Business Plan: Putting it All Together
Well friends, we’ve come to the last session of the Business Bootcamp! It’s time to string together all the elements of a business plan that we’ve covered during this program.
Your task for this topic is to write the executive summary for your business plan. The executive summary is the first part of your business plan but it’s the last thing that you write. It should be an overview of the various parts of your business plan and be a snapshot of your farm business. Take this opportunity to look back through the worksheets and compile a picture of what your farm business does and how it will operate. You’ll be surprised with how much you already have planned!
During our last live session we’ll divide into small groups for everyone to share the executive summary of their farm business plan in the form of a short, casual presentation. These mini-presentations are a chance to share your vision and/or mission, operations overview, marketing plan, and any sort of financials or risk management that you want to include. I encourage you to infuse the mini-presentation with your brand (or your first go at a brand!). Feel free to be open about any questions and uncertainty you still have. It should be 3–4 minutes long and you can use slides with pictures and/or text if you want or just tell your story verbally. This is a casual sharing amongst friends so you are welcome to share your story in whatever way you feel most comfortable.
For the mini-presentations we’ll be divided up in groups of 4–6 people based on where folks are located. Each breakout room will have a facilitator who will record the session. That way you have the opportunity to watch everyone’s presentation without having one marathon of a session.
For this session we will also be joined by Dong Jianyi of Freshpal Farms. Jianyi has an awesome farm story that he’s shared in the video below. You can also check out his YouTube channel if you want to learn more about his epic greenhouse.
We’ll start the session off with a Q&A with Jianyi, then jump into groups for the mini-presentations, and round it off with a check out circle. The two things I’ll ask you to share in the check-out circle are a) any “ah ha!” moments you had in the Business Bootcamp and b) what your next steps are.
Although our official time together is coming to a close, the many chances to connect and collaborate are far from over. Your farm business plan is a living document and, like anything that is alive, your business is connected to an entire ecosystem of relationships. Lean into these relationships as you dream, plan, and build your farm.
VIDEO
Farmer story – Dong Jianyi (FreshPal Farms)
WORKSHEET
Your task for this last session is to write an executive summary for your business plan. The executive summary should summarize the core elements of the business plan and focus on action and strategy (what are you going to do, not what you want to do). Remember to be specific and to demonstrate to the reader that your farm business is realistic and sustainable.
The worksheet has some prompting questions but feel free to include whatever you see fit in the executive summary – the content should connect to your original goals for writing a business plan. If you want to get inspired, then check out the farm business plan templates and examples from our first session, which you can find under the “Orientation: Learning the Ropes” topic. The executive summary is typically 1–2 pages long.