{"id":26233,"date":"2016-01-06T08:37:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T13:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=26233"},"modified":"2016-12-09T07:59:30","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T12:59:30","slug":"sbdc-at-fiu-gives-a-push-to-the-maker-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2016\/01\/sbdc-at-fiu-gives-a-push-to-the-maker-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"SBDC at FIU gives a push to the maker movement."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26235 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter.jpg\" alt=\"Moonlighter Makerspace\" width=\"590\" height=\"338\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A quest for affordable and collaborative workspaces lit the spark of what is today Moonlighter Makerspace. Its founders had explored similar \u201cmaker\u201d ventures across the U.S. and in Europe, and they turned to the SBDC at FIU to make Moonlighter in Miami a reality.<\/p>\n<p>A Fablab and Makerspace in Wynwood, Moonlighter was formed by FIU alumni Daisy Nodal (M.Arch \u201912) and Tom Pupo (M.Arch \u201913) \u2013 adjunct professors at FIU. It offers local designers, entrepreneurs and the public a space to co-create, prototype, and retail new innovative products.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26238\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26238\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26238 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Daisy-Nodal.jpg\" alt=\"Daisy Nodal\" width=\"590\" height=\"341\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daisy Nodal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAt the time we reached out to the SBDC at FIU we had no physical location, we only participated in workshops, summer camps, school events, and fairs,\u201d said Nodal. \u201cWe were struggling to find funding, to gain support from the city, and to open a brick and mortar location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She recalls that their original business plan was 60 pages long, 40 of them just numbers. \u201cThey helped us downsize it to five pages with the correct and must-have information as well as a rendering of what Moonlighter would look like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An SBDC mentor worked directly with Nodal and Pupo, and the team met monthly to discuss matters of banking, finances and accounting. Ultimately, the SBDC at FIU helped Nodal and Pupo secure $50,000 in startup financing from the Miami Bayside Foundation for the facility and its programs.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YDsJXheg2Ps?rel=0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe learned the importance of organization, discipline and reviewing the financial information regularly,\u201d said Nodal. \u201cIf you follow these tips, you can see trends and catch any issues that need tuning up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Well-established and membership is growing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Moonlighter opened its doors August 14, 2015. As part of its offerings, Moonlighter hosts weekly classes that cover everything from\u00a03D printing vases to\u00a0laser cutting textiles, or\u00a0using\u00a0littleBits\u00a0circuits to\u00a0create a\u00a0synth instrument.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be here without the SBDC at FIU,\u201d Nodal said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just the funding that they helped us with, it was the support &#8211; they helped us look at the numbers, follow the path we established and stay on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26241 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_02.jpg\" alt=\"Moonlighter Makerspace\" width=\"590\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_02.jpg 590w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_02-230x130.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At Moonlighter, members get access to tools that include a 3D-printing lab, a production model CNC Mill, laser cutter, vinyl cutter, handheld 3D-printing pens, industrial sewing machines, a circuits lab, and wood working tools. They can create anything from a custom sticker on the vinyl cutter to custom flat-pack wood furniture with the CNC mill.<\/p>\n<p>Makerspaces have gained traction as startups and freelancers seek affordable, convenient and collaborative workspaces where they can network, learn from one another, and attend workshops and events. Co-working spaces also offer WiFi, access to conference rooms and generous hours of operation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26242\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_03.jpg\" alt=\"Moonlighter Makerspace\" width=\"590\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_03.jpg 590w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace_03-230x130.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone now is opening their minds to something different and creating something new,\u201d Nodal said. \u201cBy bringing all of the tools together in one place, Moonlighter is creating a platform for makers to collaborate. We\u2019ve given them the space to come and learn, and build their own futures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the best pieces of advice Nodal learned from the SBDC at FIU is something she recalls daily. \u201cKeep going, don\u2019t let obstacles stop you,\u201d she added. \u201cAlong the way you\u2019re going to face challenges that will make you reconsider the idea, but don\u2019t let that stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26239\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace.jpg\" alt=\"Moonlighter Makerspace\" width=\"590\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace.jpg 590w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/moonlighter-makerspace-230x130.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A quest for affordable and collaborative workspaces lit the spark of what is today Moonlighter Makerspace. Its founders had explored similar \u201cmaker\u201d ventures across the U.S. and in Europe, and they turned to the SBDC at FIU to make Moonlighter in Miami a reality. A Fablab and Makerspace in Wynwood, Moonlighter was formed by FIU [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":26237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3879,3121,3932,3880],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26233"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27596,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26233\/revisions\/27596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}