Tiny Lightbulbs: Where Crowd-funded Projects Get a Second Life

If you've ever tried to raise funds for a product on Kickstarter and been fortunate enough to succeed, you may have found that after all your backers have received their incentive gifts and that initial buzz quiets down. As a small, independent entrepreneuur, it's difficult to keep up the momentum.

This exact thing happened to Matthew McLachlan, a gent whose Kickstarter-funded iPad amplifier, SoundJaw, saw a speedy decline in sales after its initial Kickstarter hype. But instead of spending a bunch of money on advertising, McLachlan saw the bigger picture: This January he and his brother Mark launched Tiny Lightbulbs, an online marketplace for post-Kickstarter projects. If you remember a project or backed something and want to know where it is now, there's a good chance it's available on Tiny Lightbulbs. 

There's currently no listing fee for sellers, but Tiny Lightbulbs does take a 13% commission. Though the idea is to maintain your visibility until you can get your e-commerce sea legs and launch your own sales platform. Featured products right now include the iLatch, a hanging iPad case that fits over car headrest and kitchen cabinets and Frank, the clever bunny-faced coatrack. 

Meanwhile, if you want to take McLachlan's lead and go into business for yourself, you've got a few options with 3rd Ward's Professional Development classes, from making a business plan to bookkeeping to the elusive art of branding.