Crowdfund Investing For Dummies

Sherwood Neiss, Jason W. Best, and Zak Cassady-Dorion are the founders of Startup Exemption (developers of the crowdfund investing framework used in the 2012 JOBS Act). They deeply understand the process, rules, disclosures, and risks of capital formation from both the entrepreneur's and the investor's points of view.

Part I: Tapping the Potential of Crowdfund Investing 7

Chapter 1: The Crowd’s in Your Corner: Funding or Investing in a Business 9

Chapter 2: Tracing the Origins of Crowdfund Investing 23

Chapter 3: Raising Capital for Your Startup or Small Business with Crowdfund Investing 41

Chapter 4: Becoming Part of the Crowd: Investing with Caution 67

Part II: Planning Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign  83

Chapter 5: Defi ning Your Goals and Financial Needs 85

Chapter 6: Focusing on Your People: Building Your Crowd and Your Team 109

Chapter 7: Picking a Powerful Crowdfund Investing Platform 127

Chapter 8: Networking Your Way to Successful Funding 141

Part III: Managing Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign  155

Chapter 9: Making Your Pitch 157

Chapter 10: Troubleshooting Campaign Problems 177

Chapter 11: Moving Forward When You Reach Your Funding Target 191

Part IV: Running Your Business with Your Investors in Mind  207

Chapter 12: Communicating with Your Investors 209

Chapter 13: Crowd Mentality: Staying Afl oat in the Face of Investor Revolt 219

Chapter 14: Knowing Your Options If Your Plans Go Astray 231

Part V: Becoming a Crowdfund Investor  243

Chapter 15: Evaluating Crowdfund Investing Opportunities 245

Chapter 16: Committing Your Capital 259

Chapter 17: Adding Value: Playing the Right Role as an Investor 271

Chapter 18: Exiting a Crowdfund Investment 283

Part VI: The Part of Tens  293

Chapter 19: Ten Best Practices for a Crowdfund Investing Campaign 295

Chapter 20: Ten Reasons Every Country Should Consider Crowdfund Investing 301

Chapter 21: Ten Crowdfunding Cases 309

Chapter 22: Ten Stories That Inspire 315

Appendix: Resources  321

Index  325

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