garden professor business plan final

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Business Plan

The Garden Professor ™

Submitted by Crystal Taylor

May 30, 2014

©

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………page 3

Industry, Company, Product......………………………………………………………page 4

Industry Overview

Opportunity Rationale

The Company

The Product

Market Research and Analysis…………………………………………………………page 7

Market Size and Trends

Market Share and Sales

Competition

Regulatory Issues

Marketing Plan……………………………………………………………………………….page 11

Market Entry and Growth Strategy

Advertising and Promotion

Pricing

Sales

Distribution

Service Warranties and Policies

Management Team and Organizational Structure…………………………page 17

Design and Development Plans……………………………………………………..page 19

Future Products

Patents and Proprietary Issues

Manufacturing and Operations Plan……………………………………………..page 20

Overall Venture Schedule………………………………………………………………page 22

Critical Risks and Contingency Plans……………………………………………...page 23

Financial Plan………………………………………………………………………………..page 25

Breakeven Analysis

Proforma Cash Flows

Proforma Income Statement

Proposed Company Offering…………………………………………………………page33

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………..page 34

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Executive Summary

The Garden Professor is an LLC Company founded in 2014 by two women with experience in both the education and garden industries: Penny Bollin, a former middle school biology teacher, currently works as an urban farmer; and Crystal Taylor, a former adjunct instructor, whose research focus is food security and accessibility. Using the knowledge gained through 25+ years of education, training and experience we believe The Garden Professor has the potential to offer high quality, educational experiences on all facets of nature education, but specifically focused on home and community gardening. We plan to expand to create a line of unique products and services to the residents of North West Ohio and eventually expanding to adjacent regions. The home gardening industry has multiple customers:

Those who want to pay a company to come in and do the work for them. These customers would typically hire a landscaping company

Those who want to do it themselves and have the time and talent to start and finish a project well. These customers would typically complete the task alone

The DIYer who has the best of intentions, but doesn’t have the support system available to help them with projects that are larger in scope than they originally thought. These customers often would give up mid-season, have overgrown plants or lots of dead plants in a nicely developed garden plot

We believe opportunity exists to enter this market because of changing customer attitudes. Our research indicates that family and work patterns do not allow many would be gardeners to actually go through an entire garden season and come out with their intended product. Many home gardens begin with the best intentions but within two months flowers are dying, plants are getting fungus, and veggies are stressed. Many people have the disposable income to purchase products and services that they believe will enhance their lifestyles. However, having the money to purchase a garden doesn’t translate into expected outcomes, there is a level of skill required to enjoy a good harvest at the end of a growing season. The Garden Professor will begin selling services in Spring 2015. The business will enter the market as garden experts partnered with the 15 nursery and garden centers in the Toledo MSA with less than 10 employees. Our consultation services bring a garden expert to the home assist in creating functional, unique and productive home gardens. We will tailor our services to the needs of the customer and provide follow along services using a subscription model similar to landscape contractor companies. Not all garden centers will have a customer base that can support our fee structure. To determine where we will target our services, we reviewed demographic data for the Toledo MSA. Toledo Ohio is the fourth most populous city in the state of Ohio. The Toledo MSA includes Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Wood County. With a population of 651,429 it is the sixth largest MSA in Ohio. For our purposes and based on median family income, the key cities in the Toledo MSA are Bowling Green, Perrysburg, Oregon, Sylvania, and Maumee. The Garden Professor estimated market share will be 2.4% of the local gardening market industry. This market share is projected to increase to 3.25% by 2018. In our first year we project sales of $160,000.

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Industry Overview

The home garden industry has experienced growth since 2011. According to the 2014 Garden Trends Report from the Garden Media Group, The National Gardening Association reports there are 85 million DIY gardeners, up 2% since 2011. They spent $29.5 billion in retail sales, which was up 1% since 2011. The same report shows that DIY food gardeners spend more than other DIYers. Food gardening is now bigger than flower gardening in spending power and this category has increased yearly for the last six years. A resurgence to go back to natural living has sparked an increase in home vegetable gardening, eating local and community gardens. As a result, more community agencies, schools, business, educational institutions and households have gardens. At the turn of the millennia, community gardening, food deserts and eating local were new ideas. Very few urban and suburban households had the desire or know how to grow their own food. Today, less than 15 years later, urban environments are being beautified with community gardens in abandoned or blighted lots. Churches are building economic drivers by operating farmers markets and selling the vegetables they grow. Suburban households are starting to clamor for the backyard garden. They have a desire to grow their own food, but often lack the know-how, lack the time to learn, and lack the avenue to substantial and ongoing expertise. The home gardening industry has multiple customers:

Those who want to pay a company to come in and do the work for them. These customers would typically hire a landscaping company

Those who want to do it themselves and have the time and talent to start and finish a project well. These customers would typically complete the task alone

The DIYer who has the best of intentions, but doesn’t have the support system available to help them with projects that are larger in scope than they originally thought. These customers often would give up mid-season, have overgrown plants or lots of dead plants in a nicely developed garden plot

The Garden Writers Association reports that 78 million households have a lawn, garden or grow plants in containers. Of these households 54% grew vegetables and spent approximately $615 in 2013, the highest in the past three years. The report indicates that the biggest jump in spending was the $500 - $1500 category which was up 6%. Those dollars were spent on Lawns and grass (41%) and vegetables, fruit plants and perennials (39%). The majority of purchases are made in garden centers (39%) or with mass merchants (37%). Internet websites were only favored by 1% of DIY gardeners. Gardeners primarily purchased tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, green beans and cucumbers for pickling. They also purchased perennial flowers because they consider the plants an investment. Herbs were also a major purchase, with consumers spending $428 million on herb gardening alone in 2010. 1 The resurgence in home gardening is fueled by many of the same trends that drive the local food movement. Gardeners enjoy knowing where and how their food was grown. The industry has seen more interest in seed and live plant purchases as consumers return to cooking at home. Customers are willing to pay a premium for good quality when it comes to food plants. Branded plants and ready-to-grow patio plants bring in top dollar and develop a loyal customer base. Customers are swayed to purchase by encountering excellent customer service. So, while home gardeners typically purchase from one or two

1 2014 Garden Trends Report. pp. 29 - 35

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locations they will be loyal to the business that provides education and training along with quality plant production. Because unfamiliar problems come every season, even the most seasoned backyard gardeners enjoy having access to information and a place to have questions answered. Providing this service helps build not only loyalty, but also repeat business. The industry is experiencing an influx of new clientele, making the need for education even more important. Some companies are using QR codes and websites to disseminate educational videos about common garden faux pas. Additionally, as homeownership dips, container gardening (which is also on the rise) creates its own set of challenges that require expert assistance to produce a good yield.

Opportunity Rationale

We believe opportunity exists to enter this market because of changing customer attitudes. Our research indicates that family and work patterns do not allow many would be gardeners to actually go through an entire garden season and come out with their intended product. Many home gardens begin with the best intentions but within two months flowers are dying, plants are getting fungus, and veggies are stressed. Many people have the disposable income to purchase products and services that they believe will enhance their lifestyles. However, having the money to purchase a garden doesn’t translate into expected outcomes, there is a level of skill required to enjoy a good harvest at the end of a growing season. Profitability is achieved by companies that provide a product that

fills a need

provides optimum experiences which improve customer’s lives

enhances their home Customers pay for what they recognize as valuable. Pine and Gilmore state that the emerging economy is all about the experience.2 The experience is the source of value for the consumer and providing excellent experiences can lead to a slightly more inelastic demand. Another factor for entering the market is capitalizing on the flat sales experienced by local garden centers. In the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) there are only 22 establishments in the Nursery, Garden Center and Farm Supply Stores Industry. As sales begin to flatten, these establishments need to innovate or add services to enhance customer experiences and impact the bottom line. Many of these companies are stretched to capacity and operating with less than 10 employees so adding additional in-house services is not a viable option. Partnering with The Garden Professors is a cost effective way to boost services because the cost is borne by the customer. Providing access to home based educators and garden scape designers can be viewed as a win-win-win. Garden centers have happier customers who purchase more products, customers gain valuable knowledge and become loyal to businesses that enhance their lives and The Garden Professor gets brand recognition, credibility and customer acquisition with very little overhead costs. Our research indicates there is a need for education and training about not only gardening basics, but also about reducing food scrap waste through composting, growing specialty vegetables and herbs, setting up hydroponic home gardens, extending the gardening season, developing mircrogardens, keyhole and straw bale as well as basic garden design. Currently nursery and garden centers do not provide in home consultation. They may offer a two hour class on the latest trend in gardening but customers are required to come to the facility, take the class and then go home and try to duplicate it.

2 Pine, J. and Gilmore, J. Welcome to the Experience Economy HBR July 1998

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The Garden Professor provides in-home education and training to DIYers who want to learn the tricks and tips to produce beautiful, edible gardens.

The Company

The mission of The Garden Professor is to educate customers on gardening best practices for their personal gardening needs. The Garden Professor will teach households to interact more purposefully with nature; gleaning food, beauty, peacefulness and tranquility and creating a better quality of life for our customers. The Garden Professor is a startup company founded in 2014 by two women with experience in both the education and garden industries: Penny Bollin, a former middle school biology teacher, currently working as an urban farmer; and Crystal Taylor, a former adjunct instructor, whose research focus is food security and accessibility. Using the knowledge gained through 25+ years of education, training and experience we believe The Garden Professor has the potential to offer high quality educational experiences on all facets of nature education, but specifically focused on home and community gardening. We plan to create a line of unique products and services to the residents of North West Ohio and eventually expanding to adjacent regions. The business will enter the market as garden experts partnered with the 15 nursery and garden centers in the Toledo MSA with less than 10 employees. Our consultation services bring a garden expert to the home assist in creating functional, unique and productive home gardens. We will tailor our services to the needs of the customer and provide follow along services using a subscription model similar to landscape contractor companies. We plan to begin operations Spring 2015. Initially we will sell consultation services to DIY home gardeners and within five years expand to a full service line of branded plants, and a full greenhouse operation in addition to consultation services. Our company is rooted in the Toledo area. We specialize in what the Garden Trends 2014 report calls “cultur-vating”. We embrace our region, know our neighborhoods. We promote eating locally and using Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farmer’s markets and we educate and enlighten our neighbors about being good stewards of the Earth.3

The Product/Service

In Spring 2015 The Garden Professor will begin providing consultation services to DIY home gardeners who purchase supplies at 15 small nursery and garden centers in the Toledo area. This will allow consumers to customize their home gardens and receive education and training on how to maintain them throughout the growing season. We can provide novice gardeners with a range of services including planting their home gardens with them. We exist to take the guesswork out of having a beautiful outdoor space, be it food garden, planting or cutting gardens or a nice container garden for apartment and condo dwellers. We identified the small nursery and garden centers because they have loyal customers who like the attention they receive at those centers. Likewise small companies often want to offer additional services but owners find themselves stretched thin with day to day operations and remaining profitable. Providing consultation services at no cost to them helps them achieve that goal and eventually sell more plant material. The service will have various price points and packaging plans, depending on the needs of the customer.

3 2014 Garden Trends Report p. 89

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Market Research and Analysis

Market Size and Trends

The Garden Professor will operate within the Nursery, Garden Center and Farm Supply Stores Industry. The Nursery, Garden Center and Farm Supply Stores (NAICS 44422) is comprised of establishments engaged in retailing nursery and garden products such as plants, seeds and bulbs that are grown elsewhere. These establishments may sell a limited amount of products grown internally. In 2013 there were 14,827 establishments in the US with sales of $23,256 ($Millions). The majority of these establishments, (10,201) have less than 10 employees. This is also the industry ratio for number of employees per establishment since 2009.4 Average yearly sales per establishments with less than 10 employees in 2013 were 1.57 million which represents a 3.5% growth over 2012. Since 2009 industry sales have increased on average 3.625%. The sub industry retail nurseries and garden stores had estimated sales of $4,922.5 ($Millions) in 2011. 5 In Ohio there are 577 establishments included in this category. Sixty-six percent of which have less than 10 employees. In 2012, small operation, Ohio based establishments held 21% (185.4) of the states total market of $869.4 ($Millions). By 2013 the state had total sales of $893.1 ($Millions), a 2.7% increase. 6 In 2012 the Toledo MSA had 22 establishments in this category, most (15) with less than 10 employees. Total sales that year were $27 million. Small establishments captured $6.1 million or 22% of the market. By 2013 these same 22 establishments garnered $27.8 million in sales. And small establishments captured $6.3 million for a consistent 22.6% of the market share. 7 Major Trends in the Garden Industry that impact our business include8:

Forty percent of women are now the sole or primary earner for households with children under age 18 – traditional roles are reversing. More working women mean less time to do basic household chores, let alone develop and cultivate a garden.

Single women 20% of all home buyers – an opportunity exists to create special workshops on evenings and weekends for single homeowners looking to beautify their new purchase.

US Census Bureau shows the number of stay-at-home dads doubled in the past decade – the desire to beautify the outdoor space is key to many men.

Year of Happy – more people are finding bliss in the garden, unplugging and are fed up with the complex modern life. They want to make the ordinary extraordinary.

Sustainable Trend – people want to get back to basics, reduce landfill waste, recycle, and eat healthy and clean. We can teach them how to do that. The Natural Marketing Institute says consumers are expected to increase behaviors and demand for sustainable products. That requires education. Sustainable and socially responsible brands will demand that they are respected, their customers contribute, and they build focus, familiarity, and trust, all of which positively impact brand awareness.

Lawn and Garden purchases represent the #3 way Americans spend money, behind Christmas and Weight Loss.

4 Barnes Reports: Nursery Garden Center & Farm Supply Stores Industry 2012 Edition, pg.7 5 Barnes Reports: Nursery Garden Center & Farm Supply Stores Industry 2012 Edition 6 Barnes Reports: Nursery Garden Center & Farm Supply Stores Industry 2012 Edition 7 Barnes Reports: Nursery Garden Center & Farm Supply Stores Industry 2012 Edition 8 2014 Garden Trends Report

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According to USDA bedding and garden plant sales are up 3.1%.

85 million DIY gardeners – up 2% since 2011. This segment spent $29.5 billion in retail sales.

DIY food gardeners spend more than flower gardeners.

18 – 34 year olds shop local stores more than home centers and mass merchants.

78 million households have a lawn, garden or grow plants in containers.

Garden spending is the highest it’s been in the past three years and the biggest jump in spending is in the $500 - $1500 category. This translates to more available dollars for additional services to maintain the value of their lawn and garden purchase.

Local garden stores or garden centers are the most preferred destination for purchases with 39% share of the all purchases.

Major Trends in Environmental Education that impact our business include9:

Financial and administrative support for formal environmental education is first on the chopping block in school systems.

Environmental adult education needs to be more participatory, more democratic, and

more oriented toward social issues. Westerners still live "as if there were an endless treasury of resources to draw from,

and an infinite and far-removed sink into which to throw our wastes" [60],

suggesting that educators have been unwilling or unable to move people past

society's ecological deceptions. Environmental educators need to be careful not to cover "too much, too soon," so

that learners concern and energy is best applied to their own lifestyle changes. Most Environmental educators aren't trained in experiential teaching methods, and

don't know how to assess experiential learning. Many are uncomfortable leading at

the thought of taking students outdoors or getting them involved in community-

based environmental projects.

Not all garden centers will have a customer base that can support our fee structure. To determine where we will target our services, we reviewed demographic data for the Toledo MSA. Toledo Ohio is the fourth most populous city in the state of Ohio. The Toledo MSA includes Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Wood County. With a population of 651,429 it is the sixth largest MSA in Ohio. For our purposes and based on median family income, the key cities in the Toledo MSA are Bowling Green, Perrysburg, Oregon, Sylvania, and Maumee.

Table 1. County Stats

County Number of households Median Family Income

Lucas 180,267 $54,855

Fulton 16,188 $59,090

Ottawa 17,503 $64,258

Wood 49,043 $69,768

Source: 2010 US Census

9 http://www.greenhearted.org/environmental-education-barriers.html

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Table 2. Service Area Stats

City Median Family Income

Bowling Green $51,804

Perrysburg $75,651

Oregon $57,156

Sylvania $73,947

Maumee $60,776

Source: 2010 US Census In the Toledo MSA the following zip codes have been identified as primary targeted areas based on IRS Adjusted Gross Income: 43552 – Perrysburg 43617 – Central Ave/ King Road 43560 – Sylvania 43551 – Perrysburg 43528 – Holland 43623 – Franklin Park Area 43666, 43699, 43659 – Downtown Toledo

Market Share and Sales

The Garden Professor estimated market share and projected sales volume are presented in Figure 1. Our market share will be 2.4% of the local gardening market industry. This market share is projected to increase to 3.25% by 2018.

Figure 1. Market Share

Unit Sales 2015 2016 2017 2018

full plant 150 165 182 200

hourly rate 1025 1127.5 1240 1364

workshops 12 13.2 15 17

prof dev. 20 22 50 55

Total Units 1207 1327.7 1487 1636

Dollar Sales 2015 2016 2017 2018

full plant $67,500.00 $74,250.00 $81,900.00 $90,000.00

hourly rate $51,250.00 $56,375.00 $62,000.00 $68,200.00

workshops $27,000.00 $29,700.00 $33,750.00 $38,250.00

prof dev $15,000.00 $16,500.00 $37,500.00 $41,250.00

Total Sales $160,750.00 $176,825.00 $215,150.00 $237,700.00

Market Share 2.4% 2.5% 3.0% 3.25%

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We have outlined the location, demographics and behavioral and attitudinal aspects of our target customer. Here we include the lifestyle, activities and interests of our target customer:

Homeowners, condo dwellers, upscale apartment dwellers

$50,000 - $125,000 median family income

Value education both formal and informal, typically holding a Bachelor’s degree or technical certification

Environmentally conscious, concerned about sustainable living

Two income families We have segmented our business market and have selected 15 nature and garden centers in the Toledo MSA who have less than 10 employees. These 15 businesses enjoy 22% of the Toledo MSA Nursery and Garden Center market share, earning $6.3 million last year. The average customer spent $615 on gardening in 2013 which was a slight increase over 2012. Industry trends indicate 6% growth in customers willing to spend $500 - $1500. Our goal is to capture 2.4% of the market.

Competition

Competitors in the environmental education industry who specialize in gardens is a highly segmented market. As such we were unable to locate specific companies that specialize in that area. The Landscape Contractors industry would be more applicable. While there are 182 landscape contractor businesses in Toledo, none of them currently provide garden education services. These companies’ core services tend to focus on landscape design and installation, irrigation maintenance and installation, sodding and hydroseeding. Many offer landscape maintenance services as an add-on service, but these typically include mowing, decorative mulch, pruning and weeding, aeration, over seeding and seasonal clean up. They do not design and build food gardens. Because of this we did not view these companies as current competition. In the Landscape Contractor industry we believe are positioned as early adopters or innovators. By broadening our scope we report on our competition based on providing off site garden education and training. At this time we view our competitors as:

The Toledo Botanical Garden Adult Classes Workshop series

Home Depot lawn and garden education series

The Master Gardener Volunteer Program Seminars and Workshops

Ruth Esther Retreats Figures 2 and 3 indicate that our biggest threat is Home Depot, but I believe we can compete with Home Depot because our services are positioned to exploit gaps in their service. Home Depot provides hard scape contractor services. They will come to a customer’s home and install a dishwasher, a deck, or set up a new grill. They do not provide landscape, lawn care or garden services off site. The workshop model they use is effective for the DIY home remodeler but not necessarily for the DIY home gardener. We are actually more concerned with the Toledo Botanical Garden and Master Gardener Volunteer Programs. As current employees of Toledo Botanical Gardens we recognize that some conflicts may arise. During employment processing we were never asked to sign confidentiality or non-compete agreements and therefore feel we are not legally obligated to notify the administration.

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Regulatory Issues

Home gardeners have a few federal, state and local laws they most often encounter. Most are just basic rules to check before digging. Monitored on a city level, these generally include laws or guidelines about lawn length limitations, height and type of fences, specifics of water usage, and regulations on compost piles and practices. Garden-related structures, including tool sheds and chicken coops can also be subject to local zoning and building codes. Some garden-related legislation, however, is created at the federal and state levels, including laws on invasive and noxious weeds and rules regarding what pesticides are allowed or prohibited, as well as specifics on their proper application. 10

Marketing Plan

The Garden Professor’s overall marketing strategy will be to appeal to our target markets desire to master the art of gardening. We want to be the company that DIY customers call on when they want to learn something new about their food gardens. Our marketing approach will include:

A Push strategy that includes personal introduction from 15 small, local nursery or garden center as an expert in garden-scaping. We have begun initial conversations with several local garden centers and hope to have agreements signed by the end of July 2014 for next year. We believe this segment will provide low cost customer acquisition, positively impact sales (referrals), and build a distribution network for future expansion.

The professional development market is potential for large ticket and long term education and training. Direct marketing, sales promotion and public relations are strategy for entry here.

The Garden Professor differentiates itself by providing valuable, convenient services that fill a need and by providing optimum experiences that improve our customers’ largest life purchases – their homes.

10 http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/garden-laws-and-

regulations.aspx#ixzz32yYcla3K

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/garden-laws-and-regulations.aspx#ixzz32yYcla3K

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/garden-laws-and-regulations.aspx#ixzz32yYcla3K

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Figure 2. Competitor Analysis

Use this scale to rate each competitor: 0 Does Not Apply 1 Minimally Applies 2 Somewhat Applies 3 Moderately Applies 4 Maximally Applies

COMPETITOR NAMECOMPANY

SIZEPRICE

COURSES

OFFEREDSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSES STRUCTURE TOTALS

TBG Adult Education 2 4 1 3 1 2 13

TBC Children's

Education2 1 3 3 1 2 12

Home Depot 4 4 1 4 2 4 19

Master Gardener

Volunteer Program

Seminars and

Workshops

4 3 4 4 1 1 17

Ruth Esther Retreats 1 2 1 1 2 3 10

AVERAGES 2.6 2.8 2.0 3.0 1.4 2.4 14.2

The Garden Professor Competitor Analysis

<< View Competitor Demographics

©

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14 | P a g e

Market Entry and Growth Strategy

The Garden Professor will begin selling services in Spring 2015. We are seeking agreements with local nurseries and garden centers in Northwest Ohio: Lucas, Wood, Ottawa and Fulton counties. These agreements will ideally give exclusive rights to garden scape referrals for their customers. At minimum they will provide access to customer mailing lists. Stores located in Bowling Green, Sylvania, Perrysburg, Oregon and Maumee will be key. The reasons these were chosen are identified in previous sections. Initial contact has identified some strong interest in developing teaming agreements or memorandums of understanding. We believe this segment of the garden industry has some previously unexploited gaps in service that our company is positioned to fill. We will use direct marketing to customers of these establishments offering service plans to compliment purchases to the extent negotiated. The growth strategy for The Garden Professor includes increasing brand awareness by offering workshops and professional development training. The Garden Professor will target elementary and high schools in April 2015. To reach this market we use traditional marketing such as networking and presentations to school board and science teachers. This is a cost effective way to reach educators and provide a sample of the services provided. Additionally, most school systems require face to face meetings and demonstrations prior to purchasing workshop services. Timing allows discussions to take place far enough before the summer break that contracts can be negotiated for a Fall start date. By June 2015 we will market our professional development services to local businesses interested in alternative retreat programming. Digital and social media marketing will be used consistently to ensure maximum reach and online chatter. As the business matures we will remain sustainable by targeting new geographic areas. We anticipate branching to the tri state area – Michigan, Ohio and Indiana within 10 years. Our strategy to enter additional geographic markets will include franchising. By beginning in a small geographic area – Toledo, Ohio; we will get the opportunity to work out the kinks, set benchmarks, and create solid, cost effective distribution channels – prior to branching out quickly to adjacent geographic regions. Other expansion opportunities include writing manuals, developing video series and even television shows.

Pricing

Full Planting – a one hour in home consultation to determine what tools are available, if others are needed, review the site, estimate time based on scope of project, and review game plan for the build. A minimum purchase of five hour per planting session is required to complete a typical 10x4 garden bed. Educators will come to customers home, educate on gardening practices; such as placement, garden safety. They will demonstrate proper growing techniques and assist in initial cultivation of garden space. Priced at $75/hr. Minimum job $450

Hourly Service fee – for the customer interested in drop in, project consultation. Priced at $50/hr.

Professor Gardener Workshops– can be scheduled in home or on site at the nursery or garden center. These workshops will show gardeners how to do many of the trending topics in gardening such as Straw Bale gardening, Composting Food Scraps11, Cultivating Super Foods, and Keyhole gardens. Participants will take home supplies and full schematics. Priced starting at

11 2014 Garden Trends notes that consumers need education about reducing food scrap waste. pg.40

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$150/person (will vary with supply costs). Average capacity of 15/workshop. Plan discounts will be provided to workshop participants.

Professional Development Workshops – provided at community gardens, grade and high schools, churches, or businesses as professional development activities. We will provide a quarterly schedule of available group instruction. Reservations and minimum numbers will be required. We will provide all supplies. Fees will vary based on scope of workshop. Groups of 30 or less, up to three hours of direct instruction $750. Larger groups, Nonprofit groups or specialized activities will be negotiated.

The Garden Professor uses dynamic value based prices. Industry data indicates that in 2013, home gardeners who spent $500 - $1500 increased by 6%. Additionally, home gardening customers spent on average $615 last year. Our target customer has the ability to pay for a premium service and motivation to enhance their living space. Pricing for this type of service is not available, however we have taken standard consulting rates and landscape contractor rates into consideration when developing the price structure.

Advertising and Promotion

It costs the most to be the first because product innovation requires a higher investment in research and development than product imitation, and getting the company recognizable to constituents requires heavy investment in advertising and promotion. Fortunately, Kalyanaram and Gurumurthy note that pioneers have a higher return on investment in both consumer and industrial goods.12 The Garden Professor will use the Influencer channel primarily for advertising and promotion.

Influencer marketing is the process of finding, engaging and learning from your organization’s specific wavemakers to support your business goals. Using a push strategy we will use influencer marketing to put our service in front of customers most likely to use our services. Our objective will be to influence behavior. This marketing phenomena is typically used for online campaigns only, however in this niche market an influencer saves our company time and money. Materials such as business cards, magnets, pamphlets and postcards will be disseminated to customers purchasing services at the nursery and garden centers we work with. Influencers have an audience already. By introducing our service to their clients they lend us their credibility and rubber stamp of approval. Influencers drive awareness for services, cultivate a community, and they help companies sell smarter. 13 The influencer campaign has two goals:

Targeted customer acquisition

Sell service plans Low cost and free promotion from news stories, special interest pieces, social media pages and blog content will also be utilized. Attending trade fairs, advertising in local and regional print and online special interest magazines will also be utilized.

Fall 2014 we will develop our promotional material so that it is ready to take when we make initial contact with nurseries and garden centers, these include hats, t-shirts, business cards, placards, and car magnets. Winter 2015 we register for spring trade shows, with real estate

12 Kalyanaram, G., and Gurumurthy, R. Market Entry Strategies: Pioneers versus Late Arrivals. Strategy+Business. Issue 12. July, 1, 1998. 13 http://traackr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/influencer-marketing-guide-with-traackr.pdf

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investment agencies and in local home magazines to reach new homeowners. During the winter we will also send press kits to community agencies and schools to notify them of the professional development series and workshops. Additionally interest pieces and business stories will be done in local newspapers like Toledo Parent, Toledo FreePress, La Prensa, The Independent Collegian, Sylvania Herald, Perrysburg Messenger Journal, and the Holland Springfield Journal to notify residents of new services and our partnerships with companies they know and trust. We will seek feature articles in local trade publications, news media outlets,

home and garden trade fairs and at regional community celebrations as well. As the business becomes profitable we will add more costly methods of advertising like radio and television spots with testimonials from customers.

Sales Tactics

Our sales tactics will include having a Garden Professor representative at each center we partner with at least three hours a month. During that time we will have a help desk set up. Customers will be able to come to us and have general questions answered. This allows us to be viewed as helpers, trained experts, talking with them about basic garden traps. We will try to get their “hot button” find out what they need exactly. At the end of the talk we will provide information about our business. No hard sales, just literature. We will let them know that we are available for in home consultation as well. We will also use referrals as a sales tactic. By developing a list of our friends, family, co-workers and general circle of influence we will map out their peers, coworkers and their personal friends. This will give us an idea of the total number of potential referrals. From that point we will begin scheduling face time with our initial circle and move to their circles from there. We will not do any online pitching. We will use “hot calling”14to contact new home owners, new apartment dwellers and people looking for home owners insurance or renters insurance. Hot calling targets specific customers who would be candidates for our service. By selecting potential customers effectively we will have better response rates than typical cold calling provides. Initially founders will be responsible for implementing these sales tactics. Beginning Fall 2014 we will develop our referral lists and identify potential customers for hot calling. By Spring 2015 we will hire two seasonal sales lead generators whose job will entail working the referral lists and hot calls using a script. Founders will then switch their focus to the establishments to do the help desk sales. After our first year, we will expand to year-long sales.

Distribution

The Garden Professor will use a level one channel for distribution. Level one channels have only one intermediary – the retailer. Our retailers will be the nursery/garden centers that we partner with. For the professional development we will still utilize the level one channel, except here the organization we do the development activities with will act as the intermediary for getting new customers. These customers will come from the employees or teachers who participate in our workshops and professional

14 http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2013/01/30/the-five-sales-tactics-every-entrepreneur-must-master/

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development activities. We anticipate gaining additional business from 1/3 of total number of participants who attend a workshop or professional development event. We do not foresee any issues with logistics or insurance needs related to our distribution strategy.

Figure 4: Distribution Strategy

Service and Warranty Policies

Gardening is an art and a science. The work completed at customers’ homes will not include a warranty policy because the best efforts of the best gardener can experience crop failure or a bad season. We will provide customer satisfaction survey’s after every home project. If we find customers are reasonably unhappy with the service they have received we will contact them to find out what we can offer to make it right. There will not be a money back guarantee provided as work to build a garden bed or plant a garden will be labor intensive and customers will be working alongside our staff. It will be impossible to assess which items were planted by staff versus the client themselves. Of course if we damage property or interrupt utilities we will have insurance to cover those costs.

Management Team and Organizational Structure

The Garden Professor is an LLC Company founded in 2014 by two women with experience in both the education and garden industries. Penny Bollin is a former middle school biology teacher who currently works as an urban farmer. Crystal Taylor is an adjunct college professor whose research focus is food security and accessibility. Using the knowledge gained through 25+ years of education, training and experience we believe Garden Professor has the potential to offer high quality, needed services to the residents of North West Ohio and eventually expanding regions. Please see resume’s in the Appendix. Crystal Taylor, President. In 2005 Crystal completed a Master’s degree in Geography and Planning from the University of Toledo. The thesis was entitled, Food Security and Accessibility for Transit Dependent Populations in Toledo, Ohio. The research completed for that project formed the seeds for the Garden Professor. The work concluded with recommendations to help individuals in the lowest income communities to plant their own food gardens in their back yards or in community gardens in their neighborhoods. Since 2005 Crystal has worked with three different community gardens and numerous city residents to teach them how to garden at home. She found that there was a huge desire for people of all walks of life to learn gardening, and that middle class families were willing to pay for it. Working for the Toledo Botanical Garden she was introduced to industry leaders in environmental education and even joined the National Association of Interpretation, becoming a Certified Interpretive Guide.

Garden Professor

Nursery/Garden Center

or

School District/Company

Customers

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Interpretive guides teach people how to relate nature to everyday concepts. In April 2013 Crystal completed the Landscape for Life online training program, sponsored by The United States Botanic Garden. This program teaches participants how to teach community members skills to work with nature in their garden, no matter where they live. Crystal has been a paid tax preparer and successful grant writer for the past 15 years. She will complete an MBA from The University of Toledo in December 2014. Penny Bollin, Vice President, Operations. Penny has 14 years as a high school science teacher. She left formal education in 2013 to pursue a passion for nature education in an informal setting. Since 2013 she has worked with large and small scale greenhouse operations including the Fernwood Growing Center where she managed the construction of a green house, and a 1200 pot vertical grow system. She was hired by Crystal Taylor who was the Development Chair for the Toledo Community Development Corporation at the time. Penny has the technical know how to operate both large scale and backyard gardens and does extensive prep work, to produce maximum output. Her education and training encompass garden design, disease management, soil amendment, and drip irrigation. Her passion for education coupled with her technical prowess make her the perfect person to lead the operations component of the business.

Ownership Structure

Crystal Taylor 51% Owner. Penny Bollin 49% Owner. For the first year compensation will be taken on a percentage basis. Each will receive a year-end bonus based on pre-tax earnings. Bonuses will be paid based on percentage ownership.

Future Members

We are working with a few finance and economics students to assist with setting up and learning a financial recordkeeping database. We have not offered a position to anyone yet, but plan to make an offer sometime during the summer. The person we select will be paid as an independent contractor and will take care of all bookkeeping and financial records management on a part time basis.

Board of Advisors

The Garden Professor will have a five member board of advisors. Current members are Martin Johnson, former Principal in Toledo Public School System. Crystal Taylor, Garden Professor; Penny Bollin, Garden Professor; Joshua Peterson, Business Law Attorney at Eastman and Smith; and Dr. Tiffany Davis, Professor at North Carolina State.

Committed Investors

Business owners have invested $30,000 of personal funds and Sweat equity. We have received an additional $20,000 in love money from family and friends for startup funding. We anticipate approaching University of Toledo’s Innovation Enterprises for seed capital by October 2014.

Patents and Proprietary Issues

The name “Garden Professor” is actively trademarked in the US Patent and Trademark Office by OMS Investments out of Los Angeles California. The category of the trademark is computer and software

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products, however OMS Investments is a subsidiary of Scotts Miracle Gro. After checking both companies’ websites, I have not been able to locate any use of the term or find a visual image of the trademark. Additionally I checked the website trademarkia.com and they also do not have an image listed. Additionally there is no image listed on the USPTO website either. It appears that trademarks go dead after 10 years, however the last renewal for “The Garden Professor” was 2001. (see appendix) We have conducted a state trademark search and have found no companies in Ohio with the name. Board member Joshua Peterson is currently researching this issue and will provide us with options at our next quarterly board meeting in September.

Product Design and Development Plans

As we work toward opening our business in Spring 2015, we have ongoing development of our service. To date, we have identified our customers, and distribution strategy to get our service in front of customers. We have also fleshed out a diagram of who the full plant and workshop services will be delivered to customers. We have capital to make initial purchases and plan to work for the remainder of this calendar year to acquire the capital we need to stay open until we achieve profitability. Our services will be carried out in the following manner: Full plant and hourly rate services:

1. Customers enter the nursery or garden center to purchase plant stock 2. Engage the nursery sales staff and mention need for education or ask how to questions 3. Nursery sales staff make referral to Garden Professor and give literature that includes an

incentive to call in the next 24 hours. 4. Customers make contact to schedule a consultation via email, phone, Facetime, or Skype.

Needs, rates and fees are discussed. A date is scheduled. 5. Customers receive a contract by email to complete and return prior to scheduled visit. 6. If required a 30 minute site visit is conducted free of charge. 7. Team shows up at customer’s house to complete the service, payment is rendered, future needs

are discussed and an evaluation is left. 8. Two weeks after visit, a follow up call is made to check progress or identify additional needs.

Workshops

1. Workshops are developed for the year, speakers or special guests are identified 2. A location is obtained 3. Press is notified including social media, customer lists, advertisement at local nurseries and

garden centers 4. Customers register online, by phone or using social media. 5. Registration fees are paid using paypal, or other billing services 6. Participants are sent any updates prior to event. 7. Supplies are purchased 8. Workshop is held, evaluations are distributed along with promotional material and a discount

for follow up services is discussed. Professional development

1. Owners notify school districts and local businesses about professional development opportunities

2. Customers schedule sessions

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3. Complete an online application 4. Garden Professor staff contact applicant for any clarification, discuss pricing options and then

book the visit 5. Supplies are purchased 6. Professional development takes place, evaluations are distributed and collected by company

staff 7. Follow up takes place one week after workshop to go over evaluations, assess process and

schedule future events. Since our service is fully developed we have tasks associated with delivering services such as signing lease agreements, obtaining all tools and supplies to run at least five separate teams at all times. Most importantly is obtaining memorandums of understanding from the nursery and garden center staff. While that work has already begun we anticipate going into summer 2014 with 50% of the agreements complete. Risks associated with this business include weather, staffing issues and fuel pricing. Having a business that depends on good weather can be difficult in years with extreme temperatures. Excessive heat can stress tools and staff. It can also decrease sales as households restrict watering or opt to stay indoors. There is nothing we can do about the weather, ever. So this is just a risk our company will have to take. We will offer independent contractor status to gardeners with proven training. We will being with independent contractor status because it will help reduce payroll, insurance and benefits costs. Independent contractor agreements will need to be iron-clad so that we are able to ensure a constant supply of laborers. As fuel costs fluctuate our variable costs can shift wildly. Our business requires a lot of travel and the use of gad powered tools. We plan to have teams scheduled to work in zones so that they are not crisscrossing the city to cover jobs. This should make scheduling easier and save on fuel costs by maximizing trips. Future products include a line of personal greenhouses made from recycled material. This product line will not go into operation until:

We have reached profitability with margins of at least 25%

We have a customer base of at least 150 unique clients

Manufacturing and Operations Plan

Operating Cycle

Gardening is seasonal. The heaviest planting times will be April to mid-June. We will need to be at full staff during this time to fill full plant orders. By mid-June we will switch services to primarily hourly consultation services until October. From October to April we will focus on workshops and professional development activities. We anticipate November, to be our lowest selling month. We will not provide any services in the months of December and January. These will be used for planning and development for the next fiscal year. We will not hold any inventory as customers will be purchasing their nursery stock at the store of their choice. To minimize travel time we will have service zones. Staff will be hired to work a particular zone of the region. That will allow scheduling efficiency and minimize missed calls. We do not have need for large

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office space as our business is primarily going into garden centers and nurseries to work with existing customers. We do not need an office for clients to come to. We will need to rent space for workshops since most small operation nurseries and garden centers do not have meeting or class room space. We will maintain a networked phone system so that any calls will be routed to owner cell phones.

Equipment

This will be one of our largest startup costs and maintenance costs. We will have five trailers with the Garden Professor logo on the side. Each trailer will be equipped with the same tools and will be set up with the best workflow potential. Startup Costs are:

5 Trailers @ $2500 $12,500

5 Tillers $12,000

5 Wheelbarrows $1,000

10 spades $500

15 tarps $250

10 hoes $250

15 shovels $225

10 rakes $250

15 water hoses $225

5 pruning shears $75

15 clip boards $100

5 cameras $500

Total Start up Equipment Costs

$27,875

Labor force

We will not require all staff to be Garden Professors. The majority of staff will be general laborers and will work on teams to complete full plant jobs. Hourly consulting, workshops and professional development sessions will be completed by Garden Professors. A key piece to our success lies in continuous staff training. Customer satisfaction and staff productivity will be quantified and tracked to assist in validating our forecasts and improving or correcting (as needed) our projections.

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Overall Venture Schedule

Dates

Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15

General

Business Filing

Investor acquisition

Initial funding

Build relationships

initial contact

contract negotiation

contract signed

Development

Identify staff

Trade fairs

Community engagement

Purchase Equipment

Marketing

Print materials

distribute materials

advertising

first Full Plant Sales

First Hourly rate sales

First Workshop

First PD

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Critical Risks and Contingency Plans

Inclement Weather

With any outdoor business, the weather patterns affect everything. The most important risk of operating The Garden Professor will be the worsening weather conditions in NorthWest Ohio. Inclement weather could also help business. In our rural areas of Bowling Green, Sylvania and Perrysburg, tornadoes, high winds and water damage have wreaked havoc on the land. If natural disasters occur, we will seek to provide restoration services to those hardest hit. Contingency plan – in the event that customers experience a weather emergency we will assess the damage and work with the customer to provide follow up services at a reduced rate for existing customers. We recognize that homeowners insurance does not include Acts of God and we want to maintain a good relationship and garner press as a socially responsible company.

Lack of interest in the distribution chain

Small shops are often accustomed to doing business a certain way. If we find that there are impediments to building relationships with identified nurseries and garden centers we will expand our scope and reach to focus on larger garden centers outside of our identified target area. Contingency Plan - We will review household median income for other areas within a 50 mile radius and work to build relationships there. Within 50 miles of Toledo is

Detroit Mi.

Dearborn Mi.

Tiffin, Oh

Findlay, Oh

Brooklyn, Mi.

Romulus, Mi.

Port Clinton, Oh

Taylor, Mi.

Ann Arbor, Mi.

Fostoria, Oh

Adrian, Mi.

Bellevue, Oh

The Garden Professor name is not available

Scotts Miracle Gro is an industry leader with unlimited resources. If further investigation reveals the name is unavailable we will not enter into a legal battle. Contingency Plan – We have been brainstorming and testing several different names. We would like to keep our logo and give him a specific name. We will work with marketing students at the University of Toledo to develop a brand strategy that parallels the current company name.

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Harvest Strategy

Utilizing the teachings of Jim Collins in his bestselling book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap….and Others Don’t” we will develop a strategy within five years of launch to take our company to the next level. Having a good opening will be excellent for one or two growing seasons. After that good will become passé. Our goal is to make The Garden Professor an exceptional business model. To do this, the partners seek out, attract and compensate the best employees. We will start with “the who” as opposed to where or what. Our job descriptions are highly detailed and thorough. They will be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of applicants. We strive to hire intelligent, charismatic teachers. The foundation of our company is education and as such it will be important that all employees have the skills and character of excellent teachers. To do this we will use the Kolbe Index, which was developed by education experts to measure the “instinctive action and problems-solving styles of individuals”. It will tell us how our employees process information which will allow us to place them in the right job and provide them with the right training tools.

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Financial Plan

Break Even Analysis

Break-Even Analysis

Year of Operation 1 2 3

Sales (dollars) $160,750 $176,825 $215,150

Total Units 1207 1328 1487

Avg Price per unit $133 $133 $145

Variable Expenses

Materials (Workshop Supplies) $25,000 $27,500.00 $30,800.00

Labor (Independent Contractors) $11,750 $12,925.00 $14,476.00

Variable overhead (Fuel) $6,000 $6,600.00 $7,392.00

Total Variable Expenses $42,750 $47,025 $52,668

Total Variable Expenses (unit) $35 $35 $35

Contribution Margin (unit) $97.76 $107.54 $134.62

Fixed Expenses

Rent $3,600 $3,600 $3,600

Repairs and maintenance $1,500 $1,500 $1,500

Insurance $6,000 $6,000 $6,000

Telephone $3,000 $3,000 $3,000

Office supplies $4,500 $1,500 $1,500

Advertising $10,000 $10,000 $10,000

Marketing/promotion $6,000 $6,000 $6,000

Professional fees $1,030 $1,030 $1,030

Training and development $2,500 $2,500 $2,500

Depreciation $5,500 $5,500 $5,500

Total Fixed Expenses $43,630 $40,630 $40,630

Total Fixed Expenses Ratio 27.14% 22.98% 18.88%

Break-Even Sales 649 658 645

Break-Even % 36.97% 31.30% 25.01%

Operating Profit $74,370 $89,170 $121,852

Low Variable Costs We keep our costs low by paying employees as independent contractors. Our labor costs are low because workers will only be paid for time on task. When full builds and hourly rate jobs are scheduled, we will call the crew for work. We have estimated wages to be 15 workers for 78 hours total in the first year at $10/hr. Materials will only be needed for workshops and professional development sessions. All tools and the trailers are sunk costs as they will be purchased with startup funds.

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Our largest variable will be fuel costs. We have estimated 30,000 miles driven in the first year with vehicles getting 20 miles to the gallon of gas. We will pay for fuel costs of employees as they will hook the trailer up to their existing vehicles and travel to customer locations. We have estimated fuel costs at $4/gallon. We will break even in the first year at 649 units sold. The average cost per unit is $133 so if we have a good mix of full builds, workshops and professional development (our highest contributors) we will break even at a lower unit rate. Year 3 (2017) We anticipate having more professional development bookings as a result of referrals. The fees for this service are a minimum $750. The average price per unit increases in this year as all professional development trainings are facilitated by owners and no wages will be paid to independent contractors.

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ProForma Cash Flow Statements Year 1

Initial Flows January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals

Receipts

Cash sales 0 0 2,679 2,679 6,430 32,150 32,150 16,075 16,075 32,150 16,879 2,679 0 160,750

Other 50,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 50,000

Total Receipts 50,000 0 2,679 2,679 6,430 32,150 32,150 16,075 16,075 32,150 16,879 2,679 0 209,946

Payments

Cash purchases 27,875 0 565 565 1,355 6,775 6,775 3,388 3,388 6,775 3,557 565 0 33,875

Salaries and w ages 0 0 196 196 470 2,350 2,350 1,175 1,175 2,350 1,234 196 0 11,750

Rent 0 600 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,900

Repairs and maintenance 0 0 25 25 60 300 300 150 150 300 158 25 0 1,500

Insurance 0 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 6,000

Telephone 0 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3,000

Office supplies 4,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,500

Advertising + Promotions 0 267 267 640 3,200 3,200 1,600 1,600 3,200 1,680 267 0 0 16,000

Professional fees 0 1,030 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,030

Training and development 0 2,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,500

Total Payments 32,375 5,147 2,102 2,475 6,135 13,675 12,075 7,363 8,963 12,155 6,265 1,835 1,050 111,614

Net Cash Inflow (Outflow) 17,625 (5,147) 577 204 295 18,475 20,075 8,713 7,113 19,995 10,614 844 (1,050) 98,332

Beginning Cash Balance 0 17,625 12,478 13,055 13,259 13,554 32,029 52,104 60,817 67,929 87,924 98,538 99,382 568,695

Ending Cash Balance 17,625 12,478 13,055 13,259 13,554 32,029 52,104 60,817 67,929 87,924 98,538 99,382 98,332 667,027

2015

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Proforma Cash Flow Statements Year 2

January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals

Receipts

Cash sales 0 2,947 2,947 7,073 35,365 35,365 17,683 17,683 35,365 18,567 2,947 0 176,825

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Receipts 0 2,947 2,947 7,073 35,365 35,365 17,683 17,683 35,365 18,567 2,947 0 176,825

Payments

Cash purchases 0 110 110 264 1,320 1,320 660 660 1,320 693 110 0 6,600

Salaries and w ages 0 215 215 517 2,585 2,585 1,293 1,293 2,585 1,357 215 0 12,925

Rent 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600

Repairs and maintenance 0 25 25 60 300 300 150 150 300 158 25 0 1,500

Insurance 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 6,000

Telephone 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3,000

Office supplies 1,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,500

Advertising + Promotions 267 267 640 3,200 3,200 1,600 1,600 3,200 1,680 267 0 0 16,000

Professional fees 1,030 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,030

Training and development 2,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,500

Total Payments 6,347 1,667 2,040 5,091 8,455 6,855 4,753 6,353 6,935 3,524 1,400 1,050 54,655

Net Cash Inflow (Outflow) (6,347) 1,280 907 1,982 26,910 28,510 12,930 11,330 28,430 15,042 1,547 (1,050) 122,170

Beginning Cash Balance 667,027 660,681 661,961 662,867 664,849 691,759 720,269 733,199 744,529 772,959 788,002 789,548 788,498

Ending Cash Balance 660,681 661,961 662,867 664,849 691,759 720,269 733,199 744,529 772,959 788,002 789,548 788,498 910,668

2016

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ProForma Cash Flow Statements Year 3

January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals

Receipts

Cash sales 0 3,586 3,586 8,606 43,030 43,030 21,515 21,515 43,030 22,591 3,586 0 215,150

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Receipts 0 3,586 3,586 8,606 43,030 43,030 21,515 21,515 43,030 22,591 3,586 0 215,150

Payments

Cash purchases 0 123 123 296 1,478 1,478 739 739 1,478 776 123 0 7,392

Salaries and w ages 0 241 241 579 2,895 2,895 1,448 1,448 2,895 1,520 241 0 14,476

Rent 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600

Repairs and maintenance 0 25 25 60 300 300 150 150 300 158 25 0 1,500

Insurance 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 6,000

Telephone 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 250 3,000

Office supplies 1,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,500

Advertising + Promotions 267 267 640 3,200 3,200 1,600 1,600 3,200 1,680 267 0 0 16,000

Professional fees 1,030 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,030

Training and development 2,500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,500

Total Payments 6,347 1,706 2,079 5,185 8,924 7,324 4,987 6,587 7,404 3,770 1,439 1,050 56,998

Net Cash Inflow (Outflow) (6,347) 1,880 1,506 3,421 34,106 35,706 16,528 14,928 35,626 18,820 2,146 (1,050) 158,152

Beginning Cash Balance 910,668 904,322 906,201 907,708 911,129 945,235 980,942 997,470 1,012,398 1,048,025 1,066,845 1,068,991 1,067,941

Ending Cash Balance 904,322 906,201 907,708 911,129 945,235 980,942 997,470 1,012,398 1,048,025 1,066,845 1,068,991 1,067,941 1,226,093

2017

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Monthly Proforma Income Statements Year 1

January February March April May June July August September October November December Total

$0 $2,679 $2,679 $6,430 $32,150 $32,150 $16,075 $16,075 $32,150 $16,879 $2,679 $0 $160,750

$0 $417 $417 $1,000 $5,000 $5,000 $2,500 $2,500 $5,000 $2,625 $417 $0 $25,000

$0 $2,263 $2,263 $5,430 $27,150 $27,150 $13,575 $13,575 $27,150 $14,254 $2,263 $0 $135,750

$0 $196 $196 $470 $2,350 $2,350 $1,175 $1,175 $2,350 $1,234 $196 $0 $11,750

$0 $267 $267 $640 $3,200 $3,200 $1,600 $1,600 $3,200 $1,680 $267 $0 $16,000

$458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $5,500

$0 $142 $142 $340 $1,700 $1,700 $850 $850 $1,700 $893 $142 $0 $8,500

Total Selling Expenses $458 $1,063 $1,063 $1,908 $7,708 $7,708 $4,083 $4,083 $7,708 $4,265 $1,063 $458 $41,750

General/Administrative

Insurance $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $6,000

Rent $300 $300 $300 $600 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $3,600

Phone $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $3,000

Office supplies $4,500 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $4,500

Repairs and Maintenance $0 $25 $25 $60 $300 $300 $150 $150 $300 $158 $25 $0 $1,500

Tools and Equipment $27,875 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $27,875

Total General/Administrative Expenses $33,425 $1,075 $1,075 $1,410 $1,350 $1,350 $1,200 $1,200 $1,350 $1,208 $1,075 $1,050 $46,475

$33,883 $2,138 $2,138 $3,318 $9,058 $9,058 $5,283 $5,283 $9,058 $5,472 $2,138 $1,508 $88,225

Net Income Before Taxes ($33,883) $125 $125 $2,112 $18,092 $18,092 $8,292 $8,292 $18,092 $8,782 $125 ($1,508) $47,525

Taxes on income 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

($33,883) $125 $125 $2,112 $18,092 $18,092 $8,292 $8,292 $18,092 $8,782 $125 ($1,508) $47,525

Sales

Less: COS

Gross Profit (Loss)

Less: Operating expenses

Selling Expenses

Salaries and wages

Advertising +Promotions

Depreciation

Other

Total Operating Expenses

Net Income (Loss)

2015

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Monthly Proforma Income Statement Year 2

January February March April May June July August SeptemberOctober November December Total

$0 $2,947 $2,947 $7,073 $35,365 $35,365 $17,683 $17,683 $35,365 $18,567 $2,947 $0 $176,825

$0 $458 $458 $1,100 $5,500 $5,500 $2,750 $2,750 $5,500 $2,888 $458 $0 $27,500

$0 $2,489 $2,489 $5,973 $29,865 $29,865 $14,933 $14,933 $29,865 $15,679 $2,489 $0 $149,325

$0 $215 $215 $517 $2,585 $2,585 $1,293 $1,293 $2,585 $1,357 $215 $0 12925

$0 $267 $267 $640 $3,200 $3,200 $1,600 $1,600 $3,200 $1,680 $267 $0 $16,000

$458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $5,500

$0 $152 $152 $364 $1,820 $1,820 $910 $910 $1,820 $956 $152 $0 9100



Insurance $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $6,000

Rent $300 $300 $300 $600 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $3,600

Phone $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $3,000

Office supplies $1,500 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,500

Repairs and Maintenance$0 $25 $25 $60 $300 $300 $150 $150 $300 $158 $25 $0 $1,500

Tools and Equipment $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Total General/Administrative Expenses$2,550 $1,075 $1,075 $1,410 $1,350 $1,350 $1,200 $1,200 $1,350 $1,208 $1,075 $1,050 $15,600

$3,008 $2,167 $2,167 $3,389 $9,413 $9,413 $5,461 $5,461 $9,413 $5,658 $2,167 $1,508 $59,125


Taxes on income 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

($3,008) $322 $322 $2,584 $20,452 $20,452 $9,472 $9,472 $20,452 $10,021 $322 ($1,508) $90,200


Net Income (Loss)

2016

Sales

Less: COS

Gross Profit (Loss)


Selling Expenses

Salaries and wages


Depreciation

Other

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Monthly Proforma Income Statement Year 3

January February March April May June July August September October November December Total

$0 $3,586 $3,586 $8,606 $43,030 $43,030 $21,515 $21,515 $43,030 $22,591 $3,586 $0 $215,150

$0 $513 $513 $1,232 $6,160 $6,160 $3,080 $3,080 $6,160 $3,234 $513 $0 $30,800

$0 $3,073 $3,073 $7,374 $36,870 $36,870 $18,435 $18,435 $36,870 $19,357 $3,073 $0 $184,350

$0 $241 $241 $579 $2,895 $2,895 $1,448 $1,448 $2,895 $1,520 $241 $0 $14,476

$0 $267 $267 $640 $3,200 $3,200 $1,600 $1,600 $3,200 $1,680 $267 $0 $16,000

$458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $458 $5,500

$0 $165 $165 $396 $1,978 $1,978 $989 $989 $1,978 $1,039 $165 $0 $9,892



Insurance $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $500 $6,000

Rent $300 $300 $300 $600 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $3,600

Phone $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $3,000

Office supplies $1,500 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,500

Repairs and Maintenance$0 $25 $25 $60 $300 $300 $150 $150 $300 $158 $25 $0 $1,500

Tools and Equipment $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Total General/Administrative Expenses$2,550 $1,075 $1,075 $1,410 $1,350 $1,350 $1,200 $1,200 $1,350 $1,208 $1,075 $1,050 $15,600

$3,008 $2,206 $2,206 $3,483 $9,882 $9,882 $5,695 $5,695 $9,882 $5,904 $2,206 $1,508 $61,468


Taxes on income 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

($3,008) $866 $866 $3,891 $26,988 $26,988 $12,740 $12,740 $26,988 $13,452 $866 ($1,508) $122,882

Sales

Less: COS

Gross Profit (Loss)


Selling Expenses

Salaries and wages


Depreciation

Other


Net Income (Loss)

2017

33 | P a g e

Proposed Company Offering

At this time we are not seeking investors or shareholders. We want to determine if our projections have

merit prior to seeking equity investors. We are at the very beginning of our journey and have capital to

purchase equipment and make an initial entry. We recognize that many entrepreneurs underestimate

the need for startup and capital funding. We have a strong network of support that we would like to

utilize for at least the first two years prior to inviting stockholders and equity investors to eat into our

profits.

Desired financing would include year three expansions to include a product line of branded tools, and

garden accoutrements. If our projections are good we will amend this initial business plan to include a

financing plan for future investors.

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Appendix

May 22, 2014 Chat history Sydnee at trademarkia.com

→the trademark I am searching does not have an image available. Where else can i go to find the image? I have already checked USPTO

Sydnee: You could try the search on our site as well, but it is very possible the owner may have taken down the image. Especially if you can not find it even in the USPTO as thats where we get all of our information.

→thank you. can you tell me how long trademarks remain live? This particular mark had its first renewal in 20011115 on the USPTO website? The company is a subsidiary of Scotts Miracle Gro but I cannot find any reference to the trademarked name or logo anywhere on any site for either company

Sydnee: A trademark lasts for 5 years, and after the first renewal, it lasts for every 10.

→thank you again. when would it be marked dead? Currently it is showing as a live trademark

Sydnee: It would only be marked cancelled, abandoned, or dead if they did not renew it, there is no way for me to know that.

→i really appreciate your assistance with this. Thank you very much!

Sydnee: Have a great day!

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Prospective Memorandums of Understanding

Company Employees Contact Products and Services

Dennis Topsoil and Landscaping

1 Ms. Lois Reau (Manager)

Nurseries

Toledo Indoor Gardening 2 Mr. Craig Poupard (Owner)

Hydroponics

Black Diamond Perrysburg

7 Mr. Mark Sullivan (Branch Manager)

Nurserymen Equipment & Supplies, Lawn Maintenance, Landscape Contractors

Titgemeier’s 6 Mr. Thomas D. Strohbeck (President)

Retail, Lawn Equipment Sales/Service, Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies, Fountains - Garden, Display, Beer Home Brewing Equipment & Supplies

Bombrys Ornamental Concrete

3 Mr. John A. Bombrys (Owner) Kathleen Bombrys (Co Owner)

Statuary, Fountains – garden and ornamental

Tom Strain and Sons Unk Unk Nurseries, garden centers

BenSell 4 Mr. Dean Sell (Owner)

Nurseries, garden centers

Whiteford Road Greenhouse

Unk Mr. Roger Barrow (Owner)


Barrow Greenhouse 5 Mr. John Barrows II (President)Mr. Greg Barrow Ms. Dawn

Barrow


Oak Park Landscape and Water Garden Center

8 Ms. Diane Giddens (Vice President)Mr. Richard Giddens (President)

Garden Centers, Lawn & Garden Pond Dealers & Supplies, Landscape Designers, Nurseries - Plants, Trees, Wholesalers & Distributors, Tree Service, Lawn Maintenance, Landscape Contractors

Hoen’s Greenhouse and Garden Center

8 Mr. Bob Hoen (Owner)Ms. Darlene Putnam

Garden Center

Glass City Landscape 6 Mr. Ken Gilson (Owner)Mr. Keith Fager (Owner)

Garden Center, Landscape Contractors, Nurseries

Woodville Road Nursery Unk Mr. Jim Mlynek (Owner)

Nurseries, landscape designers

Blue Creek Nursery 2 Mr. Glen Poitinger (Owner)

Nurseries

Naturally Native Nursery 1 Jan Hunter (Owner) Nurseries

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Objective: to obtain a position within the gardening and education community Urban Farm Manager and Science Educator with excellent organizational, collaborative, and problem solving skills; experienced in garden design, companion planting, organic plant and disease management, weed control, soil amending, drip irrigation and hoop house maintenance; posses a solid understanding of a wide variety of composting and mulching methodologies; proficient in the use and care of basic garden instruments; extensive experience with diverse groups of people with great customer service skills. GARDENING EXPERIENCE

Urban Farm Manager (2013 – 2014): Maintained a 1200 pot vertical growing system, multiple raised beds, and large

green house; supervised volunteers and contractors; collaborated with county wide agricultural organizations;

managed donor giving; marketed and sold garden products to restaurants and at the Toledo Farmer’s Market;

maintained detailed farm records.

Middle School Science Teacher (2005 – 2013): taught science including plant biology and soil health; operated a

garden club and science club; organized and led multiple science fairs.

Support Specialist for Food for Thought (2008 – 2013): community outreach; start-up and maintenance of garden;

supervision of volunteer groups.

Toledo GROWs volunteer (summer 2012): aided multiple aspects of community garden programs, maintenance, care

of transplants, oversight of workers, and visitor interactions.

Wide range of personal gardening experience: creation and care of raised beds, fruit trees, berries, and ornamentals; direct selling of home-grown organic produce, bouquets, and baked goods.

TECHNICAL / MECHANICAL

Propagation experience: from seed, divisions, layering, and cuttings.

Equipment use and / or maintenance: hand-tools, string trimmers, small tillers, push and riding mowers, small power

tools, Bob Cat, and drip irrigation.

Small animal care: chickens, ducks, goats, domestics, injured wildlife EDUCATION AND TRAINING BS Science Education, Tri-State University

Teaching License, Ohio, through June 2017

Miami University, master’s course work

GAP food safety workshop

WORK HISTORY

Urban Farm Manager, Fernwood Growing Center, 2013 – 2014

Middle School Science Teacher (urban), Horizon Science Academy Springfield, 2005 – 2013

Substitute Teacher, Hillsdale County ISD 2000 - 2005

Bionutrient workshop (soil health)

CIFT Grower conference

OEFFA 2 day conference

Field Ecology Course, Stone Lab via

OSU

Penny L. Bollin

3128 Wick Dr. Oregon, OH 43616

419-654-2305, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

37 | P a g e

Professional Profile

Higher Education Professional with focus on retention initiatives including study skills, personal responsibility, and time management. Dedicated to education, non-profit, and community development industries. A highly experienced and motivated individual regarded for consistently achieving goals as a result of an outstanding work ethic. Extensive background in higher education advising, tutorial assistance, and support services for college bound students. An excellent team player, whose management philosophy is to lead by example, assess situations, and create consensus through effective communication at all levels. Public relations practitioner acknowledged for effective writing skills.

Education

Dec 14 MBA, University of Toledo Dec 06 Certified Online Instructor, Owens Community College Aug 05 Certified Interpretive Guide, National Association of Interpreters May 05 M. A. Geography and Planning, University of Toledo June 97 B. A. Communications/Public Relations, University of Toledo

Higher Education Experience

March 2010 – Present Enrollment Management Specialist University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Responsible for developing recruiting programs, making presentations in high schools, attending college fairs.

Evaluations indicate 98% more interested in attending Improved college visit process bringing 50% more students to campus than previous years

Work with school guidance counselors, science and math teachers to schedule visits and advise prospective students

Responsible for implementing Toledo Early College High School BSPS Fast Track Program Developed pipeline partnership with Southfield Lathrup HS 98% minority, full International

Baccalaureate curriculum, excellent rating school in Michigan Developed a retention seminar for underprepared students in Pre-Pharmacy

Attendees showed higher retention and first semester GPA over unprepared non attendees Expanded recruitment territory to Tri-State area to combat a shrinking pool in Ohio As Director of Pharmacy Camp creating a pipeline process for higher yield from camper population October 2007 – March 2010 Assistant Director Bowling Green State Univ.

TRIO Student Support Services Supervise day-to-day operations of federally funded TRiO program

Directed work of nine FTE staff of advisors, reading, writing and math specialists Recruiting, training and supervising 60+ peer, graduate and post graduate tutors and student clerical Manage student employment budget and special programs budget totaling $60,000+

Assist students with course selection, registration, academic plans, major changes and understanding academic policies and procedures

Implemented enhanced tutoring experience which improved Freshman GPA for 2009/2010 academic year by a full percentage point of tutoring services users

Teach specialized section of UNIV 100 (First Year Experience course) geared toward SSS members, to prepare them for the rigors of college and introduce them to university environment.

Aug 2009 – Dec 2009 Adjunct Instructor Bowling Green State Univ Geography Department

Population Geography 3250 Maximum capacity enrollment (52) 3 credit hour course

Crystal Taylor M.A. 317 Heathshire

Toledo, Ohio 43607 419-215-0735

[email protected]

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March 2006 – October 2007 Student Retention Advocate Owens Community College Adjunct Instructor

STRIVE Program Coordinator Developed instructional curriculum for retention and supportive services

Created semester study plan to assist returning, adult and struggling students with an in-depth picture of required study, work and class scheduling

Trained new Retention Advocates to use the semester study plan system Duties include motivating students to achieve their educational goals

Taught College Success, On Course for Student Success, and Life Skills classes on site and at the Toledo Correctional Institution

All courses focus on personal responsibility, life skills, transferable soft skills and time management Developed material and acted as community liaison for 8 United Way funded Family Resource Centers to provide education and training to youth ages 16-19

Program provided community resources, GED training, life skills, and employability resources to youth

Completed billing monthly billing requests to Lucas County Job and Family Services to ensure timely payment

Recruited and trained educational staff for STRIVE program June 2000 – August 2003 Adjunct Instructor University of Toledo Student Development Center

Taught basic study skills including Mnemonics, Reading, and Note taking Assisted students with college advising, integration to college life, and campus organizations Utilized effective classroom management techniques and curriculum development

Other Employment November 2004 – Present Children’s Educator Toledo Botanical Garden Teach environmental education to elementary schools, preschools, and the general public

Develop fun, innovated nature education programs and local history curriculum tied to State Education Standards.

Design printed literature, write articles for quarterly magazine, presentations to schools and community organizations, and attend resource workshops Develop marketing strategies to increase garden usage among underrepresented populations

Wrote successful $5000 grant to Ohio Environmental Education Foundation to provide scholarship opportunities to children attending low income inner city schools. Grant was recognized as an Outstanding Project for the 2006 grant year.

Selected Presentations “Retention Strategies that Work”, MAEOPP Regional Conference, St. Louis, MO November 2008 “Step Up Your Game: Professionalism for Students”, BGSU President’s Leadership Academy, November 2009 “Study Plans that Work”, BGSU First Year Success Series, Fall 2009

garden professor business plan final

Documents

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