Current Events > Announcing the first CE Bootstraps Grant. $$$ to start your own business.

(+) Yeah! (+)

There was recently a topic where a few posters were complaining about the costs of starting your own business / learning new skills / capitalism / etc.

Sharing articles about low-cost business ideas and why capitalism is a good thing isn't going to make much of an impact, though. So I was thinking that it'd be cool to offer some grant money to someone who presents a good plan. You're under no obligation to return a profit to me or to anyone else who would participate in funding. The only expectations are that you document at least part of your journey here on CE, and use the money for funding your business idea. The idea is to help one another grow and share in that growth as a community. Having been on this site (and to a lesser extent CE) for a long time, I feel like it's appropriate to give back in some way.

I'll be pledging $1000. Pinging @The_Admiral and @Darkman124 and @KILBOTz to see if they also want to contribute money to the grant. If I haven't tagged you but you still want to contribute money, please PM me. In addition to the monetary grant, it'd also be nice if each donor could allocate some time per week for mentorship and guidance, especially if they're experienced in whatever industry or idea they'll be championing. It's possible that the mentorship and guidance will be more valuable than the money.

Requirements

1) You live in the United States of America or one of its territories.

2) You have a Paypal account or something similar.

3) You present your business idea on your main account. We'll know if you're using multiple accounts to pitch more than one idea. One idea per person, please.

4) Your business idea should obviously be legal and family friendly.

Format

1) Write a post about what your idea is and how the money would help you try it out!

2) Once this topic gets to 500 posts or purges, I will review the ideas and pick a winner. All grant money will be allocated and distributed by 12/31/2017.

3) In the event of multiple people funding the grant, each person who provided funding can review the ideas and pick a winner on their own. It's possible to receive money from more than one donor.

Exceptions

1) The logistics will have to be played by ear, since this is my first time doing this. So be patient with me.

2) At no point will the funds be pooled together and controlled by anyone. Donors will be responsible for sending their grant to their winner of choice. This is to mitigate liability and keep things simple.

3) If you accept a grant, you might need to report the grant as income when you file your taxes. Consult with a tax specialist. I believe you won't be obligated to pay taxes on it because it'll be in the form of a gift, and it'll be under the $14,000 limit for 2017, but I'm not a tax specialist.

Ideas

Anything is fair as long as it's legal and family friendly. By family friendly I mean that you aren't going to spend the money on making a porn video or etc.

Want to buy books and sell them? Want to open up a lemonade stand? Want to get a lawn mower so you can start a landscaping business? Want to take some courses that will get you into a new career? Want to buy materials and basic tools to start a woodworking business? Want to get recording equipment so you can sing or start a talk show?

Anything works, as long as you explain why you want to do it, how you plan to get customers, and why you think you'll be successful. Tell us about your long-term goals and visions.

Please tell us specifically what you'd use the money for and when you'd be starting your idea. Please give us a timeline you think is reasonable.

If this goes how I hope it'll go, we might be able to do this every year!

Can't say for sure that I'll pledge but if there is a legit good idea and more capital is needed I could probably toss in something.
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No pressure :)

Lmao

TC you can't just give away your parents' money
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Hey proudclad, have you revolutionized the health care industry yet?
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This is a good idea.

Probably won't be participating though, seeing as I'm in Europe and currently midway through university
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that's just the amount i need to get my ghost hunting business off the ground

i need a big fat guy who wears Tommy Bahama shirts and eats hot dogs, holy water, emf readers, and salt

ce - are you with me

FrenchCrunch posted...

i need a big fat guy who wears Tommy Bahama shirts and eats hot dogs, holy water, emf readers, and salt

dude you will have so many candidates applying for that job.
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KILBOTz posted...

FrenchCrunch posted...

i need a big fat guy who wears Tommy Bahama shirts and eats hot dogs, holy water, emf readers, and salt

dude you will have so many candidates applying for that job.

he needs to be my on-call psychic. in order to test a house for supernatural presence, the psychic needs to step into the room with the most activity, take a bite of a his hot dog, then, while still chewing, say "i definitely sense a presence within this place"

Do the condiments he puts on his hot dog matter? I.e. can he have ketchup?

In especially haunted houses would he drop his hot dog to show his fear?
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KILBOTz posted...

Do the condiments he puts on his hot dog matter? I.e. can he have ketchup?

In especially haunted houses would he drop his hot dog to show his fear?

the condiments dont signify anything and it's up to him what he wants on his hot dog

he will never waver in the face of fear; this is a serious matter

FrenchCrunch posted...

KILBOTz posted...

FrenchCrunch posted...

i need a big fat guy who wears Tommy Bahama shirts and eats hot dogs, holy water, emf readers, and salt

dude you will have so many candidates applying for that job.

he needs to be my on-call psychic. in order to test a house for supernatural presence, the psychic needs to step into the room with the most activity, take a bite of a his hot dog, then, while still chewing, say "i definitely sense a presence within this place"

Lmfao
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-Gavirulax- posted...

It's so unfair!

I really need the money but noooooooooo, ban people not in America!

Bigotry imo.

It's to avoid complicating the taxation of the situation, since I'm not familiar at all with how that works. If other donors want to consider non-American candidates, that's perfectly okay.

I'm putting rebel and kilbotz down for endorsements