Boerne has become one of the best places to live and raise a family per multiple articles on the internet. Tourists now frequent the area periodically and the population has at least doubled over the last decade. The Boerne Wine company did wonderfully before it was taken out during the pandemic. People like to buy souvenirs or purchase items from places they’ve visited or know. If there’s no physical location for the Boerne Coffee Company, I believe we could sell to places such as the Dodging Duck, The Bear Moon Bakery, Peggy’s on the Green, The country clubs in Fair Oaks and Cordillera and the local HEB. Black Rifle Company currently holds a monopoly on coffee in the area. They sunk the few hole in the wall places that used to serve a homey cup of Joe.  Seeing a little Boerne star on a menu for the places I mentioned would greatly encourage a consumer to try and buy a local Boerne product rather than fleeing over to BRC. People would become very familiar with Boerne having its own coffee company. (Stickers on places of businesses that state “Proudly serves Boerne Coffee Company.” 

We would really do up the packaging for retail so that stores could sell off the shelf throughout Boerne and in HEB. When I was an ambassador for the Snake River Roasting company, they were a small operation out of a storage building on the outskirts of town but their packaging was phenomenal. They suffered a great deal in marketing, but their influencer program really put them on the map. They based their theme or image of the brand around the wild scapes and feels of Wyoming. 

The people I know who drink coffee religiously obsess over all things coffee. I believe there’s a lot to be gained from online subscription services. Similar to the image you see up above from the SRCC, they came out with an 11OZ bag for people wanting to experiment with new tastes. For a fee per month, the subscriber could receive different types of coffee that we source from Bellwether along with small items such as mugs, kitchen towels, stir spoons, cups, grinders and more. (This is where Conservation Coffee and Boerne Coffee Company could work hand in hand).

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/gifts/g32213505/coffee-subscription-services/

Subscribe for $29.99 per month or round up to $35 to donate to Conservation Coffee (the subscriber would get a certificate in the monthly subscription for the amount that would be deductible per the 501(c)3. “Thanks for your $5 donation towards helping ensure we can provide healthy sustainable coffee for years to come.” 

Conservation Coffee (Pasted from Email) 

Here is a very simple article outlying the difference between traditional shade grown coffee and sun grown coffee:

https://www.sustainablebusinesstoolkit.com/environmental-impact-coffee-trade/

“Conservation Coffee” (Working Title) 

Coffee is a billion dollar industry. The “Bean” belt happens to overlap directly with much of the world's delicate rainforest ecosystems and some of the poorest countries on the planet. I first thought about a non-profit entity for coffee after hearing about the village where my cinematographer friend Noah is from. He grew up in Nepal. It’s a small village high up in the Himalayas. Noah was an orphan and lived very similar to indigenous tribes today with no shoes or clothes, trapping animals as a child to eat. Eventually, he would receive a film scholarship to travel to the US & study cinematography. He married, settled, and will hopefully receive his citizenship sometime this year. The cause that really linked me to Conservation Coffee was his project titled “Menga Coffee.” Noah would buy coffee beans from his home village, roast the beans in his apartment and re-sell here in the States. 100% of the proceeds went back to his village and funded the construction of a soccer field for orphan children. Noah explained to me how his village still practices traditional farming methods for growing coffee but the villagers cannot compete with the new sun grown commercial production around them. A lot of sustainable farming is being overrun by larger companies who are leaving behind huge negative footprints in the environment. Not only are they destroying ecosystems and biodiversity but they’re eliminating some villagers' entire way of life—Their culture. Noah had to ultimately give up Menga Coffee, as it was too much of a challenge for an individual 

I knew a 501c3 was the answer or the bridge to causes similar to Noahs. Imagine coffee with its prevalence being a driving environmental aid in the world today + being a strategic tax right off. 

Here are the concepts I came up with:

Conservation Coffee Mission:

To support traditional coffee productions practicing shade grown techniques and sustainability efforts. 

The entity could be funded to help villagers package and ship the beans from their location to the US. For example, money raised through the non-profit would pay for the packaging and shipment of the beans (the most expensive part is getting the beans to the US) then the beans can be bought by a for-profit entity such as Rev who then uses that marketability of buying from a nonprofit source that promotes sustainable coffee production. Then at the end of the year or throughout, Rev can donate to Conservation Coffee through proceeds of the sale or strict donation and fund the delivery of exotic coffees to the cafe. The 501c3 gets the funding to help sustainable efforts and the cafe gets amazing beans and a tax write off. 

Non-Profit pays for packaging and delivery to US. For-profit buys the beans from the non-profit. The non-profit gives the proceeds to the supplier. The for-profit donates a margin to the non-profit. Donations are accepted in store at the for-profit for the non-profit. Fundraising campaigns can be held at the for-profit for the non-profit. The non-profit can apply for grants. 

You wouldn’t have to start off with a whole menu, it could be one village and one type of bean on the menu — say it’s Noah’s village in Nepal. On the Menu there would be a green star or something and it says **Conservation Coffee** Menga Coffee Brew $X.XX from Nepal— (PS this also fits into the Earth Cafe) People will be curious about this conservation section of the menu. This is where cinema comes into play— 

The cup that serves the Conservation Coffee is bought and paid for through the 501c3 entity. It’s a completely compostable cup with a QR code and something like “helping the planet one cup of Joe at a time” or something cheesy so people want to view the QR code. The code links people to a mini documentary showcasing the work that conservation is doing globally or at the singularity. The world is trending right now in sustainability, plant forwardness and philanthropy. The word will spread quick and I think the consumer will think it’s really cool to see the exact place the beans are harvested and the villagers and ecosystems they’re helping— 

If you did a survey in Rev asking people if they would pay $1-1.50 more per cup of coffee if it helped orphans and wildlife through the jungles I bet you’d be over 75% in participation. 

The reason I’m so hesitant about Earth Cafe is because I wanted a large portion of the Cafe to have this premise (theoretically the entire thing). People would know that they were paying a little extra for all foods in the restaurant because every piece of food or drink was contributing to sustainability in some fashion. ++ The earth cafe would have its own TV show. 

Coming back to another element of Conservation Coffee was the subscription service. It may be difficult to start out of the gate, but a monthly subscription to coffee beans delivered from around the world. When the consumer gets the package in the mail it shows exactly where on the map, the population, pictures of the villagers, wildlife and the environment and again, video of footage on the ground showcasing the cause. $49.99/month and you can get this “Conservation Coffee Box”. Comes with a 5 pound of beans, and all the information.

Coffee Beans

Information Card map. (Maybe some sort of collectable so the consumer tries to try each coffee) 

A photo with the cause on the back 

QR code to the mini series on location at the site of coffee harvest 

The consumer would get an email such as:

“Your Conservation Coffee Box will automatically renew this month for $49.99. Your box this month is coming from NEPAL. High up in the Himalayas at the foot of Mount Everest, sits a tiny solitary village. It takes 3 days by foot just to reach the settlement. The people have lived here for two millennia living off the land surrounded by snow leopards, bengal tigers, the red panda and more. Sip on your roast from one of the most remote wild places in the world while you watch this month's episode. Scan the QR code for free viewing. 

Anyways, this is the gist behind Conservation Coffee and some pokes into Earth Cafe. 

Borden’s Tavern

I know I’ve said that putting up a homestyle/family style or steakhouse in college station will be easy to fire off but the people who will be coming to the restaurant will be experts in food production and quality. Since 2012, I’ve been spending weeks at a time at stock shows across the country [and world] and they all have a common social ritual—eating. I used to joke around for years about starting a food blog because the people get more excited about the cities they’re going to for the restaurants more so than the actual event sometimes. 

There’s no better place in Texas to launch an “environment” of a restaurant than College Station. 60-75% of the youth from the junior livestock shows that I photograph aspire to attend or end up attending Texas A&M. And if they don’t, every single one of them will go to College Station numerous times for one event or the other. There are large facilities that house a ton of livestock shows throughout the summer and many flock to CS during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (The biggest livestock show in the world). Tons of ranchers and a lot of the experts in purebred beef cattle teach at a&m or live very close by.

I have envisioned a place catered to the type of atmosphere I have witnessed over the years at the end of each day or prior to the start of a lot of show days. Large families out to dinner with country style (family) style dinner plates full of massive fresh vegetables and locally sourced meats prepared the proper way. Lounge spaces and large tables where groups will see and call to each other in the room. A place to gather. A place where people walk through the door and always see someone they know. A place that feels like walking into a family member's home. 

Around the walls of Borden’s, original vintage photographs of cattle and livestock from around the world will add elegance and awe to most of the customers— as I said over the phone, I know how to get access to some of these rare images. The industry gawks every time one is digitized and posted online. To the outsiders of the ag industry the images will give off a very tasteful classic image. 

I have this idea of featuring a grand champion of one or multiple animal species from the Houston livestock show and rodeo or one of the many smaller surrounding shows to also drive in customers as well as show the restaurant's support for the youth of agriculture. 

There would be an Aggie ring dunk marketing strategy, I think Borden’s could be the place that many Aggies graduating choose to preserve their final memories as a student in college station. 

I know quite a few ranchers and companies launching in the college station area. I told you about a few investors who came to gather to start their own locally sourced cattle ranch. Their intention is to raise purebred Angus cattle to sell to local restaurants. They will also do high end events on the property where the cattle are raised. 

https://www.nextlevelimages.com

https://www.bordenstavern.com

TruFusion Studio Assessments 

West Hollywood

Signage for the studio is extremely hard to see from the road. The stickers of models exercising on the glass are peeling and deteriorating, deforming the bodies of the individuals— it is a very unpleasant sight before walking through the entry doors. I noticed the Trufusion logo sign above the door was connected to power but the GM told me he has never seen it illuminated and he leaves during dark quite often. The mesh banners from the grand opening are still hanging (Now Open & For Those Who Want It All). 

The first floor is so much lower in elevation than the street that the tv wall movement/video does not draw attention to onlookers from the outside. 

The apparel section of the store is quite large. The GM told me that sales are “Ok.” We both discussed the difficulty of selling workout apparel in the birthplace of many large active apparel companies (LA). Is there any strategy to sway members to purchase from the studio other than convenience?  Members do not have to walk by the apparel section so they must be steered to the racks. Due to the elevation differentiation, the apparel cannot be seen from the street. The stickers on the bottom half of the windows help deter the sight even more. 

Walking back towards the emergency door of the building, trash and extra items are stored out in the open. The GM seemed frustrated that it was an ongoing eye sore and members would certainly see the material every day they come to class. 

There are load bearing beams in Sweat that block vision for certain areas of the room. They seem to stick out in an area surrounded by mirrors.

The GM was not familiar with Marq (Lucid Press) or any marketing strategies currently in place to help grow the studio. He expressed that himself and the AGM strategize between themselves to help pool contacts or market areas they are familiar with (since they have a history of fitness management in the area). The GM expressed that there seems to be a disconnect between the studio and upper management. They feel like they are on their own most of the time. The GM is not happy with the growth rate of the studio. The granulation of marketing strategies and analytics are not present at TruFusion WeHo.  

Additional Challenges— 

TruFusion shares a building with a high end boutique free weight and group fitness facility. The gym is quite large and from looking into the windows you can see TRX attachments and many state of the art exercise machines. The place seemed very busy opposed to a quiet member-less TF next door during the same hour. The neighboring gym also features a rooftop pool. The price point for the gym membership according to the GM was somewhere between $250-$300/ month. There are no campaigns to help convert or supplement members from the established gym to TruFusion. 

Suggestions:

Remove the Grand Opening banner and replace with a campaign banner such as FIRST CLASS FREE. Remove the FOR THOSE WHO WANT IT ALL banner and replace it with a modality list banner I.e., BOXING, TRX or GROUP FITNESS. 

Remove all window decals of people exercising. Replace with letters across the sections of glass to read T R U F U S I O N. Each rectangle window space receives its own large letter or every other section.  Place accent lighting in sections that house a letter so that at night the panes illuminate to read TRUFUSION. 

OR

(If allowed) Instead of placing window decals of letters. Remove people working out decals and place moving screens  or multiple vertical tvs to face out at street level for promotional videos.

There is a tv facing members as they leave the studio next to the entry stairs. That TV can be catered to apparel ads, promos, or incentives for members to check out what’s in stock. Convert part of the apparel section to a lounge area for members. The gym is very much a social hour place for LA. 

The area of the studio that has trash and extra materials could use at the very minimum, a moving partition. The partition could be one on wheels or a 3 part accordion partition. 

The load bearing pillars could be wrapped in mirrors so that there's no break in the reflections— adding additional visibility to members and instructors. 

The GM and AGM should have an immediate meeting over Marq so that they may customize additional marketing content for the studio. 

-instagram stories during classes should become more mainstream and be encouraged throughout the classes. 

-the influencer program at WeHo should be the strongest in the TruFusion system. If it’s not currently in effect it should be implemented immediately. 

-the price point should be reevaluated against the shared wall competitor. 

-a strategy should be put in motion to convert the neighboring gym or supplement their workouts I.e., “Ride only membership.”

One of the things TruFusion struggles with is the “story.” No one knows what TruFusion is about— especially in the LA market. It’s missing a large education piece. Instagram ads should be flooding the area in WeHo about the individual modalities and capabilities of the studio. Extensive participation cards (punch) for members should be exhausted  to promote participation and achievement and outreach through the studio. Why would someone go to TruFusion when there’s a massive gym next door, exclusive Equinox clubs, the famous Gold’s littered throughout ect. (The “Why you should choose us” strategy development). 

Removing the window decals and implementing a powerful influencer program would be the immediate suggestions. Hosting a free model fitness shoot to film and photo content would be a great program to get some of the models in the area familiar with the studio.