Planning is the key to success, but not all success stories follow the same model. This section will outline just a few of the many models behind commercially successful spaces, after which we will provide suggestions on your makerspace planning process.
TechShop is a member-based makerspace corporation. It operates in the genre of industrial tools and employs technician “Dream Consultants” as lynchpin supports at workshops. For an in-depth look at model and story of TechShop, please navigate to Samples of Makerspaces.
Sprout & Co. began in 2008 as an EdTech venture concept, with the driving mission of science as a cultural activity and an objective of providing programs to schools within their community. Because of their initial concept, securing their own physical space wasn’t an issue at the onset– the main concern was the development of programs and services, and afterwards, the tools for implementation, at the various physical locations of their clients. With their initial vision realized, Sprout now boasts a significant repertoire of past and present programs and services covering a great variety of market segments. Sprout has a team of three staff and a board of three seasoned EdTech venturists to guide and realize their mission.
Artisan’s Asylum is a nonprofit initiative originally sponsored by Sprout, with the value statement Making Creativity a Way of Life. In addition to artists and hobbyists, Artisan’s Asylum specifically supports early entrepreneurs, and some extraordinarily successful projects and businesses have been kickstarted from this site. The initial Sprout sponsorship allowed for a scaffolded mentorship to the entrepreneurs behind the Asylum; as the venture itself had no proven track record and was initially volatile. The space started with a model of paid educational and training workshops, paid memberships, and studio rentals.
Three different models, with three different makerspace visions. If you wish to have a successful space, taking the time to set out your initial vision, and scheduling time to revisit that vision and plan, is essential to keep you on the right track. A solid business plan will help motivate your venture on a deeper level, help you make decisions, and help you to stay realistic through the process. In addition, a written and detailed plan will enable flexible application to funding opportunities that may arise.
Identify your fundamental assumptions and projections:
- Venture profile – What is your context, your mission and vision, your goals and objectives? What type of space are you trying to put together, and who will comprise your community?
- Educational Market Research – What is the overview of your intended venture, and what is already locally available to you? What do you intend to make in your space, and what is the market for your creation? Who are you serving, who is your competition, and what is the SWOT analysis?
- Marketing – How will you gain buy-in to your space? What is your cost/benefit analysis and positioning? What is your pricing and sales strategy? Will you advertise? Can you form alliances with other departments or stakeholders?
- Operations – Do you have a physical and/or virtual location? How will you address legal issues, staffing, and other risks? How will you manage your space?
- Finance – What are your startup costs? Are you able to forecast sales, cashflow, or income?
You should provide a pitch summary on each section of your business plan, as well as a detailed breakdown for further analysis.
Depending on your context, there are a variety of tools available to help you get started with planning. You may find the following planning aids helpful when considering business models and business plans:
The Business Model Canvas, is a creative-commons licensed modelling canvas suggested by Hackerlab.org for budding maker entrepreneurs.
MAKE Magazine: Makerspace Business Plans, a comprehensive guide to makerspace business planning.
CYBF Interactive Business Plan Writer, a user-friendly and professional business plan writing tool. For further assistance when writing your business plan, CYBF has created a comprehensive webinar series covering each of their suggested five segments in depth.
Discussion: In addition to those listed above, what are some of the key specific pieces of information that you would expect to see included in a makerspace business plan?
Discussion Summary: Based on the ETEC522 2013 Winter Term 1 cohort discussion, additional important considerations for the development of a business plan include:
- Ensuring that your business model is relevant to your local context;
- Significant research to develop a strong vision, which will in turn facilitate future growth; and
- Seeking support from established spaces if available; and in return, supporting new spaces once yours is established.
Please view the cohort experience in the comments below. If you are accessing this OER after November 3, 2013, you are welcome to further contribute to the discussion.
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I would add to the finance section a piece on financing. What credit do you have available to you for the first few months of operation? How can you ensure that the makerspace is run as efficiently as possible?
Hello Jason,
You’ve brought up an important piece in terms of venture backing. Although one hopes for immediate and smashing success, it’s always a good idea to have a cushion especially after the initial implementation of venture. As noted in the “Opportunity Activation” on the ETEC522 website, there are many resources devoted to helping entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality, but the post-incubation risk and reality is always going to be scary! As an example, in a panel discussion about Makerspace business models, Gui Cavalcanti of Artisan’s Asylum noted that before they had an established business, they were operating on a seat-of-their-pants basis.
I think it is interesting what Sprout & Co. did to help Artisan’s Asylum get off the ground. To me, this highlights an essential portion of the market-plan: expansion. That doesn’t necessarily mean expansion of the same makerspace to a second or third location, but rather expansion of the concept of “makerspaces” in general. The spaces themselves are such a relatively new concept that I think the support Sprout & Co. showed is very important for the long term success of makerspaces in general. As spaces are able to sprout up (pun intended) around North America, their existence (still relatively unknown by most) will become more ubiquitous, benefiting makerspaces in general. I truly think that it is in the best interest of all makerspaces to support the growth of new ones, like one unified brand.
Hello @brendangalexander, it’s interesting to think that as the concept catches on, the maker culture, at this time, continues to support the expansion of the movement. I think that maker culture will continue its emergence, as the components of personal fabrication continue to grow closer to the consumer. At this point in time, the opportunity to get in on initial offerings for spaces is ripe for entrepreneurs, especially as there is now a range of successful and not-as-successful examples from which to draw inspirations and lessons as due diligence. The market is still new enough to support for-profit, not-for-profit, and social enterprise.
Innovation Schooling with the Sprout & Co. reminds me of High Tech High in California. A project based learning environment where the students take ownership of the learning creating with their learning.
Hello @laeckers, I checked out High Tech High’s website, and what a story! Starting with a single charter school only 13 years ago, it’s grown into a network of k12 schools, a teacher certification program, and graduate education as well. No wonder, considering the educational philosophy underpinning the whole project. I agree that the principles espoused by Sprout & Co. seem to align with many of the stated principles of High Tech High. Thanks for the link.
I would consider accessibility and relevance to need as crucial. I would think physical location as appropriate for equipment intensive explorations, but essentially any space, real or virtual could work if it suited the purpose. A blog, as we know, could work as collaborative workspace while the creation of online product could be anywhere connected to the internet. Collaboration in terms of media production could be a candidate for a physical makespace. Perhaps it’s time colleges and universities need to recognize the need for makespaces as an appropriate responsibility to the community.
In my case I am approaching the public library for space to implement the face-to-face component of blended tutoring. Interested educators are welcome to participate.
Ivan Illich’s book Deschooling Society(1971) speaks to this envisioned movement of taking charge away from institutional prescription towards a ‘just in time’ model of accessing knowledge and skills.
I for one have had extensive training in mechanical and structural technology, but then found opportunity in other areas. Now that production technology is once again becoming the focus of governments, I would have a hard time remembering much of what I learned fifty years ago and an opportunity to revisit some of those skills in a production focused makerspace would be eagerly taken advantage of.
David, a lot of what you say can be found in our choosing space section. You certainly have a lot of the same ideas that others have come up with.
The business model demands an awareness of community as well as administration and how you will serve that sector. feel free to browse several of our other sections.
In addition to those listed above, I would include specific information as to how the equipment needed to begin operations would be acquired. Having the right tools in place will help the community grow in size and expertise. Once these initial tools are in place and the membership grows, further tools can be acquired and the process can continue. It is important to determine the types of tools that will be necessary to meet the needs of the local community during the early phases of the project.
Hello Alex,
Yes, this is where the vision development and re-visiting the vision periodically comes into play. The membership of a given space may develop interests that diverge from the initial vision, and the “right tools” may thus change as the early phases of the project evolve. Thank you for your comment,
Nicola