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Running head: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PLAN

Sustainable Business Final Plan

Alyssa Collins

University of Southern Mississippi

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Running head: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PLAN

Table of Contents

Content Page Number

Executive Summary 3

Mission and Vision 5

Sustainability Practices 6

Potential Market 8

Products and Services Offered 9

Organization and Management 10

Marketing and Sales 11

Anticipated Expenses 13

References 14

Appendix A. The Menu 15

Appendix B. Organizational Chart 16

Appendix C. Marketing Flyer 17

Appendix D. Pro Forma Statement 18

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Running head: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PLAN

Executive Summary

St. Marys Hospital, located in Grand Junction, Colorado, is a 350 bed hospital that

provides service to residents of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. Employees of St. Marys

work to provide quality service to their patients. As the hospital is open 24 hours a day,

employees are often required to work the night shift. Working the night shift is difficult; not only

are employees reversing their sleep schedule, but they are continuing to provide quality care

through the fatigue. When people are tired, it can be hard to maintain a healthy diet. This is

where Sustain Yourself steps in.

Sustain Yourself will be an all new, sustainable smoothie station at St. Marys Hospital

located on the main hospital floor at Java City. The station will be open from 7:00 pm to 7:00

am, as a healthier snack option for the night shift workers, as well as visitors and patients who

are craving a midnight snack. Sustain Yourself provides high quality nutritious smoothies while

maintaining sustainable practices.

As sustainability is a key factor of the business, both equipment and supplies are

environmentally friendly. All equipment purchased for Sustain Yourself is energy efficient,

plastic supplies are renewable, and the produce is purchased locally when able. When items are

unable to be purchased locally, organic food items with the least food miles are purchased. As

dairy products have a large carbon footprint, the smoothies will be made with almond, coconut

and soy milk. Preserving the environment is vital to the mission of Sustain Yourself, therefore

sustainable practices are utilized whenever possible.

Nutrition is another important aspect of Sustain Yourself, as the business promotes

healthy eating to its patrons. This is why the smoothies are made on-site and only with nutritious

food sources. Whole foods are used for all smoothies; this includes fruits and vegetables. When
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Running head: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PLAN

juice is used as a base for the smoothie, it is freshly squeezed on-site. Sustain Yourself is

committed to using no preservatives or additives in the smoothie products.

Sustain Yourself promotes healthy eating and sustainability through the equipment used

and the services provided. The business aims to provide nutritious and delicious smoothies for

the fatigued hospital employees and hospital visitors late at night. Working the night shift can be

challenging, but these smoothies will help customers sustain themselves through the night. It is

Sustain Yourselfs goal to nourish the body and mind during the times when customers need it

the most.
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Running head: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PLAN

Missions and Visions

St. Marys Mission

We reveal and foster God's healing love by improving the health of the people and communities

we serve, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.

St. Marys Vision

We will be distinguished as the trusted person-centered partner to those who engage

with us in their physical, mental and spiritual health decisions.

We will share accountability with our clinicians, associates and affiliated

stakeholders to deliver exceptional care that is well coordinated, accessible,

affordable, safe, and results in optimal outcomes for individuals and populations.

We will grow as community-based health networks in partnership with others who

share our vision and values and align with us to be an essential provider to those we

serve (Mission, Vision & Values, n.d.).

Sustain Yourselfs Mission

We provide delicious and nutritious sustainably-made smoothies to improve the health of the

people we serve and preserve the environment around us.

Sustain Yourselfs Vision

We will use only sustainable practices to create our smoothies to ensure that our future

generations are able to enjoy the environment as we do.

Our smoothies will be packed with essential vitamins and minerals so that our customers

remain nourished at all hours of the night.

Our products will be made with local ingredients to positively impact our Colorado

farmers and help to build the community around us.

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Sustainability

Sustainability is an important aspect of Sustain Yourself, as the business strives to

preserve the beautiful Colorado environment. Not only are Sustain Yourselfs products nutritious

and tasty, but they are also environmentally friendly. For that reason, Sustain Yourself is located

in an already existing coffee shop in St. Marys Hospital. The equipment already in place may be

used for both businesses, and less equipment will need to be purchased.

For the business, only the necessary environmentally friendly equipment will be

purchased. An EnergyStar chest freezer (Frigidaire - LFCH16M6QW*) will be installed. Energy

star freezers are energy efficient, meaning it uses less energy than the regular brands. This

freezer will help conserve non-renewable energy sources as well as lower electricity costs. Three

Vitamix TurboBlend VS blenders will be bought from green building supply; two for use and

one as a backup in case of emergency. These blenders have a 7 year labor warranty, they are

BPA free and most parts are made in the U.S. They also blend incredibly fast, which will use less

energy. Two manual citrus juicers, one for use and one for backup, will be purchased for making

on-site juice for the smoothies. These juicers require no electrical energy, which has no

environmental impact.

Not only is the equipment sustainable, but so are the supplies. Plastic cups, lids and

straws will be provided through Eco-Products. These products are made from renewable

resources and are compostable in commercial compost facilities. Sustain Yourself will encourage

customers to return cups to the smoothie stand and will compost the cups on a monthly basis.

Reusable hand towels will be used for cleaning countertops with bleach.

The fruit used for the smoothies will be bought from local farmers as able and the rest

will be bought from organic farms with the least food miles. The fruit will be frozen on site to be
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used throughout the year. Any fruit that is not used before it expires will be donated to the local

homeless shelter. The menu of smoothies available will be adapted to the fruit available. As

dairy milk has the largest carbon footprint, the smoothies will be made with coconut, almond,

and soy milk, or juice made on site. Some smoothies will contain greens, which will be locally

bought when available and from organic farms when unable to buy locally.

Sustain Yourself strives to support local Colorado farmers and organic farmers

throughout the nation. By buying eco-friendly equipment, supplies and food products, Sustain

Yourself strives to lessen the carbon footprint. It is Sustain Yourselfs hope that through

sustainable practices the business promotes a healthier and happier clientele while preserving the

environment.
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Potential Market

Sustain Yourself will be open nightly to all employees and visitors of St. Marys hospital.

Since this will only be open for the night shift, the expected number of services once fully

established is 75 people per night, 525 people per week, and 27,300 people per year. This

averages around six to seven customers an hour.

St. Marys is the largest hospital in between Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado.

Therefore, most patients are from Grand Junction and the surrounding area. The population of

Grand Junction is 79.6 percent Caucasian, 15.3 percent Hispanic and 2.6 percent mixed race.

51.8 percent of the Grand Junction population is female with a median age of 34.2 years. The

estimated median household income is around $47,329.00 (Grand Junction, Colorado, 2015).

Grand Junction is located in Mesa County, where 15.6 percent of residents live in poverty.

Majority of the population has only received a high school degree and 26.3 percent of the

population has a Bachelors degree or higher. Unfortunately 13 percent of the population does

not have health insurance (Quick Facts: Mesa County, Colorado, 2016). As these characteristics

are the majority of Mesa County and Grand Junction, these are the most likely the employees

and visitors of St. Marys, as well as the potential customers of Sustain Yourself.
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Products and Services Offered

Sustain Yourself is a smoothie stand open for the night shift workers at St. Marys

Hospital. The business will offer a wide variety of smoothie flavors, all made using sustainable

practices. The menu contains seven smoothie drink options. For customers who prefer something

different, there is a make-your-own smoothie option. The menu will rotate with the seasons to

provide the freshest fruit available. The smoothies will be made with soy, coconut or almond

milk, fruit, vegetables, peanut butter and espresso, depending on the flavor. Appendix A displays

the menu for the first few months of business.

Each smoothie will be made on-site directly following the customers order. Any

customizations or substitutions to the smoothies are allowable, unless a customer requests certain

items that are not on the menu. Larger orders of ten or more smoothies must be placed a half

hour before pick-up. The menu includes sizes, pricing and all smoothies available.
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Organization and Management

As Sustain Yourself will be a relatively small business, the organizational structure will

be simple. There is one retail manager for St. Marys Hospital who oversees all food service

retail businesses. The retail manager will be in charge of the budget, finances, ordering, and

overseeing employees as necessary. The retail manager is contracted through Sodexo, and will

not work during Sustain Yourselfs operational hours. Directly under the retail manager will be

two store managers. The store manager shift will work 7:00 pm to 1:00 am every night. One

store manager will be full time and the other manager will be part time. The store manager will

be in charge of scheduling, day-to-day operations, completing inventory, overseeing employees

and counting the cash registers at the beginning and end of the nightly shift. Underneath the

manager are four part-time staff members. The staff members work either 7:00 pm to 1:00 am or

1:00 am to 7:00 am shifts. Only two staff members will work each night; one for each shift. The

staff members are in charge of making smoothies, working the cash register, completing prep-

work and cleaning. The closing staff member is in charge of counting the cash register at the end

of the shift and reporting these numbers to the store manager. The store manager will report the

cash register numbers to the retail manager. Appendix B contains the organizational chart.
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Marketing and Sales Strategy

In the spirit of sustainability, most of our marketing will be online to decrease paper

waste. Email announcements will be sent to all St. Marys employees once a week for the month

leading up to the grand opening. The week prior to opening, an email announcement will be sent

daily. The email announcement will include the business description, location, and opening

times. There will also be an announcement posted on the St. Marys homepage, The Landing,

for the entire last week leading up to the opening.

Flyers will be placed in the cafeteria, at Java City, and outside the visitor elevators on

each floor to reach patients and visitors. The flyers will be printed on environmentally friendly

sugar-cane based paper. Appendix C contains an example of the flyer.

In order for people to get a taste of what Sustain Yourself is about, there will be free

samples of each smoothie provided between the hours of 11:00am and 2:00pm the week prior to

opening in the hallway leading to the cafeteria. The leftover flyers will be distributed to the

people who take a smoothie sample. The smoothie samples will hopefully help to reach a wider

audience and increase sales when the store opens. The staff member working the table will

promote the sustainable practices and fresh ingredients used by the business.

There are only two smoothie shop competitors in Grand Junction: Jamba Juice and Juice

Stop. These juice and smoothie shops offer a slightly lower price, however they are not as easily

accessible for employees of the hospital and not made using sustainable practices. Jamba Juice

and Juice Stop are also only open during the day, which would make the unavailable to the night

shift workers. Our strategy to compete with these businesses is to promote the sustainable

practices and the importance of preserving the environment. The smoothies from Sustain

Yourself will be sold at a higher cost however they will be more easily accessible to hospital
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employees and visitors. Frequent visitors will be given a Sustain Yourself punch card, which will

allow a free medium smoothie drink after the purchase of ten smoothies. This will increase sales

as well as help to maintain a customer base. When ordering ten or more smoothies, the customer

will be given a ten percent discount. The use of a discount will encourage larger orders, which

will benefit sales.

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Anticipated Expenses for Year One

As the location is an already existing coffee shop, initial expenses for equipment will be

minimal. The only necessary equipment purchases will be an EnergyStar chest freezer for the

frozen fruits and vegetables, three Vitamix TurboBlend VS blenders, and two Manual Cup Style

Citrus Juicers. Two blenders will be used at once, with one as a back-up in case one blender

breaks. One juicer will be used at a time, with one for back-up.

Labor costs will include the wages for the two store managers and four staff members.

The managers will make $15.00 per hour and the staff will make minimum wage; $9.30 per

hour. The retail manager is contracted through Sodexo, therefore will not be paid by Sustain

Yourself.

The only expenditure on facilities includes electricity; as rent is covered. Electricity costs

will be minimal due to the EnergyStar equipment.

Supplies purchased will contain the bulk of expenditure, as the fruits, vegetables and

plastic products are costly. Cleaning supplies will be minimal; only three sanitizer buckets and a

case of 24 hand towels will need to be purchased. Mops and other cleaning supplies will be

shared with Java City. Marketing materials requires minimal expenditure for the sugar-cane

based paper. Storage tubs and lids for the fruits and vegetables, large metal spoons for scooping

and stirring, and measuring cups will be included in the supplies budget. The products purchased

through Eco-products will also be included in the supplies budget. Fruits, vegetables and the

milk products will be the most expensive items on the supplies budget. Expenditure on food

items and Eco-products rely on sales and inventory, and therefore are variable costs.

The Pro-Forma Statement included in Appendix D shows a more detailed report of first-

year expenses.
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References

"Grand Junction, Colorado." Grand Junction, Colorado (CO) profile: population, maps, real

estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime,

moving, houses, news, sex offenders. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.city-

data.com/city/Grand-Junction-Colorado.html

Mission, Vision & Values. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.stmarygj.org/about-us/mission-vision-and-values/

Quick Facts: Mesa County, Colorado. (2016). Retrieved from

http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/BZA115214/08077
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Appendix A. The Menu

Sustain Yourself Smoothie Menu

Small (12 oz): $5.50 Medium (16 oz): $7.00 Large (20 oz): $9.00

Just Peachy
Peaches*, strawberries*, soy milk
Gone Bananas
Bananas, blueberries*, soy milk
Berry Delicious
Strawberries*, blueberries*, orange juice
Green with Envy
Kale*, bananas, blueberries*, soy milk
An Apple A Day
Kale*, apple*, pineapple, orange juice
Tropical Getaway
Pineapple, banana, strawberries*, peaches*, orange juice
Caffeine Drip
Bananas, peanut butter, espresso shot, soy milk
Make your own!
Choose your base: Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Orange Juice
Choose two fruits: Apple*, Banana, Strawberries*, Blueberries*, Pineapple, Peaches*
Add some greens if you please (choose one): Kale*, Spinach*

Add a shot of espresso to any of the smoothies for $0.50

Add one more fruit option for $0.50
Add kale or spinach to any smoothie for $1.00
Substitute with almond or coconut milk for $1.00

*Grown in Colorado
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Appendix B. Organizational Chart

Retail
Manager

Store Store
Manager Manager

Staff Staff Staff Staff

Member Member Member Member
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Appendix C. Marketing Flyer

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Appendix D. Pro-Forma Statement

Labor
Manager...$32,850.00
Staff.$40,734.00
Labor Total...........$73,584.00

Supplies
Cleaning, storage and tools:
Bleach.....$60.00
Sanitizer buckets....$18.00
Case of 24 hand towels...$43.00
Storage tubs....$50.00
Large metal spoons.....$24.00
Measuring cups and spoons............$40.00

Promotional materials:
Sugarcane-based paper......$8.49

Food items:
Soy milk.$5,148.00
Coconut milk..$1,748.00
Almond milk..$2,496.00
Strawberries.$10,000.00
Blueberries...$10,000.00
Peaches.....$10,000.00
Pineapples......$1,000.00
Apples...$500.00
Oranges.....$500.00
Bananas..$1,000.00
Kale...$500.00
Spinach......$250.00
Espresso beans...$1,560.00
Peanut Butter.$100.00
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Eco-Products:
12 oz cups..$3,767.40
16 oz cups..$4,470.30
20 oz cups..$4,925.40
Lids....$8,554.50
Straws.$1,160.00
Supplies Total......$67,423.09

Equipment
EnergyStar chest freezer (Frigidaire - LFCH16M6QW*)...................................................$500.00
Vitamix TurboBlend VS blenders.....$1,500.00
Manual Cup Style Citrus Juicers.$51.98
Equipment Total.........$2,051.98

Facilities
Rent$0.00
Electricity...$1,200.00
Facilities Total...$1,200.00

TOTAL EXPENSES........................................................................$144,759.07