Rather than creating a business plan, you may want to work on strategic planning, which is universal for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Here is a good start for things to evaluate and consider:<div><br></div>
<div><a href="http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/strategic.htm">http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/strategic.htm</a><br><br></div><div><br></div><div>-Ashley </div><div><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 7:15 AM, Serendipity Seraph <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:seren.seraph@gmail.com">seren.seraph@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"><div class="im">
Koen Martens wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 09:08:13AM +0200, Peter Ing wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>I am trying to get a Hackerspace going in South Africa. Instead of a
business plan I drew up a document that explains what a hackerspace is
and what the intentions and outcomes are.
This document is for potential partners who would be willing to
provide resources and space for the hackerspace to use.
Here in SA its not feasible to setup a hackerspace like a business and
I suspect the same may apply in most parts of the world.
Thats just my 2c
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre>I would say that a business is the anti-thesis of a hackerspace. A business
is profit driven. In any setting where you are profit driven, I personally
would refuse to volunteer for anything. If I paid for the businesses' services
I would expect a certain level of services.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br></div>
That misses so much. A business plan is about making sure that any
organized activity can continue indefinitely on as self-sustaining a
basis as possible or with adequate outside funding. It is make sure
that the organization/business/non-profit can continue to operate.
Responsible people must do this if they expect to continue to have
whatever the organization is about. It doesn't have anything
particular to do with profit as it also applies to non-profits. <br><div class="im">
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>The community part is very strong in how I see what hackerspaces are, and you
wipe that out once you go commercial. Sure, you can make a community around
your product, but that will be a marketing vehicle, and not give you the
commitment a real community gives.
</pre>
</blockquote></div>
I think you are confusing a business plan with going commercial. They
are not at all the same thing. I wouldn't count on the continued
survival of a hacker space or anything else that did not have at least
a basic business plan as to how they would pay their bills and keep the
lights on. <br>
<br>
<br>
- s<br>
<br>
</div>
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