HELP WANTED
EUREKA !!!
You got a tremendous idea. Not just big HUGE! Now, what do you do?
You know what? Most won’t do a thing. They won’t even write it down. It’s something like:
“naa, it’s silly, I’m a dentist what do I understand in interior design?”
“There must be smarter people already working on it.”
“I’m just an artist, what do I know about coding?!”
“I don’t have any time to pursue it now.”
“I haven’t got a dollar to spare to even checking the possibility of this idea.”
Been there? Done that?
How many of us get struck by an idea and then like magic, blinking and it’s gone.
How many times that idea, dare I say those ideas are not related to our field of work? Or they are but we lack the skills, the time or the funds to make them happen, to start, to make them real.
The creative community is very much familiar with collaborating. Entire albums got made by a collaboration of musicians, artists, creators, soundtracks, designers and more, the coffee owner across the street loves that music, he can’t help much, but he does bring them coffee on the house. Once they finish, he will play it in his place. The recording studio is own by someone who loves music. With passion. He gives them the studio for just as little as to cover electricity; he helps too. Each brings their unique skill to create something bigger than themselves. Sounds about right, right?
Can we apply this method to other fields?
I believe we can.
Crowdfunding, for instance, we all know Kickstarter, they did it right, but before them, the first crowdfunding site launched in 2005, ‘Fundable’.
Before it was an online platform the idea of the masses paying lots of small contributes toward one goal is ancient. Funding authors and books have been like that for centuries. Back in 16th century War Bonds were “invented” in the bank of London, it was the crowd who bought those war bonds to fund the war, to support their government.
Canada’s involvement in the First World War began in 1914, with Canadian war bonds called “Victory Bonds” (great name!). The first domestic war loan raised in November 1915. Gold bonds in denominations as small as $50. It was quickly oversubscribed, collecting $398 million or about $50 per capita. The Second and Third Victory Loans were floated in 1918 and 1919, bringing another $1.34 billion. The government awarded communities who bought large amounts of bonds Victory Loan Honour Flags.
What we have here is an excellent example of significant Crowdfunding by the Canadians, they invested in bonds hoping they will be able to cash it with profit, also the power of community, and what do you know, they got flags.
Crowdfunding, we know it works. But how to get to the point from that idea in your mind to have a project that needs to get funded?
Maybe try crowdsourcing?
That if you know what it is you are looking for.
Will it be an utter surprise if I told you crowdsourcing was invented long time ago, too? Again England takes first place, dating 1714 — The Longitude Prize: When the British government was trying to find a way to measure a ship’s longitudinal position, they offered the public a monetary prize to whoever came up with the best solution.
Lior Tzoref, got his Ph.D. in crowdsourcing, he went on Ted with a live ox, he asked people from the crowd how much does the ox weight? He took all the answers, added them all up and divided it by the number of people. Emulating a test conducted in England a hundred years ago, the crowd was spot-on. Crowdwisdom/mind sharing — they work.
Many people around the world are actively asking for advice and deciding by “polls” generated from their active online community. Or as Lior says on his site “WE are smarter than ME” when did you last go online looking for advice? The best place to have dinner? An open pharmacy? Names of an unborn child that has the letter M’ in them. We all do it.
The community holds power and sense of relief for the individual who created it.
People working mostly in Hi-Tech companies are very much aware of outsourcing. The technology is changing so rapidly that people hired two years ago lack the knowledge of new technologies invented half a year ago. Therefore you outsource, all the experts in particular skills are right out there.
How will you find these experts for yourself and your idea? You will have to research, won’t you? It takes time. Do you have time?
You would also need to know what expert are you looking for, which means you probably already went to talk to a few people so they can show you the way.
There are a lot of If’s and But’s for this way.
If you happen to pursue your idea, went out to meet people, manage to set a plan, set your goals and worked to get them, congratulation, you are an entrepreneur.
Most people will have some great ideas in their lifetime, but they won’t realize them because they are missing one of the three most essential ingredients. TIME, SKILL, MONEY. There is a fourth one, sheer luck. And good luck with that, but when you get everything else right, you can increase your chances of success. A lot.
Here is what I find that is missing, support. Yes, I need help. It takes a lot of courage on my part to say it out loud. I need help. No, I don’t know everything (even If I’m a mom). Where do I even start?
Do I ask my friends on Facebook? Maybe on Reddit? Look it up on Google? Go to meetups? Quora? Read? Read it all? Buy a book? Watch the HowTo on youtube? What do I do?
I will gladly share with you what I found I need the most; I want one place.
One place to rule them all- had to.
One place to do it all.
I can go on and list my idea. I’m now missing three things, I don’t have any funds, I lack vital critical skills, and I don’t have much time.
I want this platform to offer me people who can help me out with my idea. But wait, I don’t want just some random designer from Uzbekistan, ( as good as they are, very good) I don’t have much common interest with them.( or maybe I do, I will have to trust the platform for sorting it out). Ever seen lost in translation? That’s what it feels like. I will work much better with someone who loved the same movies I did growing up that will get my reference from Spaceballs, which read the same books and share my passion for Asian cooking methods, just making this up, but you understand right? People I can communicate with easily.
Alas! There is something else. You know the stories of two best friends opening a business together? If they are lucky by the end, they still talking to each other. Why is that?
I found that being besties with someone doesn’t mean you will work well together. One likes doing everything can in the mornings. Highly productive, the other is very creative, wants to be inspired before doing anything and usually procrastinate. How well do you think they will work?
So this place I can list my idea, Find people I think will be nice to work with, this place will have to make sure that these people that can relate to me and my idea, I can also work with. I want them to match me Professionally not just Socially, Do you see where I’m heading?
Idea written down- check.
Building a team- that work well together — check.
Umm, Help? What now? Oh, this platform will have mentors and expert in the field you are trying to find your way. All the best advice and help you can get in the same place. How easy and comfortable is that?!
I don’t come from the IT world.
I have no idea how to chart a flow, or manage a product, Do you? (I do now, thanks to a very gifted woman I’m proud to call my CEO and friend, and she taught me). You will because the platform I’m talking about, it will help you set milestones, so you learn on the go how to manage your team and your idea. Isn’t it the best thing to learn how to do new things? More to it, finding you CAN, best feeling ever.
Recap, I have an idea, I list it, I find people I can work with, that will work great with me and the other team members, I get all the tools to manage myself, my team, my time and learn so many great things on the way.
How do I pay them? Excellent question. In most funding sites out there you will find ideas, projects, and product that are half-baked, that they are in the middle of the way, you can tell what it is about, but those sites have a 30% success rate. I want this platform to help me fund my idea, I have no idea how much my book will end up costing, but I could learn how much I will need for each milestone.
People may help me fund smaller portions of my project, or my dream, and will continue to do so if they see my progress. (milestones achieved)
The TIME oh lord, it takes so much of my time, is it worth it? Spot-on. See, these people who are on the platform, they come from all every field. They will be on this platform because of the innovation part, the excitement of being part of something bigger than yourself. They make the community of the platform.
So if I decide I to give all the people access to the first chapter of my book, I will get reviews, won’t I?
Some may like it better than others, some might not at all, but that’s another great thing, I can learn from the community if this is something someone wants, needs, interested in, am I wasting my time or maybe stumble on the next big thing.
A cohesive platform. An ecosystem. Dedicated to help, support, amplify and develop every single one of us.
I’d like to call it Crowdsupport.
A new word for a fresh new attitude of getting things done the smart way..
Want to hear something even better? We’re building it as i type.
JUGUMI check it out for yourself
Sounds interesting? clap so I may tell you more.
