Maker Studios Catalyze Entrepreneurial Growth

“Maker Studios” Catalyze Entrepreneurial Growth

(Greensboro, NC) -- Forge Greensboro is building studio space to incubate entrepreneurs. Adjacent to the equipment resources of the makerspace, the “Maker Studios” are launchpads to catalyze the growth of early stage startups. 

The community makerspace ran a successful pilot of the Maker Studios in 2021 in partnership with 3D Upfitters, a 3D printer enclosure developer and manufacturer. During the six months scaling his business in a Maker Studio at the Forge, business owner Michael Czeiszperger hired 3 employees, saw around 25% growth in sales on average month over month, and was able to add 3 new products to his company’s portfolio.  

Czeiszperger, who launched his company at the Forge in 2018, states, “One of the big hurdles for regular people trying out new business ideas is finding a low cost way to have products manufactured on a small scale without raising large amounts of capital.  The equipment, training, and member support from the Forge enabled me to bootstrap a small business and start bringing in revenue in just a few months without having to risk my entire life savings.  The support from individual members has been tremendous, helping with everything from operating equipment to beta testing.” 

Of the Forge’s current ~250 members, 25% of them identify as entrepreneurial.  They include inventors, side giggers, artists, artisans, product developers, and ‘accidental entrepreneurs’ who discover a great new product or service accidentally when using the Forge for other means.  “We have seen the number of small businesses using the makerspace grow considerably over the years,” Programs Director Jennie Savage notes.  “Having dedicated workspace for those boosting our local economy is a logical next step for our organization.  The means of production are across the hall, your potential new hire is already here getting trained on equipment.  All the pieces are here for maker businesses to have a steady launchpad to go from side-gig to thriving main-gig.”

The Maker Studio Program is possible due to the Forge’s expansion into the rest of the 219 building. The Forge is recruiting small businesses to be a part of this program and seeking title sponsors and donors to name the Maker Studio spaces. Find more info at www.forgegreenboro.org or by emailing info@forgegreensboro.org

3D Upfitters creates 3d printer enclosures that improves the function of 3d printers and their safe use through air management and filtration. Find more about their products and services here: https://www.3dupfitters.com/