A Crowdfunder's Strategy Guide

CHAPTER 3Crowdfunding Is the Rock Concert for Entrepreneurs

You never forget the first crowdfunding project you support.

I backed my first campaign on October 23, 2009. It was called “Robin Writes a Book (and you get a copy).” Compared with today’s mammoth crowdfunding campaigns, Robin Writes a Book was a no-frills project. The project page itself consisted of eleven paragraphs of text and no images. There were seven reward levels, most of which involved one or more copies of the book. The funding goal was a modest $3,500, and Robin raised $13,942 from 570 backers over a two-month period.

At the time, I had no idea that Robin’s campaign would inspire me to start a company, create a crowdfunding campaign, and launch a new career. All I knew was ...