Anyone and everyone is headed down the entrepreneurial route these days, relying on crowdsourcing platforms to get their ventures off the ground. At the forefront of the movement is Kickstarter—the global crowdfunding platform that has become a haven for aspiring startups looking to obtain financial backing. Several projects have gone on to meet their funding quotas, branching out to the market and becoming multi-million dollar enterprises in the process. The majority, well, fall into a pit of obscurity, never to be heard from again. That doesn’t have to be your fate.
To achieve a successful campaign, it all begins with presenting a product or service casual consumers want. We’re talking basic Marketing 101 here, something most startups can learn from a brand like Toshiba. The electronic giant’s slogan for its latest Encore tablet, “the one device that quiets the hype,” practically sells itself. While learning from one of the industry firsts, one can also pick up pointers on how to launch a profitable campaign through several other successful Kickstarter projects. Here are 15 essential tips to help get you started on the road to entrepreneurship.