Orange County Cooperative Extension and SCORE of Chapel Hill are offering a Business Planning class for current and aspiring farmers beginning Oct. 17. Students who participate in the class will also have an opportunity to work with a SCORE mentor who will help teach and guide novice business owners along their entrepreneurial journey.
Most farmers’ primarily think about production issues, but running a successful farm business is about much more. Writing a business plan is a great first step in educating business owners about all aspects of their business and being prepared for unexpected issues that will assuredly occur.
This class is part of the PLANT Beginning Farmer program run by Orange County Cooperative Extension that started in 2008. It will meet for five sessions lasting from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday nights from Oct. 17 through Nov. 21 (no class on Halloween night). The class will meet at the Cooperative Extension office at 306-E Revere Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278.
This class costs $100 per student. To register, please click here. The registrations deadline is Oct. 11.
Anyone interested in this class or any aspect of the Beginning Farmer Program can call Mike Lanier at 919/245-2063 to discuss their interest.
Class Schedule
Session #1: Oct. 17, 2019
- Business Planning Process
- Business Model Canvas
- Values, Mission & Vision
- Products and Services
Session #2: Oct. 24, 2019
- The Basics of the Local Food Economy
- Customer Analysis and Profiles
- Competitive Analysis
- Developing Your Farm’s Brand
- Marketing Messages
Session #3: Nov. 7, 2019
- Marketing Communications Plan
- Sales Plan
- Operations Plan
- Business Structure
- Human Resources Strategy
Session #4: Nov. 14, 2019
- Financial Strategy
- Financial Management
- Risk Management
Session #5: Nov. 21, 2019
- Exit Strategies
- Executive Summary
- Tools for Working on and Analyzing Your Business