Nearly tripled in size in a year?

I just checked the membership numbers at https://accounts.dallasmakerspace.org/member_count.php and it shows 899

I think we were around 300 when we moved, does anyone have the July 1 numbers for last year?

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Stan,

I just checked the membership numbers at https://accounts.dallasmakerspace.org/member_count.php and it shows 899 I think we were around 300 when we moved, does anyone have the July 1 numbers for last year?

That is about right as I joined a year ago in late June and the membership was 300 or just slightly more, so 300 % in 1 year is pretty good reckoning.

JAG “1st Year Anniversary with DMS” MAN

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Next Building DMS moves to needs(MUST HAVE) full roof access; the roof must be load bearing.

http://www.marvelbuilding.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/roof-garden-of-Urban-House-Remodel-with-Green-Wall-and-Roof-.jpeg

…X…

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Looks like Science Committee had better get busy with that living wall project…

Is there a point at which we could become too big?

Next Building DMS moves to needs(MUST HAVE) full roof access; the roof must be load bearing.

The next building DMS moves to should probably be owned so that there is more flexibility as to what is permissible.

Looks like Science Committee had better get busy with that living wall project…

Referencing my first comment, we also need a place where we can get basic shit like water and drainage to the back side and warehouse area of the building. I can’t believe the logistics of that - even my garage has it’s own sink and this is like having a biology/chemistry lab with no gas outlets or DI water.

Is there a point at which we could become too big?

We can never be too big - just too big for the space we are currently in. (which is also regulated by fire code per occupancy limits) But first we are concerned with the impending inspection and meeting those requirements. (which will be an excellent learning lesson for the next space(s). Still, I am personally for scouting around to find a future auxiliary location.

JAG “Organic Growth by Fractal Bounds” MAN

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I asked one of my business professors why he generally opposed businesses owning their own building. He asked, “Are you in the business of selling buildings?” His reasons against owning the buildings include that if you need to move to another space, it is much easier to get out of a lease than it is to sell an office building. What happens if you own the building, only to have the city shut down your street for major renovation? You would be out of business for months! If you lease, you could stipulate that you could move to a different location in such an event. Also, businesses generally have better things to worry about than upkeep in their building.

Richard,

I asked one of my business professors why he generally opposed businesses owning their own building. He asked, “Are you in the business of selling buildings?” His reasons against owning the buildings include that if you need to move to another space, it is much easier to get out of a lease than it is to sell an office building.

And perhaps that explains why he is a business professor instead of a major property holder in real estate.

A number of successful businesses own their buildings and we are not in the “business” of anything except creativity. That rationale sounds like it is coming out of a place of timidity and fear. (from your instructor - not you, so nothing personal)

What happens if you own the building, only to have the city shut down your street for major
renovation?

  1. Check ahead to see what the infrastructure is already like and research what is in the works for future development.

  2. So what if a street gets renovated? They rarely close it entirely and I don’t see the turbulence of a bit of construction stopping members from attending. (slowing a bit, perhaps yes) The spiraling hellhole that 635 has been in for the past several years has not prevented a 3 X growth in annual membership even though it is a major transit obstacle for many including myself.

  3. We are a non-profit - it is not like we have to worry about temporary dips in attendance or answering to quarterly stockholders.

Also, businesses generally have better things to worry about than upkeep in their building.

And creative makerspaces have better things to worry about than violating a lease or pissing off a landlord.

We are about pushing beyond traditional constraints.

From one of my primary role models, Captain Kirk in the episode “Return to Tomorrow.”

Capt. Kirk: "They used to say if man could fly, he’d have wings, but he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn’t reached the moon, or that we hadn’t gone on to Mars and then to the nearest star?

That’s like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great-great-great-great grandfather used to.

I’m in command.

I could order this, but I’m not because Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this, but I must point out that the possibilities - the potential for knowledge and advancement - is equally great.

Risk!

Risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toG6aSQFF7Y

JAG “Second Star to the Right and Straight On Until Morning” MAN

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DMS is not an average, stereotypical lease holder. There is so much that DMS is currently restricted and prohibited from doing that would be an automatic none issue if the Real estate and building was owned by DMS.

DMS owning a building would be IDEAL! The reasons are numerous and outclass all the reasons not to own a building.

…X…

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I do think that owning its own building would be ideal for the space. Yes it’d make moving harder for sure, but in the mean time you’d have a ton of liberty with what you could do on the property vs just leasing. And hopefully we’d be able to get a big enough space that having to move would be quite sometime in the future, but I reckon that was the hope this past move too.

As far as getting too big, I suppose that’s a possibility. Either too big in that you get the attention of less scrupulous people (but, incidentally, the more people there at a time would be its own insurance against someone walking off with one of the machines) or just having to wait ever increasing amounts of time for use of one of the tools.

I would definitely find a new business professor.

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Or a TARDIS matrix for the cleaning closet.

He also is a successful business owner. It’s been a few years since I took his class, but I recall that he owns million-dollar businesses. He knows what he’s talking about.

Maybd its time to consider satellite DMS sites.

NO! It seems to me that much of what makes DMS what it is involves the interaction of members with a variety of interests. It would be diminished by relocating parts of the facilities. Not to mention the siginificant additional costs as those satellite sites start to want to acquire duplicates of tooling as they get tired of travelling to access something.

I suspect that the growth with slow and/or reverse naturally over time. Indeed, I think we should be planning on contingencies when it does start to reverse (ie we get smaller). All organizations go through cycles, and downturns are part and parcel of that. Planning for them could allow DMS to survive a severe curtailing of revenue.

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FYI Buying a building is not ideal at this time.
For the Business Majors, we are in what is known as a expansion/prosperity phase of the business cycle. Buying a building now is extremely shortsighted as we could quickly outgrow the building.

When we moved to the Monetary Ln everyone thought it was HUGE and it was considering where we were coming from but now 11 months into the 3 year lease we are struggling to find room for people and projects.

Purchasing a building could be a option once membership stabilizes.

Some numbers the current building is approx 1.2-5 Million dollars considering how much we are likely to expand we would be looking at a 2 Million dollar building + build-out out for said building would likely get into 200-300K.

What I am focusing on in my BOD role is optimizing - focus on bringing in new state of the art equipment, bring in more classes for people to learn how to use said equipment.

Better policies around the organization, better account management.

Finally if we have someone in house now is the time to be looking at grants.

Our friends in Columbus purchased a 60K square foot building with the help of a grant program

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/01/columbus-idea-foundry-kicking-off.html

To me this seems like a better direction if we can pull it off together.

Now for the next 2 years likely we will be keeping a close eye on any spaces in the direct vicinity of DMS.

At the last BOD meeting funding was approved for offsite storage so likely we will be moving committee storage into offsite to make more room for active personal projects.

I would not throw out the possibility of satellite locations but it would require the leadership and drive to build it out.

The other change we are finally seeing maker-spaces pop up around DFW and we are not the only show in town which is GREAT!

There is one near downtown and thelab.ms just opened a facility at park and 75 (Not ready for the public yet)

Disclosure this is my own thoughts and may or may not be the BOD stance on the subject.

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One of the reasons that I am at DMS is to learn how something like DMS works. I was considering starting a makerspace in the East Plano area, but that’s a very big job and I wanted to know what is involved. I’m gaining experience and insight by observing DMS.

Eventually, DMS likely will need satellite facilities, perhaps with various locations specializing in various areas. We likely would duplicate smaller pieces of equipment. We just duplicated the laser cutter, one of the biggest draws to DMS; we have a half-dozen 3D printers, too, which are another draw. So, duplication is not the end, but a sign of growth.

I’ve attended several meetings for TheLab.ms. They will specialize in their own areas of interest, which I think is mostly along the lines of A/V. They also brew beer and do some electronics. They haven’t said anything about getting industrial equipment, or even a 3D printer, at least that I’ve heard.

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Beautifully crafted analysis, however I respectfully contest one of your points:

First, I cannot deduct a clear correlation between regular business models and DMS. The growth in membership you referenced is exponential in nature, while sharing loosely some traits with other business models. One set of models are pyramid schemes. DMS is more like a (individually-started-then-successful) YouTube Channel, with subscriptions becoming an analog for DMS members base - more so that, THAN a “business.”

Second, If DMS is in the Prosperity Face, then the danger would be that DMS acquires to own too big of a building for a membership that may(could) subsequently sharply decline. This would mean it would not outgrow the building in that scenario.

WHEN DMS aquires a building, some of the real danger could be: the economy could tank again(RE:2008), costing the membership to decline, a competitor( @Opcode ) could start a more attractive “Space” or we could Plan too big and get a MASSIVE space, bringing about its own issues.

Third, Most people have trouble truly working under this notion:

Everything and Everyone is ALWAYS Temporary.

Acquiring a building(as in DMS owning one) is no more permanent than leasing a building, in the scheme of real estate. DMS could make the decision to sell, just the same as not renewing a lease. The one Advantage DMS has is its Nonprofit classification. Taxes are less of a concern, than in a For Profit organization. Owning a Building would just allow DMS to do much more than currently.

The Monetary Dr space is awesome, AWESOME!, but it lacks a ton of little simple stuff… the worst part, most of that simple stuff cannot be added by DMS, the landlord will not allow it. Which is a cruel joke to DMS, whose second letter stands for “Maker/Modder(hacker)” but cannot customize, or mod the space it occupies.

If I understood correctly during one of the meetings a few weeks back, the Metal Shop lost the opportunity to make operational a Power Hammer it already possessed simply because DMS’ current LandLord did not allow it. :pensive: It was almost as sad to find out as watching the sitcom Roseanne’s last episode

On the issue of being to big, which was a question posed by @nickdangerous , I would propose that when there is no sense of community(dont know who is who) OR worst, when DMS NEEDS to enact/hire a POLICING branch to interact with members, then DMS has effectively gotten too big[for its own good.]

@Robert_Davidson What exactly would member stability look like; what would one measure for how long to recognize it?

…X…

Couple of additional comments from a business major. I would describe the MakerSpace business model as a recurring revenue model or subscription based model. It’s all about rate of new member acquisition and existing member attrition. As far as purchasing versus leasing real estate I’d argue that real estate is a relatively illiquid asset - buying and selling real estate can be a long and expensive process. It’s much easier to enter and exit leases.

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The recent exponential growth may be attributed to DMS’ recent move to a location that people prefer. If DMS were to move any more East, I would not be a member anymore as the drive would be too much. Besides the distance to my house, being close to 35, and the Tollway is one reason I am a member.