Leaving a cozy tech job to start a brick-and-mortar business.
Oscar is giving up some freedom, for now. Learn why he traded his flexible remote job offer to pursue a new venture: a physical maker space in his local community (Squamish, BC).
He shares his plans for Create Makerspace: teaching unique classes, community engagement and creating an inclusive culture - even before the doors officially open. He also discusses his pre launch marketing plan including raising funds on Indiegogo.
Support the show:
☕️buymeacoffee.com/whatsyourfree
About the show:
Sam Laliberte - entrepreneur, digital nomad and freedom seeker, hosts the Freedom Lifestyle Podcast to expose people to the many ways you can design your dream life and unlock your own version of the freedom lifestyle. Her guests have empowered themselves through flexible work as a way to “have it all” - financial, location AND schedule freedom.
Leaving a cozy tech job to start a brick-and-mortar business.
Oscar is giving up some freedom, for now. Learn why he traded his flexible remote job offer to pursue a new venture: a physical maker space in his local community (Squamish, BC).
He shares his plans for Create Makerspace: teaching unique classes, community engagement and creating an inclusive culture - even before the doors officially open. He also discusses his pre launch marketing plan including raising funds on Indiegogo.
Support the show:
☕️buymeacoffee.com/whatsyourfree
About the show:
Sam Laliberte - entrepreneur, digital nomad and freedom seeker, hosts the Freedom Lifestyle Podcast to expose people to the many ways you can design your dream life and unlock your own version of the freedom lifestyle. Her guests have empowered themselves through flexible work as a way to “have it all” - financial, location AND schedule freedom.
I think following this dream and making it a reality is going to be one of the most satisfying things that I will ever do. It's fully aligned with who I am, my values, my purpose. It feels exactly what I want to and should be doing at this point, and I really would have struggled to take that leap by myself.
Speaker 2:You're listening to the Freedom Lifestyle podcast series. I'm sharing relatable stories of freedom seekers who ditched conventional office life and courageously asked for more. The energy just completely shifted. My entire being just felt so free. My business was still generating income while I was on the beach.
Speaker 1:I decided to quit and just stay at home. I really can't work for anyone but me. It's literally just doing whatever the hell you want to do.
Speaker 2:As for me, I'm your host, sam, and I've spent the last four years creating a business that allows me to work from anywhere. The Freedom Lifestyle looks different for everyone. What's your free? Today you're going to meet Oscar, who is the founder of Create Makerspace, a community workshop for the arts in Squamish, the small mountain town that I moved to about three years ago, which, of course, is where I met Oscar. Alongside his entrepreneurial endeavors, oscar is also a multi-sport adventure guy, a clean tech engineer and a queer comedic poet.
Speaker 2:In this episode, we talk a lot about actually building a brick and mortar physical business that's based in a local community. What comes with that is actually a loss of freedom. Oscar talks about how his high-paying remote tech job actually gave him a lot more freedom than he's finding himself having now with this new physical business, but we talked a lot about why he's making that decision and what he's getting out of it, as well as the systems he's putting into place now for more future freedom. I think this is a really important story to tell, as in this world of freedom, lifestyle, location, independence, digital nomad content, we can kind of leave out those people who really have an idea for starting a non-Internet business who want to really engage in their local community, and I'm excited to share Oscar's story of how he's doing this with such intention.
Speaker 2:He was also very open about different ways he is involving the local community, getting buy-in from various groups, pre-launch marketing tactics, because Oscars actually only lived in Squamish for just over a year before starting this type of business, so you can imagine just how engaged he's been in the local community over such a short period of time to really get his name and his idea out there. It's also very important for Oscar that this business and that this makerspace is inclusive and representative of all different types of people, not just the white local guy with a beard making art for Burning man. Actual quote from Oscar. So, on that note, meet Oscar. Oscar, welcome to the Freedom Lifestyle podcast. That's how you're doing today.
Speaker 1:Thanks, sam. Yeah, really happy to be here and speaking to you. It's a pleasure to be asked.
Speaker 2:It is 9am in Squamish this morning, where I think you are as well. You're back from your travels. What would you normally be doing at this time if you weren't having a podcast interview with me?
Speaker 1:My days have been more varied now than ever. So I'm meeting with different people, engaging in different tasks, buying tools, traveling around to different spots to chat with people, to pick things up, kind of in this initial phase where we're getting things sorted for the business. So it's really varied and every day is totally different.
Speaker 2:Are you able to find a sense of flow with so much variability? Are you somebody who prefers more structure and repetitiveness in your day? I guess?
Speaker 1:I think I'm really enjoying the variation and just kind of enjoying doing whatever needs to be done. I would say one thing which I've noticed is kind of different now is that I'm more responsive to dates rather than days of the week, because I'm just kind of doing whatever needs to be done to the business when it needs to be done, rather than clocking in, clocking out, doing a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 type of thing. It's really corny to say, it's such a cliche, but it doesn't feel like work. It's just me building my business and doing my thing, and a lot of times that falls outside us. What you might normally think of is work hours or even work locations, like just building connections and talking to people about the business around town. I certainly now consider that as part of my work and part of what I'm doing here.
Speaker 2:It's all kind of considered productive now because you're planting a lot of seeds, making a lot of connections. How long have you lived in Squamish?
Speaker 1:A year and a few months. So, yeah, I'm still pretty new to the place and I think that's kind of very indicative of Squamish as a whole, like so many people have moved here in the recent past or in the near future. You just have to look around to see all the new condo buildings being built. I think Squamish is the fastest growing city in Canada over 10,000 people last year, something like that. So population is booming and so many of those new residents are living in condos in small townhouses with limited space for creative pursuits, and I think that's where the magic's going to happen, because you can't really do woodwork in an apartment and if you do have a garage, then noise, dust, neighbors are all going to kind of get in the way of that. But yeah, I mean there's so many people who are new to Squamish, who perhaps work digital jobs or work remotely, who may not have as many opportunities in their life for community building or face-to-face interaction, like physically using their hands, and I hope that they'll really enjoy engaging with the makerspace and doing something which is more hands-on and kind of I like the phrase deliciously low tech.
Speaker 1:It can be using sandpaper and chisels and hand tools. It can also be high tech. We're going to have CNC routers there, we're going to have a laser cutter, we're going to have 3D printers. You can kind of select how tech you want to get with it, but at the end of the day you're producing a physical product, like something which you can hold and which is beautiful. You can iterate on it, learn a skill and then produce a thing. I mean it's been kind of historically lacking in Squamish, like people move to Squamish for the outdoors and there's obviously world-class mountain biking, climbing, skiing anything that you want to do in the outdoors you can do it at a world-class level in Squamish. But if you want to do something in the arts and culture realm, then your options historically have been quite limited and I think it's high time that we had some more kind of facilities in that realm.
Speaker 2:Love that. I specifically love deliciously low tech. You made me think of Jared, my husband, who's full-time tech worker, and about a month ago I introduced him to a glue gun and now he wants to glue gun everything. Oscar Now like that is his first tool, his first intro to making things, and we're getting ready for Burning man, and he just wants to glue gun everything. He wants to glue gun his bike, he wants to glue gun the stick. So you never know what can happen when you give a maker their first tool. That made me think of that for sure. A year is not that long of time to be in Squamish for you to come in here, start a business. So I'm curious did you have an idea for starting a makerspace before coming to Squamish, or did you get here and see this gap that you've illustrated so beautifully about why this will work, why it'll be product market fit here, why there's such a need in your big vision? Like, did this all get sparked moving to Squamish, or did you think you wanted to do this before being here?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, the whole genesis for the makerspace was really that I used to live in Isfand and I was a member of a makerspace there which was a brilliant community. I mean, before I joined that makerspace I was operating out of the garage at my old place and I was using crappy hand tools that I bought in garage sales for like 20 bucks and pissing off my neighbors, pissing off the housemates. And then I joined the makerspace and I started using these high end industrial tools and I got to learn so many new processes. I learned how to weld, I started using epoxy and also just getting inspired learning from those people around me who were working on these amazing projects. It was so inspiring. And then I moved to Squamish and I stopped doing any making. I previously had a side hustle business making furniture and making commissions, and I haven't done any of that since I moved to Squamish and it was kind of a huge bummer. So I talked to a few people around town and it seemed it's a very common problem. A lot of people have that issue that they don't have space, that there's no place where you can use tools that are communal. Everyone's just kind of left to buy their own tools or Facebook marketplace, and do the best they can. And so, you know, I started working on it as a side project for the second half of 2022. And it kind of became clear that this is not a side project, this is a main project. I can do this justice center really make it work. It requires it to be your sole focus.
Speaker 1:So, you know, that was kind of a realization that I was grappling with for quite a while and I was, you know, still working at the remote software job at the same time. And then, you know, I was kind of a little bit paralyzed because, you know, I didn't want to leave the safe harbor of the steady paycheck and all of that, but I really did want to make this, make a space happen. And then I got laid off. So that was kind of like a huge blind side and there had been a previous round of layoffs, but it was, you know, kind of the tech industry, it seems like for the past. Well, since the whole pandemic, really, I guess, there have been layoffs in the tech industry. So it wasn't completely out of the blue, but I definitely wasn't expecting it and initially I was confused or upset like why was it me, why was it not other people?
Speaker 1:But then I realized it, for the huge blessing that it was, which was the opportunity to pursue the maker space and give it my all and kind of a nudge in the right direction from fate or the universe, or whatever you want to call it. I do actually really count my blessings there because, you know, I think following this dream and making it a reality is going to be one of the most satisfying things that I will ever do, and I really would have struggled to take that leap by myself. So, then, for the whole of this year, the whole of 2023, I've been working in a dedicated way towards the maker space. It's been the best excuse to reach out to anyone and everyone, anyone who listen, which is, it turns out, it's quite a lot of people. I love speaking of people, I love making connections, especially when it's to spread the word about something I'm so passionate about, and, yeah, the reactions that I've had from all of those people has really been like the ultimate motivation.
Speaker 1:You know, it seems like so many people want this to happen or, potentially, have tried to make it happen in the past, like there's been quite a few different efforts to start a maker space in squamish which have got thwarted for various reasons. And you know, the more I hear about those people, the more I just feel a responsibility, almost a responsibility to make this happen. And it's funny I did actually have a job offer recently from a connection who I met last summer and he is offering me this job which, if I didn't have the maker space well, basically put it like this I found it very hard to turn him down. It was a job that was making a lot of impact, would have been really well paid, would have been remote. So, yeah, I really struggled to turn that down, but I think I didn't imagine letting all those people around squamish down at this point. I would have just felt awful and like I was betraying myself and betraying the stoke and the vibe and the build up that has been created. So, yeah, I think it's kind of a privilege to be just like dedicated to this business and feel like so fully aligned with it.
Speaker 1:I have worked jobs in the past that I have felt like 70% aligned with maybe that's the 70% when you go into it, when you first do the interview, like yeah, I could work here, this is great, like I'm into it, and then it kind of erodes and slips and you know, or like certain things happen which are demotivating or you stop learning as much and it kind of like drops down, whereas this I feel, like you know, I feel like 100% aligned with this. I feel super motivated and that always comes up when I'm just talking to other people about it. Like talking to you now, I just get so fired up and passionate about it. It's fully aligned with who I am, my values, my purpose. It feels exactly what I want to and should be doing at this point I love that for you, oscar.
Speaker 2:When you filled out the form, you said that schedule freedom is most important to you. You said so many hours of human existence are tragically wasted sitting on a laptop waiting for 5 pm. What were you doing then? Like what memory or time of your life was coming up when you answered that?
Speaker 1:well, I think the job that I was doing before starting to make a space, starting my own business in terms of schedule, it was a lot more rigid and constrained, but I think in terms of the other types of freedom that you talked about so location freedom and also financial freedom it was actually considerably more free and this is something I wanted to kind of bring up with you was like almost moving in the opposite direction in some respects. The schedule freedom yes, I am gaining complete autonomy on my own schedule and that is you know. That's great. I love it. I love being able to do the work when it needs to be done rather than when it has been ordained that I should be doing it.
Speaker 1:However, in terms of location freedom, the business that I'm starting is a physical workshop and it's in squamish, so I would say I'm surrendering some of my location freedom. Like I was previously doing, a job that was laptop based was a remote data analysis job in the renewable energy world. So, yeah, I was able to work from anywhere. I did two months of work from the uk. I was working from various places in europe, whereas now, you know, starting a physical business with premises and a location in Squamish. It's the opposite of that, like they need to be there doing things like installing the tools, or will be running the place once it's open, which should be very soon.
Speaker 1:Also, in terms of financial freedom, I would say I've actually taken a step in the opposite direction by starting this business. You know, having like the steady job with the steady paycheck that afforded me financial freedom, like I would say, my current account is looking pretty dismal right now, honestly, but I think I'm okay with it and I think the reason is because I feel more autonomous now and I've also recognized that these are kind of like the first few years of starting this business, or at least the first year. It's going to be some sacrifice. It's going to be, you know, some short term hardship for long term gain and, yeah, I think in the long run it will definitely be worth it. Freedom is maybe not the best word I would describe for it at this stage.
Speaker 2:No, that's fair. I mean, when I even started Freedom Lifestyle and in pursuit of my own Freedom Lifestyle in 2017, it was just focused on location, and so I was just so excited to have anybody who would hire me to work from anywhere. So I was doing like copywriting jobs for no money, 10 hour days often, but I was just so stoked because I was doing it from San Francisco with my boyfriend, where I couldn't get a visa to work from, or we were going on a backpacking trip for four months and I'd never traveled for that long at a period of time, and so I think it makes sense to have those things shift and for it to potentially start with one that really excites you at the time. Are you putting systems in place for, in the future, to have more freedom? Like I know, for this business, you have a lot of best hopes for the impact you want to make in the community, but other than that, like, what are your best hopes for you, oscar, and what this business can do for you?
Speaker 1:I think my biggest hope for the business is that it becomes a kind of community hub for everyone who engages in it, and I think the things that I'm most looking forward to about the business is seeing people who come into the makerspace and who develop a passion, who start a business, who start making things that they otherwise wouldn't be able to make, and that provides them with the lifestyle that they want. So I think my biggest hope is that we can provide that to people and that they can be a community in the space, and what that means for me. I think there's definitely ways and means for me to set up the community in such a way that it ends up being self-serving. The makerspace is like a physical place with lots of tools which are potentially dangerous if used incorrectly, and we're going to have training and certification in place to make sure that the members and the users are doing so in a safe manner. However, there's always going to be times where people maybe feel unsure or didn't remember a part of their training, and so one thing that I'm putting in place is the role of shop stewards. These will be people who are kind of more established members of the community, those who have more experience running tools and being in a space like that, and we're going to have a way where they can volunteer their time as a shop steward, say one evening per week or however many hours it feels right, and they'll be wearing a shirt that says ask me questions, I'm here to help. So in that way, it's kind of like a bit of an energy trade. It's like they're volunteering their time to make sure that the shop runs smoothly and safely. The members who are new to the place will have the opportunity to ask people in a non-threatening and approachable way, and then for me as the business owner, I will feel much more confident that I can leave, that I don't have to be there watching over everyone's shoulders all the time, and I think also it's a really important thing when it comes to ensuring that their space is inclusive.
Speaker 1:There's been a history amongst makers. The term maker is actually a little bit loaded when you think of makers in general. Typically, the image that comes up or historically the image that comes up would be a white guy with a beard who's making some robot to take to a music festival, maybe and I want to ensure that everyone feels welcome here. So people of color, and people of diverse genders, women, trans people and indigenous folks. I really want to make sure that all of those groups feel welcome and represented in the space, and having someone who is available to ask, who's going to give you help in a non-threatening and welcoming manner, I think is really important to making that happen. But yeah, I think so.
Speaker 1:Shop Stewards is one way that we're going to set that up so that the business doesn't end up being this kind of like it doesn't end up taking over my life or taking over the lives of other members of staff there. It's always going to be kind of like resource intensive to run a shop like this, or at least to get it going, but then yeah, if you set the community up with intention and in the right way, people are going to look after themselves. I really want to inspire a vibe where makers feel a sense of ownership for the shop, so that they're putting tools away in the right place, they're disposing of recycling in the right way. When they see something left on the floor, they don't just step over it. They're like why is this here and what should we do about it? Because we really love the shop and we really want it to run well and safely.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I think just getting that going from the start is really important. As much as possible reinforce the notion that this is a community space. This is not me setting up my business. What it is I mean technically speaking, but it's for the community, run by and with the community. So those things in combination with one another should hopefully mean that a year down the road, or two years down the road, we have this Autonomous community hub which is kind of coming along and doesn't require babysitting all the time. Yeah, that's my hope.
Speaker 2:Well, it sounds like you're really intentional about the culture that you want to have the experience, the feeling, the best practices, how things operate, those Like subtle nuances of how people behave in a space. Tactically, how would somebody make it an inclusive place where there's like that vibe?
Speaker 1:I've been to visit a bunch of different maker spaces around BC now I think 10 or 11 and I've seen what each of them do and how they do it and Try to cherry, pick the best bits to put together and use within, create, make a space. And some of the things which I saw in those other maker spaces was things like doing community projects together. So having an opportunity where members can mix together and collaborate and I think you know the alternative is that people are just next to each other on a bench, they're not talking, they don't feel empowered to like strike up a discussion or discuss their projects or, you know, share skills and tips. But I think when you have forums to kind of create that dialogue, then it can totally transform everyone's experience. So one scheme that we're gonna do is a mentorship scheme, so you're gonna pair up new members with those are more established and you know, I think both parties get something from the module. New member obviously gets the skills and inspiration and time of the more experienced party and the more experienced person gets to teach something.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people love teaching, love sharing their skills.
Speaker 1:It's very gratifying and it's almost flattering in some ways, and then you know, to get to watch their mentor progress and I think that is an incredibly inspiring thing.
Speaker 1:And yeah, just on the whole teaching thing, I think there's so many people in squamish you have skills, you have crafts and passions who would love to teach them but don't have a stage.
Speaker 1:So giving people this space, these tools and this forum to teach things is really something which I'm stoked about will have the kind of core classes which is like would work metalwork, textiles but there are going to be so many other kind of off the wall classes that maybe you or I would never think about. A friend asked me if they could run terrarium building workshops and someone else I was talking to an indigenous woodcarver here in squamish and he wants to run paddle carving workshops, which I think would be incredibly inspiring, motivating, and I think running those kind of like culturally significant workshops will hopefully encourage indigenous folks to feel welcome in the space and to feel like there's something which matters to them in the heritage, and it also provides opportunities for more community bonds to form, for people to meet each other, to hang out, to collaborate, and he also suggested that we could run basket making workshops and drum making workshops and I just can't wait for all of these kind of cascading benefits.
Speaker 2:I love that. I think all of those initiatives will really help you achieve that broader goal of making it inclusive place where everybody feels welcome. So I think, even tactically, that's really smart and also just really beautiful that you're creating a space for that here in squamish. There's so many people that you're involving in this. It sounds like you've been every day meeting new people, talking to more people. I imagine that's really going to help you in the launch. You're kind of getting early buy in.
Speaker 2:You're kind of doing some prelaunch marketing and one of the things that you hear in business over and over again is the first time people hear about your business shouldn't be the day the doors open and the day it goes live and you want to start generating customers. And so, as you're leading up to the launch, what are some creative marketing ideas that you're implementing? I know you have a kickstarter coming up. I'd love to hear about some ideas that you have to actually get members in the door. Really speaking to somebody listening to this who thinks my town could totally use this, I can handle the business side of it. I understand all of that, but how do I actually get the word out?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, as you said, we've got the crowdfunding campaign coming up and we're gonna be launching that in the next few days and that I think there's, you know, big opportunity to support local makers in that. So a lot of perks that are available to purchase through that campaign are made by members of the community or you know, local. So was and potters and we wanted to make sure that we're aligning that campaign without values rather than just purchasing whatever kind of Amazon merch was available. But yeah, I think the crowdfunding campaign, yes, it's about selling things in advance. It's kind of like a pre-sales campaign so you can buy discounted membership, discounted class passes, you can get your name on a founders board, so, like, all of those things are available and then, and I really hope that people buy into them. But the main point of the crowdfunding campaign is to get the word out. There is to, you know, connect with more people. It's a very easy thing to share on social media and I will be going to my network to ask them to share it and promote it. But yeah, I think telling the story of the maker space is still important and I think if people understand where we're coming from and buy into the vision then, like you said, it'll be busy from day one. We're gonna be running a launch event, but there's quite a bit of lead up until we can actually do the launch event. So the space that we have for the workshop is to brand new warehouse unit, so they're completely empty shells. So we need to do a lot of shop, build out and fill the electrical systems and still the tools, do a bunch of physical upgrades to the space. And I think that also provides a great opportunity for community engagement, because so many people have asked how can I help, how can I be involved? I would love to contribute in some way. So you know we're gonna have like what parties where it's like you know, saturday afternoon thing, by some pizza, get some tunes on and give someone a task that they can do, you know, whether it's a water paint, whether it's like building the front desk or, you know, depending on their ability, and like how much time they have, and all of that Giving people a way to feel like they've helped build it. And you know I'll be incredibly grateful for that. And also, I think it's just about people feeling part of the family.
Speaker 1:I've been doing some volunteering for other groups as a preparing time, called our squamish awesome non profit. They call themselves a place making society, building benches and public spaces. You know, outside allison bro and further the other squamish listeners out there, like you know I said allison bro, and there's a brand new seating area. You know, around squamish you'll see a bunch of their New kind of park let's they call them, and you know I personally have really enjoyed contributing to those. Like. It's not about getting compensated for your time, you know, it's just about contributing to something that makes things better for the community. And create. Make a space is gonna be this community hub, all being well. So Giving people the opportunity to put that time and effort and help make it a reality. I think that I hope you should be a great strategy to you know, creating the culture that we were talking about earlier.
Speaker 2:Amazing will definitely count on me to share that kickstarter campaign when it goes live this week. Absolutely, I know I'm really looking forward to Some of the workshops and getting involved in seeing you know what kind of Things I tell that I might have that I don't know about yet, or things that I could be making and creating myself when I'm not on a screen on my laptop doing all that. So Definitely count on me. Where could somebody reach out to you or learn more about the maker space? If they're listening to this, they want to be inspired by you, they want to get in touch, they want to participate. Where would we direct them?
Speaker 1:So create maker space dot com. There's a lot more information on there. There's also, you know, we have to run and facebook, and then you know the physical location as well, which, in the near future, would love to have people to visit. Come see it, even if it's not finished, just to have a poke around, see what it's gonna be like. Will be posting more about that on the social channels as time goes on, but yeah, just really stoked for people to come and see it. Come see the physical space and kind of Help to build that vision of what is gonna be and how they can be involved.
Speaker 2:Awesome mobile. Include all of those links in the show notes. Thank you so much, oscar, for coming on the show and unveiling the curtain of what it's like to create one of these physical spaces in your community. It's really inspiring that you are able to build such like a name for yourself kind of in the community in such a short period of time, and it's really brave of you to leave the freedom that you had and to create a business that Will be 100% aligned and not just 70% aligned and really go for 100%, as you say it. So thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thanks so much for having me on. Yeah, I think I'm. You know, I feel very lucky to be on this journey and to be leveraging that privilege that I have to create something that's gonna work really well for Lots of people, and you know how that community have that vibe, have the tools and the whole package. I'm really excited to see it come to life awesome same.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much, oscar thanks, sam.
Speaker 2:Thanks for tuning into another episode. If you like what you heard today, you got some value, some inspiration, maybe some clarity on your next step. Please consider supporting the show and also fueling my caffeine addiction. You can now make donations to the freedom lifestyle podcast at buy me a coffee dot com, slash what's your free. That's buy me a coffee dot com, slash what's your free. Every one of your coffee contributions not only helps keep me energized what I'm producing, this content, but it also really helps remind me that what I'm creating here is valuable and it is helping people and it is worth continuing. So until next time, freedom seekers, enjoy your freedom.