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by Nathaniel FitzGerald  When we first started MAKE SOUTH BEND, it was because we wanted makers in our community to have access to tools and resources that they wouldn't be able to afford on their own.
Our motivation was a bit selfish, admittedly: Michelle had sketched out a leather wallet/journal combo that she was stoked about. She bought some leather making tools and made a few prototypes. After a few failed concepts, our first negative review on Etsy, and a couple hundred dollars down spent on tools that she didn't want to look at anymore, she threw up her hands and wished for a coworking space that would have the tools for her. Seeing nothing in the area, we opened our own. We wanted our space would become a haven for artists and makers who didn't have their own studio or tools to come in and create. Not everyone has access to a screenprinting studio. Laser cutters, pottery wheels, and kilns aren't exactly home-friendly. But something happened that we weren't expecting. People who didn't need our space bought memberships. We have a few members who just paint. One is an illustrator—I don't even think she's ever used any of our equipment. One person came in to practice origami boxes. These are all things that a person could easily do at home. We were doing some of that in our basement before we opened the shop. But I understand why they're coming. Outside of MAKE, I write freelance. This gives me the freedom to work whenever I want from wherever I want. But the problem with setting your own work schedule is the "work" part. I have the freedom to plop down on the couch in front of my record collection and plug away on my laptop. And, surprising no one, that quickly devolves into slacking off. Working in the shop, however, gives some accountability. When I'm around other people who are working, it helps me stay on task too. And sometimes, I'm even inspired by what they're doing. Their contagious energy rubs off, and I want to accomplish something too. This isn't only happening at MAKE. Freelancers, entrepreneurs, and remote workers are joining coworking in ever-growing numbers. In the past ten years, almost 14,000 coworking spaces have popped up around the world. Many of these don't even have special equipment people can use: just a few desks, wi-fi, and a community of like-minded individuals. If that sounds like something you could benefit from, but you aren't ready to purchases a membership, stop by the shop every other Wednesday morning for Coworking Wednesdays. Have a cup of coffee, grab a spot at a desk, and enjoy the community. And from personal experience, it sure beats mindlessly tabbing between your work and Reddit all by yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put on some real pants.
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If you're waiting around for that breathtaking website to be complete or for the product to be perfect, you won't be getting anywhere fast. It's 2018 already, and it's time to take action.
First, you should test your idea on a sample audience. Ask people for feedback and try to ask people who will actually be customers. Your mom can only buy so much product from you before you need new customers. Testing your idea is as simple as asking, "Hey would you use this? What would you pay for it?" Then take that feedback and use it to guide your further product development and your marketing strategy. In a makerspace like this, it's also easy to ask the other makers around you for feedback and even for advice on design, packaging, pricing, etc. It helps to be around others who get what you're doing. The next stage is to make your product good enough to sell. Improvements can always come along the way. Apple has been doing this for years. Give customers what you have now, and when improvements come, you can sell those too. For example, when I started making jewelry, I had some great design ideas but was limited to only using polymer clay, so I did that until I had access to a kiln and upgraded my material to porcelain. The first designs sold well because people liked the way they looked, and the second version still sold well because there was great design and a more durable product. The other thing that will help you sell your product is by having attractive branding, packaging and marketing. Every decision you make from the company name to the logo colors, the fonts, and even the box you put it in all convey some message about you and your company that either make people want to be part of that story or barely notice it all. You want to be noticed. Look at some recognizable brands or other popular handmade brands to get ideas on how to do this well. Then, once you have a product you know people will want, and you've packaged it well so it tells your story for you, you need to get it out there. You can start an Etsy page (but it's grown very competitive), you can sell at shows (just make sure you find good ones), you can give some product to "influencers" to help get the word out about your item, but you must build some sort of online social presence, be that Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you can grow your own following, you can have an audience and customers anytime you need. If not, you'll be relying on luck or spending lots of money on advertising dollars. So don't let 2018 pass you by. Start networking with other makers at one of our coworking days. Hone your skills and get your product to a sellable state, making prototypes. You can use tools at a makerspace like ours for a low cost. Get your company basics prepared to share, and get on social media. Some good resources for design and web building are Canva.com and Weebly.com.  By Haleigh Ehmsen We now have NONA jewelry in the MAKE SOUTH BEND Shop!  9/22/2016 0 Comments Make your own magic  Sculpting Workshop with Rhonda Whitledge
 We're extremely excited to be partnering with Rhonda for this unique workshop. If you love creatures like the kind you'll find in pictures from Jim Henson, George Lucas, Tim Burton, etc., this class if for you. The best part is, you won't need any experience. Just bring your imagination, a stand if you want it, and any fabric you'd like to use as doll clothes. We hope to see you there! See more of Rhonda's work here: https://www.facebook.com/Sculpture.RhondaWhitledge/photos To register, follow this link here: http://www.makesouthbend.com/store/p343/Sculpting_Workshop.html 9/19/2016 0 Comments What's new this week?Premiering classes, old favorites, and moreWe've been up to a lot of cool stuff here at MAKE, not the least of which being some new classes added to the fall schedule. A couple of these courses are premiering this week! Check them out in this slideshow, and click the images to follow the sign up link.
 Check it out today and plan aheadIf you have been around the makerspace this year for classes you maybe picked up one of our class catalogues. We publish one each quarter so you can see what classes and workshops are coming up and plan accordingly.
This time, we decided to add a little more information in the catalogue for you too. You can find info on our upcoming featured artists, plan to attend a pop up makers' market, get info on our premier music and art festival we're hosting in September, and on how to plan a DIY party with us. We're excited, moving forward, to add even more valuable information for you in this catalogue. You can pick one up in the shop mid September (Art Beat wiped out our first order of catalogues) or look at it now with this online PDF version. This catalogue lists all our scheduled classes and workshops from the beginning of September through the end of November. Sometimes classes are added last minute, and we always add those to our Facebook events and notify our email subscribers. You can join our email list here to make sure you stay up to date and even get an occasional subscribers' only perk. |
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