User research
The big discovery after months of user research... is that most people have no idea what to do with a 3D printer, or laser cutter, or many other high-end prototyping tech. Generally, people are curious, and would love to learn more, but wouldn't want to pay the high-cost of exclusive access to these and many other pricey technologies.
That's great news!
Its a lot easier... I mean, its a lot cheaper... to furnish our Make-It Homes to provide only the universal and affordable office amenities. Clients with specific hardware needs can be satisfied by this basic offering, plus the option of temporary memberships at local incubators, hackerspaces, and 3D-printing labs. These days, nearly every major urban area is practically exploding with new businesses and organisations catering to these exact needs.
Funding
We've been looking into crowd-funding, ala kickstarter.com, to launch our first international Make-It Home. Kickstarter is not ideal, though, since it eats 10% of the funding. However, its a great platform with a lot of users, many of whom might love to be our pilot clients. Others may be willing to sponsor a site in exchange for a voice in the look, feel, and features offered at that site.
Another avenue is to approach and partner with the other side of the vacation accommodation market: the property owners. We've been digging into the existing revenue models for hotels, hostels, BNBs, and airBNBs. The Make-It Homes model compares very well against these alternatives, despite the added remote-productivity amenities. Most vacation properties sell to individual clients for a day or two, or at most a week. Its more efficient to rent space to a few clients over longer windows. Two weeks is the minimum stay we're considering for Make-It Homes clients. Most clients would stay between one and three months. By slowing down, you will actually pay less for a substantially deeper and more relaxing travel experience.