Crowdfunding the creation of the next version of LFGSS

I'm in - though fuck knows what this technical stuff means. I last programmed a computer in 1982 and it was a second hand ZX81.

I'm up for a pledge, though unfortunately too skint for an investment.

I do however know a very very good web developer who might be up for the work. Give me a pm and I'll pass you his details.

Research suggests that this is possibly a £155m per annum business in 5 years... but holy schmoly the hard work and being brassic for the first 3 years of that are going to be a fun rollercoaster.

The market is there, and I'm really really happy it doesn't involve banner adverts and invasions of privacy.

but I see no reason at all that I can't run 20% of the forums in the world

Jeez, reading those I might be tempted to be an investor and not a patron. But I'll have to think about it for now.

http://www.moneyweek.com/investment-advice/how-to-invest/investing-in-startups-04406

I'll ask my accountant and get back to you.

Obviously I'll pay extra for a 'merge all forums into one' function..

Jeez, reading those I might be tempted to be an investor and not a patron. But I'll have to think about it for now.

That's market potential if I can saturate it. That's big dream stuff, not a guaranteed bet.

The odds are always against new companies, and against them then gaining their full potential.

Most companies fail. Investments are risky... you might lose it all. Don't invest what you can't realistically afford to lose.

All that said... it is the potential that makes me dream big. It's such an enormous amount of work and sacrifice, and whilst no-one can say whether it fully delivers it's potential... the fact that it has potential is a wonderful thing. Then it's up to me to execute such that I tap into it as much as possible.

I'm always mindful of Greg LeMond though... "You don't suffer, kill yourself and take the risks I take just for money. I love bike racing.".

I'm not doing this for money... and I wouldn't suggest you invest solely for money... the risk is massive. I do this because I love this forum, other forums, the ways that forums can change lives and potentially the world.

I think it's a good investment from that perspective... and a risky startup from the purely startup financial perspective.

Ultimately: define success.

I'll be happy if I can just transform LFGSS and solve the problems we've had for other cities whilst helping other groups around cycling.

I'd be overwhelmed, blown away and humbled if it goes further than that.

Any idea of the tax implications if say a limited company invested?

I'm speaking to my accountant about that very subject tomorrow...
#thistimenextyearrodney

Great mockups! I've a bit of experience with Go, and fairly familiar with Django. I'm up for helping out in my free time.

Yup, love the mockups... Looks great!

This has all discombobulated my tiny little mind and an indication of why I'll never be rich.

Would love to invest properly but will have to make do with putting a few quid in.

Likewise. I'd love to invest, but we have a kid on the way (a situation I owe largely to having met my wife through LFGSS's crazy, music-oriented, predecessor forum) and I can't afford to right now. I'll gladly make a donation for now and consider investing in the future, if the option is there.

VB you seem to be giving away a hell of a lot of your plans / ideas....what if someone else copies your ideas or develops something similar before you?

similar before you?

Not gonna happen.

VB you seem to be giving away a hell of a lot of your plans / ideas....what if someone else copies your ideas or develops something similar before you?

As I mentioned before, ideas are cheap and execution is what matters.

It's a huge problem that requires deep understanding and knowledge of the domain and the capabilities of technology to grasp how to do this. It also requires a lot of determination, planning and good fortune.

And even then it's like duck-hunting. If someone looks at where I am and wishes to copy, then by the time they hit the spot that I was, I'm going to have moved on.

I'm very confident that I'm well-placed to do what others have struggled to do in the past. And I'm really sure that no-one will be able to copy it beyond a superficial level, and that as a result any copies will be found lacking very quickly.

They would never go where I'm going and will always be way behind.

I'm pretty sure I could go into the offices of a competitor and they'd ignore me anyway.

You've got me convinced and I have no idea what you're talking about.

Besides, everyone needs a middle-east based investor these days - they're all the rage.

I can't dumb it down any more ;)

Nice use of the word "dumb".

Cheers.

lmao... you at Wests later? Not that I can guarantee I will be... but I'll try.

I'm at Middle-Easts later...

The fuckers waited until I'd left before they changed boozers.

It hadn't previously met with the approval of the board (Murtle).

Bloody hell, you actually are in the Middle-East.

I figured you must still be here from the amount you're online.

I'm slap-bang in the middle of Dubai.

It's currently a cool 31deg and I've had lunch and I'm off out for a meeting.

I'm just having the pre-employment splurge before getting a new job and vanishing for the next twelve weeks...

Any idea of the tax implications if say a limited company invested?

I'm not an accountant but if the ltd company in question is a small business it would risk being designated an investment company and become liable for the investment company rate of corporation tax. I think this is 28% compared to 21%

I'm sure there are ways to creatively account around that though. Have no idea whether HMRC would look at your investment as a percentage of turnover to make their decision or not. It might only be a risk if you have a very large cash surplus that you'd normally withdraw as a dividend.

I have pledged as a patron (as mentioned above) but having read some of the excitement-making posts above would like to have the opportunity to invest.... will you be sending out a note/email to all the people who have pledged offering that.. presumably at the time you ask us to settle our pledges, right?

The poll currently shows interest of around £36,000.

Seems like you might have a good idea here :)

^ Or a load of suckers with no idea about investments
(I am in this list)