Hello, my name is Mike Merrill, and I’m your new investment.
After years of doing web-based projects, I’ve taken my commitment to collaboration (and my love of the business world) to the highest level. I’m selling shares in myself.
Using a virtual, fully-functional stock market called KmikeyM.com, I’m inviting everyone to own a part of me and all my future projects. By buying shares in me, Mike Merrill, you not only fund my ideas, but you have a say in which ones I undertake. As our little economy grows, my stock price will become a kind of benchmark for my success; the higher the stock price, the more viable the worth of my projects.
When Shareholder Questions come up, stock owners will be able to vote on significant choices in my life. The more shares you have, the more weight your vote has. You could be the only person voting to send me to night school, but with enough shares behind you, I’m going to enroll. Ostensibly, if we make the right choices, we both win.
Sure, you might say that this is an incomplete way of measuring my success — or that a business model is not conducive to the execution of creative projects. I don’t see it this way. Business is a social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity, and to accomplish particular creative and productive goals; after all, the etymology of the word “business” refers to the state of being busy.
It’s not about generating profits, particularly, although that will likely happen: it’s about a group of people working towards the same goal. By using an adapted structure of the market economy, you and I have a ready-built mechanism for operations, accountability, and measuring success that is not only well documented but also easily understood.
K5M F.A.Q.
How do I get started?
The first step is to open an account on KmikeyM.com and deposit funds so that you can purchase shares. Depositing funds is done via PayPal.
If you have received a physical share, you can register it by emailing kmikeym@kmikeym.com with your account information and the share serial number.
Is KmikeyM.com FDIC insured?
No. We’re not a bank, and therefore we’re not FDIC insured. You should consider KmikeyM a “high risk” investment.
Although K5M is a future-leaning experiment of capitalism, your money is safe. After your money is received via PayPal it is deposited in your KmikeyM account until you buy shares or request a withdrawal.
How do I make deposits and withdrawals?
All deposits and withdrawals are made online through PayPal. Any funds you send to K5M@kmikeym.com will be deposited in your KmikeyM.com account; when you request a withdrawal, you will receive it via PayPal.
I don’t have PayPal. Can I fund my account with a check?
Absolutely. Send an email to kmikeym@kmikeym.com and you will receive all the appropriate instructions regarding where to mail the check and who to make it out to.
How long will it take for KmikeyM.com withdrawals to appear in my PayPal account?
Because funds are not stored in PayPal, it can take between 4 and 6 business days, depending upon what time of day you initiate your transfer request. Arrangements can be made to withdraw faster if needed.
