# Make that check payable to: Sicboy Worldwide!



## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

I was just wondering how many people would look at this thread?

And then answer me this if you would. If i started a promotional campaign to raise capitol for my company by asking people to send $10.00-$20.00 as a contribution to the company start up fund and in return would list them as contributors on my web site, do you think it would fly?

Contributors name would be followed by a brief description of where the contribution was used i.e. advertising, marketing, cheeseburgers (jokes),etc.etc.

Whats in it for them? Besides a sense of pride and the happiness of giving, I would provide a coupon that would give them the amount contributed as a rebate on there next purchase over $50.00.

I really am determined to take this company to great heighths but I admit that I can not do it alone! I am a licensed contractor in Cali that has been out of work since November. I have worked my arse off to care for my families needs by doing what ever little side jobs I can get, and we are and will do fine! But it doent leave anything extra to get this apparel company up and going. So I am trying to come up with creative ideas to raise capitol. What would you do?


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## Binary01 (Jun 2, 2007)

not sure what type of music scene your into...but if you have artists that could do a fundraising show for you to get started, that might help.... they play for free and its for a good cause.... but you have to know these people to make it fly... not sure if you have any 'street credit' but use that to get you going...

get enough loot to get 1-2 designs pressed up and build from there..... it takes time.... i was in your same boat in detroit,.... contractor/no work/etc.....gotta diversify yourself.....

b


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

Yeah I have got several sic designs ready for print.. just trying to put together the scratch to get them on some product. I went to the ISS show in long beach and made great contacts for suppliers, again, just need scratch!


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

also thanks for the music ideas. I have honestly been working on a similar idea. I met the base player for the Joe Cockren Band. He is a rich dude and a entrapenure who has made millions. he said he would wear my product on the next tour when I got it to him...


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Sicboy Worldwide said:


> If i started a promotional campaign to raise capitol for my company by asking people to send $10.00-$20.00 as a contribution to the company start up fund and in return would list them as contributors on my web site, do you think it would fly?


Hell no.

If people had a reason (preferably beyond financial incentive) then yes. To get their name on a list? No.

For example, recently there was a politician running for a local office (can't remember his name, sorry) in the US.

He was a young technological sort of guy running against someone who... wasn't. So he mobilised the internet as a fundraising source.

Most people donating wouldn't have been in his electorate, and wouldn't have been affected. But for various reasons (liking the idea of helping someone out, wanting to see change, finding it amusing to help defeat a politician that is of no consequence to you, etc. etc.) people donated money.

You can safely assume people donating shared an ideology with the candidate, but their reasons for donating were not the same as a presedential candidate or party.

I would bet that a significant number of donors were people who don't usually donate to political causes.

Anyway, the point of all this is that he mobilised donations by 1) Appealing to people's sense of humour, 2) Appealing to people's sense of novelty, 3) Making people identify with him. It was funny, it was different, he was like you, it's pocket change to me but means a lot to him... so why not?

A politician is closer to a non-profit than a commercial entity, but still: the principle is essentially the same in both cases. You are trying to get people to buy good will.

Convince people that giving you money will make them feel good about themselves, and you get the money.


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

Lewis- That was very incitefull! I will keep reading your reply over and over until i get the full grasp of the analogy. I appreciate your input!


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## Binary01 (Jun 2, 2007)

i'm trying to sell the sizzle... the steak will come later


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

b- I have always dug your work. Its real tight and clean, I would sport that sizzle any day!

"the steak will come later", it always does when you hear the sizzle. right on bro. Thanks for that.


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## Binary01 (Jun 2, 2007)

thanks man.... just keep pushing along.... i was in the hole a few years back but managed to keep it alive...

just press up 2-3 designs in m/xl/2-3xl in mens and xs/s/m in ladies and buy cases of shirt and just stick to 1-2 color shirts to keep you overhead low...

in the beginning, my mistake was that i tried to press up too much... so instead of having enough inventory of a few designs, i had alot of designs with less inventory and that didnt last too long....


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## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

Sicboy Worldwide said:


> I was just wondering how many people would look at this thread?
> 
> And then answer me this if you would. If i started a promotional campaign to raise capitol for my company by asking people to send $10.00-$20.00 as a contribution to the company start up fund and in return would list them as contributors on my web site, do you think it would fly?
> 
> ...


Of course.  Complete sarcasm.


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## Daniel Slatkin (Jun 25, 2008)

It never hurts to try crazy things. You would be amazed the things I have gotten people to pay to putt their name on. Good luck to you sick Boy on you venture.


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

CAPITAL...... It's what I was supposed to use for dinner. Instead I pressed up ten shirts pushed them on the street and now I can buy 15... Don't laugh dammit it's a start. Hi Rodney! Are you stil runnin this show? Sorry I missed you this year at ISS... Count me in next year.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

First of all, what Lewis said is exactly right, making people feel good about giving is certainly one way to get them to give. There is, at least in my mind, another part to the equation though, and that's this:

Why do I (or anyone) want to give to you? 

Say I have a spare $20 that I've decided to donate to some person or cause. There are a million places I can donate that money. What is going to make me choose to give my donation to you, a guy who is looking to start his own for profit business, over giving it to my local homeless shelter, or to support a literacy program, or any other number of worthy organizations that have proven track records of doing good?

In other words, what's your story and is it compelling enough to make me want to support you in your dream? 

Just saying I want to start a business and support my family isn't going to inspire me. If you want to motivate people to give you money, you have to create a compelling reason. Of course, if you want to avoid jail, that reason also has to be a true and verifiable reason. 

You would also have to create total transparency. There would need to be a website or a blog that showed how the business is progressing and what was being done with the funds that were donated. You would have to have accountability before I'd be willing to donate a cent, and I'm guessing I'm not alone in that.


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## IYFGraphics (Sep 28, 2009)

Solmu said:


> Hell no.
> 
> Most people donating wouldn't have been in his electorate, and wouldn't have been affected. But for various reasons (liking the idea of helping someone out, wanting to see change, finding it amusing to help defeat a politician that is of no consequence to you, etc. etc.) people donated money.
> 
> ...


Great story......



Solmu said:


> A politician is closer to a non-profit than a commercial entity, but still: the principle is essentially the same in both cases. You are trying to get people to buy good will.
> 
> Convince people that giving you money will make them feel good about themselves, and you get the money.


Until their elected, then they become "_for profit_"



EnMartian said:


> Just saying I want to start a business and support my family isn't going to inspire me. If you want to motivate people to give you money, you have to create a compelling reason. Of course, if you want to avoid jail, that reason also has to be a true and verifiable reason.


Exactly....some folks might think it's a scam.


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

Kristine.. My dear, thank you! First off, for you to take the time to express your thoughts and opinions is a wonderfull contribution in it's self! Time is as good as money and you have given me that! 
"total transparency" could you define your meaning of that? Do you mean to give the appearance of an entity rather than an individual? Thus giving some substance to the cause as a commercial entity rather than say, some schlep looking for handouts?
"accountability" i will wrap my head around that and see how that can be quantified and made into a reality.
I get the fact that this must seem ludacris to others and no doubt I will illicit a bunch of "he'll yeahs" from other members for recognizing my own, let me just say "limitations", with this endeavor.
Inside the box or outside the box... I guess it depends on the perspective. None the less it's a good and worthy challenge in my mind. I will overcome the Nay Sayers, even if the extent of gains are the insight of others! My entity has already gained from your input Kristine. Thank You


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

Sicboy Worldwide said:


> "total transparency" could you define your meaning of that? Do you mean to give the appearance of an entity rather than an individual? Thus giving some substance to the cause as a commercial entity rather than say, some schlep looking for handouts?


Total transparency means, at least to me, letting people in on the process of building the business. It doesn't mean implying you're more than one person running the business, it means showing people how the money they donate is being used. 

Think about a charity that receives money. Somewhere on the website for that charity they'll have pictures and stories about how the money that was donated was used. They might also have a spreadsheet breaking down what portion of the money was used for services, what was used for overhead, etc. 

The idea is to show that the money is actually being used for the business and not to send you to Hawaii, or buy you a new house or something. 

Everyone is aware of scams that are used to solicit donations. If you hope to get people to donate to you, it has to be shown that you're a legitimate businessperson starting a legitimate business. Just saying so isn't enough, it has to be proven on a continual basis.


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## Sicboy Worldwide (Dec 12, 2008)

Again I appreciate what your sharing. And I thank you. The concept is very clear. I need to get my domain hosted and alive to direct traffic through a legitimate path to see what my designs are all about and where I am trying to take this business. It doesn't seem that my spreadshirt shop is legitimate enough to warrant substance to the degree that I wished it would. Seeing as how anyone with a few hours of time and the Internet could accomplish the same thing. However, through blogging and facebook and twittering I am directing a lot of traffic through my spreadshirt site. At least 20 hits every day and some days over 100 hits. But the sales ratio is 1 in 300 or so. I have my commision around fifty cents on every item just to keep the products out of the "absurd" range of pricing. I do care greatly about profit but I would rather sell one more t shirt than not because that one more shirt is on someones back ocasionally out in public which means exposure. So I understand what everyone is saying... Even though there is no question in my mind that my efforts are legitimate and without question any dollar invested by others would go to furthering the sucsess of the company, no one else knows that and very few would be willing to risk a donation to a guy with some ideas and a dream just because he asks for it...


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