That might be your favourite soft drink, toothpaste or the styling essentials you can’t live without.
It let you own part of something you believed in, enabled you to contribute to the success of your favourite products or services, or support ideas you thought could change the world. It literally birthed a consumer revolution.
BrewDog did this better than anyone — they created a lifestyle around a brand and aligned itself with evangelists who helped grow it exponentially. What emerged was a product defined not only by the beer it made but by the vocal supporters who passionately shared it with their friends and family.
In many ways, crowdfunding was just the next rung up the ladder. An evolution of what already existed in equity markets but extended in a way that had more impact. It made the consumer a player in directing the success of a project by allowing them to support its emergence at the formative stages of the business. They helped drive the direction the company emerged into.
**The next step is ownership of products through consumer purchasing**Why shouldn’t you own a small part of them each time you purchase? Think about it, you know how many times you are going to purchase those things throughout the year. Your behaviour is entirely predictable, it rarely changes, but what benefit do you get from your actions?
In practice, it means a consumer brand would create an ‘options pool’ — a tranche of equity — reserved for consumers. Rather than buying ownership of the company through shares, you would simply buy the product and receive ownership in the company as a by product of your preference. An app would allow you to scan a unique barcode which would signify your equity in the company.
Doesn’t matter if the product is clothes, food, cars, makeup or a newspaper, the model works for anything. Imagine not just buying Coca-Cola but knowing that your choice gave you ownership of your favourite brand. Each product is a small token of ownership redeemed at purchase.
Imagine every can of coke was a token of ownership in the company who produced it. Every purchase gave you equity in the business. Why wouldn’t you alter your actions to purchase products you own, aligned with your vision of the world. That could be organic products with a more socially responsible vision.
Consumer purchasing becomes a ‘mining’ protocol. Deflation of tokens distributed means consumers who buy your product earlier are rewarded more.
Your biggest supporters own the most of the brand, and that’s a great thing.
Those who buy more own more, those who share the brand with their friends and family stand to benefit the most from the growth in value of the brand.
Purchasing decisions become a way to own the futures most important companies. We can continue to mindlessly purchase exploitative brands or we can choose to benefit ourselves. It takes what currently exists and puts the profits in the pockets of consumers instead of shareholders. That’s you.
I can intro you to a legendary entrepreneur who will help you achieve it.