inner group can act as your biggest endorsers, vouching for you and your project while spreading the word among their own networks getting the message out there. They can also start the ball rolling with donations, adding as little or as much as they can to the project. In turn, this will encourage others to give, as they will be to see that the project is legit as it already has backing and is, therefore, worthwhile.

Think about the perks

As we have previously mentioned a large part of crowdfunding is the perks on offer in return for donations. This is one of biggest selling points of these platforms, so it is important to put some serious thought into what you are offering.  You will need a range of different rewards to match the level of donation, the bigger the donation, the bigger the reward. Think about what users would actually want, and how they can be useful to both the donor and you. They don’t even always have to cost money they can simply be offering users the chance to vote on how a product is designed, a personal thank you message or early access to a product or service. You just need to make sure you can afford the rewards and they are feasible and easy to manage.

Be detailed

Users are going to be more inclined to donate to projects that they know a lot about and can see exactly where their money will be going and how it will be used. So make sure your communications are clear and as detailed as possible, populate your campaign page with as much detail about your project and your story as you can, be true, real and express yourself clearly. Present a serious business plan, which is easily digestible for anyone reading, so people can really get a feel for where their money is going and why you need it.

Include a video

Most crowdfunding platforms allow you to upload a video to your campaign page; this is something we would highly recommend. It is a commonly known that videos will engage people a lot more than big chunks of text, and they are a great way to bring your project to life. Keep them short and concise with a clear call to action.

Always be online

Running a Crowdfunding campaign is not to be sniffed at. It’s a lot of hard work, late nights and you need to be prepared to essentially live online. During the time when your campaign is live is when the hard work really starts. It will be down to you to stay active on social media sites, monitor the page and answer any emails/queries you may get.

If you follow these six steps your crowdfunding campaign is sure to be a success, and your start-up will be up and running in no time.

Networking is an inevitable part of business, unfortunately, though it’s not for everyone and even the most outgoing of people can find the task daunting and tiresome. For shy people and introverts in particular, it can fill them with dread. The thought of being in an unfamiliar place with a group of people you’ve never met before, and knowing you are under pressure to make a good impression and come away with new connections can all be too much. To help, we’ve put together some basic tips to help those people who perhaps find networking intimidating.

Prepare

As with most things in business, preparation is key and as the saying goes “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. So, before you go to your event spend some time researching the event, the type of people who are going to be there and think about what you want to learn from others, along with exactly what is you want to take away from the event. Having a set of questions already in your mind will help you if you ever feel put on the spot, or can sense a conversation running dry. Also think about what you want to tell people about yourself, how you want to sum up your business and what you do. This will help you avoid becoming tongue-tied and missing key bits of information.

Start small

You don’t have to throw yourself straight into a huge event with lots of strangers, start small by contacting friends, family and familiar faces, either by picking up the phone or in person. Building your confidence and practising your networking skills with people you are comfortable can be a huge help for future opportunities. Then expand your network and perhaps try contacting your alumni network. For your first event, start at something quite small scale and friendly and even take a friend with you to help you find your feet.

Your actions

Your body language and the way you act will say a lot about you, and certain actions can also help you if you are a naturally shy person.

Smile

Looking relaxed and smiling will make you look warm and approachable, meaning that people will be more inclined to come up to you and start a conversation, which can be a big help if you aren’t confident at initiating conversations.

Listen

You may be surprised to hear that great conversations can happen without you saying much at all. People love to talk about themselves and their experiences so listening with sincere interest can encourage conversations, this also leads us onto the next point.

Ask questions

Listening and asking questions go hand in hand in order to show a real interest. Try to avoid closed questions and ask leading questions that require a long answer. This again encourages conversations and helps with the natural flow. Questions can also help in group conversations, rather than fading into the background and staying quiet pose a question to the group, this can be easier than wading in with an opinion.

Talk about your passions

It doesn’t always have to be about work and business, talking about your passions and hobbies outside of work can be great conversation starters and ice breakers. You may even find common ground with someone who has similar interests, this can then lead nicely into a more business based conversation and before you know it, you’ve made a great connection. This can make conversations and connection seem more sincere and less forced. You could also think about making connections at events related to your passion, whether that be book clubs, cooking lessons, sports groups, not all networking has to be business related.

Follow-up

Sending follow-up information can help with your credibility. You may have promised to share an article or report with someone you made a connection with, perhaps you just found something that may be of interest to someone you spoke to, or it may relate to the conversation you had. Either way, following up with things like this not only keeps you fresh in their mind but it can also create further conversations and opportunities down the line.

Morning

1. What do I want to accomplish today?

Starting the day with a clear mindset of what it is you wish to accomplish within your working hours can help bring focus and attention to detail that will bring with it a successful day. Take a few moments to picture how you want to feel at the end of the day, and what you will need to do to get there.

2. What are my motivations for the day?

The stresses of running a business can often cloud your memory of why you began in the first place. Try beginning the day by reminding yourself of the reasons you began your business in the first place. Successful entrepreneurs always keep in mind the reasons they began their business and let it steer their decisions and motivation throughout the day.

3. What legacy do I want to leave?

Whilst it may perhaps be a little morbid, start each day considering how you would like to be remembered. What decisions will you make today to ensure that the legacy you leave behind is a positive one?

4. How can I make today better than yesterday?

No matter if yesterday was the worst or best day of your business so far, begin the day by considering how you can make today better! It could be something small or something big, but you should try keeping it in mind throughout the day to keep you focused.

5. What could hold me back today?

Setbacks occur to all of us, however if you are prepared for setbacks before they happen, you can help to alter the outcome and ensure these setbacks turn into something positive.

Evening

6. What can I learn from today?

No matter what went wrong or right today, take a moment to think about what it is you’ve learnt from the events of the day. Perhaps you had a successful pitch, think about the key moments that made it a success, can you replicate these in the future? Maybe you lost out on an important piece of business; consider what the contributing factors for this were. What could you change to ensure you win the next time?

7. What did I achieve today?

Once your work is accomplished for the day, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself what it is you have achieved. By allowing yourself to consider and reflect on your accomplishments you will be able to end your working day on a positive, determined to achieve more the next day.

8. Are my goals any different from this morning?

As time moves on, things can often change and you can sometimes find yourself ending the day in a different direction from where you intended. If this is you, consider how you got to your new destination, are you happy there? If you are, great! If not, begin to think of ways you can head back on the right track tomorrow.

9. Have I made people happy today?

This could be your employees, your customers or even yourself. We all know that a happy working day provides a more positive outcome on your business. If the answer is no, consider what you can do differently tomorrow so the answer is yes.

10. Is this still what I want?

Being an entrepreneur and running your own business is demanding and time-consuming! When you’re going after something you truly want, this will help fuel you, but if it’s not it can often drain you. Each day ask yourself if you’re still doing what it is you want to do. If not, what can you do to change this?

The little things are often the ones that count the most and are usually easier to implement than you would think. By incorporating these small habits into your daily routine, it won’t be long until you’re noticing a big difference. Here we’re explaining how these small habits can help you become more successful day-to-day.

Define your priorities

Consider what your main priorities in life are, both in business and personally. Next, examine how much time you’re spending on each priority. By actively evaluating how you spend your time on what matters most to you, you’ll be able to see the possible ways you can re-arrange the time you spend so that you’re able to indulge in what makes your truly happy.

Develop a plan

Having a plan in place ensures you’re constantly working toward something. Not only should you have yearly/life-long goals, you should also have daily goals. Take some time each evening to plan for your day ahead so that you know each morning what you’re working towards that day. Then at the end of each week reflect on how that week has propelled you forward in terms of your yearly/life-long goal and consider what you can do next week to progress even further. By assessing your successes you are more likely to stay motivated.

Set deadlines

Much like with the above point, it’s always good to have goals that you’re focused on, however, if there is no end date in sight, we often let up some slack when it comes to reaching the finish line. Again, setting goals can be applied on a daily, even hourly basis or on a grander scale. Make sure your goals are measurable and keep moving in order to achieve them.

Delete distractions

Smartphones have made our lives so much easier in many ways, but they’ve also caused a hindrance to our productivity. Combine that with the constant need to check emails, news websites and social media platforms it can be difficult to focus for long periods of time. The best way to minimise distractions and boost productivity is to delete these distractions. Take your phone off of your desk and limit its usage, turn off your emails and only check them at certain points and limit the number of times you hit refresh on your favourite website. The longer you go without these distractions; you’ll notice that you’re less dependent on them.

Break down your tasks

It can often feel like some tasks will take more work than climbing Everest, which often leads us to procrastinating and pushing them aside whilst continuing to panic about them. Instead of worrying about how much needs to be done, take a step back and break it down. Look at each and every step you need to take in order to accomplish your long term goal. Then see if you can break that task down further, and repeat until you have manageable short-term tasks that you can easily tick off your to-do list.

Delegate

After you’ve broken down all your tasks (see previous point) it can often still feel like you’ve got too much to do and not enough time to do it. This is where delegation plays a key part. It’s very difficult to accomplish everything all by yourself; no man is an island after all. Learn who you can trust and ask for their help.

Reflect

Self-reflection is essential in assessing your successes and potential failures. Those who can reflect will be able to then learn from each action and put into practise what has worked to help fuel future success and understand what they may need to do differently in the future to make things run smoothly. Take some time at the end of each day, or at a minimum at the end of each project, and assess the strengths and weaknesses.

Read

Reading frequently helps expand our minds and encourages us to keep learning. Whether it’s the latest best seller, a news article on your chosen subject or something completely random, it all works in favour of our ability to absorb information and expand our horizons. Try and find just five minutes a day (obviously the more, the better) to expand your mind.

Provide the opportunity to grow

People like to know that they’re working toward something in their career and that they will be able to progress within their roles. Highlight, from the offset, the different ways people will be able to progress their career whilst working for your business. Not only will it provide your employee with the drive and determination to grow in their position, it will also give everyone a transparent way of knowing what to expect and what is expected within the business.

Create a welcoming work environment

The more welcoming your working environment, the more likely it is people will want to work for you. It sounds simple, but is often overlooked by many business owners. There are many different ways you can ensure your business is welcoming to both new and existing employees. For example you could assign each new starter a ‘buddy’ who will help show them round the office and help them settle in, you could also create weekly or monthly lunch clubs so that everyone can socialise with one and other and get to know each other outside of their position within the business.

Have a personalised rewards scheme

People like to be rewarded for their hard work, and often work harder with an incentive, however not everyone is motivated by the same thing. Sit down with each employee and find out what drives them and what they’d like as a reward for reaching targets. Whilst it may take a bit of time to implement, you will see the return through the positive impact it will have on each employee.

Use personality as a key hiring factor

Whilst a high valued skill-set is extremely important when looking for a new hire you should also take the time to learn about each individual on a personal level. New hires can play an important part in affecting the environment you’ve created in your business. When considering which person you should hire, take a moment to reflect on the personality of each candidate and who you think would be the best fit with the rest of the team. If possible, take the time to introduce them to the rest of the team before their official first day.

Allow employees to build a culture

With people spending the majority of their time at work, it’s important for them to feel comfortable in their surroundings, and a way to do that is to allow them to build a positive work culture. A sociable office culture that has been built by the employees themselves can make them excited to come to work every day and will make them feel more relaxed when they’re there which should create a positive culture.

Have a clear business mission

A clear business mission ensures everyone is on the same page and working toward the same end goal. It also means that people will be attracted to your business because the passion people have within the business will be palpable.  People like to know who it is they are working for and what they’re working towards. A clear business mission also helps employees share your businesses message with people they meet outside of work, you never know they could also be a lead.