Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

Welcome everyone... those of you who know me from different forumns.. i know i've been talking about putting my business plan up in here on my blog.

Well here's a start. Don't know how much i'll get thru today since i haven't been feeling well lately. I've been having migraine headaches for the past week and sometimes i just don't feel like getting out of bed much less getting online.

But, i did say i'd post something in here. So here's a start anyways.

Now those who don't know me from other places.. just so you'll know i'm starting up a new seed company next year. My plan is to file the paperwork for incorporation on Jan 1st. And to go along with all the other paperwork i'm working on a business plan. I've been talking bout it for months now.. and it just seems i'm not coming thru with all the advice i've been giving on the forumn you can see linked to the title here. I've actually been doing little bits here and there.. and there's still more refining i need to do before Jan 1st. But here's the rough draft.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART 1. Executive Summary
(1A) MISSION STATEMENT
(1B) VISION STATEMENT
PART 2. Company Description
(2A) HISTORY -BIO OF KEY MANAGERS
(2B) OWNERSHIP - LEGAL FORM
(2C) START UP PLAN
(2D) START UP COSTS
PART 3. Market Analysis
(3A) TARGET MARKET - SEGMENTATION
(3B) MARKET TRENDS AND FORECASTS
(3C) MARKET GROWTH
PART 4. Organization & Management
(4A) KEY MEMBERS
(4B) MANAGEMENT PLANS
(4C) PERSONEL PLANS
PART 5. Product Line - Services
(5A) WHAT WE SELL
(5B) COMPETIVE EDGE - BENEFITS/FEATURES
(5C) SOURCING
(5D) PRICING
PART 6. Marketing & Sales Management
(6A) WEBSITE SALES
(6B) CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
(6C) OTHER SALES SOURCES/CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
PART 7. Strategy/Implementation (Funding)
(7A) START UP COSTS
(7B) CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS
PART 8. Financials
(8A) PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET

Appendix
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Part 1: The Executive Summary

MISSION STATEMENT: TO MAKE SEEDS OF EVERY OPEN POLLINATED VEGETABLE VARIETY AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE ON THE PLANET. (I could expand this to include flowers and all other types of plants. And i could go farther and say at affordable or low cost. But, those are future missions. This one will work for now)

VISION STATEMENT: TO BE THE PREMIER SOURCE OF SEEDS TO ALL SEEDSAVERS WORLDWIDE. TO BE THE PIONEER IN MAKING ALL OPEN POLLINATED VARIETIES AVAILABLE UNIVERSALLY AT LOW COST.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR HOME GARDENERS AND FARMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO CHOOSE ANY VARIETY THEY WANT TO GROW. TO MAKE SEEDS OF EVERY OPEN POLLINATED VARIETY OF SEED AND EVERY NEW CREATION WHICH BECOMES AVAILABLE IN THE YEARS TO COME. FROM INTENTIONAL CROSSES AS WELL AS OLD HEIRLOOM VARIETIES.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE THE LARGEST SELECTION OF THESE SEEDS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND TO ALWAYS BE SEEKING OUT AND OFFERING ANY THAT WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO GIVE PEOPLE CHOICES AND TO BRING BACK ALL OF THE GENETIC HERITAGE OF ALL VEGETABLES THAT ARE BEING DOOMED TO EXTINCTION OTHERWISE.

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: IT IS OUR PHILOSOPHY NOT TO BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE AS WE ARE ABOUT BRINGING BACK NEGLECTED AND LOST VARIETIES INTO THE MAINSTREAM GARENENING COMMUNITY. OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO NOT DISCOURAGE SEED SAVING AND TRADING BUT TO ENCOURAGE IT. THE PHILOSOPHY IS THAT THE PLANTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY... ANY MEANS WE CAN BRING OLD NEGLECTED VARIETIES BACK TO LIFE WILL BE PROMOTED.

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PART 2. Company Description
(2A) HISTORY -BIO OF KEY MANAGERS
My Name is David Thompson. My former experience has been 30 years of self employment thru the creation of several forms of ownership of businesses i've created. My most recent, although unpaid experience has been as a co-founder and board member of a non-profit corporation... holding various offices the highest of which was vice president for the first five years. I'm since retired after 10 years of service to the nonprofit corp and left only after they were well managed and had multi-million dollar annual operating budgets.

As of this time.. all postitions are still being recruited for. At beginning of start up i will assume the role of president and all unfilled positions until such time as those roles can be delegated amongst interested shareholders. At start up and until we have our first election all management decisions will be decided by myself. During start up phase all postitions will be filled by appointment. First annual election will take place Jun 11th of 2009 and every year thereafter.

(2B) OWNERSHIP - LEGAL FORM
To accomplish these Missions, Goals, Objectives and Philosophies we are beginning by incorporating in the state of Michigan as a Sub-chapter S corporation. We will begin as a business on Jan 1, 2009. We are still seeking and enlisting personel and shareholders from around the world. Being an S corp we are limited to 35 shareholders and intend to start with a board of directors of up to 9 members from key areas of our management.

(2C) START UP PLAN
Start up plan is to acquire adequate seed inventory thru our growers network and commercial sources, to produce a database for all the information on each variety, and to prepare a website for the purpose of selling to the public. Additional start up plans include preparing an email list of possible customers, continuing to increase our growers networks, and persuing various marketing ideas as time and resources allow.

(2D) START UP COSTS
Our start up budget is simple... we're starting with nothing and working our way up from there. When we say nothing we mean money. What we have is seeds.. we have a start up inventory of over 10,000 varieties of seeds. Should we go and sell our stock of starter seeds on the open market they would have a value of well over $100,000 retail. However since seeds are perishable.. our intention is to do seed increases on all our inventory to produce the freshest seed possible to put back into our inventory. With proper storage these seeds will have a shelf life of 3-5 years for most types of vegetables. With our network of growers we intend to increase our seed stock 10 fold every year.

Our major start up costs will be in the areas of:
Website design and development
Packaging supplies
New inventory
Labor and time for producing finshed packets
Marketing and advertizing
Accounting and bookeeping services

Other costs will be the incorporation fees, research and development(trials), and consultant costs. These costs will be provided for by my personal investment of time and money... Equity from shareholders.. and Sales.

What we have is a network of growers to help increase and resupply the corporation with fresh seed. Currently we have over 50 growers who will be doing increases the first year. Seeings we are operating on a thread budget.. our growers are encouraged to accept stock in exchange for payment... however cash purchases are there for those who select not to become part of the organization.

(MORE TO FOLLOW)
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PART 3. Market Analysis
(3A) TARGET MARKET - SEGMENTATION
OUR TARGET MARKET IS THE HOME GARDENER, FRESH MARKET GROWER, FARMERS, RESEARCHERS, EDUCATORS, SEED COMPANIES AND BREEDERS.

This pretty much includes everyone who grows any vegetable for any reason. About the only people not part of our target market will be large commercial produce suppliers who perfer to grow only hybrids. At start up and for a majority of our mission we will be catering to the researchers, breeders, and educators along with the home gardener and market gardeners who are interested in saving their own seed for future crops, trading, or reselling themselves. Other seed companies are expected to be a large portion of our customer base. These will be encouraged both as part of our mission and as a means of increasing profits.

(3B) MARKET TRENDS AND FORECASTS
The current seed market is becoming more and more interested in open pollinated and heirloom vegetable varieties. More and more heirloom seed companies are making some of what we have to offer available to the general public.

Currently there is a growing interest in people saving their own seeds from open pollinated varieties.

There is an ever increasing interest in seed trading amongst both those who save seeds and those looking to get into saving seeds.

Recently many people have been falling on harder economic times... many of these people are now seeking to produce their own food at least in some small measure by growing their own vegetable gardens for the first time.

Simoultaneosly there is an ever increasing push by large Major Corporations like Monsanto to shut out the small seed companies. To remove open pollinated varieties from the choices growers could have. And to develop new terminator type crops where no seeds at all could be saved whether hybrid or not.

We are forecasting that these trends will continue, and will grow as economic times remain uncertain. With recent food contamination scares and ever increasing food costs due to higher transportaion costs.. we predict more people than ever before will begin to grow some food crops.

We're also predicting that unless corporations like Monsanto can be curbed.. there will be an ever decreasing supply of open pollinated seeds. We predict that there will be huge struggles for many small independant seed companies to survive. Being geared to a slightly different customer we predict that we can prosper and grow where others will be failing. We predict the market will continue to grow amongst our target customers for all the reasons stated above in the current trends.

(3C) MARKET GROWTH
Market growth is expected to be exponential for the foreseeable future. Current trends are expected to escalate as the economy worsens and more people are given access to our seeds.

We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this growth potential. No other company will have the selection or mission we have. Other organizations have either one or the other.. but neither in the magnitude that we have.. we are unique in our set up. And our objective is to take advantage of these trends which just happen to suit our purposes perfectly.

Historical records and patterns are unreliable when forecasting the future market. Since these are new trends for the most part there are no histories of how our customer base will grow. Only two other companies we know of even come close to our missions and objectives. Those would be Baker Creek which is a seed company that specializes in heirloom varieties, and Seed Savers exchange which is a non-profit that collects and encourages "selling" of open pollinated seeds amongst it's paid membership. Both have enjoyed huge success over the past ten years or so due to the increasing demand for varieties that the home gardener can grow and save their own seeds from. BC has gone from a customer base of 500 to over 30,000 in ten years... and SSE has been having some internal problems as of late, however they still have over 700 members who sell seeds thru their yearbooks and at one time had over 1000.
Our company is not like either of these two... we have the best features of both.. plus the best features we've observed from several other companies whether they sell heirlooms or not.
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PART 4. Organization & Management
(4A) KEY MEMBERS
Key members from our management team will be for the following..
Director of internet business
Director of sales and marketing
Director of research and development
Director of personnel
Executive Director

Additional elected positions for the Board of Directors shall be:
President
Vice-president
Secretary
Treasurer

Directors may at times perform multiple roles.

(4B) MANAGEMENT PLANS
Each of our teams will be intergrated and overlapping. Some personel or independant contractors will be answering to more than one director. The directors will be reporting to the BofD monthly and to the Executive director during daily operations.

(4C) PERSONEL PLANS

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PART 5. Product Line - Services
(5A) COMPETIVE EDGE - BENEFITS/FEATURES
OUR EDGE IS THAT WE ARE UNIQUE, THAT OUR MARKET IS HUGELY UNTAPPED, AND THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ADAPT TO FILL THE NEEDS OF THIS MARKET.
THE BENEFIT OF BEING A NEW COMPANY IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TAILOR OUR OPERATIONS AND OUR PRODUCTS TO A NEED THAT IS JUST NOW DEVELOPING ITSELF.

(5B) WHAT WE SELL
WHAT WE SELL IS FREEDOM. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT ONE WOULD WANT TO GROW. FREEDOM TO SAVE YOUR OWN SEED IF YOU DESIRE TO. AND FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU EAT

OUR PRODUCTS ARE SEEDS, SEED GROWING SUPPLIES, SEED SAVING SUPPLIES, BOOKS AND INSTRUCIONAL MATERIALS; AND OPPORTUNITY! OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE..TO GROW.. TO SAVE; OPPORTUNITY TO FIGHT AGAINST GMO'S, OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE ENDANGERED SPECIES, AND OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE MONEY BY GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS.

OUR COMPANY IS UNIQUE IN WHAT WE OFFER.. NO OTHER COMPANY IN THE WORLD IS SET UP TO PROVIDE ALL OF THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME.

(5C) SOURCING
SOURCING FOR PACKAGING AND PRODUCTION SUPPLIES ARE MANY... THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF LOW COST SOURCES OF SUPPLIES FOR PRODUCING OUR PACKAGING

SOURCING FOR OUR SEEDS WILL COME PRIMARILY FROM OUR NETWORK OF GROWERS. SOME SEEDS WILL BE PURCHASED IN BULK FROM WHOLESALE SOURCES SUCH AS MOUNTAIN VALLEY SEED, BUNTONS, OR NEW ENGLAND SEED COMPANY AS WELL AS ANY OTHERS WE SEE FIT.

ADDITIONAL STOCKS OF SEEDS WILL COME FROM OUR UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR CUSTOMERS. OFFERS WILL BE MADE FOR ANY/ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO SELL BACK ANY SEED INCREASES THEY MAY MAKE.. PROVIDED WE NEED THEM AND WE HAVE NO OTHER MEANS OF SECURING THOSE VARIETIES THRU OUR OWN SEED GROWER NETWORK OR COMMERCIAL SUPPLIERS.

(5D) Pricing
Whereas we've observed over years of seed trading that many of the people which will make up our customer base usually request very small amounts of seed. We beleive we should cater to this market by making small sample size packets available. Market research has also shown that most of our customer base perfers large selection to choose from. We will also be catering to that need as well.

Our pricing structure will be two fold. One will be competitive with any competition. Just slightly under the average. IE $2/pk of 20-30 seeds where the average would be $2.25. With this price structure we will produce profits in the 1000% range. Our second more affordable structure will be the lowest we intend to go at just over 100% of production costs.. IE most 20-30 sd pkts will cost mere pennies to produce, packaging being the most expensive portion of that at 5-10 cents/pkt. With 100% markup these could easily be sold for 25 cents or less range. This will be our minimal allowable sale price.

We have done market research to see where our customer base is at on their opinions about pricing. Research shows that we have a customer that perceives higher prices with higher quality. We also have those who seek lower prices with the perception that lower prices equate to better value. We intend to capture both of those types of customers by pricing our products at the high end of the scale. Seeings many of our seed varieties are extremely rare and there are no other companies even able to offer these. And seeings by the nature of our products being re-usable year after year. We intend to use the higher price structure during the peak buying season, and adjusting for buying trends by having sale price discounts and other offers as demand changes. For example during beginning of buying season offering up to 50% discounts as season progresses dropping the discounts gradually to 20% during peak demand months.. and then reverting to the higher discounts as the season wanes.. again back up to 50-60% discounts. This will be done due to the fact that our products will have expiration periods of one year after testing and we will be trying to use up all the inventory that's packaged by year end. At the end months of the expiration period we will be the closest to our minimal allowable price structure.. at the peak we will be closest to our highest price structure.

Now in order to cater to the demands of our customers seeking low count seed packages we intend to offer what we call trial size or sample size packets with as low as a half dozen seeds per pack. Larger type seeds will be in the dozen count range. Research has shown comparable products offered by a tiny number of seed companies are priced at 35 cents for such sample packets. Where as our products for the most part will be unavailable anywhere else we feel the market will support prices in the 50cent to 90 cent range, and we will offer the common varieties which we can buy in bulk from wholesalers at even less than the 35 cent range. Our biggest limitation on how low we can go is the packaging costs. It costs the same amount for packaging for sample size as it will for regular size. Whereas our seed cost will be neglegibile our bottom line cost will have to be double what our packaging cost is to make our minimal profit margin.

Regular size and bulk size packages will still be at the price structures described above. It is still our intention to label our seed counts by using the 1/2dz, dozen, gram, or ounce quantities in order to set ourselves apart from other companies who count seeds. We beleive it adds to the perceived value the customer beleives in and makes direct comparison difficult for them between our products and other companies.
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PART 6. Marketing & Sales Management
(6A) WEBSITE SALES
WEBSITE SALES WILL BE OUR ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME DURING THE START UP PERIOD OF OUR COMPANY. WE INTEND TO DO FULL SCALE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS TO SECURE THESE CUSTOMERS THRU THE INTERNET.

(6B) CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
OUR MAIN ATTRACTION TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS IS OUR SELECTION. OUR PRODUCT LINE THAT IS SO RARE IT CAN BE FOUND NO WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD ALL IN ONE PLACE. INITIALLY WE INTEND TO DRAW THESE CUSTOMERS TO OUR PRODUCTS BY MEANS OF REFERALS. WE INTEND TO AMASS AN EMAIL LIST OF SEVERAL THOUSAND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS BEFORE EVEN BEGINNING OPERATIONS. CURRENTLY WE HAVE OVER A THOUSAND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS FROM EMAIL LISTS COMPILED FROM GARDENING GROUPS AND FROM FORMER CUSTOMERS WHICH THE FOUNDER HAD OPERATING AN EBAY BUSINESS. THIS LIST IS EXPECTED TO NUMBER UP TO THE TENS OF THOUSANDS BY THE TIME BUSINESS BEGINS. IT IS EXPECTED TO BE CULLED FROM NUMEROUS GARDEN FORUMN MEMBERSHIPS AND THRU OTHER MEANS. IN ADDITION TO THE EMAIL LISTS.. WORD OF MOUTH IS EXPECTED TO DRAW MANY MORE CUSTOMERS THRU MESSAGES AND MENTIONS IN VARIOUS FORUMNS AND BLOGS. AS A MEANS OF ACQUIRING AND RETAINING CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESSES OF POTENTIAL AND CURRENT CUSTOMERS WE WILL BE PUBLISHING A NEWSLETTER TO BE PUT OUT QUARTERLY AT CRITICAL PURCHASING PERIODS WHERE ANYONE CAN SUBSCRIBE TO IT. THIS FREE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER WILL BE PLACED AT VARIOUS WEBSITES, FORUMS AND BLOGS; AS WELL AS OUR OWN HOMEPAGE.

(6C) OTHER SALES SOURCES/CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
OTHER SOURCES WILL BE FROM PLACING OUR WEBSITE ADDRESS ON EVERY SEED PACKAGE, EVERY CORRESPONDENCE, EVERY ADVERTISMENT, AND BASICALLY EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.

WE INTEND TO BEGIN WITH JUST EMAILS AND WEB REFERALS... THE FREE NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS, AND WORD OF MOUTH.

OTHER FUTURE MEANS WILL BE WITH POSTERS AND FLYERS WHICH CAN BE DISTRUTED AROUND FARMERS MARKETS. SEED DISPLAY RACKS WHICH WE CAN MAKE AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE SUPPLIERS AT THESE MARKETS. SEEDS WILL OF COURSE HAVE OUR WEBSITE AND CONTACT INFO ON THEM... AND WE INTEND TO MAKE THOSE FROM COMMON WELL KNOWN VARIETIES AT SUBSTANTIONALLY REDUCED COSTS IN ORDER TO GIVE INCENTIVE TO STAND OPERATORS TO DISPLAY THEM.

MAGAZINE ADS WILL BE TAKEN OUT IN MAJOR GARDENING ADS WHEN THE BUDGET PERMITS THOSE. AGAIN AS ALWAYS.. WEBSITE ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFO WILL BE IN THOSE ADS AND QUITE POSSIBLY SOME LOSS LEADER PRODUCTS JUST TO DRAW CUSTOMERS IN.

FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE PRODUCING A PRODUCT CATALOG.. FIRST IN DOWNLOADABLE PDF FORMAT, THEN IN HARDCOPY FORM.. WHICH WE WILL HAVE TO CHARGE FOR THIS CATALOG TO COVER PRINTING COSTS AT FIRST.. THEN PROVIDE YEARLY ADDENDUMS FOR FREE TO THOSE WHO DO PURCHASE THRU THEM.

FUTURE PLANS ALSO INCLUDE DEVELOPING AND MAKING AVAILABLE SEED SELLING KITS TO NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS. AGAIN AT OUR COST TO THE GROUPS.. AND AGAIN ALL WITH WEBSITE ADDRESS ON PACKETS AND MATERIALS.

OTHER OPTIONS ARE TO SELL EXTRA KITS ON EBAY AT A LOSS JUST TO GET THE SEED PACKETS DISTRUBUTED. LOTS OF 1000 PACKETS OR MORE. THE KEY BEING OUR CONTACT INFO WILL BE ON EVERYTHING.

FURTHER IN THE FUTURE WE INTEND TO GET INTO THE RETAIL STORES.. POSSIBLY DOLLAR STORES OR GARDENING CHAINS THRU OUR DISPLAY RACKS.
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PART 7. Strategy/Implementation (Funding)
(7A) START UP COSTS
Start up costs:
1) will be the cost of setting up and maintaining a website.
2) the cost of acquiring and searching out potential customers email addresses
3) Supplies for packaging and shipping
4) Office supplies
5) Inventory and new acquistions for trials (R&D)
6) Phone, Bank fees,
7) Employee pay
8) Independant contractor and consultant fees
9) Incorporation fees and accountant fees
10) Miscellaneous maintance fees

(7B) CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS
The expected financial outlay will be on an as needed/as used basis.
First or prior month costs
(7A1) $500 or less labor for setup, $7.95 per month thereafter... upgrade fees as needed for improvements and maintance.
(7A2) Allocating $500 for person to compile and service email lists.
(7A3) For first month sales of 1000 units.. $50 seed packets, $100 mailers.
(7A4) Printer cartridges, paper, software, postal scales.. $150
(7A5) Payments to suppliers of bulk seed & commercial purchases $1000
(7A6) None yet.. no bank fees yet either. Possibly paypal fees on per order basis
(7A7) As only employee.. $500/month reimbursed as either cash if available or stock
(7A8) None allocated first month.. see (7A5)for growers re-imbursment
(7A9) Incorporation fees $200, Same as (7A7) for my own time and labor
(7a10) Unknown at this time.

Total expected costs prior to and during first month operations $3,000

The income is expected to be slow the first month.. due to seasonality of seed buying demand and our own time needed to attract customers.

Potential customers we could attract first month would hopefully be 200. This will be accomplished by emailing potential customers, thru posting links on gardening forumns, and thru word of mouth of friends. Potential sales from 1000 emails send to potential customers would be $5,000

Expected costs for second and subsequent months
(7A1) $7.95
(7A2) $500
(7A3) $150 + $150 for additional 1000 units in case of increased demand
(7A4) $150
(7A5) $500 (expected to go down due to already having enough inventory)
(7A6) $80 paypal fee + $150 in commission fees
(7A7) $500 ($500 in stock for my services)
(7A8) $500 growers fees for supplies
(7A9) None
(7A10) Still unknown
Total costs $3,000* or less

Second month.. expected sales should increase because of the seasonality of purchases. Expected outreach to more potential customers, and expected referals.
Goal of 300 new customers and repeat customers from month one. Potential sales could be $7,500

Third and Fourth month... expected to peak for sales. Continued emailing and re-suppling to remain same. (7A3) Sufficient for up to 2000 units in sales.
Total costs remain at $3,000
Expected potential sales $10,000
Both months expecting 400 customers, new and repeat.

Fifth month sales expecting to decline due to seasonality. Bulk of tomato and indoor plant started seeds to decline... spring, summer type crops to increase.
Still expecting costs to remain at prior months, even if we end up with surplus inventory and supplies. Total $3,000
Expected sales $7,500

Sixth month... declining sales.. No more need for email expenses. (7A2) and (7A5) no longer required. Expected costs $2000 Expected Sales $5,000

Months 7-12, no appreciable sales expected. Maintenace and upgrading costs to be expected to rise. Maintaining website and other monthly expenses $600 or less. One time end of year accountant fee $1,000-$2,000

Total expected costs year one: $20,000 Total expected Income: $35,000 total profits: $15,000

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PART 8. Financials
(8A) PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET
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APPENDIX:


Ok.. that's all i can do for today. I got a brain tumor or something..my head is killing me. I know it's a mess still. I've just been cutting and pasting things out of my notepad files. I realize it's incomplete and it's gonna need alot of changes. Some things are just from getting ahead of myself and not actually having the info to put in here. Others are just cause i haven't taken the time to actually sit down and work out the details yet. But, i will come back and edit this too as i get time. Don't laugh at it yet.. i'll fix it later.

Dave

6 comments:

  1. What no comments? You know i'd appreciate any comments or critizism anyone wants to share.

    I know this isn't finished yet.. but any input would also be helpfull.

    Dave

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dave,
    Didn't have time to read it all, but I support your cause! I think seed trading is a supremely wonderful idea (best idea I've seen in a while) and with online social media, you can really rally all the people together who are also into this.

    I suggest you join twitter.com and you can find me there http://twitter.com/marialavis
    and if you join we can chat some more about your ideas and how you can help your blog and your idea grow. I'd love to help you set up.(No I'm not trying to sell you something and I don't work for twitter!)

    Best,
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dave, I am very glad to see this blog go up. You have at your fingertips a wealth of information, power, and a gift to all of humanity. I will be here to help you in whatever capacity is needed be it a seed grower, an in house plant breeder, an associate, or any other number of faculties. I have 100% faith in all that you are doing and am glad to host you at http://alanbishop.proboards60.com

    You are on to something big, and we will get this out there for the world to see buddy.

    By the way, have I mentioned I'm interested in growing out some beans and winter squash this year as well? Anything you want to send I would gladly grow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great Idea Dave! Might be interested in investing if you get close to getting it off the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Dave--
    I found you through Daughter of the Soil and emailed you yesterday about volunteering to trial some bean seeds.
    I am entirely impressed both by your project and your passion for it. I too am "retired" and have some experience in the non-profit sector. I've also been an English prof, a restaurateur (who drew on a kitchen garden), and a food writer. I currently act as exec. director and sing with a semi-professional vocal ensemble.
    But I could make time to help you if you can think of anything I could do from my desk here in Minnesota. I can't think of much more worthy work than saving and making available the entire gamut of seeds you mention.
    I'm also interested in hearing details about share-holding.
    You can email me at upnorthminn at gmail dot com.
    Good luck with everything! and thank you for all you do.

    Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  6. I came over here from Freedom Gardens. I am excited about your company. Here's to a new year of all of it coming together and beginning to be a truly usable seed company for those of us getting into growing our own food. I don't know much business, I'm a homemaker to 10 children, so I have no comments on your plan. But it sounds like exactly the type of seed company I and my friends would like to purchase from.

    ReplyDelete

Everyone feel free to comment.. i can use all the advice and help i can get. After all this is my first blog. Reach me about anything i say on here at: WorldwideSeedTrader@michigan.usa.com