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[eringoodyear]

Week 13.... Already~

As we draw near the end of the course, Micro Greens is in full swing. A small idea turned into a blossoming buisness that not only gave me something very cool to focus on, but is changing how I eat, the way that my family including my dogs eat and also making a small profit.

I learned that sometimes you need to slow down to move fast... You can not do everything on your own and asking for help is ok sometimes.

Who knows what the future holds for my little green machine, but one thing I can say is that I am going to continue to grow.... Literally :)

Congratulations to us all on working through this experience and reaching in deep to find something in ourselves that we did not know existed before.

[eringoodyear]

Week 12

My little green adventure continues to keep moving along nicely.

What is working is the word of mouth movement of my buisness. I am starting to get referrals and word of mouth in the community. Pretty cool how that works.

What is not working, Is that we had a power outage that lasted for more then 12 hours, could have cost my crop but it all worked out.

I am pushing though and moving forward.

Next steps are to research a sustainable power source when the lights go out.

[eringoodyear]

This week I am exploring what mircogreens work for pets, dogs in particular. Loving that I already grown one of the main ones which is broccoli. IF i really want to make this flow I need to think about who else i can get to buy these. I am developing well and progress is working well. Happy that I am able to think about all things fluidly and expanding my markets.

[eringoodyear]

Week 10 Updates

Like every journey there are always highs and lows... Starting with my low, the weekend was very very busy and I potentially have not taken care of my product well enough for it to be able to meet our standards. The next 2 days will tell, but plants are fragile and attention needs to be paid very closely. MY highs, I can operate under extreme stress and little to no sleep! All jokes aside, I am still feeling good about our business and the impact that it is making. This week we will be at the farmers market. New selling spot to try and the table space is given to me free as a trail! Bonus....

Diversify and drive is the motto this week!

[eringoodyear]

Online Showcase Presentation

[eringoodyear]

All about the learning

As we venture through week 9 already I reflect back on the first few weeks and feel pretty satisfied with where things are going. When this all began, I struggled with a business idea, now I am learning how to diversify my market to enhance my sales. Things are working well. Great team work and collaboration with my business team and the people who were willing to take a risk to try us are returning and brining new clients! This really is a business that is sustainable.

Being the big cheese of your own business means that you eat, drink and sleep everything relating to the business. Knowing that your responsible for it all and weighting it all out there on the line is a bigger deal then I thought. I do know that once I make the commitment I am all in and right now I am willing to work more hours and try everything I can to succeed. All in all its going better then I planned!

[eringoodyear]

Start Up Venture

While we are working away at getting everything in place, the few things that strike me as what is going well is the team work of everyone. We are all working together to achieve our goals. The struggle is making sure that deadlines are met and everyone is communicating effectively. This business has true potential and could be a gold mine if it is built the right way.

Running a business is not as easy as folks make it out to be, there have been some sleepless nights.. And the good part is that I know myself well enough to push though the struggles and come out on top!~

[eringoodyear]

Milestone#2 Post

It is crazy how fast this time is flying by. Things that are working is my understanding of how important the pitch. Being able to believe in your product and know that you are on the top of the market is very important. If you do not believe in yourself, how will attract customers. Growing is a little slow and I have to narrow that down. Working a regular job and this on the side is a struggle. I think if I could give this all my attention it would Soar! I am afraid to take the full leap and have the risk is insecure income! Sometimes you need to step into your fear and have faith in what your building. That is Easier said than done sometimes.

[eringoodyear]

Show me the Money$$$$

The business that I am looking to start up can be very front end heavy. Requiring different materials for production , growth and processing. The overall costs are quite minimal once we are up and running and generating profits. The profits will come quite quickly if I have a strong market foundation. All of that aside, I would seek financial support through for new business grants. By visiting https://innovation.ised-isde.canada.ca I found that there are several different avenues that you can journey when looking at funding your small business. The caution would be that loans of any kind typically come with payback restrictions or rules. In order to ensure that I could afford all the month expenses and pay back any loans , I would research grant funding first for agriculture and then explore a small loan if the need finically is there.

One thing is for sure, I would never want to start in debt before I get underway, as some business jeopardize their successfulness in the debt verse profit ratios.

[eringoodyear]

Business Operations Plan

In order to ensure that I am able to achieve the optimal success in service delivery, I need to ensure that I am purchasing and growing a variety of micro greens that are what customers are interesting in purchasing. Making sure that I have enough product to meet the supply and demand is also important.

The packaging and marketing are going to be essential in the promotion of the business. Making sure that growing time is well planned out and that seeds are germinating well in the conditions provided are very important. Having a calendar and schedule will be critical in my business operations to ensure that customers are getting their orders fulfilled and that they are happy with the product.

Over time if I can stabilize my original varieties of product and customer base, I can then survey the clients and add more variety based on their wants and needs. Growing the business in moderation and suitability.

[eringoodyear]

Customer Persona

[eringoodyear]

RDT ( Reset Device Tool)

RDT the little device with big Potential

Ever struggles to find something small enough that can support you in resetting an electronic device, like your cell phone, alarm clock, wrist watch or Cable boxes. If your like me, you will look for a pin or a safety pin to straighten out and use.

Introducing the RDT Reset Device Tool that can support all technical reset needs. This little device can take away the worry of using sharp objects that could damage the device your trying to rest along with the potential of harming yourself.

This revolutionary device has 2 different sized ends to support smaller and larger reset buttons and has safety feature that will offer piece of mind to support your resetting needs.

These little devices make a great gift for anyone. Hurry and purchase yours today!

[eringoodyear]

Local to the area where my business would operate are 3 main competitors Roy’l Acres, S@R MicroGreens and Ten Twenty Vertical Farm.

Ten Twenty Vertical Farm offers online ordering only. They have 16 different varieties of products and have a subscription ordering process.  They offer weekly products with a free delivery on orders over $30.00. Although they have a large number of products, they have limits as to how customers can access their items.

Roy’l Acres identifies as a small family owned business that does not have a website. They have several different products that include micro greens but that is not their main focus. They only currently offer 6 different types of micro greens.  Their facebook page offers curbside pick-up for orders and they have limited numbers of stock on items. This company has a very wide variety of products that are not related to Micro Greens. They have stock limits and no web presence except for Facebook.

The most successful and diverse company is S@R MicroGreens offers 11 different micro green options and different products made from micro greens like infused butter and sauces, dressings and powers. They have a store location as well as online options for purchasing. Delivery or pick to best suit their customer’s needs.  This company has the most followers on social media, the contents of other product base are all connected to Micro Greens and they offer a wide variety of items that are cost effective with options for purchasing to meet the needs of the customer.

Following reading about these companies I know that I need to ensure that my marketing solutions are meeting the needs of the customers. That I am cost effective and have enough product to meet the supply and demand. Offering diverse ways for customers to purchase their items is essential along with ensuring that my product tastes great and meets their needs!  Look out competition here I come!

[eringoodyear]

[eringoodyear]

Strengths and Weaknesses

Throughout our lives we will hear many different times all about all the things that we are good at and not so great at. This starts when when are young and follows us though our whole lives .

As an adult who wanted to expand my knowledge but was a single mom and worked fulltime in a job that i seemed to give almost everything that I had to, I wondered how it was going to be possible. Would I be able to meet the evolving expectations of technology and academics along with keeping the commitment of my job and home life balanced.

I reflected on all the things that I was really good at. Meeting deadlines, communication, leadership and above all my ability to burn the midnight oil and work long hours to achieve goals.

I worried about my weaknesses. Putting everyone's needs before mine, saying no to things and being proactive rather then reactive. How was going to keep on task, stay ahead of things and make sure that everything that I needed to get done was getting done and not in a sloppy quick way.

After teetering on the fence, one of my friends gave me the boot in the backside that needed to jump in and here I am. Almost done my courses and i fast tracked it.

We always seem to have a way to try to talk ourselves out of something, sometimes we need people round us to see what we really are capable of and remind us that WE CAN DO IT! We have the ability to over come the challenges and strive to be the change.