Crowd-funding is a relatively new term that has taking the investing world by storm and it has allowed even the smallest of companies/individuals to grow with the support of like minded individuals, fellow inventors, friends, family and enthusiasts alike. And even though this new method of fund raising is big in many markets, it still hasn't seen much growth in the fishing industry.
What is crowd-funding?
Crowd-funding is the practise of funding a project or venture with a large number of investors via an intranet campaign. I would also add that a good portion of these investors are not typical in the fact that they are not looking to make large sums of money off their investment but in turn they are looking to support a small business or project in hopes that it will succeed that they the investor will get to share in the success by using the product, or being offered a small reward for their support.
Great examples of this have been seen in both the movie and music industry, many investors support projects they want to see created, not to get rich, but so that they can actually use and enjoy the final project. In turn, for their support investors are often given credits at the end of the movie, or on the liner notes of a CD. When the product gets made the investor usually gets a copy to enjoy and share with friends
How could Crowd-funding benefit Anglers and the Fishing Industry
Like it or not fishing is big business, and more often then not the big boys control most of the market and get to make the decision on what products see the light of day. This can hurt small more regional baits, lures or equipment that may sell well in your area, but don't have a global enough appeal to make these big boys take notice.. Crowd-funding gives the smaller bait designer, rod builders or even fishing guide an outlet and way to get their works created and sponsored. Many inventors have the idea but not the means to get their product created, this is where crowd-funding comes in.
Example of Current campaigns
There are many reasons that an angler may want to start a crowd funding campaign, above I mainly focused on inventions and business related ideas. But this is not the only way a crowd funder campaign can be used. Charities also use this new method of raising money in order to reach a wider audience and gain a wider knowledge of their cause. A quick look through the various crowd funding sites will provide you with an extremely long list of worth while causes, including Fishing for wounded warriors, Send a Solider Fishing and even anglers looking for support to fulfil their dream of fishing in a Bass Master Open event. All of these are great causes and ways that you can get involved in supporting other anglers within the industry.
I will personally be starting a crowd funding campaign later this season to help a Solider fish in the Kingston Canadian Open.. i lived my dream last year and this year it is someone else's turn, stay tuned for more details
If you have a crowdfunder project underway, let us know about it !
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