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Monday 28 March 2016

Why we are doing this?


I had a comment posted by a Chris yesterday. Quite aggressive and very rude but it made me think  - so why am I doing this?

There are various reasons and they keep increasing the more I do.

Despite what Chris said, I have run several of my own businesses from start up, some successfully and some not. In fact for 35 years that is what I have been busy doing. I know the difference between failure and success and bullshit and the truth. That is one reason I do this - to make sure that the ECf platforms cannot get away with the lies they have been stringing people along with. The evidence we put out here is all factual, backed up by filed company accounts.

Having started this blog, I came across a few people who enjoyed it and so carried on. In the early stages, I had no intention of making this a commercial venture. However, as luck would have it, people liked the approach and started asking me for advice. So the blog has been the the driver for ECF Solutions Ltd, which is about to launch its first ECf campaign.

Also as a result of the blog, we had approaches from several papers and websites asking if we could write for them. Hell yes, if you pay us, we said. And they did.

So this blog, which Chris has so ridiculed, has now produced two sources of income and started a new business for someone who had semi retired. I have to say I'm loving being back in the saddle Chris.

I had no idea what content marketing was before I started this. When I did my Cranfield MBA the internet was just getting started. Now I have it for breakfast every day.

Chris you will have to forgive me for not publishing your comment but it was written with such venom that most of it doesn't make sense. Feel free to try again but take a little time to read it through. Happy Easter to All.

10 comments:

  1. I like the fact that you are exposing the truth regarding the management of these companies and, more importantly, some platforms so I do not understand what could be criticized here.
    In my opinion you blog has the merit to demonstrate that not everyone is a sophisticated investor in the sense that not everyone works out some valuations are just preposterous and some business plans are just so poor you cannot understand how they can be shown to retail investors. I really think the FCA should have a look at the platforms at some point because as you demonstrate it so often customers aren't treated fearly and informations seem to be misleading in a lot of cases.

    Personally, I also find this blog to be a good source of information when business fail. So far, a third of my equity crowdfunding investments went well and half failed. These last ones were done across different platforms but one in particular consistently failed to report anything regarding the liquidation processes (I won't name it but as their name appears in almost all your post, this will be easy to guess who I am talking about). Only information I got regarding those came from your posts.

    So I hope you will continue posting content on this blog because it clearly has value

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    Replies
    1. Thanks EC. Appreciate the support. There is little chance of us keeping quiet whilst the platforms continue to abuse their position.

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  2. So you're saying this blog has nothing to do with the fact you were turned down for a job at crowdcube in 2012?

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    1. Hahaha - you have to work for Crowdcube! In 2012 I pointed out to Crowdcube that their DD was virtually non existent. In a private email exchange with Luke Lang, I suggested that I could act as DD barrier free of charge and remotely. Crowdcube told me that they didnt need any more DD!! End of story. The blog started in 2015. You can work can work out the rest for yourself. Lang has always used this smear when approached by journos who quote me. Sad really.

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    2. You are consistently negative as well as relentlessly pompous and self-congratulatory.

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    3. Well thanks Chris - coming from you that is a compliment. Do let me know when you come across some positive news (not PR) and I would happy to publish it.

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  3. Hi - would be interested to know your thoughts about Seedrs vs Crowdcube? It seems to be that Seedrs is much more concerned about the retail investor...whether they act on it appropriately is a different question, as the "Hokkei" debacle shows they were not up to the mark with their DD..

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    Replies
    1. IMO Seedrs are a far better ECF platform than Crowdcube, but then again IMO it would be hard to get a worse one than CC. We still have not reached a conclusion on Hokkei - awaiting the liquidators findings. Doesnt look too clever but then the fialure rate when compared to Crowdcube is tiny. Crowdcube hide all theirs.

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  4. Equity crowdfunding concerns and scams finally hitting the mainstream (financial) media https://next.ft.com/content/c15f5252-f751-11e5-96db-fc683b5e52db

    Rob - you should contact FT journalists to get a more prominent article on more elaborate failings of different platforms there. I'm sure there are thousands of readers there who will read and appreciate the intel

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    Replies
    1. Better late than never. We have already dealt with the FT - they printed a story about a year ago largely supplied by us. My brother works as journalist for them and has for 20 years. However the power that Crowdcube has through its backers is such that they (all papers) never go far with the criticism.

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