Table of Contents

Mission Statement (who, what, and how (unique selling

proposition)

Market Research

Target Market

Product/Service

Competitor Analysis

Goals, Strategies, and Tactics

The 5 Ps: People, Price, Place, Product, and Promotion

Budget

Timeline/Execution

Monitoring and Evaluation

Mission Statement
Too Blessed to Be Stressed uses the art of beautification and placemaking to create healthy, safe play spaces that foster a more
connected community where children and residents can thrive and
realize their potential.

Market Research
After careful research, the board of TBBS has determined that this
organization, specifically its new gardening initiative, will fill a gap in
the urban agriculture programming already available in Washington,
DC. While there are two community gardens in Deanwood, Lederer
Youth Garden and The Greening Center, neither of these organizations
teaches residents how to grow their own food. Instead, they offer the
space for residents to have a garden plot.
As part of its garden initiative, TBBS will make value-added garden
products like tea and beauty products to offset the operating costs.
This also makes TBBS unique when compared to competitors.

Target Market
The target market for the value-added garden products will be young
people moving into the district who want to buy locally and from the
source. As the slow food movement grows in the United States, more
and more people want to know where their food comes from. This
demographic also tends to have more of a disposable income and are
willing to spend more money on handcrafted products. TBBS will
target this audience.

Product/Service
The main service that TBBS provides is the creation of beautiful green
spaces. When identifying a potential new space, TBBS works alongside
community members in a visioning process. This phase includes deep
listening and story telling so that residents can share their talents and
concerns. TBBS takes these dreams and uses them as the foundation
for project design and implementation. This phase also includes the
creation of a community asset map. Though each green space is
unique, all have the following components:

Garden
Gathering area with picnic tables and covered structure to
provide shade
Playground

Up until this point, programming has happened organically in each

space and has been dependent on community volunteers. Programs
have included bi-weekly story times, monthly movie nights, as well as
weekly knitting circles. The new phase of programming, however,
seeks to grow these programs with the addition of gardening classes
that will empower community members to grow their own food. This
program has developed in response to an overwhelming need for fresh
food. Deanwood is a food desert and only has one grocery store that
serves approximately 14,000 residents.
The gardening classes will also include a value-added component.
These products will be sold through TBBS networks to create an added
revenue stream to offset operational costs. These products will
include:

Lip balm and other beauty products

Herbal teas

Cooking classes
Homesteading classes like cheese making, canning etc.

Competitor Analysis
Since the mission of TBBS is unique to the Deanwood community,
there are few competitors. Two have been identified:
Lederer Youth Garden is a community garden in Deanwood that offers
summer programming for youth. They do not offer any value-added
products but focus more on experiential learning. Most of the youth
involved in the summer programming at Lederer Youth Garden are not
from the neighborhood.
The Greening Center is another community garden in Deanwood. Their
mission is to grow food and distribute it to neighbors. They do not
offer any programming and have struggled to connect with the
community. This means that much of the food they produce goes to
waste.
One of the main values of TBBS is to work alongside neighbors to
promote asset-based community development. These relationships
have been essential to the sustainability of our programs. This
relational priority makes TBBS unique from its competitors.
Goals, Strategies, and Tactics
1. Consulting
a. Topics will include asset-based community development,
creating green playgrounds/gathering areas, deep listening
b. One-time fee for consulting
2. Classes
a. Classes will center around homesteading topics such as:
i. Cheese-making
ii. Maintaining an urban garden
iii. Canning and freezing
iv. Medicinal herbs and other garden plants
b. First class is free for participants
c. Eventually, classes will be taught by Deanwood residents
3. Value-Added Garden Products
a. Will include teas, lip balm, body scrubs
b. Sell at farmers markets and online
c. Made by participants in Too Blessed To Be Stressed
programming
4. Advertising
a. Create online presence

i. Website
ii. Facebook
iii. Twitter
b. Sell products at various farmers markets and craft markets
5. Mobile Market
a. Buy truck to bring products to the wider DC area
b. Will have commercial kitchen where we can hold cooking
and homesteading classes

The Five Ps: People, Price, Place, Product, and

Promotion
People
Sarah Baker is the Resident Artist and Creative Programs Director.
She has over three years of experience working in the fields of garden
education and urban beautification. As the Resident Artist, she is
responsible for creating the designs for each new gather space. This
process is done in collaboration with local community members.
Kristen Erbelding is the Chief Financial Officer. She manages the
budget and looks for new revenue streams. Kristen graduated from
Georgetown with an MBA and has extensive experience in human
resources.
Rondell Pooler is the Outreach Coordinator. He was born and raised
in Deanwood and has worked in greening ventures for the last five
years. His intimate knowledge of the neighborhood is an invaluable
resource when identifying new gathering spaces. Rondell works
alongside neighbors in the visioning process. Through community
roundtables, he is able to glean the hopes and dreams for each new
space. This is then translated into a workable design.
Price
Lip Balm - $5 (bulk discount available)
Body Scrub - $7 (bulk discount available)
Consulting - $300/workshop
Classes - $25-$50 depending on materials
Place
The place changes depending on the service or product offered. All of
our classes will be held at our pilot green space called Blessed
Community Playground located in the Deanwood neighborhood. This
garden was once an abandoned lot but with the help of neighbors, we
have turned it into a beautiful space where neighbors can gather

together and where children can explore nature in a safe and fun
environment.
Blessed Community Playground has the following features:
Pavilion where neighbors can gather
Picnic tables and umbrellas
Rustic seating made with old logs
Pond
5 raised beds
2 grills
Playground
Product
Our products will include homesteading classes, garden beauty
products and teas. If the products sell well, we will diversify based on
consumer interest.
TBBS is also considering renting out the garden spaces for events such
as weddings, movie nights and other workshops.
Promotion
TBBS will consult with a local advertising firm to consider the most
effective way to promote our services and products. In the first year,
we will hire a graphic design student from American University to
create an interesting and recognizable logo, website, and other
promotion materials.

Budget

The total operating budget for TBBS is expected to be $118, 000 per
year. We will work to offset these costs with grants and other revenue
streams.
Potential Grants
KaBOOM playground grant - $15,000
WholeKids Garden Grant - $2,000
Nature Works Everywhere Garden Grant - $2,000
National Wildlife Fund - $20,000
Revenue Streams
Garden products - $3,500
Garden classes - $5,000
Consulting fees - $12,000

TBBS will also start a Kickstarter campaign and try to raise an

additional $10,000. As part of this campaign, we will identify a
matching grant or donor in order to double our funds.

Timeline/Execution
March - April
Begin applying for grants
Hire graphic design student to build our website and create logo
May
Launch website and social media campaign
Launch Kickstarter campaign
June

- September
Begin weekly workshops in the garden space
Begin to create value-added garden products
Sell weekly at farmers markets

October
Seasons End Garden Party/volunteer appreciation
November February
Hunker down during winter months to identify and apply for new
garden grants
Innovate new consulting packages

Monitoring and Evaluation

To evaluate products and services such as homesteading classes and
consulting, customer satisfaction surveys will be sent out and will be
reviewed by the board. Additionally, the board will meet bi-monthly to
evaluate TBBS programs, spending, and events as well as to identify
new revenue streams.
To evaluate the programming occurring with neighbors, TBBS will
conduct an arts-based deep listening project. Before neighbors begin
to participate in programs, they will their neighborhood and after two
months will draw a new picture of their community. These images will
be juxtaposed to see if community growth and connection occurred as
a result of programming in each space.

TBBS is also committed to develop and implement bi-monthly

community forums. These forums will be a safe place for community
members to voice their frustration and concerns.