How to Launch a Successful ICO (Without Getting in Trouble!)

Launching an ICO in 2018 and beyond gives the average investor the power to make small or large investments in potentially profitable cryptocurrency or crypto-token startup opportunities, with minimal hassle from investment authorities. Startup CEOs and their teams are afforded the equal advantage of being able to secure funds quickly to get their currency off the ground quickly.

The technology is so new, sources were found saying crypto-startup funds ranging from $4 to $40 billion were raised in 2017 for infusion into the main blockchains. Truly reliable sources are yet to be found, but that's what makes crypto so exciting -- it's the wild west out there, and most experts agree that's a good thing for all involved right now!

Regardless of the official real numbers, and what may come of 2018, it's safe to say there's a massive interest in this investment activity. The rest of this article assumes you understand the basics of an ICO.

The process of launching a successful ICO startup can be broken down into 4 comprehensive steps:

Research meticulously and develop a firm game plan.

Gary Halbert used to say, "Throw it (an idea) up the flagpole and see who salutes". ICOs can't be treated so casually. People aren't going to trust a new cryptocurrency that appears dodgy -- I.e., failing to offer up information needed for any intelligent investor to make a sound decision.

What to do:

• - Develop a solid whitepaper and roadmap that details goals such as problems you plan to solve, objectives, plans, detailed descriptions of team members, and even perceived problems and how they'll be solved.
• - A timeline is also a must, detailing a believable timeline that describes the ICO's planned actions, from development to launch. Each stage must be listed to attract savvy crypto-investors.

Remember that the ICO market is rife with scams, and investors have no way of knowing if you're really offering them units of an official cryptocurrency or crypto-token. You need to prove that your connection to the BTC or ETH is legitimate. The more information offered the better. While there's lots of money to be made for everyone, ICOs are still unsecured.

Your team is the core of any ICO

One of the scariest factors a smart investor will worry about when dealing with a new ICO is the fact that it takes a lot of smart financial and legal knowledge to pull off successfully. No smart investor is going to invest in a sketchy tech IPO (Initial Public Offering) promising the ability to make time-travel a reality by 2020 unless there's a team of super-respected astrophysicists backing it (no modern investor is likely to bite on this idea in general, right?)

The point is, you need to have a credentialed team behind you, as once the money leaves their account, your crypto "shareholders" have no guarantee what they've just purchased has any value whatsoever on the open market. The answer to this quandary is simple, you must have a legitimate team -- not you and some buddies hanging out in mommy's basement!

What you need:

• CEO: The "public" brains behind the operation. People believe in Trump's abilities because he's ran businesses -- went bankrupt and rebuilt dozens of times. The CEO has the vision and needs to effectively be able to motivate their team and potential investors into believing that dream.
• COO: The COO is the actual management of the company. They run the day-to-day and need to be top-notch managers, with a significant background in either managing huge teams and/or producing massive results during their time in management.
• CTO: Perhaps even more integral to a technology-based company is the CTO. They're basically experienced developers/tech-geeks that are good with people (this, a tongue-in-cheek comment alluding to the stigma surrounding basement-dwelling developers).
• CFO: A good CFO for an ICO is a combination of someone with a strong background in accounting and finance -- banking, stocks, investing, management, and at the highest levels: actual cryptocurrency knowledge. CFOs control the books and make sure all teams get the funds they need to make the startup solvent, while balancing the act of maintaining token holder's value.
• Developers/Workers: This one should need the least amount of explanation. They develop, deploy, tweak, and fix what's wrong -- hopefully before heads start to roll!
• Marketing: Another one that needs little explanation. From the initial whitepaper and roadmap stage, onto cold-calling, and developing unique campaigns to reach the types of investors interested in cryptocurrency; the marketing team is integral. They also form the bridge between your ICO and advertisers. At the very least, the marketing management team all need to have a great portfolio of contacts to offer during the job interview stage.

Get a solid legal team behind you.

Your legal team is separate from the rest of your team members. Quite honestly, the amount of knowledge and responsibility needed to navigate this world is second only to the startup idea itself. While the funds transferred to your fund are currently unsecured, do you really think the federal government will protect you for the next decade if the ICO fails, and simply leave token holders holding the bag?

There are so many legalities involved, it would make any layman's head spin. There's much more to it than having a competent lawyer experienced in ICOs, finance, or another related field look over your Terms and Conditions for red flags prior to launch.

A solid ICO lawyer can help you from conception, to ICO, and throughout the process to ensure you're as compliant as possible. Many will offer fixed rates after examining your offering, so you can move onto worrying about the ICO itself, rather than hidden fees and the like from your lawyer whenever a problem crops up.

Open your ICO account.

This will be one of the most challenging issues faced in the ICO launch process. Chances are, you won't be heading down to the local "XYZ" bank on 51th Street an opening an account. The ICO and cryptocurrency market in general are so fraught with skepticism, this is another service you want to seek out and employ at competent expert, rather than attempting it on your own.

Most banks are still very fiat-based and unlikely to offer help to open a bank account for this purpose. When seeking out an ICO banking services legal or banking services provider, ensure they have established relationships with on and off-shore accredited banks.

That's all that's needed to successfully open an ICO. Are you up for the challenge?