Environmental Entrepreneurship in Action For students enrolled in MSc Soil Science and Environmental Pollution Session 7: Nuts and Bolts

Session outline: 1.) Building Blocks People; Marketing; Resources 2.) Preparing to Pitch Why should we buy from you?

Building Blocks: People The success of a start-up business depends on the blend of experience, knowledge and skills of it’s team members. Consider: What are the main ‘roles’ you need to fulfil within the start-up team? What are the deliverables for these roles? What previous business experience should individuals have? What level of technical knowledge do they need? What ‘soft’ skills do they require?

Building Blocks: Marketing Marketing is about deciding what to sell, for how much and to whom. It is also about communicating to customers the value of your products and services through carefully chosen media so that they are motivated to make a purchase decision. Consider: How are you going to communicate with your target market? What communication media will you use? What is the key message you will send to your target market? How will your awareness strategy change over time? How much will it cost you to reach your target market?

Building Blocks: Resources Getting up and running: What do you need to start your business? How much will these resources cost? How long will it be before you have a product/service to launch? How are you going to sustain the business before the money comes in? Pricing strategies: What are the customers prepared to pay for your product/service? What do your competitors charge for their product/service? What are you going to charge?

Building Blocks: Resources Expenses What will be your ongoing expenses? How much are you going to invest in marketing? How will this be spent? Will you need to invest in protecting your intellectual property? Sales: At what point do you anticipate making your first sale? What are your estimated sales projections over the first year? When will you break even?

Stage 2: Preparing to Pitch 10 minute pitch to a panel of investors Including:  Clear customer problem to address  Evidence for market segment and size  Description of product/service and benefits  Description of management team  Explanation of marketing strategy  Outline of financials

Introducing the investors… Input guest judge details here…

By next session… All research completed Marketing Leaflet to hand in (2 copies please) Pitch prepared