Final Project

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Avocadough, Ms. Tracie Long
New York Management Core (NYMC)
Ali D Larijani, Paula Vallina, Gabriele Miranda, Louis Ghanem, Alyssa J. Ford

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Dear Ms. Long (Avocadough),
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for
New York Management Core. We greatly appreciate the opportunity you gave us to be a part
of your company, this allowed us to gain a comprehensive understanding of your industry
and issues faced by startup companies. We understand that it can be difficult having outsiders
come in to your workplace and take a very critical point of view of everything your do. For
that, we thank you for being understanding and welcoming. As much as the engagement is us
working with you to find functional areas in need of development, your company and
yourself has taught our team as much as we have helped you.
We hope that these recommendations greatly help you take your business to the next
level. Our hope is that in the future, when we come back and check in, your company can still
use the tools our engagement team has provided to continuously grow and expand your
business. With our focus on those areas of your company in need of the most development,
we hope that one day, Avocadough will be ‘unfortunate’ enough to have the issue of growing
too fast.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or information you may need. We
look forward to hearing how the company grows.
Regards,
New York Management Core (NYMC)
Ali D. Larijani ____________________________
Paula Vallina ____________________________
Alyssa J. Ford ____________________________
Gabriele Miranda ____________________________
Louis Ghanem ____________________________

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Summary:
April 23, 2015
Re: Emerging Enterprises Consulting Engagement
Dear Ms. Long,
NYMC would first like to thank you for participating and supporting the Emerging
Enterprises Consulting course. Our goal from the beginning was to focus on enhancing and
contributing the growth and sustainability of Avocadough while also making this unique
experience smooth and rewarding for both sides. We look forward to working with you and
using our time together to gain knowledge and experience with working with a small start-up.
From our research, we understand that Avocadough’s focus is making baked goods using
avocados as the primary dough bass. The competitive advantage here is focusing on making
healthy baked goods while also keeping the delicious flavors of the products. Currently,
Avocadough faces the challenges of staying financially stable, enhancing brand awareness
through digital media outlets, obtaining proper packaging, and obtaining proper standardized
nutritional facts. However, you have already successfully entered various restaurants and
shops while developing strong client relationships. We believe our focus should be on
enhancing your company’s presence in order to penetrate larger outlets.
In the Emerging Enterprises Consulting course, the main focus is to develop tangible
deliverables for you to use. Over the course of the semester, we will be working closely with
you to gain further insight into you and your company. The first step will be to establish your
main needs and determine what can be realistically done within the two months we have

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together. To help us understand your current situation and set our priorities, we will be using
the Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Model.
We have established four deliverables we plan to develop and implement during our time
together:
1. Establish a line of credit to make Avocadough more financially sustainable.
2. Develop a strong digital media plan through social media to increase brand awareness.
3. Obtain proper packaging in order to keep Avocadough’s fresh for a longer amount of time.
4. Obtain standardized product nutritional facts to enhance the professionalism of
Avocadough to help penetrate new markets.
The goal here is that we work closely with you to produce solutions for you to implement as
quickly as possible to improve operations while also helping you understand critical needs to
support a strong business.
Our main goal is to understand and serve your needs and build a transparent relationship with
you. One of the main foundations of the EEC course is to build a strong, mutual relationship
where both parties benefit equally. Our main requirement is your time. It is crucial that we
meet at least once a week for a minimum of two hours over the next two months. We
understand your time valuable and we will be flexible in order to meet your schedule. It is
also crucial that we become heavily incorporated into your business. In order to do this, we
need access to your records, bookkeeping information, costs, and other aspects of your
business for us to do our job to the best of our ability. This information will also be shared
with us and only us as we understand that this information is strictly confidential to only us
and you.

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Our engagement will last until August 23, 2015. Our team will meet regularly every week
and with Professor Tihic as he will be working closely with us to facilitate and help us in any
way he deems fit.
Throughout our time together, we will work closely with you to develop and implement the
deliverables as our engagement unfolds throughout the semester. A final presentation will be
made to you, faculty, and the rest of the EEC class. The presentation and final report will
cover the primary deliverables of the consulting engagement.
We look forward to working with you and make this experience a truly memorable and
rewarding one. Thank you again for your time and support. Please feel free to contact us with
any questions or concerns if they arise.

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Table of Contents
Case Analysis……………………………………………………………………8
CIE SupportModel……………………………………………………………...9
The Entrepreneur………………………………………….…………...9
The Business Concept…………………………………………………10
The Opportunity……………………………………………………....12
Internal Infrastructure………………………………………………...13
Marketing Effort………………………………………………………14
Company Financials………………………………………………….16
External Network...................................................................................17
Deliverable Introduction……………………………………………………….19
Deliverable 1: Financing – Line of Credit……………………………………..20
Current situation…………………………………………………………….20
Recommendation……………………………………………………...20
What to do after……………………………………………………….22
Deliverable 2: Standardize ProductNutritional Facts…………………………23
Background…………………………………………………………...23
Market Demographic…………………………………………………23
The Contact…………………………………………………………...25
Implementation……………………………………………………….25
Sustainability…………………………………………………………26
Deliverable 3: Obtain Proper Packaging……………………………………....27
Background…………………………………………………………...27
Recommendation…...............................................................................27
Benefits………………………………………………………………..28
Deliverable 4: Strategic Plan…………………………………………………..30
Major Retailers……………………………………………………….30
Future Company Culture……………………………………………..30

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Digital Marketing Plan..................................................................…...31
Website……………………………………………………………..…32
Recommendations………………………………………………………….…..34
What We Learned……………………………………………………………...35
Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………..37
Appendix 2……………………………………………………………………..39
Appendix 3……………………………………………………………………..50
Appendix 4……………………………………………………………………..52
Appendix 5……………………………………………………………………..53
Appendix 6……………………………………………………………………..56
Appendix 7……………………………………………………………………..57

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Case Analysis
Avocadough is a baked goods company that was established in March 2014 by
founder, Tracie L. Long. Residing in Camillus, NY, Tracie bakes her healthy alternatives in a
local church, where she is able to adequately keep up with demand. Though the company has
managed to market their products through trade shows, small stores and gyms, and social
media, Avocadough has hit a plateau and has just managed to break even.
Along with a limited reach to the CNY area, Tracie personally funds Avocadough
with no outside investors or loans. This has inevitably led to a cap on potential growth as well
as a strain on Tracie’s personal account. Lack of funds has also caused two other issues for
the company including the absence of standardized product nutrition labels and adequate
packaging. Avocadough shows a lack of nutritional facts, this is a major downfall as the
companies target demographic is a ‘health/fit conscious’ customer. Due to the ingredients
used in each baked good, with the current packaging Avocadough uses, each product only has
a shelf life of about 10 days. Both of these issues have prevented the company from moving
into larger retailers.
These issues target four major areas of the company including finance, nutrition,
distribution, and marketing. The New York Management Core will be providing Tracie with
connections to better assist with marketing and reaching her target audience and in creating
nutrition labels for her products. The team will also assist with providing and implementing
alternatives for personal financing of the company along with more organized financials.
The New York Management Core strongly believes that these deliverables will enable
Avocadough to gain the expansion and growth it desires.

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CIE Support Model
The Entrepreneur:
Tracie Long is a middle-aged self-made entrepreneur residing in the city of Camillus.
Tracie’s motivation to start a company like Avocadough came after the passing of her father.
Due to a family history of cardiovascular problems, Tracie has taken it upon herself to
maintain a physically fit and heart friendly lifestyle. Combined with Tracie’s love of baking,
she started Avocadough in 2014.
Ms. Long is a wife and mother of 4. Both Mr and Ms Long work full time positions. Mr.
Long is self-employed and works in financial planning, annuity’s, and life insurance. Since
Mr. Long has a successful sustaining business. Due to this, the Long family welfare is not
based on the success of Avocadough. Tracie is also the sole owner of the company with no
family members or friends having any stake.
Tracie went to Hudson Valley Community College where she was studying respiratory
therapy. After a year and a half Tracie left shy of a few credits for a degree. Tracie left to
work for Travelers Insurance as a claims representative. Ms. Long had started Avocadough
while still working for Travelers and continues to be in a contractual agreement with
Travelers until June of 2015.
After NYMC’s background research on the client, we believe that Tracie is very adamant
about her company and believes in Avocadough’s success. After starting the business from
scratch, Tracie has completed many projects bootstrapping. Ms. Long has shown a very
professional and yet emotional touch to her company.
With proper market expansion and Ms. Long’s customer service skills and culinary skills,
Avocadough is looking to expand to become a national product. Tracie’s main goal is to
bring her products out to a national market so that everyone could have the opportunity for a
healthier alternative.
Tacie spends her week at the current time doing 4 major things. 2 days a week (Monday,
Wednesday) Tracie devoted to production and packaging of her products. She spends roughly
anywhere from 5-8 hours a day on average, mainly depending on the order sizes. Another 2
days (Tuesday, Friday) are devoted to delivering her products to Avocadough’s retailers. This
consists of a few stores within the local area. During this time Tracie also spends time
speaking with clients. This is where we see a major skill set with Tracie is speaking with
clients. Another major skillset of Tracie is her networking. Usually one day a week
(Thursday), sometimes more, Tracie devotes to attending marketing events. Any extra time
Tracie has left is spent with her family.

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The Business Concept:
Avocadough offers a variety of avocado based baked goods that are separated into four
categories: cookies, bars, diet specific and seasonal. The cookie section includes classics such
as chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies with walnuts or pecans, white chocolate
macadamia nuts and double chocolate chip cookies. They also offer more creative cookies
such as chocolate chip with cocao nibs, ginger, oatmeal raisins, almond white chocolate with
cranberries cookies and chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. The bars include fudge
brownies, frosted fudge brownies and chocolate raspberry oatmeal bars. The diet specific
section is for individuals with any dietary restriction such as gluten free and vegan. Those
include gluten free oatmeal raisin, vegan chocolate chip cookies, gluten free chocolate chip,
vegan gluten free double fudge brownies and vegan gluten free chocolate raspberry oat bars.
Finally, some of the seasonal products that they offer are pumpkin spice muffins, molasses
cookies, pecan pie bars and graham milk chocolate and marshmallow cookies.
Cookies Bars Diet Specific Seasonal
chip
chocolate
Fudge brownies Gluten free oatmeal
raisin
Graham, milk
chocolate and
marshmallow cookie
chocolate chip with
walnuts
Frosted fudge
brownies
vegan chocolate
chip cookies
Pecan pie bars
chocolate chip with
pecans
Chocolate
raspberry
oatmeal bars
gluten free
chocolate chip
Molasses cookies
chocolate chip with
cacao nibs
vegan, gluten free
double fudge
brownies
Pumpkin spice muffins
Tracie Long's Time Allocation
Production
Distribution
Networking
Family

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chocolate
chocolate chip
vegan gluten free
chocolate raspberry
oat bars
chocolate peanut
butter chip
ginger
oatmeal raisins
almond, white
chocolate with
cranberries
white chocolate
macadamia nuts
The products are packaged in a variety of ways such as plastic packaging and party platters.
All have the Avocadough trademarked logo on them, usually in the center. See below for
example.
In current time, Avocadough is sold throughout the Syracuse area but the owner, Tracie,
wishes to expand her geographical market to other health conscious states such as California
and Colorado.
Because Avocadough offers premium products and is the only avocado based baked good in
the American market, the prices are higher than mainstream baked goods. Besides their
differentiation in the product itself, one of the unique aspects of this venture that allows them
to be premium priced products are the sales and networking skills of the business owner
Tracie Long. As an extremely personable and charismatic individual, she delivers her own
products, which allows her to form business-client relationships. Another unique factor is that
these treats have less cholesterol, low saturated fat, no trans fat and higher fiber in order to
promote healthy eating.
However, although the prices are considered high, the volumes of the products sold are
relatively low. This is how the business makes its money, with high margins and low
volumes.

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The Opportunity
There is a large opportunity for Avocadough in the healthy food industry there are currently
very few tasty vegan and gluten free baked goods on the market. The forces that inevitably
created this opportunity is the fact that the company owner’s family has a history of heart
conditions, causing the owner to want to create a dessert that would be healthy and more
nutritious. There are many people across the country who have these same issues, gluten
allergies, and people who are constantly striving to have a healthier lifestyle. Thus, having a
baked good that is gluten free and extremely healthy in the market is very necessary for this
particular market. A few success factors that Tracie Long already managed to capitalize thus
far on included marketing towards the diet and health conscious and getting into local
Syracuse stores such as Natur-Tyme, J&J Pizza, NY Deli and Cafe Kubal. However, to
maximize success, Avocadough’s products need to make their way into major grocery stores
such as Wegmens and Whole Foods, which will increase both credibility and sales of its
products.
There are several barriers to entry for this company. The first is that Avocadough’s website
does not have a shopping cart where people can shop online, limiting accesibility to the
products. The next barrier to entry is that the shelf life for Avocadough’s products are limited
to ten days. This becomes a problem when it comes to getting into different stores because
many grocery stores require a longer shelf life for products that they carry. One of the last
barriers to entry is that Avocadough’s products lack nutritional facts. This is especially
problematic because health conscious people tend to look at nutritional facts before buying or
eating anything. Currently, competitors have the advantage in areas of size and packaging. It
is also extremely difficult to find out where the competitors get their packaging. On another
note, due to the fact that many of her Avocadough’s competitors are extremely large, if
Tracie Long were to patent her process, the process would be shown to competitors and they
could easily copy it and buy her out. Fortunately for Avocadough, though her competitors
surpass in many aspects, their products do not have a mass college appeal like Avocadough
does.
To better help expand the company and fill future orders, Tracie Long is looking to hire
interns to assist with things such as packaging and delivery. In the future, she will be then
looking to find interns who have skills in cooking to assist with the baking of products. She
will have to train these interns in her baking process for each product. Avocadough is
inevitably looking to scale upwards and expand its reach to health conscious places such as
California, Colorado, and Vermont.
Below is a table outlining the ‘moment of truth’ for Ms. Long’s clients. This is the point
where Avocadough’s customer will make a judgment about Ms. Long and her business
practices.

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Internal Infrastructure
Ms. Long currently produces her baked goods at St. Ann’s Church in Northern Syracuse
although her office is in her home. The kitchen facility has a food processor and two ovens
that allow Ms. Long to produce up to 250 goods per week. She is charged by the day, not by
the hour. This allows Ms. Long to save hundreds of dollars. She is the only employee of
Avocadough, however she is looking to hire someone to take over the responsibility of
deliveries. She currently does deliveries in her own car and does not have a company van.
Ms. Long received her LLC for Avocadough in March of 2014. She currently keeps all of her
records in her home office. She has no official database, only files and records of
information. Ms. Long currently uses Quickbooks to do her accounting and budgeting and is
looking into receiving some further insights on how to use Quickbooks more effectively.
Avocadough currently has an in depth website detailing all of the baked goods Avocadough
Momentof Truth
1. Promotional Material
a. BusinessCard
b. PostCard
c. Website
2. OrderContact
a. Customerwill contactMs. Longthrough email
3. ‘Word of Mouth’
a. How the clientperceivesMs.Longfrom otherclients
4. Pick-Up
a. The pointwhenMs. Long makesherdeliveryandspeakswith
the customer
5. MarketingEvents
a. Ms. Long attendingdifferentmarketingevents
6. Receiptof Invoice
a. Agreedupondate foraccounts receivableof Ms.Long
b. Punctualityof invoice,time of arrival
7. Follow-Up
a. The customersreactionto the products
b. Re-supplyof the products

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has to offer and the history of the business. Ms. Long will be looking to partner with Pay Pal
in order to offer online ordering.
Operational Flow Chart
Order emailed to Ms. Long over email
Ms. Long accepts or declines the order
depending on quantity and date needed
Takes Ms. Long a day to bake the orders
Ms. Long delivers the products to customers
Networks with customer on delivery
Follow-up to see how product sale went,
as well as any re-supply
Marketing Effort
Ms. Long has positioned Avocadough in a very niche market segment. The company is aimed
at adults and children with a health conscious mind set. Specifically females around the age
of 30 to 50. This demographic would be individuals in the upper middle class income range
that are interested in a better quality snack product. Avocadough also focuses on a consumer
who has had cardiovascular problems or is physically fit and like to enjoy a snack post-
workout.
Avocadough’s brand is very bold and memorable. Through primary research NYMC was
able to find out that the average consumer who has seen Ms. Long’s product once will
continue to remember it. The distinctive bright green avocado is a landmark logo for
individuals who have seen the product before. Avocadough’s name also stands out. Since the
core concept of the company is to use an avocado based dough the name makes the consumer
understand the product.
Ms. Long has utilized bootstrapping methods when it comes to advertising and promotion of
the company. Through multiple free networking events she was able to set up a very strong
network of business professionals that also act as advisors to Ms. Long and Avocadough.
Various magazines have featured Ms. Long or her company and that has increased her social
media presence. Avocadough also does co-op projects with her retailers, such as Urban Life
Athletics, in order to increase her market exposure. Ms. Long has been very successful in

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marketing her products and logo to various companies and consumers. She has a very strong
networking skill and is able to build relationships with different people.
The current marketing channels that Avocadough utilizes is wholesaling to retailers that order
through email. NYMC is working with Ms. Long to open up more marketing channels.
Through primary research we were able to determine that dough distribution to food service
companies can bring in more revenue. Also, with the implementation of the online cart
coming out on Avocadough’s website Ms. Long will start to see a spike in purchases.
Through consumer research we’ve seen that many individuals wish to make a purchase
through Avocadough’s site, but don’t know how. The online-cart will change that and bring
in more orders. Avocadough is currently distributing it’s products to various consumers in
and around the Syracuse, NY area. These retailers are:
Natur-Tyme, Urban Life Athletics, Green Planet Grocery Cicero, J&J Pizza & NY
Deli, Edge Strength Conditioning, Bike Loft North, Broadway Cafe & Arctic Island,
Green Planet Groceries, Lofo - Love Food.
The pricing structure for Avocadough’s products are high margin revenue with medium
volume sales. Avocadough’s products are prices at the competitive market price allowing Ms.
Long to have a fair advantage with other products in the same category. For example if we
take two products from Avocadough’s product mix we will be able to see the margin which it
gets priced at.
Cranberry Almond Cookies: This product costs Ms. Long about $0.55 cents to make.
It is then wholesaled to the retailer at $1.92, this is a $1.37 mark up for Ms. Long. Ms.
Long makes a 70% gross profit on her mark up. The retailer then resells the product
for $2.75 to $3.75 depending on the retailer.
Brownie: Ms. Long produces her brownies at about the same price as the Cranberry
Almond Cookie, $0.55 cents. The product is then wholesaled at $1.35 to the retail,
this is a 60% gross profit on her mark up of $0.80 cents. The brownie is then resold by
the retailer at $2.50 to $3.95 based on the retailer.
Ms. Long constantly is looking at her competitors within the business in order to determine
how her company compares. With the utilization of IBIS industry reports and various
research done by NYMC, Ms. Long is able to structure her company competitively compared
to competitors. Currently the only local competitor Ms. Long has is a company called Hunka.
After looking at Hunka, NYMC with Ms. Long determined that their market share is quite
small. Hunka does not have a strong social media presence and does not distribute too many
retailers. Currently, Avocadough is the only avocado based baked good in the US. Ms. Long
was able to determine that through a search with the Small Business Association (SBA).
Ms. Long does not do any customer screening at the current moment. If an order is large
enough and within a reasonable geographical area Ms. Long will distribute the product
herself. Ms. Long will even ship the product to the consumer as well depending on the order
amount. Avocadough’s retailers work on a pay on delivery basis for in-person deliveries.
Natur Type however runs late when payment is needed. Most companies are given an invoice
and sign the invoice to indicate they have received the order. This lowers risk for
Avocadough for bad debt.

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Avocadough’s customer buying habits and process consists of: determining the
products which they wish to purchase through Avocadough’s product mix online. The
customer then contact’s Ms. Long to fill out an order request. After the order has been
accepted and filled the customer will meet with Ms. Long on delivery. If the customer
(retailer) liked the product and their customers purchased it, then the customer will re-
contact Ms. Long for another order. Avocadough customer’s current trend is to
increase the order amount with each purchase. Through financial research we have
seen Ms. Long’s customers increasing their order amount monthly.
Company Financials
Avocadough’s financials are being recorded on QuickBooks Intuit program. This allows
people developing small businesses to input their financials at a fraction of the cost of
utilizing an accounting firm. Ms. Long records all her purchases, invoices, product costs, and
so on into QuickBooks. QuickBooks is a user friendly platform that allows various inputs to
be logged in as well as invoices to be sent to other companies. It also has a accounts
receivables section that allows the customer to properly asses the timeliness of when a
customer pays for their purchase. Ms. Long has never dealt with a customer who hasn’t paid
on time except for one current retailer. However, that retailer always ends up paying just a
little later than the date requested.
The costing structure of Avocadough is highly variable at the current moment. Ms. Long
spends most of her fixed cost expenses on advertising and promotion as well as any
professional fees or internet fees. Her rent is very minimal and is on a use basis, instead of by
month. Ms. Avocadough’s variable expenses however are quite high, due to the specialty of
the products.
The breakeven point for Avocadough has not been obtained yet. In order for a break even to
be calculated each product would need to be broken down by ingredient. Each ingredient
would then need to be divided by the amount of the average purchase of that ingredient. Then
you would need to multiply that price by the average amount it costs to purchase that
ingredient from the store.
Ms. Long has no proper cash flow charts to determine what the company is actually bringing
in. An income statement determines what the company has brought in and spent money on,
however income statements usually come out positive while a cash flow takes in other figures
and can come out negative.
Ms. Long doesn’t have a background in finance. NYMC had to revise a few of Avocadough’s
transactions due to misread figures. Ms. Long either needs to go through training to properly
input her financials or a professional needs to come in and properly asses her figures on a
monthly basis. Due to Ms. Long’s strong networking and baking skills NYMC believes the
best suit for her would be to obtain a professional firm to help her with Avocadough’s
financials.
Through proper assessment of Avocadough’s records, NYMC will be able to perform proper
benchmarking ratios for the company. After assessing the company’s revenues, Avocadough

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has seen a compounded monthly growth rate of ~50%. As sales have increased at a high
scale, Ms. Long has decreased variable expense by buying non-perishable items in bulk. Most
of Ms. Long’s fixed expense goes into marketing, which helps drive sales up.
External Network
Avocadough’s current supplier is Regional Access located in Ithica, NY. Ms. Long is in
contact with Hillcrest suppliers based out of Saratoga Springs. However, this supplier
does not offer a competitive pricing structure compared to her current supplier. Ms.
Long will also go to grocery stores for purchasing certain supplies. Through experience
Ms. Long noticed that grocers like Wegmans will offer a lower price than her current
suppliers. The only problem with this is that through her suppliers all her purchases are
delivered to her door. This also allows for Ms. Long to spend more time on other tasks of
the company.
For any legal advice Ms. Long works with a firm called Hancock Estabrook, LLP. At
Hancock Estabrook there are two lawyers that work for Avocadough. Ms. Long has both
an intellectual property lawyer for patenting, trademarking, and any other help she
needs. Ms. Long also works with a corporate lawyer who helped Avocadough become
and LLP as well as help Ms. Long with any consulting advice she needs.
Avocadough currently does all it’s banking through SEFCU a credit union firm that
operates in the CNY area. The reason Ms. Long decided to go with SEFCU is because her
family’s personal accounts are with the firm. However, Ms. Long is not happy with her
current business banker. SEFCU is also based out of Albany, NY. Ms. Long is working
with NYMC and currently in the process of obtaining a micro loan from Cooperative
Credit Union. Ms. Long, with NYMC’s support, believes that moving her finances into
CCU would be more beneficial for Avocadough since they are also based out of Syracuse.
Distribution of Ms. Long’s products are all done by her. NYMC is working with Ms. Long
in identifying a proper packager and distributor for Avocadough. At the current moment
NYMC is in contact with Perimeter Brand Packaging to identify the proper channels for
Avocadough to go through.
All of Avocadough’s accounting recording is done by Ms. Long on QuickBooks Intuit
program. This is a very user friendly program that lets Ms. Long input her financials in a
basic process. With market expansion and an increase in revenue, Ms. Long will be
looking for an employee to come on and work on Avocadough’s financials or Ms. Long
will be looking into proper accounting firms to take care of the work as this is not Ms.
Long’s strong suit. For tax work Avocadough deals with Morrison Tax Service. This is
both Ms. Long’s personal tax person as well as business. Morrison Tax Service has
advised Ms. Long on other opportunities free of charge.
Ms. Long works with other advisors as well. Her mentor, Peter Hess a successful
entrepreneur and CEO, has helped Ms. Long with any information within building a business
that she was confused with. Ms. Long also has advisors within WISE, Women Succeeding in
Entrepreneurship, as well as South Side Innovation Center.

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Avocadough has utilized many sources for free publicity and cheap advertising. Ms. Long
has been in Syracuse New Times, Baked Magazine, Women of Syracuse, as well as on Citrus
TV. Avocadough’s social media sites are also very successful. The companies Facebook
page has over 800 likes and continues to grow. Ms. Long is constantly using her social media
pages to implement promotions and giveaways as well as promote her companies name.

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Deliverables
Introduction
Through the use of our support model outlined above, NYMC has identified four
functional areas of the business that we believe are in need of the most development:
financing – line of credit, nutritional facts, product packaging, as well as a strategic plan
established for future growth.
In identifying the deliverables, our consulting team has considered various factors that
could potentially impact the business in a positive or negative way. Each deliverable is
assessed and rated based on a cost/benefit relationship upon implementation, as well as
sustainability of that deliverable into the future. After having identified each deliverable with
Ms. Long prior, NYMC feels confident that we have provided the tools necessary for
Avocadough to succeed.
Avocadough continues to expand through Ms. Long’s business practices. These tools
provided by NYMC are built to make sure that growth is sustained. If properly implemented
and monitored, Avocadough will increase its retailers and increase the amount of revenue the
company brings in.

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Deliverable 1: Financing – Line of Credit
Obtaining financing sources, or a line of credit, through various channels in order to
increase production, workforce, and help expand into major retailers.
Current Situation
Avocadough started through self-financing by Ms. Tracie Long. This has been a strain
on Ms. Long’s personal life; being a wife and mother of four Tracie needs to keep her
personal finances separated from her company. Mr. Long is unable to solely carry their
family in the current state of comfort they have been accustomed to. Ms. Long is also unable
to personally finance her company anymore, due to reasons with her previous employer.
Obtaining additional financing, a company needs to have proper financials.
Avocadough’s financials are currently being inputted into QuickBooks program called Intuit.
This program is primarily suited for individuals as well as small business owners, making it a
key attribute to Ms. Long’s financials. However, after being reviewed by our team we noticed
there were multiple areas within the financial statements that were inaccurately done.
Ms. Long continues to show charisma and is continually active within her company.
This includes entering Avocadough into multiple business plan competitions. By entering
into business plan competitions Ms. Long has been able to obtain a large network of
individuals to help her as well as the experience these competitions give an aspiring
entrepreneur.
Recommendations
There are various ways for a company to obtain proper financing. They could go to a
bank and obtain a business loan, seek out angel investors and offer equity, and many more.
NYMC believes that Avocadough should seek two forms of financing, a line of credit that
can be obtained through Cooperative Credit Union, as well as obtaining funding from
winning business plan competitions.
Cooperative Credit Union offers business loans to local small businesses in the
Syracuse area. These loans can be taken out as a line of credit, term loan, business home
equity, and a commercial real estate loan. Avocadough however is looking for a line of credit.

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This line of credit will be for the sum of $20,000 to $30,000 depending on the amount
Avocadough wishes to take out. NYMC has already presented Avocadough with the proper
documentation for this process. There are two main requirements in order to obtain the line of
credit. Avocadough needs to have proper financials as well as a proper business plan. NYMC
has gone through Avocadough’s financials and changed any improper inputs that were done
[Appendix 1: Financials]. Our financial experts have also gone through and calculated any
proper financial ratios that Ms. Long can use when presenting her information to the bank,
this includes things like the compounded annual revenue growth rate and Avocadough’s
gross profit margin. After editing the financials NYMC had to work on updating and editing
Avocadough’s business plan [Appendix 2: Business plan]. This task took the entire team to
split up each section and re-edit her plan with Avocadough’s current stance as well as where
the company will be going in the future. The company’s business plan is vital to have. A
company with a strong business plan will never lose track of where their company is going.
Once Cooperative Credit Union has gone through and reviewed Avocadough’s information,
NYMC is sure that Avocadough will obtain a line of credit through them. However, there
should always be a backup choice.
NYMC believes that in the situation that funding through Cooperative Credit Union
does not work out, Avocadough should obtain funding through business plan competitions.
Ms. Long has shown she has the presentation skills of a true public speaker and that she
knows her company very well. Ms. Long has already entered into various competitions. Her
most recent competition InnovateHer by the Small Business Administration (SBA) has
shown to be a success. Ms. Long was required to pitch her competition to a panel of judges
and she was very successful in this. This has led her to go into the competitions next round
where out of all the regional finalists (approx. 120), 10 will be chosen based on the business
plan alone. Those 10 will then go to DC to pitch their business to a panel of judges where
Avocadough could be in the run for a $30,000 purse split between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Ms. Long
should continue to apply to various business plan competitions. A good resource,
www.bizplancompetitions.com, provides users with various business plan competitions that
range from various requirements, geographical locations, and prize pools. Business plan
competitions are a hassle free way of obtaining capital for a company with no equity given
up. Business plan competitions also offer a good network of individuals to meet. A great
example of a strong business plan competition is Cartier Women’s Initiative award.
Avocadough has fulfilled all the requirements to enter into this competition. For more

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information on the competition feel free to visit their site at,
www.cartierwomensinitiative.com.
What to do after
Proper financing is key for any business to grow. With enough capital a company can
expand various parts of their business segments. Avocadough needs to spend their extra
capital on growing the increasing the company’s workforce. Bringing on new employees will
help the company produce more products and will give Ms. Long more time to work with
current clients and obtain new retailers to sell her product in. The extra capital can also go to
improving the company’s current packaging options. Proper packaging brings in major
retailers, Avocadough’s current packaging does not have the suitable lifespan required to be
shipped to national retailers. Proper packaging is explained in deliverable number 3.
Avocadough should also look into bringing on a proper accountant. Financials are a key part
of a business and Ms. Long has multiple strengths within her business, however her financials
are not as strong as an experts. Improper financials can show an inflow of cash when the
company might be losing money. Through proper capital management Avocadough will be
able to utilize the company’s finances to see market expansion and sales growth.

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Deliverable 2: Standardize Product Nutritional Facts
By providing proper nutritional facts, Avocadough will see a spike in their target customer
demographic, as well as be able to acquire major retailers.
Background
Health foods acquired a high level of importance in the society and it mainly
happened because of the obesity statics showed in the last years. This is a concern among
people from all over the world and the health food industry has taken an important space in
the food industry in general. If you look for nutritional information on the internet, you will
be guided to look up for the product’s package and see the amount of protein, carbohydrate,
and general information to compare with what a typical person is supposed to ingest daily.
Most of them come with an announcement saying the amount of calories per package and
they try to make very clear that their products are lower in calories. From this, we may
conclude that this type of information on the packaging of any product that wants to be in the
competitive health range of foods is highly valued.
It came up to Avocadough’s products because the only information was in the
website, that is not quantitative due to not saying its nutrition facts neither easily accessible
due to not having this by hand. Following this, the idea of putting Avocadough’s product in
major retailers came up, but it didn’t have the correct packaging and information about the
goods. After these notifications, NYMC decided that was vital to have nutrition facts.
Market Demographic
Even though health food has been a phenomenon among all the world, it has a
specific group that is the most interested in buying those. This selected group composes
bodybuilding, individuals that practice a healthy lifestyle, and those who are trying to lose or
maintain their weight. These people research and usually already know which components

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they are looking for. They will not consume a product only because it states it is healthier, or
for the amount of calories that comes written in the package. This consumer would look for
the information that the product presents on their nutritional facts, not their marketing
information. It is normal to have misleading information labeled on the package so
consumers nowadays require a product to have factual nutritional facts. This group also has
different goals. For example, bodybuilding usually has a diet based on the amount of protein
they consume, so they would rather chose the Avocadough’s snack with the highest amount
of protein and lowest amount of fat. The marketing of having these information is not limited
by the information, but also when those people find a very interesting healthy snack, they
usually share by social media and by talking with people close to them too.
It doesn’t stop with health conscious people, it also comes for those who are
beginning a physically fit or heart friendly lifestyle listed above, or even for normal people
that want to try something new. People who just heard about Avocadough know that it is part
of the health food industry, but they don’t know anything about the product, so the
attractiveness is the good nutritional facts it comes with. New customers are seeking
information on the package that matches with the instructions they are following from their
nutritionist, books, or the internet and the nutrition facts conduce, indicate and make them
buy that product to give a chance for this new product.
People with diseases/allergies need to carefully pay attention to certain ingredients in
Avocadough’s products and be certain the nutritional information is accurate. Some people
need to control the amount of sugar and cholesterol they consume and it’s bigger and even
more common when allergies are mentioned. People are allergic to a lot of different
substances and they may avoid buying products without all these information to protect their
health.

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The Contact
For all those reasons and for recognizing the importance of applying this to the
product, NYMC contacted Syracuse University’s nutrition department and saw a great
opportunity to have a cheap, high quality, and easy access to the nutrition facts to
Avocadough’s products. NYMC got in touch with one of the professors of the schools
nutrition department. NYMC was aware that only the head of the department would allow
non-nutrition students to do this work. A meeting was scheduled with Kay Stearns Bruening,
program director, NYMC partnered and obtained nutritional facts at no cost for the company
[Appendix 3: Nutritional Facts] [Appendix 4: Ms. Bruening contact information] .
Ms. Long, NYMC, and Dr. Bruening met one afternoon in Sims Hall, where the
nutrition department is located, properly analyzed and evaluated the nutrional information of
each product with proper instruction from Dr. Bruening to certify all the nutrition facts were
being correctly searched and applied. After a whole afternoon of group work and due to all
the cooperation of the director, all the nutrition facts of Avocadough’s recipes were
successfully made.
As a great addition, the head of the department asked for a picture with Tracie, the
owner of Avocadough, to show how the department has been helping small local businesses.
This was a great and free promotion for Avocadough to have a visible connection with
Syracuse University, insure the quality of the nutritional facts, and a free and important
marketing to Syracuse students and also residents for the area around Syracuse.
Implementation
Once Avocadough has its nutritional facts, this will allow Ms. Long to implement the
information onto her products packaging. Avocadough will have a better brand name for

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being healthy, with all its properties and ingredients well described which will certainly give
more credibility for this products conceptions.
This information will allow the product to reach different retailers and customers with
their own objectives and necessities. The company will be allow to enter in markets that have
the necessity to show this information to consumers. Another possibility is the hospital
sector. A lot of components of Avocadough are extremely good for people who need to take
care of their health. Avocado, the main ingredient present in all the recipes, is a heart-friendly
and lower fat substitute to current doughs.
The marketing from the nutritional facts also works with social media. It is a great
way to promote from the internet once the product’s information is available in flyers,
Facebook, Instagram, and all the media outlets Avocadough has to promote its products. With
this easy information, the product gains more visibility from the customers.
Sustainability
Concluding this deliverable, the project was even more successful because a contact
was established between Avocadough and Dr. Bruening. Tracie is allowed to come back to
Bruening’s office to visit the computer lab that has the program which NYMC used to
develop the nutritional facts. The program is very simple to use making it easy for Ms. Long
to visit the computer lab at any time.

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Deliverable 3: Obtaining Proper Packaging
Determining the best packaging for Avocadough’s products to give the company the longest
shelf life possible while also gaining a marketing tool to enter new markets.
Background
During our meetings with Ms. Long, she explained that the majority of her ingredients
were all natural as to make her products as healthy as possible. She also uses basic plastic
containers to store and send her products to consumers or shops. The issue with this is that
organic ingredients expire twice as fast as food products with preservatives. Furthermore, the
plastic containers Ms. Long currently uses do not preserve her products past a seven to ten
day shelf life. After beginning Avocadough in July of 2014, Ms. Long has not had the
resources to get better packaging to obtain a longer shelf life. Ms. Long also understands that
if Avocadough has a chance of entering major retailers such as a Wegman’s or a Trader
Joe’s, the shelf life of the product needs to be longer than seven to ten days.
Tracie Long currently spends two days a week preparing and baking her products and
two days a week delivering these products to either consumers directly or to shops that buy in
bulk from her. Tracie loses a day of freshness from the time she bakes the goods and when
she delivers her products. If Tracie would like to keep her weekly schedule the same, it would
be essential for her to get better packaging to preserve the products for a longer period of
time.
Recommendation
The current packaging Tracie has for her Avocadough products is not the proper
packaging major retailers want to see of potential business partners. We believe that
obtaining new and more effective packaging is essential to help Avocadough grow as a
business. Our team researched potential companies that can help Avocadough get better
packaging to preserve the products better.

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Our criteria for finding Ms. Long a packaging company was affordability, appealing,
and effectiveness of the packages. Competitor products last for months giving them a clear
competitive advantage over Avocadough. The current design of the packaging is also very
dull and lacks appeal. It is either a cookie sheet paper for the cookies or a plastic container for
the brownies. The packaging does have Avocadough’s unique logo on the front.
Through contacting various advisors who have experience within the packaging
industry we plan on determining the best possible approach to identifying the path
Avocadough should follow. We advise that Ms. Long contact and order packaging from
Berry Plastics. Berry Plastics offers a wide variety of food film which is a perfect fit for what
Ms. Long needs for her food. Specifically, the converted packaging and the
frozen/microwavable film would be ideal for the type of products and segments Ms. Long
wants to penetrate. The converted packaging would work well for her cookies, brownies, and
bars while the frozen film would work well for her frozen dough she plans on selling to
consumers and retailers.
Benefits
After discussing the needs Ms. Long requires for her business, we believe Berry
Plastics meets her primary needs and offers more benefits that we think can help Avocadough
grow. Along with offering effective film packaging that can sustain the freshness of
Avocadough’s products for an extended period of time, Berry Plastics can also print company
logos on all products and offer convenient pricing options. Currently, Ms. Long prints her
own logos and tapes them on all her packaging herself. With the help of Berry Plastics, they
can print out the logos and use adhesives to post them on the packaging. This is not only
convenient, but will also make all of Avocadough’s products look professionally done, giving
Avocadough another marketing tool to enter retailers. Berry Plastics also requires a minimum

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printing order of 30,000 dollars. However, they offer an individual option for 100 dollars a
package of printing labels that is more affordable for Ms. Long. We spoke to customer sales
representative, Robbie, who can be reached at 812-250-3731.

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Deliverable 4: Strategic Plan
This plan will provide Avocadough with a guideline to follow in the following years
Major Retailers
The first part of the strategic plan is to aid Avocadough get into major retailers.
Obtaining a spot into a Wegmans or Wholefoods for example, will drive the sales of
Avocadough’s products considerably, allowing Tracie Long to manage a profitable business.
NYMC got informed on the process of how to put a local product in a local Wegmans and
informed Tracie on it. The process involves submitting company introduction, the products
information and how to be contacted back in a file through mail. The address would have to
be addressed to 1500 Brooks Ave, PO box 30844, Rochester NY 14603. After doing so, it is
a waiting game. If the corporation likes your product and thinks it would be a good fit for
them, they will contact you back. The next step would have to be to send samples to the same
address. Tracie will not have to present her products and all steps are done by mail. This can
be a challenge as one of Tracie’s core competencies is her personality and her networking
skills, however, that can be overcome by making the company introduction and product
information extremely memorable.
Future Company Culture
The next valuable strategy is to start organizing how the company structure will be
arranged when the workforce increases. As the company grows, more employees will have to
be employed and the company culture will have to be created. We suggest making this
company culture a collaborative and open one, where people work together instead of having

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a clear and distinct hierarchy. This will encourage the employees to stay within the company
and will decrease the likelihood of turnover rate.
Digital Marketing Plan
NYMC encourages the focus on development of a feasible digital marketing plan that
would allow Avocadough to increase brand awareness and inevitably expand outside of the
CNY area.
Upon meeting with Tracie L. Long for the first time, NYMC found that she was
running all of her social media outlets by herself. Though she has little marketing experience,
Tracie’s digital marketing tactics left her with just over 600 followers on Facebook, 500 plus
followers on Twitter, and about 300 followers on Instagram. Between these three social
media outlets, some of her marketing tactics included moderately frequent postings of her
products as well as small contests that got users engaged. For example, one day, Tracie took a
picture of one of her cookies and posted it on her social media outlets. The first person to
guess the location of the cookie had the opportunity to win the cookie. It was content such as
this where Tracie gained the most interaction from her customers. Another approach Tracie
had implemented prior to meeting with the NYMC was having her products featured on other
people’s social media outlets. By having her product on the page of someone with thousands
of followers, Tracie was able to gain new customers with free advertising.
In digging deeper into Tracie’s digital marketing history outside of social media, the
NYMC found that she and her products were featured in publications in the CNY area
including Syracuse Woman and Syracuse University student run food magazine, Baked.
When it came to looking at Avocadough’s website, www.avocadough.com, the
NYMC found that the site was extremely professional and due to the presentation of the

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baked goods on the first page, looked like it was extremely inviting and intriguing to
customers. However, upon further examination of the website, the NYMC found that there
were some major glitches, one of which was hindering sales. The first issue was that the
website was not easy to navigate due to the fact that once one tab was clicked on, you could
not click on another. However, the biggest problem was that the shopping cart for the website
was not functional. Not only did this limit Avocadough’s sales, but it also limited the
company’s reach outside of the CNY area.
Website
While Avocadough’s website is up to par, it is extremely necessary that a designer
look at the “back office” of the website to fix both the issue with the tabs and the
dysfunctional shopping cart. The NYMC plans on providing Avocadough with such a
designer as Tracie is having a difficult time getting in contact with her.
By implementing some of the tactics presented above, as of April 1st, Avocadough has
grown its Facebook followership by 350 people, its Twitter followership by 150 people, its
Instagram followership by more than 100 people. The NYMC has also successfully gotten
Tracie and Avocadough’s products on Citrus TV and also gotten Tracie featured in a food
application called The Slice. Currently, due to the great response from its readers, Tracie is
set to be feature in Syracuse Woman for the next two months where she will be discussing
different recipes. It is through this publication, which circulates bigger than the university,
where Tracie will continue to increase her brand awareness and possibly gain ground-
breaking contracts. As for the website, the shopping cart is in the process of being fixed. Ms.
Long is in contact with a website designer that will help her pro-bono in reformatting her

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website. The company will soon have the potential to expand across the US and provide
quality products to everyone.
Master copies of these materials will all be sent to Tracie to keep for her records.
They will also be included as pdf files and located on a hard drive for her keeping. Tracie is
extremely efficient when it comes to her computer skills and NYMC is confident that she will
continue to implement these tactics that will ensure the success of Avocadough.

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Recommendations
As this course is only one semester, several elements and aspects of the business still
need to be implemented.
Our first recommendation is for Tracie Long to keep doing joint social media
marketing efforts as well as seek out as much free publicity as possible. So far, Tracie has
done a wonderful job networking and obtaining those elements, which is why Ms. Long
should continue doing so to keep up her momentum.
Tracie already has a strong grasp in regards to the current state of Avocadough’s
social media outlets. However, as the company grows, the social media aspect of the
company will begin to see less attention as Tracie directs her time elsewhere. It is
recommended that any intern or employee that Avocadough takes on should have the ability
to post on Avocadough’s behalf. The content of the post does not have to be consistently run
by Tracie, however, there should be a standard formatting or content necessary for each post.
To review this social media plan please refer to Appendix 5.
Another simple and achievable recommendation would be to implement a steady
accountant as soon as the profitability allows the business to do so. It is extremely important
for a new business to have the correct numbers at hand, especially the break-even point, the
overall costs and the final profitability. Although programs like Quickbooks is helpful for
accounting purposes to Avocadough’s business owner, a paid and trustworthy accountant will
be more beneficial to the business.
As Tracie Long is growing her business, more employees are going to have to join the
venture. Tracie should start thinking of how she wants her organization to be structured in
terms of hierarchy. She should also understand that, the more people are working under her,
the more important the company culture will be. Similar to Tracie’s personality, we
recommend setting up a company culture that is open and transparent with each other to build

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trust and relationships between employees and owner. This will entice people to stay in the
venture and decrease future employee turnover.
Finally, New York Management Core advises Tracie to set up realistic goals for
the year. These goals would include getting in 3 more retailers within a year, with one of
them being a large-scale retailer such as Wegmans or Wholefoods. Setting up this goal will
encourage Tracie to achieve it as well as keep her in track with her expansion plan. Part of
deliverable 3 was information on how to put a product in a Wegman’s shelf, Tracie Long
should follow up and send her information in. She should also be attentive of people she may
know that work in large retailers by using her networking skills and websites such as
LinkedIn.
What We Learned
During our time in the EEE 443 Consulting course, New York Management Core
learned a number of different lessons.
The first lesson we learned is that as you start a business for the first time, you will
not have all the answers right away, but that should not prevent you from moving forward. It
is impossible to make all the decisions before starting the business, as entrepreneurs learn as
they go and are constantly making various business decisions.
It is also easy to think that successful entrepreneurs knew how to create a prosperous
business from the beginning and that they made all the right moves, however, that is not
correct. Entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes and consequently adapt. The lesson is to do
your research to minimize your initial errors but once you make a mistake, learn and adjust.
Another lesson the consulting group learned is that if only one individual is starting a
business, there are areas of that business that will be lacking, as someone cannot possibly be
excellent in all areas. However, that is perfectly acceptable, the main point is to know which
areas you need help with, and seek help and information in order to grow. In terms of Tracie
Long, her core competencies are clearly her people skills and her marketing skills. This is
excellent for her as she is able to easily connect with potential clients and keep relationships
with current clients, which is a key aspect of a business. However, as she has never had
formal training in accounting, her skills in that department are lacking. Ms. Long understood

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that, and seeks assistance, which helped her grow as an accountant as well as grow her
business.
Finally, and possibly the most important lesson, all five of our team members
learned how to communicate with a client. New York Management Core discovered how to
build trust and a long-term relationship from a new client as well as learned how to be
comfortable managing a client. The team succeeded in being themselves and open as well as
respectful and considerate, which was partly thanks to having a wonderful client with the
same openness and respectfulness.

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Appendix 1: Profit and Loss Statements Summarized w/
Edits

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Appendix 2: Business Plan (formatting is altered after pasting
the document)
For the Health of it! Foods
Avocadough
Business Plan
05/16/14
109 Joel Ln
Camillus, NY 13031
315 373 3945
tlong@avocadough.com
www.forthehealthofitfoods.com
www.avocadough.com
tr

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Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents…………………………..
2. Executive Summary………………………..
3. Business Description & Vision…………….
4. Definition of the Market……………………
5. Description of Products and Services………
6. Organization & Management………………
7. Marketing and Sales Strategy………………
8. Financial Management …………………….
9. Appendices…………………………………

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Executive Summary
I have had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember, with a fondness for cookies, bars and
brownies; though I don’t discriminate and love all food! My enthusiasm is apparent when I
talk about food. It is just as much an emotional experience as physical, incorporating the
senses while nourishing the body. As my family can attest (with a sigh, as we are on our 3rd
stop or going an hour out of the way) when we travel, I research beforehand and have
bakeries and restaurants mapped out. Since my teen years, I have been in the kitchen, baking
at least once or twice a week. As time has passed, this has not changed, but I began to
recognize the importance of what I put in my body. If I ate processed foods or foods
containing refined white flour, sugar and preservatives, I could feel the difference. So many
times in my life, I have said to myself that I need to cut back and eat less baked goods to
maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Though I just did not have the willpower to curb it!
With a family history of heart disease, a borderline high cholesterol check and my insatiable
cravings, I decided to embrace it and continue to make the foods that I love to prepare and
eat, but put a healthy spin on them. I modified my recipes so that they deliver health benefits,
but don’t sacrifice taste and still satisfy. I recognized that I could replace fats with healthier
fats and refined grains with whole grains. I sought out ingredients that are predominantly
organic, unprocessed and contain no hydrogenated oils or trans-fat to make my food healthier
for the heart and the body. Thus, “For the Health of it! Foods”, with the initial product
offering of “Avocadough” was created! Food that satisfies but doesn’t leave you feeling
guilty.
The “Avocadough” line offers baked goods, including numerous varieties of cookies, bars,
brownies, muffins, breads and cakes. Gluten Free (shared facility), Raw, Vegan and Paleo
options are available as well.
This product was developed to provide health benefits over “traditional” baked goods. These
products all include avocado, which has many health benefits. It contains phytosterols and
Polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols which help to keep inflammation under control in the body.
It is low in saturated fat and contains Oleic Acid, a heart healthy monounsaturated fat as well
as polyunsaturated fat. They contain potassium, fiber, folate and many other vitamins and
minerals.
The non-gluten free options contain whole grains. Research has shown that consuming whole
grains instead of refined grains offer numerous health benefits. Some of these benefits
include a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and obesity.
Alternate forms of organic, natural sugars are used as well in place of the traditional,
processed white sugar.
I want others to recognize that they can still treat themselves and enjoy food but do it in such
a way that they consume beneficial calories and are not consuming “empty” calories or high
levels of saturated fat and cholesterol. By bringing this product to the marketplace, I will
achieve this.

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Business Description & Vision
It is the Mission of “For the Health of it! Foods”Avocadough? to be an industry leader in the use of
natural and healthier ingredients to promote a conscious and healthy lifestyle by providing satisfying
and delicious food products that are better for our customers. Our commitment to our customer’s
needs and expectations are vital to our success and a value shared by all associates.
Our vision is to fulfill the need in the marketplace for healthy choices and continue to help our
customers enjoy the foods that they love while incorporating health benefits. Repetition from last
paragraph We will continue to add to our selection of items, while utilizing our current ingredients
and continuing to explore and seek out additional healthier substitutions and ingredients to better
them. Our main goal is to grow from a home based business with no employees that sells fully
prepared baked goods to a well respected company with a full scale facility offering baked goods as
well refrigerated/frozen dough to meet our growing customer demands.
For our staff, we will offer initiatives within the company to maintain a healthy lifestyle. An on-site
fitness center and/or participation in programs such as gym memberships and races will be rewarded.
Examples of the rewards offered would be paying a portion or all of their out of pocket health
insurance expenses,monetary bonus at year end. In addition to these physical activities, there will be
healthy food offerings on-site and incentives to be active in the community.
For the Health of it Foods Avocadough?, LLC was formed as a result of my love of food, baked goods
in particular. As someone who wants to be fit and healthy but contends with a family history of heart
disease, I decided I would alter my recipes to satisfy my food cravings while making them a healthier
option that I could feelgood about eating and lose the guilt! I knew that I could substitute some
ingredients with a healthier choice to alter the nutrition of an item for the better. Incorporating the
health benefits of lower saturated fat,monounsaturated fats,polyunsaturated fats,no trans-fat, higher
fiber, reduced sugar, increased nutrients and vitamins and a portion of the FDA suggested serving of
fruits all while preserving the taste of the food. Providing a high quality, convenient and preservative
free product.
Tracie L. Long, Founder and President
Definition of the Market
The health food industry is currently experiencing a lot of attention and consumers are becoming
more focused on how their nutrition impacts their overall health and risk of chronic illness. Much
research supports that diets that include the consumption of whole grains and healthy fats decrease the
risk of the onset of many preventable illnesses. Based on this, the outlook for these product, its
profitability and longevity in the marketplace is excellent.
The current geographical market is Central New York. The target for 2015 for the retail customers is
to add online ordering, including nationwide shipping. I will then look to expand the wholesale
operation along the NYS Thruway corridor throughout New York State,with a focus on the
Metropolitan New York area,with a focus on New York, Suffolk and Nassau Counties within the
next six months. The plan for long term (12-24 months) expansion will be throughout the United
States,North America and possibly expansion to other continents.

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The target audience includes people who are concerned about their health and who are conscious of
what they consume. They will likely be middle to upper class that will be willing to pay a higher
amount for a product that contains high end, locally sourced and predominantly organic ingredients.
They will also likely be active in sporting events and social functions that focus on health causes and
support fighting illness and preventable disease. A higher percentage of females versus males.
The baked goods will appeal to customers who enjoy the convenience of a prepared item. The dough
will appeal to customers who like the ease of preparing freshly baked cookies at home that are still
warm from the oven (and eating raw dough-though we do not condone that) and restaurants,cafes,
stores and other retailers that prepare fresh baked cookies to accompany or compliment their other
offerings. The dough also offers the option for people to prepare the product based on their preference
of “doneness”; controlling the consistency of the product by shortening or extending the baking time.
At this time, there are other products that share some benefits of this product but not all of the benefits
in one product, such as this. There are also no other baked goods or dough products that contain
avocado as the primary source of oil or fat.
Description of Products and Services
For the Health of it Foods, LLC produces Artisan baked goods, including: Chocolate Chip Cookies,
Chocolate Chip with Walnuts (see Appendix A),Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate
Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips, OatmealRaisin Cookies, OatmealCranberry Cookies (see
Appendix B). Ginger Cookies, Almond Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies, S’ Mores Cookies,
Peanut Butter Cookies, Fudge Brownies, Oatmeal fruit bars and OatmealFudge Bars. Gluten free
OatmealRaisin, Oatmeal Cranberry,Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip ,
Brownies and OatmealFruit Bars. Vegan and Gluten Free Brownies, Pecan Pie Bars and Oatmeal
Fruit Bars. The Pecan Pie Bars are also Paleo.
The Cookie/bar varieties listed above come in 3 sizes: 14 g, 28g and 56 g. The 14 g size is offered in a
3 pack with the 28 g offered in a single or 2 pack. The 56g is a single pack. For retail, the cookies are
packaged in compostable, biodegradable cello bags. The 3 pack of 14g cookies is tied with a eco-
friendly twine string. The brownie and bars are packaged in a clear, hinged deli container that is made
from a minimum of 30% post consumer recycled content and is recyclable after use. For food
industry, they are packaged in a larger plastic bin with parchment paper dividing the items, if they opt
out of individual packaging. They have a label including the company logo (see Appendix C). They
also have an ingredient label.
Custom packaging that will include the logo, nutrition information, ingredients and company
information as well as health benefits or key words that will appeal in the retail setting is planned for
the future.
Retail pricing varies from $0.90 to $1.63 per ounce depending on the cookie variety, dietary specific
items and the ingredients involved in production.
Pricing the competitor’s products, my pricing is in line with the market for similar products in the
Central New York Region. These products do not offer all of the health benefits of “Avocadough”.
Some contain Non-GMO, Organic or other specialty ingredients, such as my product. Outside of
Central New York, in metropolitan areas with higher costs of living (i.e. the Greater New York Metro

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Area,Miami, CA) our prices are lower than the average and could likely be increased to
accommodate the higher fees associated with prime shelf space in stores.
There are currently other prepared baked goods and doughs that are purchased to bake at home.
Though none compare with the total added benefits and high end ingredients. I feel this is a
competitive product due to this. They cannot claim that they are preservative free,unprocessed, non-
hydrogenated, sustainable, locally sourced and have whole grains ( most varieties of Avocadough
contain 100% whole grains) as well as lower saturated fat,higher mono and polyunsaturated fats,
higher fiber and lower added sugars.
Organization & Management
For the Health of it Food, LLC is a Limited Liability Corporation registered in the State of New York.
The sole member and President, is Tracie L. Long.
The New York State Department of Agriculture has approved a form FSI-898C for in home
preparation of the baked cookies, brownies and bars. A Commercial facility is secured for production,
for which a 20-C application will be completed and forwarded to the NYS Department of Agriculture
to allow for the addition of the dough to the product line and additional items that are excluded under
the FSI-898C.
A New York State Tax Certificate of Authority is on file.
A Liability insurance policy has been secured with $1,000,000 policy limits listing For the Health of it
Foods, LLC as named insured and Avocadough as an additional insured.
The Fayetteville Farmers’ Market is full for the season but an application has been completed and
returned for the potential of “fill in” spots. Certificates of Insurance listing the appropriate parties are
in process with Dryden Insurance via Sefcu Insurance agency.
A trademark application is in process with the United States Patent and Trademark Office being
prepared by Attorney, James Youngs, who specializes in Intellectual Property, of Hancock Estabrook,
LLP.
A FEIN has also been secured.
Tracie L. Long is the Founder and President. She is an avid runner and foodie but is conscious about
her health. The products were formed based on her love of food and baking
Marketing and Sales Strategy
Thus far, with 5 months in the market, there is a good level of brand awareness and recognition as
well as a following, the products are sold via direct sales with consumers at the CNY Regional
Farmers’ Market with a banner on site (see Appendix D) and to food related businesses, including
restaurants,retail locations and special events including: Green Planet Grocery in Syracuse NY as
well as Cicero, NY, Broadway Valley Café,Mother Earth Health Foods, Café Kubal, J&J Pizza &
NYC Deli, Lofo Love Food and Bike Loft North. The plan is to approach Nature-Tyme, Lori’s

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Natural Foods, Honest Weight Food Co-Op, Green Star Natural Foods Market, Café at 407 and other
local establishments.
Participation in Tech Meets Taste, Syracuse First Buy Local Bash,Manlius Mile & Bryan’s Grizzly
5k race,Ladies’ night at Owera Vineyard, Stupid Dumb Breast Cancers and Saunacuse all occurred.
Donations of gift certificates and cookie trays to numerous other non-profits and events, including but
not limited to: American Heart Association, Ronald McDonald House and Maureen’s Hope. I will
utilize my acquaintances,including the SSIC in-house chef and contacts made thus far through
networking to gain access to additional retail locations and continue to develop and build relationships
with local businesses. I have secured a mentor who can assist me in the growth and development of
the company through his experience and knowledge. I will continue to seek out additional mentors
and advisors who can offer insight and knowledge.
Possible utilization, if accepted,into Syracuse University’s Hill Communications, a student run PR
firm and/or TNH,a student run advertising agency. They offer pro-bone assistance with marketing,
development and advertising.
In addition to my focus on health related businesses, I would also seek to partner with some additional
local cafes that may cater to students, working professionals and others that may be looking for a
healthy alternative. A future goal is to secure a government contract and develop relationships to
encourage, supply and support healthier dietary options for our military and government locations. I
feel that if School Districts and the Military were to utilize my products it would support healthier
habits and lifestyle, which will long term, lower health care costs.
Distribution is currently done by me in my private automobile with assistance by my husband, Tom.
As the volume and need grows, I will look to determine whether it would be more cost effective to
secure a larger vehicle and an employee to assist with delivery. Longer term, utilization of UPS,
FedEx or the USPS and a contract with a trucking company.
Financial Management
EXPENSES
Current/start-up costs incurred:$4077
$235 NY State filing fee for LLC
$350 Liability Insurance
$925 Trademark filing ees
$700 website and related fees,including domain purchase
$1500-equipment
$500-supplies
$220-Farmers’Market Fees
$99-logo design
$47-banner

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1 year projection- $26,600:
$400/2 years-NY State 20-C
$600/year Liability Insurance
$1000/month-production facility
$2000 –upgraded equipment
$300/month-transportation
$8,000 supplies
Income statement
1 year projection:
$25,000 net profit over expenses
Appendix A

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Appendix 3: Nutritional Facts

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Appendix 4: Ms. Bruening Contact Information

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Appendix 5: Social Media Plan
Facebook
The largest social media platform on the Internet with more than 700 million active
users, Facebook is one of Avocadough’s biggest marketing tools it has its deposal. Ideal for
new ventures, this SMO is great for Avocadough’s customer acquisition and brand
awareness. The NYMC recommends that Tracie continue posting daily, creating engaging
content, and promoting other brands (so they can also promote Avocadough) as she did
before. We also suggest that Tracie continues to engage with users and pay attention to what
her customers are saying. The comments section is one of the best ways to receive feedback
for the company outside of focus groups. A new tactic the NYMC wants Tracie to implement
is to invest in Facebook advertisements. By investing in Facebooks ads, Tracie can increase
Avocadough’s brand awareness and she will also have the power to specify her ads to the
point where she can reach her target audience.
Instagram

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Utilizing sponsorships through Instagram is a great example of successful use, as
Avocadough has done with the J&J’s Pizza and other retailers that carry Avocadough’s
products. By interacting with customers,
Avocadough has shown that it is more
than just a company, but a local business
that caters to their market. Clear and
appetizing photos along with utilizing
hashtags have also kept traffic on the
company’s page. However, one
recommendation the NYMC has for Avocadough is to make sure to incorporate key reasons
why the company’s products are “healthy.” When hearing about products such as
Avocadough’s, users sometimes tend to be sceptical, especially if the product is missing a
nutritional label. By outlining or breaking down key ingredients, it gives followers a better
understanding of what makes the product healthy along with its health benefits.
Lastly, in an effort to continue branding Avocadough as the “healthy alternative,” the
NYMC also suggested Tracie posting photos of fitness friendly events or sometimes posting
photos or videos of her working out to reinforce the “healthy” aspect of the product.
Twitter
Avocadough has already leveraged Twitter in way that has built itself a small
community by tweeting about new health-conscious products, sharing links to Avocadough
sponsored/related events, and informing followers about Avocadough’s promotions and
contests. However, to take things to the next level and grow the community, the NYMC
suggests first posting more frequently. Unlike Facebook, Twitter requires a great deal of
posting to happen throughout the day due to the amount of information that goes across this
SMO is a mere hour. Not only does the team recommend Tracie posting more, but the

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NYMC also recommends interacting with users more. Whether it be re-tweeting, replying or
even favoriting someone else’s tweet, it builds traffic back to Avocadough’s Twitter page.
Lastly, the NYMC recommends that Avocadough come up with a trendy hashtag for
everything it posts. This way, whenever people enter the hashtag into their search bar, it once
again brings traffic back to Avocadough’s page.
Publications/TV
The NYMC would like to continue getting Avocadough into different publications
both on and off campus. With the campus connections that different team members have,
members of the NYMC can get Avocadough into more on-campus publications that will bee
seen by thousands of students who are a part of the company’s target market. The NYMC
also plans on leveraging team member’s connections to get Tracie and Avocadough’s
products featured on Citrus TV. This feature would not only have the company’s information
everywhere around campus, but it would also continue to increase the brand’s credibility.

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Appendix 6: New Company Logo
For the Health of It Foods was take off the logo

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Appendix 7: Avocadough Business Card Concepts

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