Four Things to Consider Before Crowdfunding Crowdfunding allows for a large amount of people to contribute small amounts of cash. This system has been around for many years. It allows businesses to raise funds from investors in return for a share in their company, also known as equity. Non-accredited investors (such as normal individuals) can also use the money to invest in startups. Crowdfunding may be the best way to go if your company has a great idea but you are having difficulty raising funds. You must be careful as an ambitious aspiring entrepreneur. It is possible to get in trouble if you act too quickly without thinking. Here are some tips for crowdfunding. Don’t gather $1 million from a million persons Entrepreneurs should not do this until they have gathered the most people with whom to work. As an entrepreneur, you should plan out your investor relations strategy. It should outline how and when investors will contact you and answer any questions. Also, let your investors know about your plans. It will be difficult to manage relationships with hundreds or even thousands of investors. Don’t take money from just anyone You don’t want to be in a situation where you’re taking money that was gained unlawfully. You are legally required to repay money you have received from someone else who has deceived you. It is possible to be totally devastated if your money disappears. As a new entrepreneur, keep an eye on your investors and conduct some research on them so you don’t wind up collecting unlawful funds that can bankrupt your company. You can keep control of your business Entrepreneurs, especially beginners, don’t like being held accountable to shareholders. While you’re getting started, keep in mind that you’ll have to deal with all of the negative aspects of public corporations, such as unhappy shareholders. If you’re raising funds through equity crowdfunding, you’ll want to be careful about how much authority you provide your backers. You don’t offer these types of investors the same treatment as venture capitalists. This is because these individuals can often impact key decisions in a startup, and you wouldn’t want any crowd investors, particularly those you don’t know well, to have the power to effect major company decisions such as employing and firing the CEO, selling the startup, securing capital, or taking loans. Draw the parameters for the exchange To minimize confusion later, it is advisable to establish the parameters for crowd investments in advance, with the assistance of a trusted advisor or legal counsel. Make sure you establish the ground rules early. this is what you’re getting right now, this is how we arrived at this price, this is how it might alter in the future, and these are your rights if there are any additional fundraising rounds. Crowd investors need to understand that, if they invest $1,000 in an investment firm representing 10% of the business at the point of investment, the $1,000 investment will no longer be worth 10% of that business if that company expands or receives additional rounds. As new income is generated, it is important to establish that the original investors will retain a smaller percentage of the company. Crowdfunding has become one of the most popular funding options for people wishing to start a business, but while you’re doing so, keep these measures in mind to help you stay on top of your game in the near future.