A US-based start-up is planning to open thirty stores on the same date and at the same time, using crowdfunding to finance the rapid expansion, suggesting start-ups here can do the same.
New Perspectives Café, which offers unique food and beverages from around the world, will open 30 stores in the US at exactly the same time on April 16.
But rather than rely on the usual means of financing store openings, such as angel investors or bank loans, the company is choosing to use the increasingly popular method of crowdfunding.
Made popular by platforms such as Kickstarter, crowdfunding involves a large number of people giving small payments or donations, generally in exchange for some sort of prize or other perk.
“Assuming membership sales go as expected, we are going to synchronise the openings so that all 30 stores open at the same moment,” president Jon Stewart told WebProNews.
“Ideally, part of the draw of crowdfunding is the feeling of excitement, and that large groups of people can each, individually, do a small thing to cause a big change.”
New Perspectives Café says it will offer a number discounts and free items, and will allow photos of its members on the café walls.
But that’s not all that is on offer. In exchange for helping the company finance the store openings, customers will be allowed to make most of the decisions on store happenings.
“We are going to give customers, who help us set up our initial cafés, a number of really cool prizes and discounts, but also let them determine most of the major decisions regarding how the cafés are ran,” Stewart said.
“It’s like a real world version of [Facebook application] Café World, only you actually get to go to the breakfast or party you helped create.”
“We instantly new that it could be a game-changer, and it meshed so well with our idea of letting customers vote to decide on how to run a café.”
According to the company, customers will have control over the restaurant’s menus, events and “just about every decision you could care about”.
“Beyond a very basic menu, you get to decide what exotic foods make, and stay on, the menu. You get to decide what theme nights and events occur,” the company says on its website.
“And you get to decide what fundraisers we run and support.”
This article first appeared on StartupSmart
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
