We're at an exciting time in the development of SkullSpace, we've got members, ideas, goals and a corporate entity. What comes next is a little tricky. We've got to get the physical space, establish a list of members and set up a way to pay membership fees. Simultaneously we need to draft and implement business plan so we know what to do with the money.
Thankfully, our fearless leaders are working overtime trying to get everything together. The largest concern at the moment is creating a startup fund of around 5k to cover the costs associated with opening SkullSpace. The money would be put towards getting gear and act as a buffer if things didn't go as planned. So far, the proposed monthly membership fee is $40 - $50, and with at least 50 members it would be enough to cover renting the space, insurance and utilities. If we can get more members, it'll be all that much easier to get tools and start more intricate projects.
Decentralized decision-making has come up multiple times during the course of meetings and discussions. SkullSpace wants to stress that it is an egalitarian entity, and all members are welcome (even encouraged) to take an active role in any decisions to be made.
In other words, by paying your monthly dues, you become a full-fledged member of a group of anarchohackers, none of this board of directors and club presidents nonsense that seems to flood other aspects of lame everyday life.
Our current business outline is a little like this:
1. Start building unofficial group
2(a)Get space
2(b)Start collecting membership fees
3. Prioritize projects - renovation, tools, equipment, gear, etc
4. Sort out how we can make those projects happen
It's not as linear as it seems, and we have to execute both parts of point 2 simultaneously. In order to get the space and do the projects, we need to start collecting fees. The problem with that is that we don't want to collect fees too aggressively before the space is open, making people feel like they've paid Skullspace for nothing in particular. However, by collecting fees early and becoming a functioning non-profit entity with active members, it will be that much easier to talk to people and businesses about collaborations and funding.
We'll go over this at the meeting this week, any and all questions will be answered! Feel free to leave feedback, suggestions and whatever else you want to say in the comments!
