Invest in:

Hello, galaxy! I'm Chris Pirillo, and I've been riding the wild waves of the internet since way back in 1996. For those of you who might not know me, I'm the guy behind LockerGnome, one of the first independent creator brands to grace the World Wide Web. It used to be called that, ya know?

Over the years, I've weathered ups, downs, and everything in between (both on my own as well as with a small, dedicated team). I had to figure out how to make things work as an internet entrepreneur when there weren't any templates. What used to be difficult is now easy, and what used to be easy is now difficult.

I was creating email newsletters while most people were still using dial-up. I was assembling DRM-free eBooks before most people were comfortable selling content online. I was blogging before it was a word. I was podcasting before support was baked into iTunes. I was streaming live video long before it was possible to do on a phone. I was certainly doing all of this when we didn't have centralized social media platforms and apps demanding an ever-dwindling amount of attention.

I've been on an incredible journey, inadvertently inspiring countless individuals to turn their passions into careers… using technology to make it all happen. Amidst all the geek culture passion and tech content I've shared, my personal story has always resonated with people in a way that's almost impossible to describe.

I've been at a point in my career where it's better to enable other independent creators than it is to simply be an independent creator myself.

As such, I have an idea.

Instead of me working as a content freelancer for myself, I believe it's possible to also empower my fellow freelancing creators through both "matchmaking" services and ongoing education under the LockerGnome umbrella.

Just like you don't have to be a vlogger yourself to enjoy the tech vlogs, you don't have to be a content creator to know that other creators will find value in what I'd like to build for them (and myself, vicariously).

So, here's what I'm thinking:

• I'd like to continue doing a weekly vlog like you've been enjoying, providing a "behind the scenes" of sorts and continuing to share my thoughts and opinions. Therein, I'd also document the process of turning this idea into action. This, in some ways, is icing on the cake if I can jumpstart LockerGnome as a platform.

• Educating and/or enabling freelancers in a formalized, productized way. This might come in the form of developing courses and/or webinars for those looking to tap my decades of experience as a pioneer in using the internet (building communities and leveraging social media) to become an independent entrepreneur. This would come with one-on-one consulting options for anybody looking to become, themselves, independent.

• Create a marketplace experience wherein freelancers can publish services offered - knowing full well that most of the engagements found will be done the old fashioned way (me making the actual connections). Perhaps this is just for tech content creators, perhaps it's for all tech freelancers - I don't have a feel yet. I discovered Sharetribe as a customizable platform for this need.

Unlike most creators, and unlike anything I've done in the past, I'm looking to share these sources of revenue with y'all (and have it managed independently to ensure everything is tracked by the books).

So, I'm not seeking an investment in the ideas, but the intended execution. The investment is in the LockerGnome team, and the structure would be being managed through the OverSubscribe platform (built with and for people who know what they're doing in their respective lanes). Through OverSubscribe, I will also have access to people who have a track record in helping people like me ("talent," if you will) scale.

Your managed investment would help me cover my costs (as I've always been somewhat of a freelancer), but also cover costs. Yes, with investors, it's about more than just "Chris Pirillo."

Investing in LockerGnome would offer a unique option to tap into a brand (and name) with a history of success and renewed strategy for growth - all while challenging the status quo in the content creation space (letting a creator's success become your own).

You in?