> FAQs

GENERAL 

How is IdeaMama Club different from other business networks?

IdeaMama Club Anti-Corporation is a community that advocatess social entrepreneurship in for-profit sector. IdeaMamaClub.com provides its members with a mix of services and unique tools that allow subscribers to:

·         Collaboratively invent new products,

·         Collaboratively build new businesses from scratch,

·         Collaboratively design new marketing campaigns and expose marketing portfolios to corporations,

·         Raise funds for new ventures with minimum effort,

·         Find and evaluate unique investment opportunities,

·         Exchange unordinary ideas and evaluate new business concepts,

·         Recruit talents and find business partners from around the globe,

·         Find new friends and connect with other visionaries for lasting relations - business or personal,

·         Publicize your business and showcase your work,

·         Learn extensively not only from publications but experientially

 

Not only is the development itself exciting and educational but results are guaranteed for those who put enough effort into making things happen. 

What are other benefits of joining IdeaMama Club?

As you look at the thousands of business cards you have collected, you might realize that you don’t remember from where most of them came – who is the owner and where you met. As you scan them, complete a contact list and send invitation to all contacts, communication will become much easier as they post their profiles with photographs. It will give you an opportunity to reconnect with people you forgot about but who can help you on your way to success. IdeaMama has developed an advanced search tool, so you can easily navigate your contacts and find the most suitable partners for your existing or new ventures.   

Who can become a member of IdeaMama Club?

Any individual over 18 years old found anywhere in the world. 

Is it true that IdeaMama has its own culture and traditions?

Absolutely!  Please see Traditions of IdeaMama Club. 

If I have an existing business and want to post it in the club, why should I give up 5% of equity in my business to IdeaMama Club?

You post your business in the club when you need help, not when your business is doing great. To help you, other members will invest their time and effort, some might offer you ideas and suggestions, and others might join your venture as partners to help get your venture off the ground.  

Since IdeaMama Club provides you with a tool and patent pending process to promote transformation of your business, we take 5% equity in your business. Dividends will be assigned to grow the club, so more and more members bring their expertise to help businesses like yours. 

So, IdeaMama Club collects 5% of equity from each newly designed business. How can I get access to that 5%?

As a full member you can choose a couple of the club’s ventures and join them as a managing partner. As a result you might hold up to 95% of equity according to your agreement with other team members for that project.   

Becoming a shareholder of the club (IdeaMama Club Corporation) can give you even more financial rewards, but you have to be an accredited investor to be eligible. We understand that you might want to become a shareholder so you will co-own all products and businesses that were designed within the club. Shareholders have even more reasons to support every new venture as an adviser or partner. But please contact our investor relations team to see if you fit the shareholder’s eligibility criteria. 

Why does IdeaMama’s concept work?

To answer your question here is some food for thought on business makeover: 

Before

After

What happens? 

If a regular company A with a great idea/product has limited expertise and limited resources how much chance does it have to become successful/profitable?

If a company A receives support form IdeaMama Club members – thousands of experts from all over the globe, who bring their expertise and resources and join forces to support the company A, will performance of this new venture increase?

Expertise:  

When shareholders buy shares in a traditional company A how many of them will provide continuing support to company A? What if they all own shares of 10 other companies?

When shareholders buy shares in IdeaMama Club, how many shareholders that are members of the club will NOT provide on-going support to companies that we build all together if IdeaMama provides shareholders and members with tools to collaborate and shareholders’ profit depends on the success of each individual venture?

Budget: 

What chance does traditional company A have to succeed and be profitable if it has limited budget for its development ( for example 50K for marketing) and its sales hardly exceed its expenses?

What is the chance for company A to fail if it receives many , which allows the company to grow and produce more revenue in a short period of time.

Staff:  

What chance does traditional company A have to hire great talent if it has no resources to either advertise vacancies aggressively, or hire recruiters and fulfill an apt hiring process?

What is the chance for company A to fail if it receives a great number of inquiries from job applicants – members of IdeaMama Club from all over the world who fall in love with your idea and want to be a part of your company A “in its best and worst times”.

Employees’ commitment: 

Can a traditional company A count on commitment and loyalty of its employees?

What is the chance that employees of company A that are also its shareholders (partners) are uncommitted to their own “baby” if they posses a piece of the idea and participated directly in its “birth”?

Company’s value: 

Can owners of a traditional company A work from day one creating company value if they have no basic knowledge in this area and never had concerns about the company value as such, rather in its short-term profitability?

What is the chance that company A will be “set up” wrong if there are hundreds of experienced advisers watching its every step and provide suggestions when they see potential mistakes?

Analysis and research on start-up stage: 

Can owners of traditional company A make sure that its idea/product is unique and has a chance to gain market share, if the only few people they shared the project with were family and friends?

What is the chance that company A will start an obvious “loser” that has huge competition and no competitive advantage, or no real market, or obvious lack of brand identity if there are hundreds of IdeaMama Club members will point out weakness of idea or strategy and existing competition that was not obvious to the founder? 100s of eyes and ears all over the world are better than 10 locally.

 

Why membership can be canceled?

IdeaMama has the right to remove members if spam, system abuse or unethical behavior toward IdeaMama Club and its members are reported. Your membership can also be terminated if you decide to execute on your own a project that was posted in IdeaMama Club, therefore make sure that you download and sign Partnership Agreement with IdeaMama Club Corporation and your team members as soon as a your key partners start to work on strategy. Please note, if your membership is terminated you will not have access to information you posted and gathered from other club members. All your projects will be closed. Please find more details in the Ts&Cs and Traditions of IdeaMama. 

Do any rules and limits exist about content of messages sent?

Yes, spam and MLM (Multi Level Marketing or Pyramid Scheme) recruiting is forbidden by the club. 

Why should I post blogs?

Blog is a great way to express yourself. While all ideas that you have posted are available only to full IdeaMama Club members (please see Non-Disclosure Agreement as a part of T&C ), blogs can be viewed by all members and are searchable on the Internet. 

As you display expertise in some areas or share unique stories, you attract the attention of the press and might be invited for an interview. IdeaMama Magazine is always looking for new and interesting stories and people to profile. 

You can link your blogs to your website, e-mail signature, discussion boards or anywhere you want in a virtual world! 

Why should I waste my time for completing my profile?

Time spent on making your profile appealing is your first investment in your future success. Your profile is your free opportunity to present your business, let other members know whom you are and what you are looking for. It is searchable by search engines and you can receive leads simply by entering the right information and showcase your work to millions of web site visitors, especially if you mange to optimize your profile for search engines entering often used keywords. 

Make your profile interesting to read and thought provoking. Upload cool artsy photos and let’s rock!

COLLABORATING WITHIN IDEAMAMA CLUB. 

How can I contact other members if I don’t have access to their contact information?

To get access to the contact information of other members, you have to upgrade to full membership. Full membership gives you unlimited access to members around the globe and provides you with various other benefits. 

How can I add a contact to my network?

You can add existing members to your network by exchanging either teasers or messages. Contact with a returned response will create the connection.   

You can increase your network considerably by using IdeaMama’s Network Accelerator and adding your friends or contacts from all your address books (Outlook, Aol, Gmail, Plaxo, Hotmail, Yahoo etc). 

Can I try IdeaMama full membership first before committing to payment?

Yes, use our “invite friends” feature, build network of 1000+ personal contatcs and receive 1-month free trial to see if full membership is right for you. 

Why should I post my ideas in the club?

There are many benefits to postings your ideas in collaboration threads.

1.       You let other members learn about you and by doing so you might attract exciting job or partnership opportunities.

2.       You can bring together a team of professionals who can help you to get your idea off the ground. You can approve other members who wish to join your team, raise funds for your project, license your new product, gain equity in the newly designed company etc.

 

Who can post ideas in IdeaMama Club discussion threads?

Any full member of IdeaMama Club. 

If I post my idea, how can I be sure that it will not be stolen?

It is solely up to you how much information you wish to disclose for IdeaMama Club members in open threads. To read documents attached to your project, members sign a general Non-Disclosure- Agreement, but there is always a risk that a similar idea might already be in development. Unfortunately, an “idea” cannot be protected unless it is already developed to a stage where it can be copyrighted, patented or trademarked. Please take the time to regularly read articles and blogs on Intellectual Property Protection to understand better the level of your risk when disclosing your idea. We suggest you to try to protect your idea before disclosing it in the club. On the other hand, while this risk always exists, we believe that nobody can execute on an idea better than the entrepreneur with the vision. We also believe that if an idea remains undisclosed and untouched for too long, the risk can be even greater that you lose rights to your idea, since someone else may have come up with a similar idea. Therefore it is solely up to you to make the decision whether to disclose the idea and benefit from the collaborative process or build it on your own. 

Can I reduce the risk of my idea been stolen if my Intellectual Property is not yet protected?

There are several things you can do to reduce the risk of disclosure. We suggest you coordinate the information you disclose. If your idea is fully developed, we suggest you to post just enough information to make other members interested in your project and help you to evaluate the idea, but not enough to impose it without your participation. More details and support documents such as drawings and technical sketches, Business Plan, P&L, PowerPoint presentations etc, can be attached separately and viewed only with your approval and on signing NDA. We suggest you ask signing Non-Disclosure - agreements with those members who open/download your documents before approving their view status. 

Can every posted idea be successful?

Likely not. We assume that only a certain percentage of all posted ideas will move to the execution stage and only a small percentage of newly created ventures will be successful. The success of each newly designed product or business will depend on the idea, the development strategy, and the driving force behind it – the people who lead and deliver the project. 

Is IdeaMama responsible for the success of my venture?

No. IdeaMama Club Corp. provides its members with tools and help to create more and better ideas and to easily attract talent and resources to your project from all over the globe. But it is up to you and any team that you form to make your project a success. Our team is available to advise, but only you can make things happen by bringing your passion, vision, patience, drive, tenacity, leadership and team-building skills, the willingness to risk and the ability to make professional decisions, the wish to learn and all the other qualities that are a must for any successful enterprise.  

Who is a Project Founder, what is her/his role, the rewards and responsibilities?

Project Founder is an “inventor”, a person who initially came up with the idea for a new business, artistic project or product. He is the innovator behind the venture and it is his responsibility to attract the right people to the project, tell the club’s members about the project’s progress and needs of his “baby”. The Project Founder can approve or disapprove, hire or fire people from his project. The CEO will be his right hand and the entrepreneur behind the inventor’s idea.  

Project Founder will automatically get 5% of equity in the newly formed company unless other compensation is negotiated with the team members. 

What is a CEO and what is the role, and the rewards and responsibilities?

The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is a project leader hired by a Project Founder to manage his/her project - a newly designed business. While a Project Founder’s role hinges on creating the winning idea and attracting interested parties, a CEO’s responsibility is to evaluate team members’ skills, experience and personal characteristics, to form a successful entrepreneurial team and manage it for the project’s success and the common financial benefit of the members. It is suggested the CEO would be the person responsible for covering the initial costs for a company registration, as he is a major shareholder in the company (unless negotiated otherwise with the team members) and is the one who invests value added capital through providing business management and leadership. 

As a CEO, how can I create synergy between the team members who only know each other ‘virtually’?

Building a dream-team within IdeaMama Club is a complex task, but it is no different than in “real world”. It is a great learning experience for leaders, even for those who have an extensive management background. Here are a few tips that will help to make your project successful:

·         Make sure that your team members complement each other; not only that their professional skills match, but also their personality types. Use IdeaMama’s free personality assessment tool* (*in development) to make sure that your team members share their resources and apply their best abilities effectively to create more value.

·         Arrange weekly meetings for your team; make them productive and fun. Choose a time convenient even for those who might still have a full-time job.

·         Organize other special events for your project and attract more attendees who could become loyal fans and supporters of your ‘baby”.

·         Lessen on-line communication and heighten face-to-face interaction between your team members.

·         Focus your efforts on effective communication between your team members. Be open to dealing professionally with any misunderstandings. Be a mentor, not a judge.

·         Remember, you are not managing ordinary people, but individuals with strong personalities and specialized talents. Learn how to keep them motivated and let their creativity flourish.

·         Be open for external help to deal with potential HR issues. Use our Dispute Resolution Center and encourage HR professionals in the club to advise you and your group.

 

Who can apply to join teams of IdeaMama Club’s projects?

Any member of the club who feels that his/her qualification fits needs stated by a project founder can send application and join this team as a partner. 

Who approves applications?

Applications can be approved by a project founder with the help of the CEO and other team members of the specific project, who were approved by the project founder before your application. 

Who will a Project Founder hire?

Project Founder will select applicants whose expertise, experience and personal characteristics are the most suitable for the role and her/his idea 

What are the project archive threads for?

As you will notice, your initial idea will go through significant transformation on its brainstorming stage. If the thread is too long, it will confuse members who want to support projects, as it will overwhelm them with unrelated information. Therefore revise your postings regularly – send old discussion threads to the archive and update the current status of your project. 

How can I gain more attention from other IdeaMama Club members?

When members search new contacts within IdeaMama Club, members who are always listed on the first page of any search attract more attention.

We suggest you make sure that you regularly:

·         Update your profile, make it interesting to read, post cool photos

·         Strengthen your reputation

·         Post endorsements on other members’ profiles

·         Take part in as many IdeaMama Club discussions as your time allows

·         Post blogs

·         Grow your network

 

How can I grow my network?

The easiest way is to invite every person you meet to join the Club.

You can also create an auto-reply or automatic e-mail signature that suggests everyone to connect with you on www.ideamamaclub.com. Please make sure you provide a link to your profile or create your electronic signature with our help. 

How can I strengthen my reputation?

Your reputation is calculated automatically starting from:	+10
Committed to a new project in a team member’s role:	+10
Committed and you change your mind:	-10
Completed tasks according to a deadline set by your team:	+5
Missed deadline:	+5
Invited a new member to the club:	+1
Was blocked by other member:	-10
Was removed from a member’s network:	-10

As you see, one of the easiest ways to strengthen your reputation is to invite as many members to www.IdeaMamaClub.com as possible. The rest is the result of your learning experience. 

What financial benefits will I gain from forming new projects?

Each project aims to become a new business, therefore every party involved can choose to take equity in the business (become a shareholder), request salary, work on a profit share basis, charge flat fees, earn introduction fees or volunteer to just help other like-minded people make their dreams come true. 

Compared to basic membership, what are the benefits of full membership?

See Membership information. 

What are the benefits of becoming a Chapter Leader for IdeaMama Club?

See Membership information. 

What are the benefits of becoming a Sponsor of IdeaMama Club?

See Membership information. 

Should I pay for access to any of IdeaMama clubs (Product Development Club, Business Development Club, Marketing Club, and Investors Club)?

No, access to all clubs is available with full membership. All you need to do is to read carefully the Ts&Cs for each club and agree to it. 

What is the difference between projects posted in IdeaMama Product Development Club and IdeaMama Business Development Club?

If you have an idea for a new product we suggest you to post it in Product Development Club where, with help of other members, you will tune your product idea, patent it, develop a prototype (if necessary) and license it to interested parties. If you would like to market the product yourself, then we would suggest you move the thread to the Business Development Club as soon as you wrap up and package your product. In that club you will form a new company that will market your new product and easily can raise funds using built-in facilities for doing so. 

Can I post my existing business in IdeaMama Marketing Club and pick members’ brains for a new marketing campaign?

No, unless you became a VIP members of IdeaMama Club. Only Sponsors and VIP members as sponsor’s representatives have privileges to post new marketing tenders and collect mind-blowing ideas for its new marketing campaigns. IdeaMama will credit participants for the best ideas. As a marketing/creative professional and a full member of IdeaMama Club you can respond to those threads and expose your marketing knowledge and creative talent to gain credits against your membership and attract potential employers. 

So, is IdeaMama Marketing Club a place where we will brainstorm on marketing ideas for the Club’s projects?

IdeaMama Marketing Club is designed for companies that have moved beyond the launch stage. The initial marketing campaign for your new business launch will be discussed in the Business Development Club. As you launch your project, members most probably will lose interest in supporting your “baby” and move on to new ideas. That’s when your new company can become a Sponsor of IdeaMama Club and use Sponsorship privileges and benefits. 

My idea successfully went through the brainstorming process, a team was formed, but as time goes by I am not satisfied with performance and my idea isn’t moving forward. Can I change team members?

If you, as a project founder, are not happy with the pace with which your idea is moving forward, we suggest you to discuss it with your team. In case the situation does not improve, you can make a decision to remove those members of the management team who, in your opinion, under perform or destroy the chemistry in the group. As you announce that your team has a vacancy again, you can start accepting new applications or invite more qualified team members. We encourage you to discuss any changes in personnel with you CEO, unless you think that he/she is candidate number one for replacement.  

Should I accept only local team members or can they be found anywhere in the world?

Please consider it as a hiring process. Most probably, as you build a business, you want a management team to live close by, be able to meet often enough even if initially your office is a virtual one. But there are number of contract positions that can be outsourced overseas. There are no set rules about forming a team, therefore please use your common sense and make sure your team has an opportunity to work together effectively.

Also, if you will be applying for funding, investors (if they are not local) might want you to set up an office in a specific city, so your team has to be flexible about relocation on securing such funding. 

What is the best way to move my projects forward?

There is no single formula, but what we suggest you to do is:

1.       Make sure you perfect your idea with participation of other members

2.       Recruit an experienced team in your industry that can achieve it

3.       Prepare a Business Plan with the support of your management team

4.       Raise funds if necessary

5.       Aid your management team in running the company and leading it to success

 

How can IdeaMama Club help me to raise funds for my business?

Please see the Ts&Cs to understand limits and involvement of IdeaMama Club in the process.  What IdeaMama offers is a simplified tool that allows you to follow simple steps to:

1.       Post your project in the Business Development club

2.       Create your “fan club” – attract people who believe in your project and are willing to help

3.       Make sure that you have a strong management team in place

4.       Use IdeaMama Club’s fundraising tool, find “family and friends money” to complete a few initial tasks

5.       Post your project in the Investment Club

6.       Approach accredited investors that have expressed interest in your project

7.       Find a few committed licensed intermediaries (capital brokers) who believe in your project and are interested to raise funds for your new business

8.       Regularly follow up with your brokers on their success; take part in presentations to investors

9.       If in 6 months you haven’t had an opportunity to present your project to investors, change your brokers

10.   If after 10 presentations you have received 10 negative responses from various funding sources re-evaluate your presentation, it might need improvement. If after the next 50 presentations you have the same result, you might consider moving on and finding a project within the club that would be a more attractive investment opportunity for Venture Capitalists, Angels and other investors. But if you believe in your idea don’t give up; be creative and persistent.

 

How can I attract more attention and find more collaborators for my project?

For your project’s success you have to attract as many fans and supporters as possible, and what is even more important – you have to find the right people for your project.  We encourage you to use various Message/Bulletin Boards on the net, Forums, Free Job Posting Sites, Yahoo/MSN Groups and post Blogs.  

We suggest you to give a one-sentence description of what your start-up is about and what vacancies you have. For details, refer interested parties to your project on www.IdeaMamaClub.com (mention title of the project, its number and give a few search tips if necessary).  

Please read the Confidentiality Note in T&Cbefore disclosing any information about the projects created within the club. 

Who should I contact if I still do not fully understand how IdeaMama Club works?

Please do not be discouraged by the fact that you do not clearly understand all opportunities and benefits of the club. It is a new idea and we expect new members to have many questions. Please Skype Olga Kostrova, the Founder of IdeaMama Club Corp. (ID: IdeaMama) or call 416.875.3199 and we would be happy to help you in exploring the club further. 
 

COLLABORATING WITH IDEAMAMA. 

Does IdeaMama Club Corp. hire for internal full time/part time/ contract roles?

Yes. If you would like to become a part of our fun and dynamic team, you can visit our Career section and apply for advertised vacancies. If you want to create a position for yourself please send your proposal and describe how IdeaMama Club Corp. and the Club’s members can benefit from your proposition. 

What should I do if I have suggestions on improving the club?

We are keen to hear your ideas on how the club can be improved. Please post your comments and suggestions in the Forum in section How can we improve IdeaMama Club? 

How can I benefit from introducing new members to the club?

By introducing new members to the club you bring more intelligence and resources to your future projects as well as projects of other members. In case you decide to become (and are eligible to become) a shareholder of the club, value of your shares will grow in correlation to the success of each individual club’s project – newly created product or business. 

Who should I contact if I have a proposal for IdeaMama Club management?

We appreciate opportunity to review any proposals. Please submit your detailed proposal ). 

I have a product that could be sold on-line. Can IdeaMama resell my product?

You can sell your product by creating your on-line shop. We are always interested in NEW cool product that benefits our members.  

How can I market my service to IdeaMama Club’s members?

We might be interested to offer your service to our subscribers if you are able to prove your reliability, reputation and show how your service can benefit the Club’s members. Please present your detailed proposal and we will contact you if we find that it fits our current strategy. Other options you might consider are: banner advertising on www.ideamama.club, listing Service Providers’ Directory, or participating in our tenders.