Crowdfunding has taken on the business world by storm, with a new way to grow companies that never existed in quite the same way before. While the idea of gathering funds from community members to start a business is an old idea, the speed and scale of the internet has created conditions for growth on an incredible scale.
Advantages
Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Quirky, Crowdcube and Peoplefund.it have grown enormously in recent years. These platforms have provided billions in seed funding for new companies. In exchange for funds, crowdfunded companies provide everything from their hearty appreciation, to beta products, to dinner with the founders to equity in the companies. The rules of the platform and decisions by the company provide the value of each dollar invested into the crowdfunding campaign.
Some companies achieve spectacular results. Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset maker that raised over a million dollars on Kickstarter to launch its product. The original investors received the beta product in exchange for their money. However, the funds helped the company lift-off and it was eventually sold to Facebook for $2 billion.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, the vast majority of campaigns do not have such an excellent outcome. Most campaigns fail to meet their funding goal, raising nothing to several hundred pounds.
The companies that do raise funding have a very different problem. They now have a public timeline to develop and deliver their product. Without delivering on this timetable, the company can get very bad publicity and sour relations with its earliest customers. In addition, resources are diverted to focus exclusively on delivering on the product, even if it turns out not to be ideal for the company. Finally, there is a chance that those that receive the beta product will be unsatisfied and leave poor reviews. In all, many companies must consider whether crowdfunding is the ideal path for them. For some, they are fraught with peril.
Business Credit Card
Instead, many companies are choosing credit cards from business banking institutions. These allow greater flexibility and choice by the business with how to spend funds. They can also manage cash flow by paying back a small percentage of the balance each month. Finally, business cards provide additional benefits such as cash back and travel rewards.
Overall, businesses must consider whether they can accept the burdens of crowdfunding. While their is significant potential for a big payoff, it is not 100% certain. Instead, many businesses are choosing to use credit card financing to accelerate their company into the future.
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