Crowd Funding

Crowd Funding is a concept that has been growing more and more popular of late. The basic premise isn't new, by any means, the Co-op has been around for ages; but the online community has really grabbed hold and given entrepreneurs the means to make money. I've touted Prosper.com for some time now, and it has probably been one of my more successful money makers, though they have recently run into some speed bumps that they are currently trying to overcome by registering with the SEC. My research has led me to other opportunities like Sell a Band, Kiva.org, Micro Place, and Catwalk Genius, that provide some really interesting ideas and innovative ways to make some money. Now, the thing to remember about crowd funding is that the risk is much higher than your average investment. Think of yourself as the bank, giving a loan to an entrepreneur and being promised a cut of the revenue as payment. You will need to be more discriminating that usual with your choices, picking bands that sound "popular" more so than your particular style of music; or clothes that are "fashion forward" more so than just the cut and style that you'd wear. Still, all told, the potential for profit is staggering. You might not become a millionaire, but the passive income that these can generate would make a nice surprise when you check your accounts after working on another project.