How to Raise Venture Capital for Your Small Business Using Crowdfunding Techniques

Getting funding for a small business is no easy feat. Luckily, there are many different techniques out there that can help you raise venture capital for your small business. Most small businesses don’t have connections to larger venture capital firms. So, an incredible way to raise capital when you’re starting out is through crowdfunding. 

Whether you’re a small business just starting or an independent business looking to raise more money, crowdfunding could be the answer you’ve been looking for. Here’s how to raise venture capital for your small business using techniques. 

1. Try Donation-Based Crowdfunding

Donation-based funding is the most common type of crowdfunding out there. These are the types of campaigns that you see on sites like Kickstarter. If you have a small business with dedicated customers, you can try using donation-based crowdfunding to raise venture capital. 

When you create a donation-based crowdfunding campaign your supporters can easily see exactly what you need the money for. This way, you can instill trust in your clients and they can easily track your progress as your business continues to grow. Your supporters will usually be happy to help you raise the capital you need to get your small business off the ground. 

2. Equity Crowdfunding 

Equity crowdfunding is a great way to conduct a crowdfunding campaign to raise venture capital. When people contribute to equity crowdfunding they get partial ownership of the business in exchange for their donations. 

When you decide to go for equity crowdfunding your supporters get shares based on how well your business ends up doing and how much money they put in in the first place. 

3. Create Concrete Goals 

When you’re raising capital for your business it may be easy to think big and try to get as much money raised as you can. But when you use crowdfunding techniques it’s in your best interest to create concrete goals to raise money over time. 

This makes it easier for your business to take the necessary steps it needs to grow. It also makes it easy for your supporters to see exactly what their money is going towards when they support your business through crowdfunding. 

You can also create milestones in your crowdfunding campaign to give more incentives to your supporters. 

Here are some milestones you can use throughout your campaign to help your supporters track your progress:

• Show a specific product you are trying to create 
• Acknowledgments of specific supporters based on contributions 
• Small gifts like stickers and t-shirts for early supporters 
• Exclusive perks for high contributing supporters 

You can get creative with the milestones that you offer your supporters throughout your campaign. Setting these goals and milestones will help people see exactly what your fundraising will do for your small business. 

4. Know the Challenges 

Many businesses think that crowdfunding is an easy way to raise money quickly but that isn’t always the case. There is a lot of work that goes into creating a successful crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding is all about getting people to support your business. 

It’s important to create a great marketing campaign to direct people to your campaign. But it’s also a good idea to do this marketing to create a large community around your business as well. The more dedicated your community is, the more they will support you while you raise capital. 

Some small businesses will have a harder time raising money than others. There are few female entrepreneurs of color in business, but the market is rising rapidly with incredible leaders emerging. If you qualify as a female entrepreneur of color, there are amazing grants from Nowcorp that can help you raise the capital that you need to build your dream business. 

Conclusion

Crowdfunding can be an incredible way to raise venture capital for your small business. It’s an alternative and modern way to raise the money you need while simultaneously building a community around your business. 

If you are interested in trying crowdfunding there are tons of different sites that you can use to host your campaign. Or you can create your crowdfunding site for more control over your campaign. Whichever way you go about it, feel free to use these tips to help you raise the capital you need to get your small business off the ground.