What's Next 25A

Existing Market

1. The next steps for Waste to Grace are straightforward. Using the existing infrastructure of nonprofit organizations like Salvation Army, we would seek to grow the platform throughout the southeast United States and the nation. Changes will be made along the way most notably to create a larger market for receiving perishable foods to help eliminate food waste and help feed those in need. I think that with more capital and a greater commitment to engage companies and individuals to keep track of food purchases and donate what is not needed will help to grow our influence and impact more than ever before. This will take a larger commitment from the nonprofits themselves as these products must be picked up in a timely manner. Overall, this seems to be the best next course of action for Waste to Grace.

2. Judy, who is a middle-class resident in Ocala, suggested having an option for the person donating the good to also be able to drop it off to a local nonprofit. This would add flexibility for some nonprofits and the people that have the time to deliver their goods and simply want to take them to the place that needs them most. She agreed with my plans for the next steps of the company and said that helping to distribute the food would be a much-needed aspect of the company.

Christa said that she thought the plan in place seemed to be an effective way to help others and was the best course of action moving forward. She also suggested targeting farms that raise crops and meat as sometimes they have excess as well and could be a possible section that would be involved in donating food. Consequently, she also agreed that the next steps for the company should be to grow the food aspect.

Brian was interested in the idea as well but had some concerns about the revenue needed to be a self-sustaining company. I asked for other ideas of raising revenue and he suggested government funding and accepting donations. This is a possibility, but it would be hard to count on in the early stages. He also believed that growing the company to focus on food distribution would be a great move because he believes there is more of a need for that in local communities specifically that have soup kitchens.

3. Waste to Grace will focus on expanding into a strong focus on receiving food items in a faster way to get more perishable items into the hands of those that need them. Although as we launch, food items will be a part of the process, once Waste to Grace is established, we will turn to target farms and restaurants with greater consistency so that we can get more food to those that need it. After implementing this locally, we will show the data to other organizations across the country about why they need to have someone that can pick up the food items. Hopefully, by having an increase in the communities that implement this step we will be able to convince other organizations to be focused on that as well.

Additionally, we will focus on gaining government backing to help fund the platform. We will also accept grants and donations from organizations and individuals to help fund the platform. Although advertisements and specialized posts will still be a part of the funding, we will shift focus to gaining large sponsors as we grow the brand. Additionally, as the local venture is successful, we will use the infrastructure from large nonprofit organizations to expand nationally. We will roll out in the same way with an ever-growing focus on receiving food donations whenever possible.



New Market

1. A new market that would be a different strategy to still help nonprofit organizations would be to create a platform where they could specifically sell the items they have in their thrift stores. The reason that this could be successful would be that people could be motivated to purchase items where the proceeds go to help their community. It is true that people can already simply go to thrift stores and shop for goods there. However, the convenience factor of having an online site to view the items currently for sale could help nonprofits sell more goods and the people purchasing them to be able to find what they are looking for faster.

2. It is possible that by creating a simple platform where nonprofit organizations could easily post items for sale, that more people would purchase used items from them. Some people will not purchase used items regardless, but this would make it easier for thrifty shoppers to purchase goods. This idea could use the same platform but just have a separate section where nonprofit organizations are selling the items they have in stock.

3. I interviewed Lynn who is a thrifty shopper who will sometimes buy used items if it something she is looking for. She was very intrigued by this idea of being able to find goods that nonprofit organizations own and buy them used while supporting those in need. Her only concern about the idea was that the organizations must be committed to updating the site so that people are not frequently showing up the thrift store trying to buy something that has been sold. Additionally, Becky is someone who will also buy used goods and actively supports nonprofit organizations. She loves to redo furniture and would be very interested in an easier way to find items that nonprofit organizations. Becky was concerned that this could make some people try to sell their goods themselves without donating them to the nonprofits, thus limiting some donations.

4. This was an interesting exercise to think about a new market. I had not considered possibly branching out into a new market of my venture. I think this would be a fairly easy idea to incorporate into the Waste to Grace to platform. This would potentially target a new audience and act as an added incentive for organizations to join the platform. I was most surprised at the potentially new market that could be incorporated into my existing idea in the fact that this was something that had never occurred to me before. It is a great reminder to always be looking for new markets that could be a fit.

I think that some of my assumptions were correct in that some people would be very motivated to purchase goods from a site like this. I do not think this is as attractive as my primary market because it could interfere with my primary market in some ways. However, there is some potential in this idea and something to explore further.