The market place for nursery products, and services is changing in both scope and form. The market is growing and the consumer is becoming more sophisticated.
During the last seven years, the number of U.S. households increased 10 percent to 140.9 million. According to National Association of Realtors’, there will be over 4.5 million home sales this year. The National Association of Home Builders predicts that 903,000 homes will be constructed in the coming year.
These facts alone are enough to show that there is great potential for forest products. These facts are not enough. It has seen a substantial population shift. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce the baby boomers dominate the housing market. In the next four year, the 45-to 56-year-old age bracket will rise by 54 percent. Recently, 45 to 60 year old customers emerged as the nursery industry’s primary buyers, accounting for 50 percent of retail nursery sales.
Last year, a quarter of U.S. households spent an average of $500 each for landscaping (installing plant material in original or renovated landscapes). This helped retailers ring up over $5 billion in sales.
Glen Mar Forest Products will offer this growing customer base a new product line that will change the face of landscaping. Rainbow Mulch(tm) is the name of the product. This color enhanced shredded hardwood mulch is colorfast and environmentally safe. It is non-toxic and safe for animals and plants. The product is 100% organic and produced from virgin wood products.
The customer can choose from five rainbow colors:
Rainbow Gold
Rainbow Brown
Rainbow Green
Rainbow Grey
Rainbow White
Rainbow Mulch(tm), an innovative landscaping tool, transforms a boring lawn into a stunning landscape.
1.1 Objectives
Glen Mar Forest Products is the region’s leader in producing color-enhanced mulch.
Over the next 2 years, the number of Glen Mar Forest Products retailers will increase by 20%
Establish a strong working relationship with all of the region’s wholesale landscape product distributors.
1.2 Mission
Glen Mar’’s mission it to offer innovative landscaping products for its customers. Glen Mar’s owner Charles Marshall will leverage his landscaping experience and work with regional distributors to create landscaping products that will be revolutionary.
1.3 Keys to Success
These are the keys for success in Glen MarՉ۪s business
Offering innovative landscaping products. This is crucial for maintaining the niche markets mentioned in the mission.
Reliable and timely delivery Glen Mar must fulfill its delivery commitments.
Reliable and reliable administration, who can assist customers, prepare accurate invoices, follow-up orders on documentation, and keep close tabs on expenses and collection of receivables.
Last Frontier Market is a market that offers organic, locally grown produce, chemical free and preservative-free groceries as well as cruelty-free and eco-friendly body care. All of our products can be used as healthy alternatives to those found in traditional grocery chains. The market is located in Richmond’s Willow Creek Section, and will serve more than 25,000 residents. Market was created in response to growing demand for natural foods in the area.
The Last Frontier Market can take advantage of the Willow Creek Retail Area’s foot traffic, which is also home to numerous art and crafts shops. The area is known for supporting progressive causes as well as businesses. The market will offer a relaxed environment for shoppers and people to meet.
Additionally, it will be the closest market to the area. The closest competing natural food store to the Willow Creek area is a twenty minute drive.
The Last Frontier Market is committed to giving back to the community. We will take part in community projects as well as host fund-raisers for local services.
1.1 Objectives
We provide fresh, organic fruits and veggies to our customers.
Offer food that is free of artificial colors, flavors, and additives
Sell earth-friendly cleanser, pure, natural supplement, and gentle, crueltyfree body care products.
Support organic farms that preserve the purity of our earth and water.
1.2 Mission
The Last Frontier Market is committed to providing the highest quality, fresh and natural food, health and wellness products. Our staff is helpful, friendly, and always available to answer questions.
Buy the Time is a service that makes it easy for customers to shop for gifts and essentials of life. With the help of a shopping consultant, we will provide quality solutions for each customer’s shopping needs at affordable prices. The owner is an experienced retail professional with a deep understanding of the market. In time, this service will evolve to incorporate a larger market instead of a luxury for the more wealthy customers.
1.1 Mission
The mission of Buy the Time is to offer custom goods for all occasions with minimal interruptions into our clients’ daily activities. We want our customers to be able to give special gifts to their loved ones without it being a stressful event. We will offer expert consultations to help the client in any way possible.
1.2 Objectives
Below are the objectives for your company.
Clients can be served by a skilled sales team who will offer to purchase goods based on their wishes and needs.
Customers can obtain custom-made items with minimal disruption to their day for a low fee.
Your franchise will grow to be a major one with a good reputation for getting the item you want at a reasonable price.
1.3 Keys to Success
Buy the Time must:
Provide a significantly easier, more convenient, and customized shopping experience than can be found in high-end stores.
Ensure 100% customer satisfaction.
For repeat business, maintain close ties with your clients. Encourage customer feedback to improve the service and spread word-of-mouth marketing.
Lansing Aviation was established as a private business that offers services to student pilots. Lansing Aviation provides well-maintained aircraft that can be rented for private use or used for flight training. Lansing Aviation also offers primary and advanced flight instruction with the help of flight instructors with airline and corporate backgrounds. Lansing Aviation offers professional aviation consulting to meet the needs of individuals, airlines, and corporate clients.
The Company
Lansing Aviation, LLC, a Michigan Limited Liability Company, has been established and legally registered. All acquisitions of airplanes and company decision-making will be performed by the principle investors or operators.
Lansing Aviation’s aircraft will be operated out of Capital City Airport, Lansing (LAN), Michigan. The office, records, scheduling, as well as the office for aircraft will all be located off-airport 15 miles north and Capital City Airport.
Services
Lansing Aviation offers three major areas of services: aircraft rental and flight instruction. Lansing Aviation will keep a Cessna 172 Skyhawk up-to-date with the most recent avionics in order to accomplish this.
Our competitive advantages include professional maintenance of aircraft, renter/instructor coverage, and our 24-hour schedule service which will allow us greater flexibility with our aircraft flight times.
Lansing Aviation plans on enhancing their aircraft rental position in the future by acquiring high-performance, single-engine and multiple-engine aircraft to provide commercial and airline transport pilot training. We will also use the Internet to ensure that we can provide the most current aircraft scheduling information via an online business site.
The Market
There is a huge demand for pilot training because of the lack of pilots in airlines. In order to keep up with the increasing demand from new students, the Lansing-based aircraft rental company had to expand. Mackinac Great Lakes Airlines Systems is Lansing’s largest employer, employing 19,000 employees. We believe these employees are aware about the wonderful careers offered by M-GLAS Pilots. We hope that this awareness will increase interest in flying. M-GLAS mechanics and pilots also fly small airplanes to enjoy the air and take their families on vacation.
Capital City Airport has many students who are unhappy with their instructors or the poor condition of their aircraft. A flight with our instructors in our well-equipped Cessna 172 Skyhawk will confirm their displeasure with our competition and generate new business for us.
Lansing Aviation will first be focusing on students interested to obtain their private pilot certification. These students will primarily come from word-of-mouth-advertising from our instructors, students, and other contacts at Mackinac-Great Lakes Airlines System (M-GLAS). After they have completed their private pilot package, we will continue to teach these students their instrument rating course.
1.1 Objectives
You can create a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), which protects your assets and personal property.
A Cessna 172 Skyhawk is available for rental or instruction.
Operate the aircraft for at least 50 revenue flight hours per month.
Aircraft revenue to exceed hangar, insurance, fuel, maintenance upkeep and loan expenses resulting in a net income/profit.
Success Keys 1.2
A 24-hour air schedule will help students and renters plan better.
The aircraft will be promoted to 2,100 Mackinac Great Lakes Airlines System airline pilots, as well as their families, friends, and neighbors in Lansing, to increase exposure and word-of mouth advertising. This will lead to more revenue flights.
Preventive aircraft maintenance can eliminate aircraft downtime.
Safety-conscious training of students and select aircraft checkouts for customers renting aircraft to insure that they are safely and respectfully operated.
1.3 Mission
Lansing Aviation offers an affordable, professionally-maintained aircraft for rental and flight instruction. While we will provide a safe learning environment for our students, we also adhere to all applicable aviation regulations and federal and state safety rules. Lansing Aviation can provide flight training equipment and a plane to fly once they are certified.
Helping Hand, a tax-exempt non-profit food bank serving all of Johnson County in Washington, is exempt from taxes. Helping Hand’s goal is to alleviate hunger in Johnson County by soliciting, collecting, growing, and packaging food for distribution through a network of service agencies and programs that serve our target population groups. Our services include foodbox programs, emergency foods programs, and a young farm that provides opportunities for self sufficiency activities for ‘#8220’ youth at risk. Helping Hand receives support through the county as well corporate sponsorship.
Around 20% Johnson County residents are eligible to receive Helping Hand. Our client base is low-income people, mainly families, who need emergency help to put food on the table. Nearly half of the clients served by the program were children. Helping Hand has a warehouse where we store donated and rescued food. The program actively solicits food from local food growers, retailers, wholesalers, and processors. Helping Hand also collects food donations at restaurants for distribution to service program programs.
It is predicted that Helping Hand will see an increase in the number children who require services over the next five years. Johnson County is expanding and many new families are moving into the county to find work. There are many programs that can help these families transition into the county. These programs are important because Helping Hand can quickly respond with the most crucial resources for these families. Food!
Our services improves the ability of families to care for children and achieve goals of self-sufficiency. Helping Hand’s services can be a cost-effective investment, compared with the costs of neglecting the issue of hunger in the area and the effects it has upon a variety of criminal and health issues.
1.1 Mission
Helping Hands has two goals: to alleviate hunger in Johnson County and collect, grow, package and distribute food through a network. Our services include food boxes programs, emergency shelters as well congregate meal sites, residential treatments services, and children’’s programs.
1.2 Objectives
This initiative is to establish a food bank in Johnson County, Washington. These are our objectives:
Establish a donation network of local growers/retailers, wholesalers, processors, and other interested parties in Johnson County.
Establish a youth farm where “at-risk” youth can be employed.
The first year of operation, you will have collected over four million pounds worth of food. Each year, increase collection by 20%.
Effectively distribute the food to low-income families that make up over 20% of Johnson County.
Funding for start-ups up to $200,000 can be obtained through corporate, private charity and government financial assistance.
Additional $100,000 raised through fundraising activities
Brushy Mountain Retreat began in one summer when founder Judith Cabot took over an empty dorm at Connecticut’s Johnson Mountain College. It was there that she started telling women that diets don’t work. She began a series of intensive one-week workshops introducing women to the fundamentals of a building a long-term weight management program and healthy lifestyle. The first workshop had four participants. Brushy Mountain Retreat operated as a summer program through its first years, but as its popularity grew by word of mouth, the program evolved, and quickly became year round.
Over the next nine years, Brushy Mountain Retreat expanded its program into a series of four sequential one-week workshops that can either be taken separately or in blocks. The program now has hundreds of alumnae. The program session enrollment limit has risen to 20. Most importantly, the retreat now has a six month waiting list.
Brushy Mountain Retreat will be moving to a new facility in response the program’s growth. The new home is an ex-corporate retreat located on a hill overlooking Johnson Ridge Golf Course and Johnson Valley Golf Course. These are some of the most sought after summer and winter resort areas in Connecticut. Set on 16 wooded acres, the lodge offers informal classrooms, well-equipped physical activity rooms, a spacious dining room, and a comfortable common room.
The new facility will double the number of workshop participants in the program. A single or double room can accommodate 40 women.
The lease is $80,000 per annum.
The financial investment by Judith Cabot, as well as a short term loan, will help to finance the move into a new facility.
1.1 Mission
Brushy Mountain Retreat’s goal is to help women discover their personal power to lose weight, and to keep it off.
1.2 Keys for Success
These are the keys that will make the Brushy Mountain Retreat a success:
University Telephones offers landline and cell phones to students of State University. University Telephones will operate from a storefront in between the University Bookstore (a popular student coffee shop) and University Telephones. Located just a half block from campus, University Telephones is accessible to all students.
Steward street is the main exit and entrance from campus. Students spend over $100 million each year on products, services and other items with businesses that support the university community.
University Telephones will focus on students that live on and off campus by offering products and service plans that are tailored to student needs. About six thousand students live on campus. An additional twelve thousand students live off campus. The campus is located five miles away from any telephone outlet.
Robert Conway is the owner of University Telephones. He has been the manager of University Bookstore’s electronic section for the past four year and is familiar with his target customer base.
1.1 Mission
University Telephones’ aim is to provide its customers with the highest quality telephone services and products. Robert strives to provide personalized service to customers through convenience and fast service. University Telephones’ technological expertise allows customers to choose the service and product that best suits their needs. Finally, Robert has strong vendor relationships with the product suppliers and will be able to meet customer’s demand for the newest innovation in telephone technology.
1.2 Keys of Success
University Telephones’′ keys to success will include:
Excellent customer service.
Develop and maintain a referral program of customers.
You should be a specialist in cell phones and cell-phone programs.
Rapid response to customer issues with product/plan.
People in the area need to have a place where working out can be a family activity. Parents can bring their children along to help with any exercise activity.
Solution
Mountain Brook Fitness Center will be expanding and creating a larger childcare center. A new equipment purchase will be made for the childcare centre. The childcare center is currently capable of caring for 30 children, but it can only take care of five infants. The new facility can handle 60 children, which includes 15 infants. The short-term loan will pay for the expansion of the childcare facility.
Market
Monroe is always on the move. For the past three decades, Monroe’s population has increased by 15% annually. Monroe has 600,000. Monroe’s current population is 600,000. Mountain Brook Fitness Center has been attracted to this type of professional.
Competition
There are other gyms located in the same area. Our gym is unique as we are focused on families. They can join together or go their separate ways and then grab lunch.
Why Us?
Mountain Brook Fitness Center not only is a growing business-person’s and family-oriented club in the Monroe, but is also a very successful one. The majority of our members, who are between the ages of 45 and 45, have young children. The center currently has around 900 members. A membership costs $800 annually. Mountain Brook Fitness Center hopes to increase its membership by 300 more members and their families in the next three-years.
Expectations
Forecast
Our forecast is dependent on key assumptions, including retention. However, we believe that we can launch and reach critical mass quickly enough to establish profitability by year 1.
William’8217;s Environmental offers underground tank removal and installation services that provide a complete waste management system to its customers. Jean William has started William’s Environmental due to the incredible growth of Webster County housing over the last three years. Webster County also approved a rebate program to replace older septic tanks.
William’’s Environmental has more than 25 years of waste management experience. Jean worked ten year as general contractor for Hayes Honeybucket Services before she started William’’s Environmental. Her staff also have more than fifteen years of experience serving Webster County customers. Jean has a lot of contacts with home builders and property managers.
The county projects 2,000 more housing starts for this year. The county is home to 80,000 people, with the exception of Monroe. Of these homes 50% have underground tanks to manage waste.
Webster County recently approved a program for underground septic tank owners who are 15 years or older. This will enable them to replace their tanks. New program will pay as much as 40% of the replacement costs. The program starts in May. The county estimates 40% of these older homes have underground tank that needs to be replaced to avoid ground water contamination. These are over 20,000 homes in need of new underground tanks.
William’’s Environmental plans will make this a major assault on the homes it is targeting. The company has hired a full-time salesperson to pursue this opportunity. William’s Environmental is offering to handle all the paper work to get the home approved for assistance. This is extremely important because a large number of these home have elderly owners.
Jean will make personal savings to William’, Environmental. Jean’8217’s investment will be matched by a silent partner. In addition, she will obtain a long-term loan.
1.1 Objectives
William’s Environmental has three objectives:
You can gain a substantial market share in the replacement of septic tanks.
Establish strong relationships with the area’s home-builders.
For the next three consecutive years, you can expect to see steady increases in sales.
1.2 Mission
The mission of William’s Environmental is to exceed the customer’s expectation of service and product. Customer can call with any kind of emergency or request. They will receive the assistance they need quickly.
jSpan Corporation is an Application Service Provider. (ASP) It provides Internet-based remote access services for independent professionals and small to mid-sized businesses. The Webtop interface for jSpan allows you to combine legacy systems, online apps, and value-added service into one environment. jSpan’s Webtop interface allows it to act as a distribution hub for other providers of application services. jSpan exploits the growing demand for remote access as well as the industry trend toward outsourcing IT applications.
Private investors have contributed $500,000 to jSpan Corporation. These funds will be used for an initial test market deployment, the formation of a management team, as well as to license key technologies. The company is currently seeking $3.2million more via Series A Preferred Equity. These funds will be used to support a full-scale product launch within six months from the closure of funding.
Business Model
jSpan can provide remote access services by partnering with Internet Service Providers. Remote access is managed via an Internet-based Webtop, which aggregates applications from remote offices networks and other Internet locations. A per-user monthly subscription fee is the main way to generate revenue. Value added services and premium subscriptions eventually increase the revenue stream by including transaction and syndication charges.
Co-marketing and revenue share agreements with strategic network services providers drive customer acquisition. Direct end-user marketing (advertising or promotions) will help build customer awareness as well as solidify the jSpan brand. Partnerships with Internet content providers, service provider, and product manufacturers will allow for content syndication to build a wider customer base.
Opportunity
Remote access to important business information is in high demand because of the flexibility of work and the mobile workforce. Forecasts estimate the mobile workforce in the United States alone will exceed 47 million employees four years from now. Mobile computing devices are being adopted by independent professionals and small to mid-sized businesses to keep them competitive. However, these individuals lack the technical and financial resources to create a comprehensive remote access solution.
Professionals increasingly require access to multiple offices from multiple locations. Around 23% of Internet users at home brought work home on weekends and nights, while 17% used the Internet as a way to start a business from home. The number of telecommuters has shown rapid growth, exceeding 9.7 million this year.
According to Access Media International, small businesses invested $138 billion on information technology and telecommunications products last year. Companies seek technology solutions that are more effective for a small number of employees than a larger market. These companies are outsourcing technology services in an increasing number.
Product
jSpan provides remote access through a universally accessible Webtop using Virtual Private Networking (VPN) technology to establish a secure connection to the remote target system. These two technologies combined eliminate the need to create a custom remote access solution. Access can be made via xDSL (T1) or cable modems. The result is a secure Internet hosted Webtop with functionality similar to an office workstation. Using existing core technology will allow jSpan a faster entry into the market and reduce development time. Premium subscriptions and value-added services will increase the customer’s value proposition over time.
Financial Analysis
Gross revenue is based upon per user revenue of $21.25 monthly. It is forecast to reach $422 millions by the end five years of operations. International Data Corporation has calculated the target market size based on the projected mobile workforce. International expansion and additional opportunities for consumers or enterprises could increase the potential market.
jSpan consolidates the market for independent professionals and small businesses. It is a potential target for companies that provide goods or services to this segment. Based on a $450 acquisition cost per user, management estimates an acquisition valued of $105 millions at the end-of-year three. This will rise to over $1 million by the time of year five.
Management teamjSpan has assembled a group of technical experts and managers. John Millar (founder) and Kim Niquette (founders) have both worked in high-growth technology companies as well as international entrepreneurial organisations. jSpan’s technical staff includes people who have had software development and operational experience with Raytheon Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Raytheon Corporation, as well as a range of start up ventures. After a major funding event, additional senior management will be added to the team. jSpan has also assembled a strong advisory team that includes both experienced entrepreneurs as well as leading professionals.
John G. Millar (Co-Founder, CEO).
Kim Niquette is Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer.
Norman Walters COO.
Carlos Garcia, Technology Specialist.
Board of Advisors
Joseph Addison, Co-Founder and CFO of StartABusiness.com.
James Smith, Vice President of Business Development for Exodus Networks.
Michael M. Rodgers, Partner, Watson, Sonoma, Goodson & Rodgers.
Peter J. Wilson is Director of Business Development for Advanced Network Communications.
Additional biographical information concerning the Management Team and Board of Advisors is available in topics 7.1, 7.2 respectively.
1 “Where’s Office?” U.S. U.S.
#8220Online Nation: 1998 U.S. Internet User Survey #8221, International Data Corporation. 1998.