The Maker Movement is the wave of of DIY-hobbyists, community-spaces, tinkering labs and “making” culture that emphasises building/value creation over consumption.

This movement has been buoyed by the advent of social media and evolving technologies like 3D printers that place the means of creation and connection into the hands of the people.

Globally the handicrafts market size was estimated at USD 739.95 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 983.12 billion by 2030 – with Australian market set to add more than USD 5.71 billion between 2025 – 2029.

The Maker ethos of tinkering, experimenting, and creating platforms for learning and collaboration is an important movement in the support of innovation.

One study found that in maker spaces (open communities for tinkering, innovating, and socialising equipped with tools and training) worldwide, the innovation rate is about 53% among these individuals – substantially higher than the innovation rates found in national innovation surveys of general populations.

With this in mind, the market mindset is less about the specific tools (3D printer, laser cutter, etc) and more about an attitude of curiosity and exploration, experimentation, agency, valuing process, and collaboration (cross-disciplinarity).

It’s a mindset about action, iteration, autonomy, creative friction and reflection.

So how can this mindset help your business?

As we have explored in depth via Think!, businesses are facing increasing uncertainty – markets shift, tech disrupts, consumer expectations evolve, supply chains shake. In that context, the maker mindset offers a powerful resource:

It fosters agility: organisations that prototype, test, iterate can respond faster and learn more effectively.

It cultivates innovation: by encouraging experimentation and deviation (“zagging”), companies might discover unique opportunities or solutions others miss.

It improves engagement: giving teams agency, ownership and hands-on involvement tends to boost motivation and creativity.

It bridges silos: the maker approach emphasises collaboration across disciplines (engineering + design + marketing + user feedback) which aligns with the “future of work” approaches.

In short, adopting maker-mindset elements helps a business become more resilient, innovative, and human-centred.

And a major part of that is taking time to reflect, connect with your consumers/audience and measure your success. Much of our role at Square Holes is helping businesses to understand the minds and behaviour of their current and ideal customers. Market research is about taking time to pause, reflect, and adjust – something that is sadly neglected in our fast paced economy.

The maker mindset offers a powerful framework for businesses seeking to innovate, stay agile and build deeply engaged, creative teams. It shifts the focus from purely execution-oriented operations to a mindset of creation, iteration and experimentation.

Putting curiosity, autonomy, collaboration and learning at the centre of your business — and building the processes, structures and culture to support that — will help you to unlock new opportunities, respond with agility to change, and build stronger internal capability for the future.

Want to learn how Square Holes can help your business? Head HERE.