#distractedfounder

We’re into week three of the making.make works ‘merchandise sprint’ - and if nothing else have whittled down our ideas from dozens of low impact objects to sell, to one or two committed, well made, interesting / useful products - at least to start with. Thus being - our bi-annual publication (which is almost/finally ready to go), and a printed map / practical (and written by MW) guide to manufacturing in Scotland. 

The studio is covered in samples - boxes, envelopes, papers, prints - there are pages of scribbled sketches in my notebook. Yet - we’ve suffered from the numerous distractions of running a small organisation. There are habits I’ve built up to do with the day to day running of the platform (it would seem that I am addicted to researching new manufacturers to list on MW, and absent mindedly loose hours each morning tracking them down … ), I’m trying to finish up extra funding proposals, getting to factory site visits for the residency programme, co-ordinating filming for tour next week - and on the side, figuring out how to teach people to map their own local manufacturing in cities around the world.   

All of the above are core activities to running Make Works - but it risks losing focus from the initial task in hand. There are half-written emails to suppliers, printers, stockists and retailers in my emails about said 'printed MW manufacturing guide' - an underlying fear that the guide itself might not pay off - and the uncomfortable knowledge that if we don’t find a business model, then we won’t be here next year to keep delivering the service. 

Over our continued conversations with users, means that we are starting to see more clearly what ideas are ‘projects’ (interesting / valuable things we want to do, but ones that probably won’t make any money), and what activities are directly related to a sustainable revenue model, so that we can actually carry out those projects. The challenge really is figuring out where they cross over and support each other.