To many, the maker movement represents a new paradigm for how people work, play and consume. To many others, it signifies an opportunity to rebuild our collective infrastructure for innovation, production, and broad‐based economic prosperity in the wake of decades of public and private disinvestment from the U.S. manufacturing sector.  Despite growing interest in making, evidence on the motivations and activities of maker businesses, and on the ecosystems in which they operate, remains limited. This research, funded by the Ewing Marion  Kauffman Foundation through its Urban and Metropolitan Entrepreneurship research program, fills an important gap by accounting for makers’ motives, goals, and challenges they face in moving from ideas to consumer products. It also reveals the workings of the varied organizations and policies that create and sustain maker‐entrepreneurial ecosystems at the urban and regional scale.