Acorns to oak trees, concepts to fruition, the buttons (below) link to two pages presenting a few of my self-initiated ‘opportunity pursuits’.  They include business and property examples, work that was distinct from serving clients.  Setting the real estate projects aside for the moment, one of my earliest ventures also served as a replicable business model, allowing the sponsorship of several industry-specific 'production-complements’.

 

This 'production-complement business model' assembles non-competitive, common-interest businesses into cohesive groups.  Each is then represented by a brand-name banner, establishing a marketplace affiliation. The result accelerates growth for the member businesses while synergistically expanding the whole.  The latter – or expansion of this whole – means that new, 'combined capabilities' are turned into value-added products or services. 

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Requiring the input of many, or at least several, it is unlikely that an individual member would create the same result.  Over the years, this model was employed on a number of occasions, each time focusing on a select industry* that met the criteria of ‘highly fragmented'.  For every assembled member mix, this delivered a comprehensive enhancement initiative.

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*1. Wholesale Building Supply, 2. Natural/Organic Soil Amendment, 3. Heavy Architecture Timber.

 

Nature’s Intent™ (with its registered trademark banner,1993/98) was one such case, addressing a previously unfulfilled market need within the emerging, and yes, highly fragmented, organic soil amendment community.   [Below, click: ‘Business Enhancement’ – scroll to Case #2].   But it did not start from scratch.  Instead, Nature’s Intent™ "piggybacked" the plan onto what already was a 30-year quarry-mining operation (limestone/calcium-carbonate and dololime/magnesium-carbonate). 

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The catalyst to this 'productivity-growth' launch offers an interesting story...

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Investigating an Ag-Industry project I was considering, I arrived in Portland, Oregon, to meet a consulting agronomist.  We had dinner the first night and got acquainted.  With a planned trip to 'orchard country' on for the next day, I was invited to ride along.  This trip took us two hours east to an area known as The Dalles in Central Oregon, where a small pickup load of soil amendment formulations (5 Gal. Buckets) was to be delivered to an Orchardist client.  Once introduced to his client, I only observed.  Frank, our Agronomist, went on to give instructions on how best to care for each fruit crop (pears, peaches and apples) while also providing details on what nutrient mix to apply near the root systems within the various orchards.

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While that conversation continued, I was given a tour of the old Fruit Packing Plant (truly a Norman Rockwell scene), part of that farm's overall operations.  There, the Orchardist tossed me a hard-as-a-rock green pear, demanding that I taste it.  Bewildered but game, I took a bite, hoping I wouldn't break a tooth, and was surprised by its sweetness and distinct flavour.  "That", the Orchardist announced, "...is the result of Frank's (Agromnomist) work!"

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Then, just before Frank and I were about to leave, I saw him hand the Orchardist a good batch of paperwork.  It took me a moment, and then I was 'gobsmacked' as our British friends would say (meaning: 'shocked' or 'stunned'), dumbfounded as I began to comprehend what I was seeing.  My new Agronomist friend was simply handing over his 'knowledge base' – specifically: "Here are the mix formulations.  Here is the list of raw material ingredients you need, and here is the source list where you can buy those ingredients."

 

 Really?  Did I just see that?  And that was the moment when this colossal opportunity became  self-evident.   Two hours later, a new business was born: The same formulations, the mix of raw materials and their supply sources became Nature’s Intent™, a complete product line.

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The launch, accomplished over 18 months, united a group of mainly single-ingredient, natural or "organic", if you will, material processors.  Pacific Calcium, Tonasket WA., became the production base; as its two quarries were already accompanied by processing and packaging capabilities.  The physical enhancement centred on raw material supply and adding micro-milling equipment.  Soon, these raw material sources included ocean produce (e.g., kelp/oyster shells/fish-bone meal), various commercial composting operations (yard waste, horse manure or worm castings, etc.), and a long list of supplemental ingredients, with this assemblage, in turn, was centrally milled (relying on the newly developed micro-milling machines). 

 

Once the various materials were processed and made 'blend ready' (e.g., uniform particle size), the only step remaining was to bring the planned product line to market.  This process pre-determined the target crop, related soil content, and regional weather conditions.  Fulfillment became a relatively simple task for what was an easily 'adjustable' component-mix product composition marketed to an 'all-natural/organic' grower market.

 

This Nature’s Intent™  line-up addressed what at the time was still an infant but growing demand for more environmentally friendly, natural/organics.  Wholesale nurseries, lawn and garden stores, and commercial agriculture supply outlets formed the primary outlet network.  It also directly served a new trend: eco-conscientious golf course operators and municipal parks, et al.  With the business developing, purpose shifted, taking on a role that has since been labelled the ‘industry primary’.  Nature’s Intent™ became what could be recognized as the Franchisor within a multi-outlet license organization.  The business model evolved from a product-line producer to an industry coordinator, developing a clear 'commonality of purpose' market approach.  As the ‘industry-primary', Nature’s Intent™ catered to the growing ‘production-complement’ and the business growth needs for the whole versus a mere collection of individuals.  This created a united front for the ‘soil amendment sector as a whole, which collectively addressed all the supply, production, and market issues.  The challenges that typically arise when an industry or sector is highly fragmented (i.e., many small operators vs. a few dominant players) were addressed.

 

The timeline to fully develop this ‘industry-primary' led production complement initiative spans four decades.  The advantages of this structure are many.   Not the least is the ability to overcome many of the shortcomings universally plaguing the individual producer.  As an example, a promotional campaign on behalf of a full production complement is far more encompassing and more potent than a single producer.  Aside from the benefit of shared physical facilities (e.g., warehouse and material-handling equipment) and shared support services (e.g., shipping/receiving), financial support is also more efficient – rarely obtainable by the independent operator.

   

Worthy of note is that industry productivity and ‘trade/enterprise finance’ techniques first created for Findex/Allwest (the early 1970s) were equally useful to Timberwoodhaus Producers thirty-five years later.  Known as ‘buy-side/trade-finance driven’ transactions to those applying such methods, it is a powerful mechanism for Entrepreneurialize Opportunity to call upon; part of an ever-improving ‘Productivity Enhancement’ arsenal. 

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This purchase-driven approach to financing is not as prevalent throughout North America as elsewhere.  It focuses on the end-user buyer and not the ‘the seller’ – whether at the production, distribution, or retail level. As a finance model it targets the strength of the purchaser (i.e., ‘the covenant’ – say, an appliance dealer’s ‘floor plan’), usually far more robust than a small ‘struggling supplier’.  This business technique takes the position that if the end-user or final recipient is eventually responsible for payment, why not start there?  Also, when choosing a finance plan that reflects ultimate buyer strength, funding needs for an entire supply chain are met. 

 

Whereas this “buy-side” finance approach was initially adopted within the building-supply sector as a purchasing service, eventually becoming a formal buying group (Findex/Allwest, click Business Enhancement Button, below), it also assumed a role within a series of property initiatives.  LandScope™, as described on the Property Enhancement page (click the button below), was the brand name that gained market entry, as the four examples show.   

 

Why is this important?  It highlights one of many techniques created and improved over the years.  This culminated in the formation of Entrepreneurialize Opportunity Corp. and its highly transferable industry enhancement approach.  As stated, the system and process were ‘40+ years in the making’, now forming a comprehensive structure and straightforward approach, able to benefit many (click: ‘Who Benefits’).