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So... meta thread on unit economics. In LA, pre-Covid average rates were like $3/sf so a 1000 sf space would be 3k. I’d guess many of these ideas would only start to get interesting if it drops below $2/sf. What the picture in your city? hughesmarino.com/los-angeles/bl
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If you had 1000 sq feet of cheap, well-located industrial workspace in a fairly dense urban area, what equipment would you put in and what would you do? Assume you can’t be in the food/dark-kitchen business and that supplies you need from China/Amazon continue to flow smoothly.
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Let’s assume $2000. Put in 3-4 slightly nicer 3d printers ($3000), a laser cutter ($3000), 2 electronics workbenches (decently kitted out at say 3k each... oscilloscope, bench supply, soldering iron...). A couple of supply storage cabinets, a good optical table... we’re at 50k.
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If you had say 40 members paying $100/mo (~ mid-range gym), you have 4k revenue. Variable costs: rent, utilities, insurance, cheaper supplies for free (solder, coffee). Assume 5% repair/maintenance/year so that’s another $200. Let’s say $1000. So $1k gross margin.
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But then what's the big advantage over a garage? I think you might need to add some more items to justify it: -low cost metal 3d printer -shapeoko or x-carve CNC mill -benchtop lathe -desktop waterjet cutter -fume hood + chem storage
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oh, yeah🤦‍♂️ I've never lived in an urban area so I sometimes forget these things. The things I listed might still make sense, especially if you want to justify higher rates that people in urban areas would be able to pay.