How to propagate and fund business ideas by consumers
Looking for an easy way to create an USB-to-cloud-bridge (just one example). I once again found that the market fails to deliver some simple products I am willing to pay for. If I had time and knowledge I could become a producer, build the product and create a project on Kickstarter or a similar site to fund manufacturing. But I would prefer someone else to act as producer - If me and enough other people are interested to buy it and it is not too complicated for someone else to build it, there should be some way to connect us, right?
Are there methods for presenting and sharing product ideas by consumers? Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding sites start with a producer looking for consumers, but what if consumers are looking for a producer? I think that all ideas shared at the platform should become open to avoid getting patented or copyrighted by a third party.
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Hi Jakob, and welcome to the site! This is an interesting question, but unfortunately it is not a good fit for our site. Polling the community for product or service recommendations is not allowed on most Stack Exchange sites. If you feel like you can edit your question to be more constructive, please do. – Zuly Gonzalez 12 years ago
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Hi Zuly, I tried to modify the question to be more general. I am not looking for a specific product but general ways to connect consumers and producers. I have a business idea I would like to invest in, how to I find other investors and a company that executes my idea? – Jakob 12 years ago
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Jakob, your edit is better. The main problem with your original version is still in your revised version, however. Asking for a list of sites ("Are there sites...") is considered not constructive on SE. A better approach is to ask _how_ you can accomplish your goal, and let the community provide you with the best solution. Maybe the solution involves a site, but maybe there's a better solution. I edited that part out of your question and have reopened it. I hope someone here can help you. – Zuly Gonzalez 12 years ago
1 Answer
What you are looking for doesn't exist because it wouldn't work.
Sites that try to bring together people with ideas and people who want to start a business but don't have an idea don't work because most idea people (present company excluded, obviously) have crappy ideas, and they are sure those ideas will be the next big thing without doing even minimal market research or a feasibility study.
Idea sites get so full of ideas that can't be produced at all or that have no commercial value that anyone looking for an idea can't find the few good idea that are hidden in all that garbage.
And funding doesn't help because money doesn't bring a product to market - what brings a product to market is a dedicated team that will do anything (including raising money) to make the product a success, funding is just a technicality, one of the countless problems you have to overcome to create a new business - it's not even the biggest problem (proof - what's the percent of people who get funding that managed to create a successful company? if funding was the biggest problem that number should have been close to 100%).
To get a product created you either have to do it yourself or convince someone else to do it - and convincing someone to spend years doing hard work with no immediate reword is not something a site that aggregate unfiltered ideas can do.
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Thanks, this makes sense at least for some products. But if one person wants a product he/she can just find a company and pay to create and deliver. What if the price will be lower with two or more customers? No way to find these other customers willing to pay so they together can afford more? – Jakob 12 years ago
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@Jakob - reaching customers who are willing to pay is called "marketing" and is one of the most difficult parts (often the most difficult part) in creating a successful product. – Nir 12 years ago
