<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<br>
Milwaukee Makerspace moved into a 16,000 square foot building in
January (we were at a smaller space since 2010) and we have only
volunteers at this point. Some are Board Members and some are just
Members, but we all pitch in. Build a community is one of our top
goals. So far it's worked out well, though I'm pretty sure a few
Board Members may not run for a second term due to the amount of
time/work involved.<br>
<br>
<br>
Pete<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/4/13 11:08 AM, Gui Cavalcanti
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:51AE10E5.90003@artisansasylum.com" type="cite">
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
Stitch,<br>
<br>
There's certainly a spectrum! While the Asylum doesn't have
completely open doors (as in, you can't just come in and hang out,
unless you're a member's guest), we have a large enough membership
(300+) that there are always people hanging out in the space. It's
rare for the space to have fewer than 50 people around on most
weeknights.<br>
<br>
As I mentioned in the article, I think it really does boil down to
expenses. Rent in our area is so high that without multiple
sources of income and regular monthly payments, we couldn't stay
open. Once we charge for membership, however, we have to provide a
service that matches what people are paying for. This is why we
strive for work areas that professionals could use to practice
their craft.<br>
<br>
A big part of why we grew as a space was because it was so
difficult to stay open at the 9,000 square foot scale, given our
expenses and the fact that it was nobody's full-time job to run
the space (so we were all burning out). We weren't the only ones
that ran into this in Boston - Willoughby & Baltic, a local
hackerspace, occupied the 9,000 square foot space before us and
imploded for a variety of reasons, but one of the most significant
was simply not having sustainable sources of income. i3Detroit, on
the other hand, stays open at 8,000 square feet with no paid
staff, because their expenses are so incredibly low (10x lower
rent than us, per square foot). <br>
<br>
Travis Good and the <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.nova-labs.org/blog/">NOVA Labs</a> crew have a
very good mix; they're running with a robust business plan, at a
scale (3,000-4,000 square feet) that is sustainable by volunteers.
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.i3detroit.com/">i3Detroit</a>,
like I mentioned, is still going strong at 4 years with all
volunteers.<br>
<br>
I don't personally know of spaces larger than i3Detroit who still
work as a free-to-access community space with an all-volunteer
staff that's akin to what you're talking about. Even i3Detroit is
an exception, in my mind, because their expenses are so low
compared to almost every other part of the U.S.<br>
<br>
-Gui<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/4/2013 11:51 AM, Elger Jonker
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CABTcf_wk_OCxURk9HDYcekfKxpDRV67APE2fKjU0-WMfxksXNw@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="">Hey Gui,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
It's interesting to see that you can make a living doing what
you love. This model sounds OK for running a "hardware
workshop"-type makerspace with some FTE, or at least give a
general feel about it.
<div> <br>
</div>
<div style="">I say hardware workshop because because in my
experience this is not a place where you go and hang out
after work or in the weekends to do cool stuff. The numbers
might be the cause of breaking this concept. Am i right?</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style="">In contrast: many of the spaces i know operate
as a foundation. They stay afloat with about 1000 euro each
month coming from memberships, selling drinks and donations
(usually in that order). Everyone contributes in buying
stuff that's needed or wanted. There is real dedication but
in the end it's mostly leisure.</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style="">What i'm wondering: can there be a mix between
the 80k-a-month-food-on-the-table and
1k-a-month-we-all-have-fun. Any space that has this mix
working?</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style=""> Regards,</div>
<div style="">Stitch</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style="">PS: At hack42 we went outside last week and
discovered there was a beautiful garden beneath the
wilderness: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://hack42.nl/gallery/v/Spacecam/DSCF6288.JPG.html">https://hack42.nl/gallery/v/Spacecam/DSCF6288.JPG.html</a></div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 4:20 PM, Gui
Cavalcanti <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:gui@artisansasylum.com" target="_blank">gui@artisansasylum.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">My
latest (gigantic) blog post for MAKE is up here: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://blog.makezine.com/2013/06/04/making-makerspaces-creating-a-business-model/"
target="_blank">http://blog.makezine.com/2013/06/04/making-makerspaces-creating-a-business-model/</a><br>
<br>
It focuses on how to create a steady-state business model
for makerspaces and hackerspaces, paying extra careful
attention to all of the expenses that could be incurred by
a business of our type. It's not a complete list, for
sure, but it's an intensive one.<br>
<br>
Would love to hear what you guys think.<span
class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
<br>
-- <br>
Gui Cavalcanti, President<br>
Artisan's Asylum, Inc.<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.artisansasylum.com" target="_blank">http://www.artisansasylum.com</a><br>
Cell: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="tel:%28857%29%20389-7669" value="+18573897669"
target="_blank">(857) 389-7669</a><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Discuss mailing list<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:Discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org"
target="_blank">Discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss"
target="_blank">http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss</a><br>
</font></span></blockquote>
</div>
<br>
<br clear="all">
<div><br>
</div>
-- <br>
<div dir="ltr">Elger Jonker<br>
Pentesting / Mediawiki / Content Management / Database
Modelling<br>
<br>
+31 (0)6 1342 5622 (+31 61 dial mac)
<div>Skype: elger.jonker</div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.awesomeretro.com" target="_blank">http://www.awesomeretro.com</a>
- retro gaming foundation<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.elgerjonker.nl"
target="_blank">http://www.elgerjonker.nl</a> -
curriculum vitae / weblog<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.raveradio.nl"
target="_blank">http://www.raveradio.nl</a> - housemusic
revival show<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="https://www.hack42.nl"
target="_blank">https://www.hack42.nl</a> - hackerspace
arnhem<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Gui Cavalcanti, President
Artisan's Asylum, Inc.
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.artisansasylum.com">http://www.artisansasylum.com</a>
Cell: (857) 389-7669</pre>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org">Discuss@lists.hackerspaces.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss">http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>