Up in Wisconsin, they're doing something creative with craft beer besides brewing it. They're turning microbreweries — and other small businesses — into investment opportunities for individuals.
It's an idea worth importing to Illinois, if the legislature would pursue it.
Wisconsin is among a dozen or so states allowing local companies to raise money by selling stock via specialized websites. In the beer example, MobCraft Beer of Madison wants to raise $250,000 to $500,000 by selling small ownership stakes to residents through a portal called Craftfund.com.
