The ISM journey, thus far, has given me the opportunity to deeply explore the field of social entrepreneurship. Through this incredible process, I have come across an amazing set of individuals who have guided me through the initial process of garnering fundamental business acumen while developing my first business plan. Continuing this path, I hope to establish and launch a functioning company for my Final Product. The launch of this company will include the preliminary steps of being an entrepreneur, including the establishment of cash flow, supply, and retail, as well as branding, marketing, and financial tracking aspect of the business.

The company itself will be named Groundify, with the tagline stating “Coffee Grounds. Rethought.” Groundify will serve as innovative social enterprise that creates a circular economy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by repurposing spent coffee grounds to become a catalyst for new products rather than becoming a harmful pollutant in landfills. Our mission, therefore, will be to champion the shift towards a circular economy in the coffee industry by redefining the way spent coffee grounds are repurposed to keep them in the economy for a sustained duration of time. The company itself will provide a pickup service to our suppliers and pick up their spent coffee grounds, depositing them in our warehousing facilities rather than leaving them to decompose in landfills. Following this, our enterprise will repurpose these spent coffee grounds into a variety of marketable products such as facial scrubs, biodegradable fire logs, water treatment sponges, premium agricultural compost, and sale of vermiculture. As an overarching theme, all these products will be environmentally friendly end products derived from coffee grounds.

Through the creation of this final product, I plan on implementing a common saying into my ISM experience, “the only source of knowledge is experience.” As entrepreneurship is a hands-on field wherein the application of previous knowledge is valued higher than the theoretical understanding itself, starting my own company will help me assume the role of an entrepreneur. In addition to allowing me to see how the theoretical systems I studied work in the real-world, the launch of this company will demonstrate the impact one can have on their community with the implementation of unique ideas. Moreover, with the gracious help of my mentor, Mr. Meek, I will be able to spread my idea through his network and create a more significant positive impact on the community. Ultimately, through this product, I look to couple entrepreneurial concepts with innovative ideas to myself better understand social entrepreneurship while benefitting the community.

I plan on interweaving a variety of acquired skillsets to create my final product. In a general sense, there are two broad concepts I will be drawing from to successfully execute my final product, theoretical business concepts and their application.

Although both are equally important, I look to first incorporate the theoretical concepts I learnt through professional interactions with professionals in the business field. Acquiring quality information ranging from financial management to the essentials of marketing, I plan on incorporating these qualities and observing those skillsets in action. Specifically, however, I look to first implement my knowledge over accounting to begin an accounting book for Groundify, ultimately allowing me to monitor my financial situation regarding the business. Adding to the accounting knowledge, I will also utilize acquired knowledge about analysis, in broad terms, to effectively analyze the market and its various components. As it will be vital for me to understand the needs of the customer base I plan on selling to and the growth potential of my business once it has been established, I will incorporate my analysis skills and apply them to common business phenomenon, helping me identify and cater to the customers’ wants while being able to devise a sustainable plan for the sustained growth of our company. Although what has been discussed above was limited to the application of fundamental business concepts, I will also require the application of these concepts to effectively launch my company, skills I will learn on this journey with the guidance of Mr. Meek.

Through this journey, I look to apply the fundamental concepts of business learnt through the first semester of the Independent Study & Mentorship program to begin the business. Growing upon the basic interview skills gained through primary research interviews, I will need to fine tune my communication and presentation skills to successfully execute investor presentations to potential investors in order to secure initial capital, to coffee shops to guarantee a supply source, and to department stores to finalize retail distribution partners. Despite the development of the soft skills, I will also have to continuously apply the technical business skills within the business as I will have to continue monitoring the financial health of the business, maintain a satisfied customer base, and work “on” the company by progressively planning for the future of the company as well. Ultimately, this will allow me to understand the application of these ideas and therefore appreciate the concept of adaptability within an entrepreneurial context as theoretical models will only function to a limit, wherein to grow past that limit, the entrepreneur himself will have to implement personal innovations to the method.

Mr. Meek and I have developed a comprehensive schedule wherein we have detailed the tasks we will need to complete in order to successfully launch Groundify for the Final Presentation. The plan is detailed below on a monthly basis.

January

• 4th Week

- Solidify the branding for Groundify, specifically hire a graphic designer to finalize the website graphics and the portrayal of the business card

- Reconfirm the interview timings with potential coffee shops interested in the implementation of our service

- Practice my business pitch for my interview with Mr. Ajay Vonkarey and potential coffee shops

February

• 1st Week

- Master the accounting books format, Wave, to keep track of the financial health of the company

- Register the company with the Secretary of State and establish the company structure

• 2nd Week

- Finalize deals with retail suppliers and coffee ground suppliers

- Make 20 sales of one of my homemade products such as premium agricultural compost or skincare scrubs

• 3rd Week

- Make 20 sales of one of my homemade products such as premium agricultural compost or skincare scrubs

• 4th Week

- Make 20 sales of one of my homemade products such as premium agricultural compost or skincare scrubs