How to Kickstarter a website idea?

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IOIIOOIO

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Hi so basically I'm a noob front-end developer and I have what I think is a really cool idea for a website that I would like to create. The thing is I'm a bit of a prefectionist and I'm not keen to make this thing all half-ass because then it will certainly be doomed to fail. It's a simple idea that is fairly complicated to implement and in order to get people interested in using the website it has to be on point in every aspect. To this end I will need some funding as I would need to hire a copywriter, an illustrator, a game designer, and I would need to launch a fairly large marketing campaign to create awareness (fairly large as in I want to gain the interest of even celebrities and eventually one day even big brands).

So I'm asking for advice on how to get a website idea Kickstarted? My main concern is that the idea for my website is very simple but has not been done before, so I'm worried that someone out there who has the resources available to them may see the value in my idea and decide to do it before I can.
 
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IOIIOOIO said:
Hi so basically I'm a noob front-end developer and I have what I think is a really cool idea for a website that I would like to create. The thing is I'm a bit of a prefectionist and I'm not keen to make this thing all half-ass because then it will certainly be doomed to fail. It's a simple idea that is fairly complicated to implement and in order to get people interested in using the website it has to be on point in every aspect. To this end I will need some funding as I would need to hire a copywriter, an illustrator, a game designer, and I would need to launch a fairly large marketing campaign to create awareness (fairly large as in I want to gain the interest of even celebrities and eventually one day even big brands).

So I'm asking for advice on how to get a website idea Kickstarted? My main concern is that the idea for my website is very simple but has not been done before, so I'm worried that someone out there who has the resources available to them may see the value in my idea and decide to do it before I can.
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Take out a business loan and hire the people you need?
 
How much do you need ?
And what's the period of time you anticipate it will take until ( sufficient ) profit is generated ?
 
Sherbang said:
Take out a business loan and hire the people you need?
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Unfortunately that isn't an option for me. I simply wouldn't qualify.

gimpex said:
How much do you need ?
And what's the period of time you anticipate it will take until ( sufficient ) profit is generated ?
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Well that's something I still need to investigate in depth. Cost will depend on quotes I get from the people I approach to employ. Maybe a good approach would be just to put the idea out there to start with? So Stage 1 would be to see if there is interest in the idea. Then if there is interest Stage 2 would be to actually spend time and find out how much it would cost to create.

The key idea though is that it's free to use. I'm not really aiming for profits. I'm aiming to make something cool that lots of people have fun using. I think the good thing about it in terms of profitability is that it really could become bit of a fad, and that it has nearly endless opportunities to expand on with a bit of creative thinking. Perhaps it will eventually become a viable platform for brands to engage with their audience and then maybe we could think about how that could be profitable.

Really the only thing stopping me right now from trying this is I'm scared to put the idea out there in public where someone can just steal it.
 
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Couple of things:
1. No one wants to steal your idea, they have their own ideas. Ideas are a dime a dozen, working products are a different story.
2. Any business, especially something like a website has a massive chance of failing. Which brings us to point 3.
3. Read up about lean principles for startups. It does not have to be on point in every aspect. A big bang approach is a recipe for disaster, build it small, solve the main problem first and put it out there. Maybe no one wants to use it maybe everyone want to use it. But hiring a bunch of people right out the gate is probably not going to end well. Massive costs with no cash flow = quick and painful death.

Moral of the story, bash out an MVP in a week or two, put it out there and see if it sticks. If it does then funding it won't be a problem. But stop thinking about it and build it.
 
Legend! Thanks for all the advice! I will start small and see what the response is from there. The reason I didnt want to go that route is becasue I'm worried about making something noob-ass and people are like lolnothnks.
 
IOIIOOIO said:
Legend! Thanks for all the advice! I will start small and see what the response is from there. The reason I didnt want to go that route is becasue I'm worried about making something noob-ass and people are like lolnothnks.
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If it solves a problem then people will use it and you'll get great feedback to guide further development, good luck!
 
I have a slightly different perspective.

I think ideas are the hard part. Trying to come up with something that people need , and that is not done yet , and are willing to pay for it , that's the hard part.

Once you get the idea , and you can put a plan around it , how to monetize it , people will be lining up to give you money - if they share your view that it's a viable business.

I would go in between - not basic but also not all out. But it needs to attractive and fictional to attract attention.

As for no one wanting to steal ideas .... I don't know. I would gladly take on a project that's already thought out and one that just requires resource.
 
gimpex said:
Once you get the idea , and you can put a plan around it , how to monetize it , people will be lining up to give you money - if they share your view that it's a viable business.
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It's not a viable business, it's an idea, and trust me getting it to a viable business is infinitely more difficult that dreaming up an idea.

gimpex said:
As for no one wanting to steal ideas .... I don't know. I would gladly take on a project that's already thought out and one that just requires resource.
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And, how many ideas of other people have you built into viable businesses? (Not trying to sound condescending and I'm not saying you can't, just proving the point).


At the end of the day just friggin do something about it, even if that something is pitching up at a VC with a concept, just do something.
 
Frikkenator said:
It's not a viable business, it's an idea, and trust me getting it to a viable business is infinitely more difficult that dreaming up an idea.



And, how many ideas of other people have you built into viable businesses? (Not trying to sound condescending and I'm not saying you can't, just proving the point).


At the end of the day just friggin do something about it, even if that something is pitching up at a VC with a concept, just do something.
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Respectfully , I disagree with you. You have your opinion I have mine.

Bring me a viable idea and I will turn it into a business.

That's why there are so many VC guys with buckets full of cash willing to throw it at start ups. Because good ideas are more scarce than cash.

Anyway , no point arguing. Just a difference of opinion.
 
gimpex said:
Respectfully , I disagree with you. You have your opinion I have mine.

Bring me a viable idea and I will turn it into a business.

That's why there are so many VC guys with buckets full of cash willing to throw it at start ups. Because good ideas are more scarce than cash.

Anyway , no point arguing. Just a difference of opinion.
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Yeah. Good luck with that. You are scared of offering your idea yet you aren't doing it yourself.. If you can recognize that a bank won't finance it you'll have to some of it on your own dime, or failing that, learn the skills to sort it out.

However, I do agree with Frik as well, I have about 8 ideas that are all viable, some better than others, and I'm upskilling myself to sort it out, or at least build prototype to show people and encourage them to invest.
 
GhostSixFour said:
Yeah. Good luck with that. You are scared of offering your idea yet you aren't doing it yourself.. If you can recognize that a bank won't finance it you'll have to some of it on your own dime, or failing that, learn the skills to sort it out.

However, I do agree with Frik as well, I have about 8 ideas that are all viable, some better than others, and I'm upskilling myself to sort it out, or at least build prototype to show people and encourage them to invest.
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Read then comment

I have no idea. That's exactly my point. But I do have some spare change for making someone else's idea come true - and bring me a healthy return in the process.

So no , contrary to your misunderstood thoughts , I am not scared to bring the ideas to the table. Quite simply. I don't have any ideas.
 
gimpex said:
Respectfully , I disagree with you. You have your opinion I have mine.

Bring me a viable idea and I will turn it into a business.

That's why there are so many VC guys with buckets full of cash willing to throw it at start ups. Because good ideas are more scarce than cash.

Anyway , no point arguing. Just a difference of opinion.
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I didn't mean for my comments to come across as argumentative. I offer insight from my experience and I've been through this a couple of times.

Here's how it works:

What you refer to is seed funding, most VCs with "bucket loads of cash" do not do seed funding as there is too much risk, it is usually through incubation arms of VCs or private investors who do seed funding. Seed funding is usually very, very expensive in terms of both equity and control. You want to keep this to a minimum or not at all if possible. Hence you start something up by bootstrapping or taking as little seed funding as possible.

Once you've got a business showing good traction, whether profitable or not you start looking for more serious funding if required. Now you're starting to talk about Series A funding where some VCs may become interested. They go through a ton of due diligence on the business and team members and may invest or not based on the outcome.

The golden rule is this, the more you've done and the more traction you have, the cheaper funding becomes. Hence, start out small and get some users, test the need and test the product, start growing it from there. Once you're sure you are on to something then you need to start scaling, and depending on how far you've come and what you've proven, you choose what type of funding to go for. If you've done really well then funding becomes much less expensive as there is a lot less risk.

This is the way of the world, and I encourage you do some reading about the funding process online if you're really interested in it.
 
gimpex said:
Respectfully , I disagree with you. You have your opinion I have mine.

Bring me a viable idea and I will turn it into a business.

That's why there are so many VC guys with buckets full of cash willing to throw it at start ups. Because good ideas are more scarce than cash.

Anyway , no point arguing. Just a difference of opinion.
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in the real world this is not what happens.

go look at how many pitches YCombinator gets, and then look at how many they invest in. VCs look for great ideas, that have been implemented well, and have traction

why did myspace die, and facebook became a 100+ billion dollar company, when they are basically the same idea? implementation and adoption (maybe not the best example, as myspace made a lot of money, but there existed hundreds of "social" sites, that we can collectively call "myspace")


edit: Frikkenator posted a better version of what I said, while I was typing :)
 
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Firstly, you need to invest in skill. With so many online resources like Coursera (been using it from day 1) and W3C (just as long as you learn the basics and not the bad habits they teach). It's a long term investment. If you cannot improve your skill-set constantly might as well stop thinking about starting a business. Keep pushing until you notice your pants is half-way up your chest and you're wearing braces. If you can get some experience while studying/working it would be a huge benefit. Invest in a Degree or an IT Diploma (which is over-saturated right now). Take up something like BCom and Informatics or a Computer Science Degree at Unisa. You will learn a lot more rather than sitting at home and downloading Youtube tutorials.
Think small and aim small. Don't think about creating the next load shedding app because we already have enough of those (unless you find something missing from all the other apps).
It's all about learning new stuff and applying it practically (AND how fast you can do it). Meet people who have similar aspirations (and obviously the skill and willingness to learn) on online communities like meetup.com and linkedin.
Hope this helps.
 
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