The purpose of this social networking application is that it is altruistic in nature, rather than being designed to generate revenue. However, we are aware that issues will arise as to who would initially fund our set up, as we will not be expecting people to pay to use our services. Before we begin approaching local businesses to discuss the potential of investing in The Story of Us, we will begin by advertising our network at local and national funeral director events, as a way of getting feedback on the innovation of our idea. Moreover, in terms of funding the initial set up and creation of the application, I would utilise my local connections and pitch our idea to funeral businesses within the area to see if anyone would be interested in investing in the applications creation. In addition to this, I would reach out to local charities in Southampton, such as, Mind, Cruse, and Simon Says, all of which have funded previous projects tailored towards helping the bereaved.
As we are initially planning to advertise solely through local funeral businesses, and advertisement is an obvious revenue stream, we are hoping that if we connect to local companies, they would consider funding our start up in return for free advertisement. It is feasible to assume that local funeral businesses would pay to invest in such an application if it became successful, so this could be a mutually beneficial arrangement that could help get us off the ground. An example of a local project that used similar funding methods is the Daisy Memorial Garden, situated at Southampton Crematorium, and is specifically designed for the strewing of babies and children’s cremated remains. The idea for the garden was proposed by a couple who lost one of their twins during pregnancy and the family wanted to invest money into bringing comfort to others. The £8,000 Daisy Garden was funded through the family of the deceased and the Southampton Sands (Stillbirth and Neo-Natal Death) charity. We plan to use a similar tactic, although we will initially focus on gaining local industries investment rather than charities.
