Lynden Farm is an organic farm run and managed wholly by me. Lynden farm business entertains guests who spend nights at the farm and provides the guest with breakfast and bed to spend the night. Lynden farm was started a few years ago after brainstorming the idea with a few of my relatives and close friends. I happen to possess a degree in agriculture and my final project majored on organic farming and the advantages it offers to the environment. While brainstorming, most of my friends suggested that I start a guest house because our town was a tourist attraction place with many museums and a spectacular landscape. However, I had a great idea within myself and was convinced that whatever business I would start, it would have to incorporate what I knew most. So when the idea of starting a guest house materialized, I had to create a unique guest house that would incorporate organic farming as part of the experience for my future guests (“Guest House Business” 1). I started the guest house a few years back but I have been researching on the best ways to incorporate organic farming as part of the experiences available for my guests. A successful implementation of the idea would ensure that my guest house would the first of its kind in my town and this would help lure many tourists to spending a night at my place and possibly days too (Davies, 1).
During my research I embarked on collection of data on which my decision and implementation of an organic farm would be based. I decided to use three methods to collect primary data which included; observation, interviewing as well as administering questionnaires. Observation and interviewing was restricted to other organic farms in the town that were not necessarily guest houses. Questionnaires were posted to may hotels that housed tourists and museums to identify the types of tourists that they accommodated or entertained. Obtaining such information would help me identify the age groups of the tourists, how to modify the firm to make it attractive to the target audience as well as determine what unique features to add that would give the firm an exotic feel to the tourists. The administering of questionnaires proved to be the most challenging of the three methods chosen to collect data. When collecting data in person via interviews and observation, it was easier as I would be treated as a guest to those farms. However, with questionnaires, a majority of the questionnaires were never posted back, and for some that I delivered in person, they were never filled.
For the secondary sources of data, I went for census data, SBA data as well as a qualitative analysis of online data on successful implementation of organic farms. However, I focused on census data and SBA data. The census data proved useful in determining the tourists and the regions that the tourists came from (“Benefits of the Census” 1). It also helped me in deciding the target group for my guest house. The SBA data was invaluable in offering insight into small business. I gathered a lot of data on small businesses especially ones that majored around hotel businesses and guest housing (“starting a business” 1). I learnt of other experiences, hurdles that I had not thought of and the factors that I needed to focus on to ensure that my business established itself. The idea of photography classes to be provided additionally to the organic farm also resulted from the SBA data as I learnt of many small businesses that had incorporated the idea successfully in their businesses.
Works Cited
“Benefits of the Census” Census 2011 April 10: Make your mark, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014
Davies, Jeremy. Property: Give it all up to run a guest house. The Independent. 17 may 1998. Web. 3 Dec. 2014
“organic Farming” Soil Association; healthy soil, healthy people, healthy planet, n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2014
“Starting Your Own Guest House Business” Startupbizhub, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014
“Thinking about starting a business?” SBA: U.S Small Business Administration, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014
“What is organic farming?” AGRICULTURAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Organic farming, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014
