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A new concept in financing: 'Crowdfunding' | Enterprise City | Crain's Chicago Business

A new concept in financing: 'Crowdfunding' | Enterprise City | Crain's Chicago Business

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Is the crowd smarter than you? Here's a way to find out: do a "New Venture Fair." You do Safety Fairs and HIPAA Fairs and Quality Fairs, right? Just extend the idea and the format to innovation.

Gather 50 new ideas - creative, innovative, unexpected things you could do but haven't committed to yet. Set up a poster display for each idea in some unused meeting room (trust me, it'll be the best use of the room in years...)

Invite patients (past and present), physicians (yours and others) and all employees to the event, maybe even volunteers, board members and community representatives. Give them each $1,000 in "Monopoly Money credits" to deploy among the ideas as they see fit. $50 to this idea, $500 to that one.

At day's end, total the credits given to each idea. There you have it: an efficient, low-cost crowdsourced innovation referendum. You may not do anything different as a result, but think of the buzz, the wheels greased and turning, the excitement of simply being ASKED!

Time to grow. E-mail me at healthcarestrategist@gmail.com if you agree.

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