So I’m reading my Twitter feed over the weekend, and I come across this post by one of my sons:
Rabbit Troupe’s kickstarter was officially funded as of . . . 43 minutes ago.
I don’t know what a Rabbit Troupe is, but I do know that the Rabbit Troupe he was referring to is a local band in New Jersey. My son Mike, the lead . . . umm . . .talker . . . for Bedtime Stories, is all palsy with the boys in Rabbit Troupe and was excited that his buddies had successfully raised the money they were looking for on Kickstarter.
Somehow, I’ve managed never to talk about Kickstarter here.
Kickstarter is a web site where people looking to raise money for business ideas can go to try and get the attention of others who essentially donate money. There’s no angel investor/venture capital/sell your soul component to Kickstarter; the only thing that people who contribute to your cause get is a warm fuzzy feeling . . . plus anything you choose to give as a thank you.
Kickstarter works. Thousands of ideas have been funded through Kickstarter, with some raising serious money for serious businesses. And just like Louis CK cutting out the media business middlemen, or Neil Young having the courage to call piracy the new radio, Kickstarter is real business change. Kickstarter is a great proving ground for something I’ve said before: now, anyone can create art and distribute it.
Sure, on the Internet you need to keep in mind that everything you say can be read by almost anyone. But that’s what social media is all about; you get your message out there. As long as you send out the right message and target it at the right people, good things happen. It’s when you send the wrong messages—as traditional media companies keep doing—that you get in trouble.
Nice job, Rabbit Troupe. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you drink your own Kool-Aid . . . as you can see above, Rabbit Troupe has built social media credibility on Kickstarter by backing nine other projects.
Business Change. So easy, even kids can do it. Need help with your business change? Contact me here.
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