BusinessPlan

SAMPLE BUSINESS PLAN

NOTE: This sample (and simple) business plan is based on the original notes that established Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast, shared in the spirit of transparency and open resources. This document is not meant to serve as a template for your own enterprise, but rather, to offer insights into the vision behind Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast and Organic Farm. The owners believe ecopreneurial enterprises should be largely local focused, and locally conceived.

Since this document was first written prior to opening Inn Serendipity in 1998, the books Rural Renaissance, ECOpreneuring and Edible Earth best capture in greater detail the current scope of the operations and numerous practices and technologies employed by the enterprise. In no year was there ever a revenue target. The operations expand and contract based upon revenues in any given year and the focus has remained on the concept of a Return on the Environment (ROE), not merely a return on investment (ROI). This simple business plan has been occasionally updated, but serves, to this day, and as a simple and concise guide directing the course of Inn Serendipity for its owners, Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko.

Inn SERENDIPITY® Bed & Breakfast

-- Nature's CallingTM--

Mission:

To provide a relaxing, peaceful, nature and farm-oriented Inn experience amidst the countryside and community of Monroe, Wisconsin.

Website: www.innserendipity.com

Objectives:

1) Provide guests with the hospitable service within a comfortable, leisurely atmosphere.

2) Strive to operate under the ideals of sustainability, self-sufficiency, community-based economics and environmental responsibility.

3) Foster a social environment of interaction, play, reflection and intellectual discourse.

4) Create an experience so unique, educational and enchanting that it nurtures endearing relationships which ultimately translate into returning guests and guest referrals.

5) Promote long-lasting community relationships which result in social, cultural and economic benefits. In short, actively contribute to the quality of life of the communities touched by the Inn's operations, especially in relation to restoring healthy soil, clean air and water, and mitigating the impacts the business makes on climate change.

6) Strive toward fair profits, without sacrifice to environment or to the stakeholders of the operation. Stakeholders are not merely the owners, but all impacted by the operations, both in the short-term and long-term.

7) Generate interest in, evaluate and demonstrate how such an operation can lead to long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency. Avenues will be explored in terms of the Inn’s ability to serve as a model and examine possibilities for replication. Use the Travel Green Wisconsin certification program as the foundation for evaluating present and future operations while fostering further improvements.

Description:

Inn SERENDIPITY® is a two room bed & breakfast nestled in the quaint countryside of Green County, Wisconsin. The Inn is modified and enhanced by the use of appropriate sustainable technologies, alternative designs and refitted internal structures. Unique in all of the United States if not the world, the Inn aspires to be a nearly self-sufficient guest house featuring organic foods, renewable energy and water conservation measures. In the words of Stanley Selengut, Ecotourism lodge developer: "You offer the visitors a learning experience [through these sustainable enhancements] rather than an escape into fantasy and excess [of four-star resorts]."

The nearby recreational activities and heritage sites include biking the Monroe-Mineral Point 47 mile Rails-To-Trails trail, Badger State Trail, Sugar River State Trail, hiking/fishing at the Cadiz Springs State Park, exploring historic downtown Monroe, touring area cheese factories or breweries, canoeing on nearby rivers, and connecting with various local farmers’ markets and artisanal food producers.

Inn Serendipity seeks to offer quietude amongst the backdrop of nature's magnificence; reflective immersion in the volumes of various books on topics ranging from homeschooling to renewable energy; and sharing a global presence and offering a glimpse of what living in the 3^rd Millennium may look like, today, completely powered by renewable energy and thriving in a mostly local/regional economy.

The Property:

Applied Sustainable Technologies or Renewable Energy Systems:

• Passive (and active) solar-heated/cooled house

• Renewable energy production with a .7 kW photovoltaic system and 10 kW Bergey wind turbine.

• Off-grid .5 kW photovoltaic system used to power all-electric CitiCar.

• Carbon-negative business based on surplus renewable energy generated, carbon off-set programs and reforestation initiatives.

• Low-energy light fixtures, ENERGY STAR appliances.

• Water conservation: low-flow water-conserving showers and low-flush toilets. Rain water encatchment system for outdoor irrigation needs (permaculture beds).

• Electric stove; woodstove cooktop for winter use; Sun Oven in use during sunny, daylight hours.

• Composting organic waste from food preparation and property maintenance.

• Refillable containers for food staples, toiletries, and use of recycled paper products.

• Advertising materials/printed matter printed on 100% post-consumer recycled papers.

• Waste management and recycling program.

On or near property:

• Organic "permaculture" three-field organic garden using French-style raised beds.

• Small organic orchard (apple)

• Guest library including reference books and magazines on subjects pertaining to sustainable technologies, ecotourism, permaculture, green business creation, self-development, creativity, photography and peace; featuring innkeeper-author’s books: Rural Renaissance, ECOpreneuring, Edible Earth, The Least Imperfect Path, Llewellyn’s Green Guide and John Ivanko’s six children’s multicultural photobooks.

• "Rohde Woods" includes nature trail, tree swing, horseshoe area.

• Outdoor, "life-size" chess set.

• “Cantina” for open house events or picnics on site.

Other Inn Features

• Custom harvested, organic, seasonal and fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers for guests as well as sold locally to area restaurants or direct order through Localdirt.com.

• Hand-made customized pottery coffee/tea mugs from Elk Falls Pottery.

• Free wireless Internet access.

• Coffee, tea, cocoa from Equal Exchange

• Credit cards, checks or cash accepted.

• Smoke-free environment.

• Photography and Inn SERENDIPITY’s Edible Earth cookbook available for sale, as well as other books authored by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko.

Community Outreach:

• Educational and awareness-building programs with area/regional schools, colleges or universities, national educational initiatives like the National Solar Tour, as well as civic organizations like Stirring the Pot and Transition Green County. Workshops developed for various audiences, including elementary schools, higher education and non-profit organizations. Programs use a holistic education approach: a composite experience involving all that is available in both the natural and human environment. It does not separate work from play, or education from life. (As a result, both Kivirist and Ivanko speak in front of audiences of thousands every year.)

• In addition to professional association memberships, the Inn supports various conservation and ecology organizations/associations such as Renewing the Countryside/Green Routes, Sierra Club, Travel Green Wisconsin, Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Green America, EcoSector.com, The International Ecotourism Society, Trees for the Future, and other organizations that share in a common vision for a more sustainable and just tomorrow.