[hackerspaces] Hackerspace business plan

[punkin3.14]

On 10-06-28 9:49 AM, Chris Hardee wrote:
> We're starting up a space here in San Antonio, TX and I've been asked by
> sponsors and members for a business plan. I've been working on one but
> is there a skeleton plan or something I can base this off of? Any tips
> or experience anyone can share about writing one? Thanks

To be frank, most "business plans" aren't worth the paper they're 
printed on. But since you are being asked to provide one by people with 
a real or potential stake in what you're doing, its important to 
understand what specifically they want to see before they'll be willing 
to invest. Any business plan you draft needs to address whatever 
specific question your sponsors and members have. The most valuable 
thing you can do at this point is make sure you know what those 
questions are.

At KwartzLab, we held a very long conversation with our potential 
membership regarding what they expected from the venture -- both what 
they wanted in terms of community and resources, and what they needed in 
terms of financial stability. From this, we were able to draft a vision 
statement, a governance model, and a budget for the space. Because we 
knew how many people would be signing up on day one, we were also able 
to draft reasonably accurate financial projections. We didn't package 
this up as a business plan per se, but its the sort of thing you'll want 
to include.

If your sponsors are interested in knowing how you plan on growing your 
numbers, you may also want to include a section on the sort of marketing 
or outreach you have done so far and have planned for the future, how 
successful its been, and what growth you anticipate for the coming year.


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