Crowdfund Investing For Dummies® -- Contents at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Conventions Used in This Book -- What You're Not to Read -- Foolish Assumptions -- How This Book Is Organized -- Icons Used in This Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Tapping the Potential of Crowdfund Investing -- Chapter 1: The Crowd's in Your Corner: Funding or Investing in a Business -- Sharing Our Hopes and Themes -- Packing a Punch: The Power of the Online Crowd -- Why People Care: Appreciating the Appeal of Being Part of the Crowd -- Spotting the Business Beneficiaries of Crowdfund Investing -- Figuring Out How Businesses and Investors Find Each Other -- Predicting the Future of Crowdfund Investing and Crowdfunded Businesses -- Chapter 2: Tracing the Origins of Crowdfund Investing -- Looking Way Back: Evidence of the Crowd Concept in Early U.S. History -- Realizing the Federal Government's Role in Limiting Business Funding -- Laying the Groundwork for the JOBS Act -- The Startup Exemption: Advocating for Change -- Grasping the Regulatory Revolution -- Chapter 3: Raising Capital for Your Startup or Small Business with Crowdfund Investing -- Identifying Businesses Ripe for Crowdfund Investing -- Working within the Statutory Framework -- Distinguishing Crowdfund Investing from Other Types of Financing -- Putting Your Baby Online for the World to See -- Understanding Your Risks -- Staying Legal: From the Lawyer's Experience -- Chapter 4: Becoming Part of the Crowd: Investing with Caution -- Considering How This Investment Fits (Or Doesn't Fit) into Your Portfolio -- Studying the Candidates -- Staying Alert to Potential Problems -- Preparing an Investment Exit Strategy -- Part II: Planning Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign -- Chapter 5: Defining Your Goals and Financial Needs -- Conducting Market Research.

Getting Specific about the Problems You Can Solve -- Identifying Your Target Market -- Noting the Phase Your Business Is In -- Crunching Numbers: Figuring Out How Much Money You Need -- Getting Real about Whether Crowdfund Investing Is Right for Your Business -- Determining Your Company's Valuation -- Imagining Your Ideal Exit Strategy -- Chapter 6: Focusing on Your People: Building Your Crowd and Your Team -- Picturing Your Crowd -- Respecting What Crowd Investors Need from You -- Finding Talent to Support Your Goals -- Chapter 7: Picking a Powerful Crowdfund Investing Platform -- Understanding JOBS Act Provisions about Investment Platforms -- Spotting the Services a Good Platform Can Provide -- Shopping for the Best Crowdfund Investing Platform -- Chapter 8: Networking Your Way to Successful Funding -- Building Your Network before You Raise Money -- Developing Trust -- Being Transparent -- Acquiring Access to World-Class Connections -- Looking for Angels or Venture Capitalists -- Building a Powerful LinkedIn Profile -- Creating Content -- Building Your Circle of 50 -- Saying the Two Most Powerful Words: Help Me! -- Overcoming What's Holding You Back -- Developing an Infographic -- Part III: Managing Your Crowdfund Investing Campaign -- Chapter 9: Making Your Pitch -- Putting Your Best Face Forward -- Applying Lessons Learned from Perks-Based Crowdfunding -- Managing Your Social Network -- Realizing What Happens When Your Idea Goes Live -- Chapter 10: Troubleshooting Campaign Problems -- Protecting Your Intellectual Property before You Go Live -- Playing Nice with the SEC -- Handling the Disappointment of Not Meeting Your Funding Target -- Avoiding Other Pitfalls -- Chapter 11: Moving Forward When You Reach Your Funding Target -- Collecting the Money! -- Thanking Your Investors -- Year One: Living Out Your Business Plan.

Tapping into Your Investment Community -- Year Two: Preparing for the End of the One-Year Stock Holding Period -- Reaching Out to the Crowd for More Money -- Part IV: Running Your Business with Your Investors in Mind -- Chapter 12: Communicating with Your Investors -- Recognizing Some Crowd-Specific Opportunities and Challenges -- Making Outbound Communication a Priority -- Chapter 13: Crowd Mentality: Staying Afloat in the Face of Investor Revolt -- Avoiding Common Business Blunders -- Dealing with Bad Publicity -- Steering Clear of Legal Woes -- Trying to Win the Crowd Over Again -- Chapter 14: Knowing Your Options If Your Plans Go Astray -- Canceling a Project Immediately after the Crowdfund Investing Campaign -- Interrupting a Campaign Midstream -- Extending a Project's Timeline -- Part V: Becoming a Crowdfund Investor -- Chapter 15: Evaluating Crowdfund Investing Opportunities -- Knowing Your Overall Investment Goals -- Protecting Yourself through Due Diligence -- Applying Some Common Sense Tactics -- Sniffing Out Fraud -- Chapter 16: Committing Your Capital -- Appreciating the Purpose of Investment Limits -- Making Your First Crowdfund Investment -- Knowing Your Rights as an Investor -- Anticipating Rewards for Your Investment -- Chapter 17: Adding Value: Playing the Right Role as an Investor -- Sharing What and Who You Know -- Serving on a Board of Advisors -- Evaluating the Quality of What's Being Produced -- Becoming an Ambassador or Evangelist for the Company -- Walking a Fine Line: Participating without Becoming a Nuisance -- Taking Action If You Believe the Company Is Breaking the Law -- Chapter 18: Exiting a Crowdfund Investment -- Entering the Investment with the Right Attitude and Expectations -- Planning Your Exit Well in Advance -- Holding Out Hope for an IPO -- Waiting for a Merger or Acquisition -- Part VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 19: Ten Best Practices for a Crowdfund Investing Campaign -- Set Realistic Expectations -- Work for Your Investors -- Don't Be Evil -- Thank Everyone - Constantly -- Give Credit Where Credit Is Due -- Engage with Investors in Regular and Scalable Ways -- Create Ways to Include Your Supporters -- Make Your Vision and Goals Transparent to Your Investors -- Understand Why These People Are Investing in Your Company -- Work with People You Like -- Chapter 20: Ten Reasons Every Country Should Consider Crowdfund Investing -- Ideas Go Where the Money Is -- Ideas Can Turn into Job-Producing Businesses -- Job-Producing Businesses Are Tax Revenue Generators -- Economic Stimulus Is a Byproduct of Entrepreneurship and Innovation -- Local Investing Keeps Money in the Community and Country -- Crowdfund Investing Leads to a Larger Middle Class and Greater Stability -- The Number-One Source of Net New Jobs Is Small Businesses -- The Web Can Get Capital Flowing -- People Want to Support Their Countries -- You Don't Want to Be Left Behind! -- Chapter 21: Ten Crowdfunding Cases -- Dessert Truck, Inc. -- Escape the City -- The Asian Resource Center -- TikTok+LunaTik Multi-Touch Watch Kits by Scott Wilson and MINIMAL -- Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra -- Sedation Wars: Battle for Alabaster -- Cheer -- Kone Coffee -- Lockitron -- Forage Kitchen -- Chapter 22: Ten Stories That Inspire -- Ubooly -- Project Homophobia -- The First Crowdfunded Baby -- Crowdfunding Hope -- The Annual Clock -- From Nothing to World Cup -- A Photographic View of Breast Cancer -- Vivian Maier: Photographer -- The Cheer Ambassadors Film -- The Break: Surviving the Recovery -- Appendix: Resources -- Advisory Services -- Industry Groups -- Perks-Based Crowdfunding Platforms -- Crowdfund Investing Platforms -- Crowdfund Investing Legal Expertise.

Crowdfund Investing Secondary Market Provider -- Crowdfund Investing Due Diligence Service -- Regulatory Bodies -- Online Services for Small Businesses and Startups -- Index.