We talk about 3D printing a lot. It continually amazes us to learn how different people and industries are using this technology to change the world around them, from new bone implants to recyclable print materials, and you don’t have to be Miss America to reap the benefits a 3D printer. You just have to stop at London’s new makersCAFE, a 3D printing, laser-cutting and coffee shop hybrid that we wish was less than a plane ride away from Brit HQ.
According to their website, “makersCAFE is a space for makers, wonderers, tinkerers, the designers and creatives in general. For those of us who need our caffeine while cultivating these fragile ideas.”
Maker venues like this have been popping up here and there all over the world. There are actually similar cafes in Germany, China and Spain. makersCAFE’s owner Soner Ozenc has taken inspiration from those venues, but also draws on his background as the founder of RazorLab, an online design studio where you can send your own designs and have them etched or laser cut.
makersCAFE just opened a couple of weeks ago in the Shoreditch neighborhood and currently has a few simple offerings. If you’d like to use the 3D printers or laser cutters, it’s £1 per minute to rent time. If you want to grab coffee and simply soak up the creative environment, you can certainly do that, too. “Customers will have a chance to see the actual machines and the idea is they will come with their ideas and will witness their ideas becoming physical objects,” Ozenc told the IBTimes UK. You could meet with your designer over lattes and leave later that afternoon with new shop signage or laser-cut invites for your DIY wedding.
To encourage collaboration and support the makers, Ozenc also plans to host regular social events at the cafe like workshops, guest speakers and parties. “In the daytime, people can come in to have their items laser-cut or 3D-printed, but after 6 p.m., makersCAFE will be running workshops, talks and parties to make digital manufacturing more accessible to the public,” Ozenc added.
(images via makersCAFE, IBTimes UK and Timeout)
We love how cafes and shared spaces like this are making this technology much more accessible to everybody. Is there anything like this in your area?
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.