Are there any traditional projects other than mining operations on GLBSE?
There have been. Feedzebirds is one kind of similar to what you are describing, for instance.
Here's another:
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https://glbse.com/ipo/144One problem is with how the value of bitcoin keeps increasing, so if your startup earns fiat income (or even earns bitcoins but the price is pegged to a fiat equivalent), the price of each share drops at a proportionate level. i.e., investors are looking to gain more bitcoins, not just value compared to dollars.
I don't know the secret. Nobody is using GLBSE in a way that it can be used.
Perhaps, ... offer shares with very short term deliverables perhaps.
So you start out with something like 10000 shares, and offer 500 shares the first week. There is no minimum, whatever bids are there, that's the price they are sold at. So you have a two week target. In two weeks you show that you've met the goal (or not) and you pitch for the next round, where the next 500 shares (or whatever) are sold. Again, these hit whatever bids are there. And so on until you have sold 50% of the shares issued (or whatever amount of equity you were willing to offer). If you finish early, you hold more shares. If you don't finish with success, that's the risk.
I've not thought this through, but it is one way I can think of how someone with only sweat equity to contribute can get funding on a long shot idea. It is easier to raise $500 with a two week deliverable than it is to raise $5,000 with a three month deliverable. Anyone investing knows these generally have a 90% chance of failure. But If it goes well after a few weeks (deliverables are met) the funds can be raised easier and at a greater valuation.