Question deadline has been extended

 

                                   

                                       Elusive but worth it

No one has answered my question:  What is the next new ‘hot’ plants?

 

The problem could be: 1.  No one knows.  2.  No one sees my blog, but if they did, they would suggest 10 plants.  3.  Several people know the answer but want to keep it to themselves to steal the market.

 

I’ve seen top plant lists in trade magazines.  Many if these plants don’t fit into our small plant category, so don’t help.

 

Maybe, we are already growing the plant that will run away with the internet influencers.

 

We will pay attention.

 

Please comment with your plant selection.

I have a vision...

                                            'wittle' hanging houseplants in production

            I have a vision (dream was taken) of how ‘wittle’ hanging houseplants can be sold.

 

            I have watched the eager buyers at Morris Farm Market on the way to the Outerbanks, North Carolina.  They load up wagons with cake, pies, vegetables, honey, candy, nuts, watermelon, and other good things.

 

            If there were a display of ‘Wittle’ hanging houseplants fully stocked with assorted houseplants, they could fly out of there.

 

            Many vacationers stop there coming and going, so if they are curious going in, they will buy a basket or two on the way home.

 

            I’m assuming most sales are made on the weekends, lining up with the weekly schedule of the beach rentals.

 

            How many could be sold in a weekend?

 

            At the rate they must restock everything else, it should be a lot.

What would I do with three million dollars from a venture capitalist?

What would I do with three million dollars from a venture capitalist?

 

            The venture capitalist system is set up to give big sums of money in exchange for owning a percentage of the new company. 

 

            For a very small self-employed enterprise, it has intriguing trade-offs.  A stranger is willing to give you a lot on money for X % of the future value of the business { beginning value = almost nothing}.

 

            It is very enticing.  It’s not a loan, so I don’t have to pay it back.  But if your business is successful, someone else will own part of it and want to tell you what to do.

 

            In the current plant boom, a retail plant shop could use the money to open multiple plant stores in several cities to dominate a region quickly.

 

            A wholesale grower could build acres of greenhouses to support the large volume of fresh produce to supply national grocery chains.

 

            I’m glad this financial mechanism exists.  But it has nothing to do with me.

 

            My innovation of producing ‘wittle’ hanging houseplants is beyond the ‘minimum viable product’ test.  We already know they sell.

 

           

The limiting factor is supply.

 

Contract growing is available, if pursued. A slow rollout can test the market.  Grow 1,000 hanging baskets per week (50,000/year) and see what happens.  If demand pulls you in, double that.

 

If the ‘wittle’ brand can dominate the region {60 customers X 40 hanging houseplants/week} = {2400/week = 120,000/year}, then decide if three million dollars would help you?

 

Right now, I would not know what to do with three million dollars.