Text only New Business Development Decisions

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NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS

STARTING A BUSINESS

Getting Started

Information Files

Newsletter Articles

Should you participate in value-added agriculture? -- April 2005
What I’ve learned about value-added -- June 2004
Business development producer alliances -- November 2003

Business Development Process

Information Files

Idea Assessment and Business Development Process -- C5-02
Getting from Idea to Implementation -- C5-03
A Guide to Value-Added Cooperative Development -- C5-04
Creating a Mission Statement, Setting Goals and Developing Strategies (action plans) -- C5-09
Business Development vs. Economic Development -- C5-13

Feasibility and Business Plans

Information Files

Considerations When Selecting a Consultant -- C5-60
When to Do and How to Use a Feasibility Study -- C5-64
What is a Feasibility Study? -- C5-65
Feasibility Study Outline -- C5-66
Build It And They Will Come..or Maybe Not -- C5-67
Writing a Value-Added Business Plan -- C5-68
Key Points in Writing a Business Plan -- C5-69

Contracts and Agreements

Information Files

Overview of Confidentiality Agreement -- C5-80
Sample One-Sided Confidentiality Agreement -- C5-81
Sample Mutual Confidentiality Agreement -- C5-82
Overview of Consulting Agreements -- C5-83
Sample Consulting Agreement -- C5-84
Overview of Letters of Intent -- C5-85
Sample of Letter of Intent -- C5-86
Overview of Uniform Marketing Agreements -- C5-87
Sample Uniform Marketing Agreement -- C5-88

Finances

Information Files

Introduction to Grant Writing -- C5-06
How to Use Grants -- C5-08
Value-added Cooperatives -- Who Invests? -- C5-90
Obtaining a Business Loan -- C5-95

Decision Tools (xls)

Grant In-Kind Match Contributions -- C5-06
Travel Expense Voucher -- C5-06

Personnel Management

Information Files

Hiring Good Employees -- C5-100
Improving Your Interviewing Skills -- C5-101

Business Organization and Structure

Information Files

Forming a Viable Value-Added Project Committee -- C5-110
Top Management and Key Personnel Positions in a Value-Added Business -- C5-111
What is a New G
eneration Cooperative (NGC)? -- C5-112
Location, Location, Location, Value Added Processing/Manufacturing -- C5-113
Designing Successful Business Teams -- C5-114
Solving Conflicts between Business Associates -- C5-115
Improving Value-added Business Communication Skills -- C5-116

Decision Tools (xls)

Value-Added Processing Facility Start-up Costs -- C5-113

MARKETING YOUR PRODUCT

Understanding Marketing

Information Files

Product Marketing Terms -- C5-14
A Marketing Primer for Start-Up Businesses -- C5-15
How Much Should I Spend on Marketing -- C5-16
Setting Your Price -- C5-17
Marketing Strategies -- C5-18
Price Determination for CSA Share Boxes -- C5-19

Newsletter Articles

Iowa Market Maker - linking agricultural markets -- February 2006

Marketing Research

Information Files

Where to Find Information for Doing Marketing and Business Studies -- C5-21
Marketing Research Tools -- C5-22
Marketing Targets -- C5-23
Marketing Research - Finding the Best Consultant to Hire --C5-24
Do You Know Your Customer? -- C5-25
Finding Your Facts - A Quick Guide to Developing a Questionnaire -- C5-26
Understanding Consumers -- C5-27
Conducting a Competitive Analysis - Is there Room for Your Business? -- C5-29
Conducting Market Research -- C5-30
Conducting Focus Groups -- C5-31

Direct Marketing

Information Files

In-Store Demonstrations -- C5-33
Marketing on the Internet -- C5-34
Direct Marketing - Getting Started -- C5-35
Catering - Events and Festivals -- C5-36
Community Supported Agriculture -- C5-37
Restaurant and Institutional Sales -- C5-38
How to Approach Potential Buyers -- C5-39

Promotion

Information Files

Promoting Your Business -- C5-43
Writing Materials for Promotion – C5-131
Writing Press Releases -- C5-132
Writing a Newsletter -- C5-133
Writing and Designing a Brochure -- C5-134
Creating a Display -- C5-135
Creating a Web Site -- C5-136
Creating a Power Point Presentation -- C5-137
Creating Business Cards -- C5-138
Evaluating Alternative Types of Advertising -- C5-139
Using Trade Shows for Product Promotion -- C5-140
Steps for Using Trade Shows - C5-141

Brands

Information Files

Building your Brand -- C5-50
Building Your Brand with Flanker Brands -- C5-51
Building Your Brand with Brand Line Extensions -- C5-52
Brand Leveraging -- C5-53
Brand Loyalty -- C5-54

OPERATING A BUSINESS

Information Files

Keys to Successful Planning for Strengthening Your Value-Added Businesses -- C5-150
A Grower’s Perspective on ISO -- C5-151
Choosing Among Alternatives - C5-152
Establishing the Transfer Price: Balancing Businesses -- C5-160
Choosing a Distributor for Your Product -- C5-161

ANALYSIS

Industry Analysis

Newsletter Articles

Designing a viable rural economy -- April 2006
Wildlife recreation: Rural America’s newest billion dollar industry -- January 2005
Using value-added agriculture to create a new rural America -- April 2004
A new brand of agriculture? Farmer-owned brands reward innovation -- December 2002
The rise of ethanol in rural America -- June 2002
Are donsumers buying more private label (or store brand) products? -- June 2002
Switch to a niche and other options -- May 2001
Extreme demands - extraordinary products: What's in it for Midwestern agriculture -- February 2001
Welcome to the new world of agriculture -- May 2000
Producers face marketing system changes -- May 1999
The changing face of agriculture -- March 1999

Business Analysis

Information Files

Break-even Pricing, Revenue and Units -- C5-180

Newsletter Articles

Domestic fair trade -- August 2007

Economic and Business Analysis Concepts

Information Files

Barriers to Entry and Exit -- C5-200
Breakeven Sales Volume -- C5-201
Breakeven Selling Price -- C5-202
Commodities versus Differentiated Products -- C5-203
Demand -- C5-204
Economies of Scope -- C5-205
Economies of Size -- C5-206
Elasticity of Demand -- C5-207
Experience Curve -- C5-208
Managerial Costs -- C5-209
Opportunity Cost -- C5-210
Product Life Cycle -- C5-211

Investment Analysis

Information Files

Romance vs. Reality: Hard Lessons Learned in a Grassfed Beef Marketing Cooperative -- C5-220
Assessing Business Opportunities -- C5-230

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