From Idea to Reality: 7 Ways to Fund Your Dream

Some people dream of love, some people dream of fame, some people dream of having a cabin in Alaska where they never see anyone and many dream of a life that is truly their own to run.

No matter the dream, though (even love in most cases!), some monetary factors are going to be hurdles at some point or another during your pursuit.

Luckily, there are a lot more sources of money that can fund your dreams outside of picking up another job and running yourself rampant! Here are ten.

Friends and Family

There is a lot of money in the world. Especially if your dream is doing something for others like starting a nonprofit organization or getting a credential to teach abroad, ask the people who love you most! Though certainly not always the case, a lot of people with money like to share it and feel really good doing so. With that in mind, if you’re too stubborn to ask for money for you, ask it knowing that it will make them happy, too!

Grants

If your dream is climbing Mount Everest, don’t give up, but you may want to look elsewhere for funding, as grants generally go towards business plans or educational services. For those with business dreams, however, grants are aplenty, and many serve very niche entrepreneurial markets, so don’t think your idea is too wild for a grant if you haven’t looked into it yet. 

Build out a business strategy to grow your business and open up some doors. 

Gig Economy

Have you ridden in an Uber or stayed at an Airbnb? Guess what? There’s a very good chance you were helping to fund someone’s dream. If you’re not hip to driving your car around, or have roommates or pets that won’t allow for Airbnb, fret not, as there are plenty of other ways you can use what you’ve got to make a few dollars. Delivery services like GrubHub are booming because of COVID, but there are even services for renting out your parking spot, old music equipment, or tools… plenty of options here. 

Crowdsourcing

Even though it’s a little tough to see through the media negativity sometimes, there’s quite a bit of good in this world, and quite a few people with some extra cash just looking to help out. With that, going beyond friends and family for startup money has never been easier thanks to Kickstarters and GoFundMes, and starting one is a cinch… the latter has raised more than $9 billion dollars for everyday causes and dreams, and social media is a great way to get your cause out there. 

Angel Investments

Some people feel like a successful GoFundMe campaign is like being touched by an angel, so these investments are quite aptly named. Unlike a regular investor, angel investments tend to be strictly financial and they won’t be involved in your business musings. There is good and bad to that, so weigh the options heavily!

Credit

This is always an option, especially for those dreamers who have been financially sound in their other aspects of life. If your dream involves making money and you’re confident in it… get a line of credit and start living it!

Partner Up

This one doesn’t have to only pertain to businesses. In the era of Facebook groups, people can find anyone, anywhere with common interests, and many of these interests are dreams. For business dreamers, this means heavily weighing the fact that your dream will have someone else’s opinions all over it, but for folks who want to travel and do things of the like, it can just mean a cheaper price tag for the final goal.  

Wrap-up

This list is certainly not exhaustive, and focused mainly on dreams with sizeable price tags. Not everyone’s dreams require grant-level financial help, and if yours is a bit more modest, the classic money saving tips do, indeed, work! Save your tax refunds each year, eat in a little more (pretty easy to do with coronavirus), and pinch pennies where you can! No matter the scope, there is a path to achieving the necessary funds to go get what you want.