20 VITAL STEPS
Various components of the project’s proposed
marketing plan, whether for products to be marketed or
goods to be sold, need to described and analyzed. The
marketing environment should be fully described. The
description should include how the product or products
will be introduced and channeled into available markets.
A description of potential customers, processors,
handlers, etc. should also be provided.
Procurement and sales strategies for commodities or
goods to be purchased and/or sold should be described.
This section should address market demand implications,
marketing costs, transportation issues, coordination with
others in the market chain (e.g., brokers, venders,
manufacturers, processors, pooling, etc.), the quality and
form of the products to be marketed, and an overall
strategic assessment of marketing the product or
products. When applicable, information from market
outlook reports (e.g., USDA and other government
agencies) that provide forecasts on specific crops,
products, and industries are helpful for providing a
context for the marketing plan.
Relevant charts, graphs, and tables should be provided
to present a clear picture of the marketing environment.
If it’s a value-added venture, the implications of
marketing the resulting products should be defined. How
those products fit into existing markets given
competitors’ similar products should be researched and
reported. From the overall marketing analysis, an
assessment of the feasibility of the proposed marketing
plan should be included.
O
PERATIONAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
V. Operational and Technical Characteristics
A. Supply of labor and its quality (including
management)
B. Supply and costs of key inputs needed for
operations
C. Technical characteristics and specifications of
required plant and equipment
D. Assessment of potential operational capacity and
efficiency
E. Location considerations (if one has not been
already selected) and assessment (if one has been
selected)
This section lays out the operational aspects and
procedures of the proposed business including: the supply
of labor and its quality; which key inputs will be required
(raw materials such as soybeans or wheat, for example),
their source (supported by a survey of potential members,
if applicable) and their cost; the technical characteristics
(e.g., the type of plant design required, equipment,
facilities, building systems, etc.); the feasibility of finding
proper management; location aspects; and operational
issues or options; etc. The study should address the
ability of the project to operate efficiently within the
scope of the project’s parameters.
It is important to provide information on the technical
aspects of the project and to show how the proposed
technologies will work within the context of the entire
project. In projects with unproven technologies, this can
be the most important aspect of a study and it provides a
basis for close assessment. In projects with proven
technologies, the study can serve to correct design flaws
before costly mistakes are implemented.
If the project requires construction of a sophisticated
facility, such as a meatpacking or soybean processing
plant, professionals such as architectural, engineering, or
management specialists will need to be consulted early in
the process. The needed expertise should be described in
the feasibility study. Assistance that will be needed for
loan agreements, legal contracts, and construction should
be documented also.
If a location has been selected, the study should
address the implications of that location—is it efficiently
situated for the potential labor supply, is it adequate for
delivery and distribution channels, does it meet city/town
ordinances and regulations, will permits be required,
resources be available to cover its costs, etc.? If a location
has not been selected, the feasibility study may provide
some prerequisite stipulations, data, and standards by
which to choose a location given the type of project,
industry, and technology involved.
F
INANCIAL STATEMENTS AND PROJECTIONS
VI. Financial Statements and Projections (pro forma
statements)
A Projected revenues, operating costs, and net
income
B. Capital requirements, potential and actual
sources of equity, equity accumulation schedule,