Entrepreneur, You Need a Manifesto | MakerBot's Bre Pettis | Big Think

So it’s pretty obvious that a 3D printer is super applicable to engineers, industrial designers, and architects. You know those folks see a MakerBot. They see the price tag and they just take out their credit card, and it’s shipped to them in a couple of days. And it’s just a no-brainer.

It gets interesting though when people who aren’t necessarily in a maker culture, an engineering culture, or a design culture get it because, in many ways, they’re free to do anything. And I think frankly that’s our biggest challenge as a culture: how do we empower people to unlock their true potential and explore who they are? Because, you know, I just – I believe that inside each person is the potential to have deep, deep, powerful impact on their local community and society at large.

So how do we make that happen? How do we unlock that? As I think about what kind of advice I would give to other entrepreneurs when they start, I would say it’s actually better to box yourself in and create a rule set for yourself, a manifesto, you know. Something that basically says, we are going to live our lives this way. This is our criteria. This is our sort of limitations. These are the things – this is the sort of challenge we’re going to give ourselves to stay within these parameters.

So probably the downside of this is you end up sort of – you’re basically a fanatic. You’re limited by what you – you’ve limited what you can do. You’re sort of living in your own – I am living in my own personal cult at this point, right. And the great thing is that gives you an amazing focus and an amazing ability to make decisions. Because, okay, does it meet your criteria? Yes or no. Okay, no? Screw it, we’re not doing that.

There are so many places that are just waiting for innovation. You know, I’m in the hospital and I’m like, this is garbage here. Like this equipment costs too much. It’s too hard. Here’s a streamlined, has crappy UI, bad user experience and sure enough – and people die because of it. So I’m like, okay, we can like – so much opportunity in that.

And I just look around the world and all I see is opportunity for people to have a deep impact on the world and make it better.