Along with artisanal makers and crafters, as well as industrial designers and mechanical engineers, figuring out how to apply your skills to produce an income is a essential reality for many in the community. In this Plan C Live, we are talking with those who are using their skills and energy to create maker businesses that also address the greater social needs.
As the crisis of PPE shortage and supply chains began to recover, makers have converted their know-how into meaningful work and discovered business models for a rapid response to solving civic issues. For some, this has meant shifting pre-existing manufacturing capacity to a new product line, for others strengthening community partnerships into new local supply chains. The economic effects of the pandemic, particularly for small business owners and independent contractors, are as profound as the health risks presented by COVID-19. New entrepreneurial efforts represent positive changes paths in the vast reordering of economic life in 2020.
This week on Plan C Live, Dale Dougherty of Make Community, Dorothy Jones-Davis of Nation of Makers, and Sabrina Merlo of Open Source Medical Supplies talk with a group of maker entrepreneurs who have pivoted their PPE production into a business.
- Sarah Miller - Foolproof Fabricators (Boston , MA)
- Kristen Ahern - Artist Resource Mobilization (Chicago, IL)
- Justin Handsman - LRG Jersey City Rapid Maker Response Group (Jersey City, NJ)
- Zoe Grant - Pyxis Shields (Lawrence, MA)
- Connor Weller - Baseline Design (Vancouver, WA)
For more on how makers like these are fueling economic recovery, check out our discussion Plan C Live: Economic Recovery From The Bottom Up.