Commercial Horticulture Plan for Success Ed Skvarch Commercial Horticulture St. Lucie County

Let’s Take A Road Trip! Ft. Pierce to Houlton Maine. Why drive 1,700 miles? What route would I take? Where are safe places to camp? What areas to avoid? To be successful you need a road map and a plan, but you also need to be flexible.

Crafting a business plan is similar to planning a road trip! A business plan is simply a ‘road map’ for creating a business. You begin with a origin (vision), define your purpose for the trip (mission) plot where you’re going, and define the approaches that will get you there, (goals and objectives). And like any road trip you have to be flexible. You are constantly making minor course corrections, adjusting your speed, and most importantly, paying attention to road signs.

Why do you need a business plan? • Help you to create vision for a new or existing business. • Clarify your thinking. • Establish specific goals, objectives and strategies. • Grow your existing business. • Make Money $$

Procrastination or Intimation? “I just don’t have time” “I have a business to run” “ I’ll do it someday” “It seems like too much work and too complicated” “I have no idea where to start”

Where Do I Start? • KISS - Keep it simple, stupid – a simple design! • By applying this approach, you can begin to write an effective plan on where you are taking your business. • Business plans don’t have to be long and complicated to be effective. • Begin with a simple plan and expand on it as you grow. • Take 30-60 minutes to get started – it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Why a simple business plan? • Since your ideas are changing all of the time, it’s easy to update. • Eliminates the need to find an excuse not to plan and grow. • Provides clarity for a new or existing business. • Allows you to plan for growth. • Help you to establish a path to starting a new business or tweaking an established one. • Seek investment for a business, whether it's a startup or not. • Assist you with your elevator pitch.

Vision Statement • Stimulate thinking • Communicate vision • Describe your dream • Keep it full of passion • Expansive and idealistic • Your vision should get you fired up and be short and to the point. • Ask yourself what are you building and why you want to build it. Example: To create a vibrant regional vegetable garden installation business powered by the consumers desire to grow and eat fresh heathy food.

Mission Statement • The mission statement will describe the purpose for which your business exists. • Short, powerful and memorable. Example: To provide totally reliable, honest, professional lawn and landscape services that satisfies the customer and protects the environment. Distinguish your business from others – reliable, honest, professional, environmentally sensitive.

Mission Statement To develop your mission, here are some questions to ask: • What do we do? • For whom do we do it? • Why would customers buy your product? • Why are we in this industry? • What image of our business do we want to convey? Example: To be a year-round knowledgeable supplier of high quality food that provides totally fresh, safely grown vegetables that delights the customer and protects the environment.

Goals & Objectives • Goals are a general statement of achievement. • Goals establish where you intend to go and tell you when you get there. • SMART Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. • A goal should meet the following criteria: • Suitable: Does it fit with the vision and mission statements? • Acceptable: Does it fit with the values of the company? • Understandable: Is it stated simply and easy to understand? • Flexible: Can it be adapted and changed as needed?

Goals and Objectives Mission: To be a year-round knowledgeable supplier of high quality food that provides totally fresh, safely grown vegetables that delights the customer and protects the environment. • Start with at least 3 or 4 goals with no more than 6. • Example: Enhance expertise, increase brand awareness, increase food safety, increase market share. • Goals will clarify what it is your trying to accomplish.

Goals and Objectives • Objectives are the specific steps you need to take in order to reach each of your goals. • Clarify what it is your trying to accomplish in specific, measureable and achievable objectives. • Date to be accomplished. • Method of achieving goal. • How goal will be measured. Example: Goal: Enhance expertise, increase brand awareness, increase food safety, Example Objective: • Attend 2 regional Small Farms seminars over the next three years. • Develop a website, create social media presence in 2016. • • Develop a food safety manual by the end of 2016 • Increase market share by 10 percent over the next three years.

Revenues and Expenses Section • List out those expenses you expect to incur in next twelve months. Rent, equipment, materials. List your business expenses first. • Figures from previous years this should help guide you to a more exact projection. • First year in business list some easily identifiable expenses such as phone, web site design, software, business start up costs.

Revenues and Expenses Section • List out those revenues you expect to take-in in the next twelve months. • If you have figures from previous years this should help guide you to a more exact projection. • If this is your first year in business list some easily identifiable revenues such as market sales, CSA sales, farm to restaurant • Services? • Begin to develop a cash flow & income statement, balance sheet.

Test-Drive Your Business Plan • Keep your plan in an accessible place. Review it on monthly basis. Are you on target? •Do you need to change directions? • Develop your market pitch!! • Hone it constantly. • Test drive your thinking. Get out in front of as many potential clients, partners and suppliers as possible. Promote .. Promote .. Promote!! You don’t want to crash & burn!!

Thanks Everyone! “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra