The Nursery

d
Executive Summary
The following report has been executed to analyse the
feasibility of an Australian Indigenous experience at the
Word count: 4,619

Making Good Alliance (MGA) on Mount Tambourine. This report is following a presentation
as part of the Griffith University cross MGA innovation challenge.
Executive summary
Market research displayed the concept was fulfilling a gap in the market, and a gap in
the emotional needs of Australians. The proposed experience would consist of not only a native
nursery which would be open day-to-day, but also various types of all-inclusive workshops and
performances available to schools, businesses and the public for educational purposes. The
goal of the initiative was to fulfill the feeling of absence on indigenous culture, which was
identified within Australian communities. The following proof of concept outlined the success
as per market statistics and analysis of target market, success of events as per budget to expand
the nursery as an entity, it also outlined an appropriate management system and operations plan.
Overall, the main goal of The Nursery is to help educate everyone about indigenous culture, no
matter the medium, to help share awareness and appreciation. To help gauge whether The
Nursery is doing so, keeping an eye on numbers of attendance in both the school excursion
workshops as well as both the weekend work shops and demonstrations. Plant sales are
obviously quite important to the business’ success the plant sales are tied directly to the foot
traffic associated with the classes and workshops. With a full weekend class being 50 patrons
a goal of 30 patrons per class is a sturdy short-term goal. Along side the goal of 60% full
bookings for weekend workshops and demonstration, the goal for school excursions is 1 per
school day, which is still less than 30% of the schools in the district sending 1 cohort per year.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................1
1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................4
2.0 Product and Service ....................................................................................................................5
3.0 The Customer....................................................................................................................................8
4.0 Market Viability................................................................................................................................9
5.0 Management Model Feasibility ......................................................................................................12
6.0 Budget.............................................................................................................................................16
6.1 Income by Operations.....................................................................................................................17
6.1.1 A School Excursion Workshop................................................................................................17
6.1.2 Monthly Makers Market ......................................................................................................18
6.1.3 Weekend Workshop Classes................................................................................................18
6.1.4 The Experience: Weekend Performance..............................................................................19
6.1.5 The Nursery .........................................................................................................................20
6.2 Monthly Budgets:........................................................................................................................20
7.0 Final Findings .................................................................................................................................22
8.0 Recommendations...........................................................................................................................24
Appendix...............................................................................................................................................26
3.1 Target Psychographic Profile 1...................................................................................................26
Figure 3.4 Market Research..............................................................................................................29
Figure 3.5 Consumer Decision Making Journey...............................................................................33
5.1 Kiara Austen’s CV......................................................................................................................34
5.2 Willhelm Ballard’s CV ...............................................................................................................35
5.3 Kian Graham’s CV .....................................................................................................................36
5.4 Yvonne McCarthy’s CV .............................................................................................................37

5.5 Estelle Darcy’s CV .....................................................................................................................38
Figure 6.1 Pot Cost Sheet..................................................................................................................39
Figure 6.2 Australian Grants Available ............................................................................................39
Figure 6.4 Queensland Schools by Region.......................................................................................39
Figure 6.5 Mock School Menu .........................................................................................................40
Figure 6.11 Foot Traffic at the Nursery ............................................................................................41
References.............................................................................................................................................42
1.0 Introduction
This report explores the business concept of The Nursery, a native Australian plant shop and a first
peoples culture workshop project that focuses on educating people on a varying range of historical
practicing based around arts, nature, and culture. To analyse the feasibility of the business the macro
environment was assessed through a PESTLE analysis with a focus on government funding
opportunities, the trends, and the competition of The Nursery. The microenvironment was assessed
multiple ways using a SWOT table. Mock CVs of potential and ideal employees have been included to
convey the ideal staff that was pictured during the conception of the business as well as tailor made
personas that were based on the findings of conducted research and surveys that found prime target
markets.
A fleshed-out budget section break down the start-up costs, breakeven point as well as a deeper
dive into the cost of the several types of programs run, all of which point to a high probability of success
due to the market disruption made by The Nursery. The final findings found, amongst other things, that
having such a unique business with such few competitors almost guarantee success when combined
with the unique marketing strategies of targeting schools specifically when there is a market opening
due to a change in the national curriculum. The findings also displayed the critical risks that are easily
negatable if monitored closely. Finally, the report has recommended that once The Nursery generates
more autonomy, using the manager to apply for government grants is an excellent way to gain resources
to expand. To begin, an in-depth summary of what is The Nursery.

2.0 Product and Service
Plant Name
(Latin)
Description Uses
Red Ash
(Alphitonia
excelsa)
Native tree species that when the
leaves are mixed with water and
lathered create a natural cleansing
agent. When added to a water
source it deoxygenates the water.
The leaves vcan be used for body
cleansing, fabric cleansing and
fishing aids.
Southern Blue
Gum
(Eucalyptus
globulus)
Native gum species known for its
multipurpose leaves with strong
natural scent. Commonly known
for its relationship with koalas.
Leaves can be distilled into
essential oil for cleaning and
medicinal uses. Leaves cand also be
used for tea.
Kangaroo
Apple
(Solanum
aviculare)
Native shrubbery characterised by
its colourful purple flowers, dull
coloured fruits and kangaroo paw
shaped leaves. Also found in New
Zealand.
The leaves and unripe fruit contain
ingredients used for modern
medicines and the indigenous
applied a fruit poltus to swollen
areas as the fruit contains steroids.
Old Man Weed
(Centipeda
cunninghamii)
A small flowering plant with green
and or pinkish red flowers.
The plant was traditionally used to
heal cuts, infections, and
inflammation by binding leaves to
the affect area and allowing the
body heat to release the oils and be
absorb directly into the skin.
Tea Tree
(Melaleuca
alternifolia)
A small native tree species with
green needle-like leaves and
flowers through spring
Used to treat cuts and infects
though oil extraction from the
leaves or applying crushed leaves
to affected area. Tea tree lakes are
traditionally used as birthing pools.
Figure 2.0 Important Native Flora (Burringbar Rainforest Nursery, 2021)
Workshop Category (Type) Description

Corroborees Culture
(Demonstration)
An authentic display of traditional ceremonial
dances and storytelling aimed to convey the rich
culture that the first peoples incorporated into
their everyday life.
Taste of Native
Food/Bush
Tucker
Nature/Culture
(Workshop)
An all inclusive workshop made to teach guests
how to identify, harvest and use native
ingredients in foods and will allow the guests to
cook and eat their own bush tucker.
Natural
Therapies
Nature/Culture
(Workshop)
Like the Taste of Native food, the Natural
Therapies workshops aims to identify, harvest
and use native ingredients in healing applications
that were traditionally used by the first peoples.
Patrons will have the opportunity to make natural
ointments or dressing that they can take home.
DIY Cleansing at
Home
Nature
(Workshop)
A workshop aimed at using native plants to make
modern environmentally friendly cleaning
products for everyday applications similar to the
Natural therapies workshop.
Home
Sustainability
Swaps
Nature
(Workshop)
A fun and sustainable workshopped aimed at
educating the patrons on sustainable lifestyle
swaps that are solely tailored to reduce waste.
Bush Survival
and Wildlife
Safety
Nature
(Demonstration)
This demonstrative workshop will be more
revolved around educating rather than creating
and will give our patrons opportunities to leave
about some of the more dangerous things in our
native ecosystems and how to deal with them as
well as some traditional survival techniques.
Music & Dance Culture/Creative
(Workshop)
A hands-on dance class with traditional music to
accompany the traditional dances. The dances
will first be explained with their cultural
applications in traditional settings as well as the
dances themselves.

Guided Hikes of
Tambourine
Nature
(Demonstration)
A guided walked through the many tambourine
nature walks hosted by an expert in wildlife and
fauna to give the most comprehensive, inclusive,
and educational experience.
Body Art Culture/Creative
(Workshop)
Like the dance workshop the Body Art workshop
will include the purposes for different art as well
as its meaning and applications. These will have
a large cultural educational overtone.
Traditional Art Culture/Creative
(Workshop)
With a focus of interpreting traditional art, this
workshop will also have a guided art class
portion to allow patrons to apply their newly
learned knowledge to create functional pieces of
art that tell a story.
Figure 2.1 List of Cultural and Creative Workshops
The workshops offered by The Nursery will fit into any combination of 3 categories
that represent our alignment. Culture workshops, Nature workshops and Creative workshops.
Culture workshops will be a mixture of demonstrations and workshops that are
constructed to educate patrons on traditional indigenous people's cultures, histories, and
practices. Although most of the workshops will fit into this category the main cultural ones will
be the Corrobborees, natural remedies, cooking with native plants as well as some of the bush
survival and wildlife safety.
The second category, Nature is built around all aspects of nature, giving widely
applicable knowledge of the environment with a specific emphasis on the wildlife in the
tambourine and surrounding regions.
Finally, the Creative category, although heavily influenced by the culture and wildlife,
focuses on using traditional techniques to develop a deeper understanding of traditional art as
well as teaching patrons how to make their own culturally accurate art through various
mediums.
The plant shop portion of The Nursery is quite simple. It will be a plant nursery that
sells Australian native plants with an emphasis on plants local to the tambourine and
surrounding regions. The chosen plants will all have positive impacts on the environment
whether it be from low water consumption to wildlife attraction, wildlife habituation and

pollination. All the plants used in workshops in traditional techniques will also be sold in the
shop to encourage the incorporation of traditional practices into everyday life.
Overall, the unique nature of The Nursery makes it a highly viable business to establish,
especially in a semi-rural holistic area such as tambourine mountain. With one of the main
forms of tourism in the area being heavily rooted in nature, giving patrons the option to take
that nature home offers a unique experience to the nature walks on the mountain. The
workshops with various levels of engagement with some being more focused on nature means
the list of workshops has something for everyone.
3.0 The Customer
The target market for The Nursery varies greatly. Whilst we are sure that some overflow
MGA customers will come show interest and visit The Nursery too, there are three key target
psychographic profiles that the marketing will be aimed at. Various questionnaires and market
research were completed, some directly aimed at the target markets identified in figures 2.1,
3.2 and 3.3. The surveys and questionnaires outlined in figure 3.4 are the basis of this consumer
analysis and support the buyer behaviour theories that have been integrated into this study.
One of our target consumers is children. There is no distinctive child audience other
than the fact that they go to primary or high school, and it is a requirement that they come with
their school due to curriculum. Realistically, all kids love the excitement of excursions too.
Therefore, we will liaise with public and private schools to encourage their indigenous studies
and courses to include a real-life experience at The Nursery. Students prep to year 10 are
required to study the British invasion by the humanities and social sciences curriculum in
Australia.
As noted in the decision-making journey (figure 3.5), most of the knowledge about The
Nursery at MGA will stem from school, education and business excursions, as well as targeted
ads. We rely on the fact that our experience is one that stands out, is high quality and offers a
fun method of education. This outstanding brand recognition will help us secure consumers
with high frequency of purchase behaviours. Having regulars to learn everything they can
through the various workshops will benefit too. As well, per the market research, we hope to
have many indigenous Australian visitors come to learn more about their culture.

Our one consistent non-target market was 40- to 45-year-old age group; all these
respondents were women of similar age who had no to minimal experience or knowledge of
Australian Indigenous traditions but stated they were also not interested in furthering their
experience or attending a workshop.
4.0 Market Viability
The unique nature of our concept will result in it functioning in an amalgam of
industries, most of which are seated in subcategories of Australia’s tourism. Taking influence
from Nature reserves and conservation parks to performing arts and galleries as well as zoology
and botany. With a substantial portion of our design being based around the native nursery and
the uses and any important history revolving around Australian flora and fauna.
Although all the listed industries have been affected by COVID-19, Some of which by
international tourism, most of the industries are either already seeing improvement or are
projected to see improvement with domestic tourism from both local and interstate visitors.
With many Australians planning domestic holidays (domestic tourist visitor nights) as seen by
the growth with serviced apartments having a revenue of $3.8bn from domestic bookings and
a 59.5% industry growth in domestic accommodation (IbisWorld, 2021).
Political
Government
Funding
Many related industries and sub industries have high and/or consistent
government funding. (Ibisworld, 2021)
Government
Focus on
Environment
Over recent years state and federal governing bodies have been
implementing more and more restrictions and bans on single use and
disposable products that typically end up in landfill. (Australian Marine
Conservation Society, 2021)
Economical
Domestic
Tourism
7.2% increase in domestic tourism since the covid 19 pandemic
(Ibisworld, 2021)
Native plants Due to the benefits of native Australian plants growing more efficiently
in their ideal regions means that the nursery will use less water and be
able to get plants to sellable sizes faster. (Good Living, 2021)
Social

Local Tourism Increase in domestic tourism as Australian’s fear border closures.
(International Airport Review, 2021)
House plants There has been a growing trend in the purchasing of houseplants for a
multitude of reasons, including new trends in household décor as well as
the positive mental health and wellbeing associated with house plants.
(The sill, 2022)
Change the
Date
Growing support and awareness around indigenous culture around topics
as deaths in custody and events like Australia day. In 2020, over 100,000
people took part in protest events on the day. (Common ground, 2021)
Importance of
‘Attractive’
backyard
There has been a growth in the social and economic benefits of having an
attractive backyard with more people looking to entertain outside as well
as it increases the value of real estate. (Real estate, 2019)
Technological
Online
booking and
marketing
With the ease of booking accommodation there is no wonder there has
been a massive increase to self-contained units, including Airbnb’s,
domestically instead of international travel. (Stark, 2019) (Ibisworld,
2021)
Digital
partnerships
Online ad revenue as well as sponsoring the right digital presences are
effective ways to market in the current era. (Forbes, 2020)
Legal
Covid-19
Vaccination
With national and state regulations requiring double vaccination for
flights domestically and internationally there are less tourist however the
vaccination numbers are growing regularly. (Australian Government,
2022)
Environmental
Native
Wildlife
Native wildlife thrives in environments that utilize native plants. For
example, native bees can gain an abundance of pollen from many
flowering Australian native trees, shrubs and plants. (Audubon, 2020)
Native Plants Plants native to countries and especially regions typically require less
water than alien plants. (Good living, 2019)
Figure 4.0 PESTLE Analysis

Through an analysis of a PESTLE table, we can see the outside effects built in the
macro environment that will have positive or negative impacts on The Nursery. Both
mentioned political forces are positively impacting the project in separate ways. The
government in recent years has had big positive movement in its environmental goals, banning
single use plastics, and has been putting funding into many off the suitable categories of
industry that The Nursery will fall into. The economic advantages come in the forms of covid’s
positive impact on domestic travel and local tourism as well as some important operating cost
savings in the form of low maintenance costs of Australian native plants, especially ones native
to the region. Similarly, the social aspects see positive trends in support of the first peoples,
owning more plants in your house and specifically choosing species that are suited to the
wildlife in your area and the value increase in said plants on property value. Societies ever
strengthening relationship with technology has 2 large influences on the nursery. Opportunities
to market through influencers and brand representatives as well as doing online/app bookings
will make it easy for customers to book. This paired with the ability to start partnerships with
other businesses with aligned values should help to heavily increase our clientele. As far as
legalities go one of the largest contributors is the restrictions on unvaccinated tourism could
potentially stunt our growth, however that being said our main goals are locals anyway meaning
that it is a very minor issue. The two main environmental aspects to the PESTLE are heavily
related to the plethora of benefits that come from Australian native plants and native wildlife
and how their relationship has many benefits to its surrounding ecosystem. The benefit of
reduced water consumption speaks for itself, the benefits that our wildlife get from our native
plants is one of the big highlights for us on all levels. Many Australian natives are flower and
excellent for pollinating making them perfect accompaniments to any garden as well as the
many animals that use Australian tress as their homes. Overall, the macro environment can
help The Nursery flourish and do its best with the right team behind it.
The competition to The Nursery, as mentioned previously, are aimed at specific areas
of the business rather than the nursery. With other native plant nurseries and other traditional
indigenous demonstrations, varying from fully immersive experiences to a brief demonstration.
The compared nursery is cheaper however its sole income revolves from the sales of its plants
whereas the plant sales for The Nursery is a side income. We can sell our workshop experiences
cheaper than our competition and have taken home aspects giving the patrons more value.

Although possible, it would be unlikely for another business to develop competition on
all fronts of the proposed business. If, however a competitor did decide to make such a move,
our focus on authenticity and quality would stand out against said competition.
Name Area of
Competition
Differences Price
Burringbar
Rainforest Nursery
(2022)
Plant shop Does not have emphasis on the
plants uses.
Cheaper
Dreamworld
(2022)
Demonstrations Purely focused on entertainment
perspective
Included
in price
of entry
Spirits of the Red
Sand (2022)
Demonstrations More focused on entertainment
perspective, however much
more immersive experience
when compared to other
demonstrations
$120
Figure 4.1 Competitive Pricing Analysis
5.0 Management Model Feasibility
Initiation of operations will see the employment of a manager and supervisor whose
focus will be liaising with schools and education departments as well as marketing and event
promotion, and management, beginning to sell workshop tickets within the first week. It is also
their job to reach out to council organisations such as libraries as well as company organisations
for team building and family day outs. Come month three and four, when there is more
substantial cash flow, an events manager and host will need to be employed. However, the first
few months may pose a struggle with cash as The Nursery prides itself on a considerate wage
to staff, especially considering their qualifications and commitment to these, as indigenous
graduation rates for tertiary study is a 40.9% of those who commence (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 2020).
For the first quarter, we will use subcontractors to perform, which have been quoted
from Jellurgal Cultural Centre (2022), as well as a contracted events manager. Further on, the
events manager will become employed full time and take over liaison responsibilities from the

Manager, as well as manage the events. From here, the manager will focus on purchasing and
growth of the nursery as well as employment of the gardeners. Ideally, there would be two
qualified botanists or gardeners to split the full-time workload to 3 and 4 days each, respectively.
Furthermore, a student of botany, business or other environmental studies would be casually
employed for weekends and busier days and events. This could also offer an opportunity for a
school-based apprentice, decreasing expenses and offering the potential for government
subsidies.
Figure 5.0 Organisational Structure Management Model
Figure 5.0 shown above, outlines the ultimate requirement of personnel at the end of
the first year of operations. We require the top two supervisors to be of indigenous heritage and
take favour over the rest of our team being indigenous as well. This management plan outlines
the future operations of the organisation once cashflow permits extensive purchasing and range
for the nursery as a retail precinct and full-time business opening hours, whilst the operations
plan in Figure 5.3 displays each of these individuals’ responsibilities. Figure 5.1 through to
figure 5.5 outline potential CV’s that would be accepted and meet the requirements for the
positions. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed management plan, a SWOT analysis has
been conducted in figure 5.6 below. Based on the integrated media, it is suggested that
management model will be effective for business growth and to employ and nurture passionate

representatives, however, caution must be taken to ensure mental stability and commitment of
staff.

Strengths
Encourages job availabilities for indigenous Australians
Meets the needs of less workload for indigenous Australians
Supporting undergraduates as well as opportunity of support from
government via apprenticeships
Encourages a passionate work team
Specific and strong formal qualifications
Weaknesses
Risks lack of attendance from staff
Offers no solution if staff don’t attend
Mental health struggles within Indigenous community and employees
Busy weekends could result in understaffing or lack of cross training
Lack of permanent staffing results in inability to create rapport with
customers.
Opportunities
In the future, can possibly offer some official training for further
education
Expansion to after school programs and / or private visits
Partnerships with other companies and sponsoring indigenous sports
teams
We could also arrange a support program for Indigenous residentials
Threats
Exhausting and sometimes it feels unbeneficial to drive if you live far
away (e.g GC or Logan)
Subcontractors (used in the first quarter) can sometimes be unreliable
Other nurseries on the mountain may sell some variety of native plants
Bad weather weekend may result in decrease of attendees
Extend to native bee keeping and selling honey
Figure 5.6 SWOT Analysis – Management Model

6.0 Budget
Start-up Budget
Budget Goal 5 000
Estimated Start Up Expenses 9 295.45
Total Estimated Profit 7 190.80
Net Profit 2 895.35
Figure 6.0 Start-Up Budget Analysis
Start-up expenses for the nursery have included the pots, which are sourced from Garden City
Plastics (2022), a surplus amount of soil and growth stimulants from Bulk Landscape Supplies (2022),
seedlings and larger plants from Burringbar Rainforest Nursery (2022) as well as staffing required to
maintain the plants. The budget is inclusive of delivery to the mountain. Using a competitive pricing
strategy (Keller, 2019) by evaluating the native species from various competitors, we have created
average RRP’s per pot size (see figure 6.1). To assist with launch expenses, an outline of applicable
government grants are listed in figure 6.2, but the project schedule has considered financial behaviour
so that The Nursery is able to self-fund the more expensive activities using profit gained from previous
events, for example, the plant expenses will not begin until after income has been received from the
workshops, as outlined in the Gantt Chart. The breakeven analysis in figure 6.3 below displays the
breakeven point of each month considering the cost of each occurring operation and installation, as well
as the growth of attendance of each project, which have been separately analysed in the sections of 6.1.
Figure 6.3: Breakeven Analysis per month
$0
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
0 1 2 3 4
Money
(AUD)
Month
Break Even Chart
Profit Expenses

6.1 Income by Operations
6.1.1 A School Excursion Workshop
This weekday workshop example represents our target market Laikyn. His grade two
class at Robina State School (n=23) (Queensland Government, 2020) is coming alongside the
other four grade two classes to experience their first Corroboree which has a minimum of three
performers required. Served alongside the educational performance and workshops is a
traditional lunch, of which the mock up menu can be found in figure 6.4. This aligns with the
new review of the Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Agency, 2021), as of 2022, schools are required to educate their students to some extent on
Indigenous history and culture.
Due to our liaising with the public and private education sector, we can predict that
with a follow-through rate of under 30% of the 750 schools within the three regions (see figure
6.5), 200 schools can send one cohort each year. This means we would be able to hold one
workshop for these students each weekday at the agreed rate, for the full 40 weeks of school
term. It is predicted each workshop will go for three hours, meaning Gold Coast and Central
Brisbane students will have the day off, including transport time. The following price in non-
inclusive of individuals purchases, which they are encouraged to bring money for. The profit
from one single excursion would cover our rent for the week. Whilst parent behaviour is rather
unpredictable, the budget for month one also considers 5% of students being able to purchase
one to two small plants or products from The Nursery due to size restrictions (See section 6.1.5).
Number of Students 115
Total Quote to Schools 4600
Total Cost PP 40
Lunch Cost 15/pp (1725) (Woolworths, 2022)
Transport Cost 1640 (Murray Coaches, 2022)
Traditional Chef Cost x3 45/hr (270) (Seek, 2021)
Employee (Performer) Cost x 3 50/hr (450) (Jellurgal, 2022)
Printing 15
(less) Total Expenses 4100
Total Profit / event 500
Figure 6.6 School Excursion Cost Sheet

6.1.2 Monthly Makers Market
According to MGA (Susan Railings 2021), the Makers Market at their site caters
for 1000 to 1500 people each month. Growth of industry presence and brand awareness on the
mountain will lead to the following figure hopefully being able to be earned each week, or
possibly with expansion to Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane creative and business markets,
such as the Southbank Markets. Beginning attendance to the Markers Market in month two and
expanding to two markets in month three and four by month four would become an effective
source of income. The goal income outlined in the budget for markets below means that there
would be a minimum of 10% of the cheapest product sales.
Attendees 1000-1500 / month
Market Space Hire 40
Gazebo 219 (klika)
Tables x3 270 (officeworks)
Staff (x1) 28/hr (140)
Printing 40
Payments (Apple pay etc.) 59
(less) total expenses 828
Total regular expenses 220
Goal Sales and Income 4000 (between 100 and 200 sales)
Total Profit (Month 2) 2952
Total Profit (Month 3) x2 7 560
Figure 6.7 Makers Market Cost Sheet
6.1.3 Weekend Workshop Classes
The weekend workshops will commence 2 weeks after opening and although they have
some moderate start-up costs for the first weekend, once owned some of the equipment will
not need to be purchased again; trestle tables $616 for 14 (Officeworks, 2022), chairs $478.80
for 60 (Bunnings Warehouse, 2022), and these have been included in the pricing sheet and will
be purchased using ticket sales. The same will apply to workshop resources such as paints,
canvas, and other consumables. Depending on the nature of the workshop/demonstration the
cost of the staff will fluctuate. For example, holding the corrobboree demonstration (see section
6.1.4) will cost more as it will have to pay all the dancers whereas some of our natural remedy

and cooking classes may be able to be run by some of our existing staff. Tickets for these
workshops will be sold on Eventbrite and Groupon. Once we start running the weekend
workshops, they should very quickly start getting customers as workshops and social art classes
are booming to the point of government funding in some states (Australian Government, 2021).
Attendees 50/class
Price Per Person 80
Total Average Income 4000
Teachers (x 2) 40/hr (240)
Performers (x 3) 50/hr (300)
Printing 12
Resources 1000
Ticket Sales Platform 115
(less) total Expenses 1667
(less) plant and equipment 1238.80
Total Profit (Month 1) x2 2333
Figure 6.8 Weekend Workshop Cost Sheet
6.1.4 The Experience: Weekend Performance
Attendees 50
Price Per Person (all inclusive) 100
Total Income 5 000
Food (20pp) 2 000
Performers (x 3) 600 (3 hours)
Chef (x3) (45/hour) 270
Printing 12
Resources 100
Ticket Sales Platform 115
(less) total Expenses 3097
Total Profit 1903
Figure 6.9 Weekend Performance and Experience Cost Sheet

6.1.5 The Nursery
The actual nursery is not only the main source of income for the project, but it is also
where the mission of the project stems from. Sharing knowledge and benefits of native plants
and the low resources used to maintain them is important to our ecosystem and to reduce
environmental impacts of chemicals used in our environment. Figure 6.10 displays a cost break
down of obtaining 1 000 plants of various sizes in month 2 to open the nursery for purchasing
and as well begin propagation and seedling growth to encourage self-supply. However, the
expenses for this continue throughout each month to grow in relation to the growth of the
business account and visitors. By month four, The Nursery will have not only large (35L) trees
available, but also our own grown 4.5L trees for sale. However, purchase from Burringbar
Nursery will include the whole variety of sizes delivered. The expense of the nursery also
includes bulk landscaping supplies obtaining a spare 4m³ to use to decorate the area with our
own plants. Customer purchase behaviour has been predicted based on a 20% or lower purchase
rate, when indicated otherwise and averaged by the RRP in figure 6.10. The table below
displays the average income from foot traffic in month 2 and 3 due to the offset of opening
mid-month, and expenses have been calculated twice as to grow stock by replacing the sold
items, but the requirement of seeds and trees will decrease. This rate of sales is expected to
increase with social media engagement and awareness, and predicted foot traffic is broken
down in figure 6.11, alongside is a predicted income sheet from the retail store.
Total Number of purchases 1089
Total Income 58 860.75
Pots 395.45 (Garden City Plastics)
Soil etc. 504 (Jimel)
Seeds and Trees 14 000 (Burringbar Nursery)
(less) total Expenses 21 900.45
Total Profit 36 960.30
Figure 6.10 The Nursery Cost Sheet
6.2 Monthly Budgets:
Revenue Expenses
Item $ Item $
Nursery 0 Monthly Rent 2 000
Weekend Workshop (2) 3 571.80 Launch Marketing 240

School Excursions (6) 3000 Website 350
Makers Market 0 Pots 395.45
The Experience (1) 1 903 Soil 360
Total 8 474.8 Seeds and Trees 2 000
Manager 2 000
Events Holder 800
Botanists (x2) 900
Casual Gardener 250
Net Profit 979.35 Total 7 495.45
Figure 6.12: Month 1 Budget
Revenue Expenses
Item $ Item $
Nursery 18 470 Monthly Rent 2 000
Weekend Workshop (2) 4 666 Marketing 200
School Excursions (15) 7 500 Nursery Supplies 2 755.45
Makers Market 2952 Website 100
The Experience (2) 3806 Manager 2 000
Retail 0 Events Holder 800
Total 37 394 Botanists (x2) 900
Casual Gardener 250
Market Holder 250
Net Profit 28 138.55 Total 9 255.45
Revenue Expenses
Item $ Item $
School Excursions (17) 8 500 Website 100
Makers Market (2) 7 560 Nursery Supplies 2 755.45
The Experience (4) 7 612 Manager 2 000
Retail 13 267.50 Events Holder 800
Total 83 231.50 Botanists (x2) 900
Casual Gardener 250
Market Holder 500

Net Profit 73 726.05 Total 9 505.45
Revenue Expenses
Item $ Item $
School Excursions (20) 10 000 Website 100
Makers Market (4) 15 120 Nursery Supplies 2 755.45
The Experience (8) 15 224 Manager 2 000
Retail 13 267.50 Events Holder 800
Total 109 244.50 Botanists (x2) 900
Casual Gardener 250
Casual Market Holders 1 200
Net Profit 99 039.05 Total 10 205.45
7.0 Final Findings
Overall, The Nursery Experience provides unique insight into an overlooked culture. With only
three competitors identified, not even local, The Nursery is bound to be a high-demand tourist
destination. However, like many businesses, there are risks to this proposal. For example, the business
did not factor water cost. Considering Mount Tambourine has no town water supply, The Nursery may
have to purchase and install their own water tanks to meet the high demand of water supply. It is
important, though, not to forget the PESTLE analysis details the extreme decline in water demand for
native Australian plants. Furthermore, the threat of COVID-19 has resulted in a drastic decline in
tourists, which are the mountains mainstream of visitors. Luckily, Australian locals, namely, Brisbane,
Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Northern New South Wales are more eager than ever to explore their
domestic backyard, with domestic holiday spending increasing fourfold since COVID began
(Australian Government, 2021) with the international borders opening, the risk should mitigate itself
naturally.
Despite these, the advantages of the proposal outweigh the disadvantages. The extensive
opportunity of government funding and the growth of social media and online booking platforms prove
to be the biggest advantages to the company. Lastly, the PESTLE identified the upper hand of the
broadening social awareness of the lack of indigenous cultural respect, education and awareness in the

country, and how supporting these communities is a vital but willing course of action by Australians.
Not to mention, the great increase of gardening as a hobby due to COVID-19.
The biggest strength of the business is related to the expansive opportunities formed for the
indigenous communities, whilst endeavouring to deliver a supportive and understanding workplace,
meeting the needs of the individuals from a culturally understanding perspective. Intentionally, these
strengths have been developed to counteract the weaknesses identified with working with at-risk people.
Large opportunities for educational growth and indigenous company/organisation partnerships are also
prominent. However, external threats include competitors and mainly struggles with the location and
obtaining deliveries, supplies and staff to the mountain.
Although if the entire business concept was launched at once, the project would be truly over budget,
the Gannt Chart (Figure 7.0X) below outlines the ideal launch spread to not only profit the most
effectively, but also, to be able to financially fund the further development and growth of the ideal
business. The budget has established the start-up expenses for each aspect of The Nursery and estimated
monthly income based on occurrence and occupancy of each section. For month one, two, three and
four, respectively, the income is estimated to be $6 571, $19 726, $25 392, and $43 784. Although,
these figures are non-inclusive of regular expenditures, such as rent, but also does not include any
income from any plant sales, as foot traffic is rather hard to predict due to our own, independent
marketing intending to grow interest.
The critical risk factors to take into consideration regarding The Nursery are subject to
inconsistencies and unpredictability's especially in the start-up phases of the business. With an
uncertain and unpredictable income, it will be hard to generate a good team cohesion with
scattered, casual and multi role staff members which could hinder growth. Another critical risk
that we need to take into consideration is the location of the site could be discouraging to
potential clients. Although the location certainly has indoor space, a large majority of The
Nursery experience is an outdoor activity. This fact makes numbers of attendance fickle with
poor and inconsistent weather. Although most of these factors will become less critical as time
passes both location-based risks will be harder to deal with.
With increased attendance and participation, the ability to hire staff suitable for roles
will help the business gain its human element and give repeat customers people to build repour
with. Hiring multiple people qualified for distinct roles will allow for a consistent 7 day a week
business and help our staff to not get stretched too thin which could have negative impacts on
their mental health and physical wellbeing. Although the location cannot be changed, deals
with transit companies can help to offer convenient transport options to long distance clients.
Partnerships with some of the many beautiful accommodation option on the mountain would

also greatly negate the worries of travel. As far as the weather factor goes, down the track the
possibility of temporary shelters for raining weather as well as more fixed structures even
further down the track.
Figure 7.0: Gantt Chart for first four months of operations
8.0 Recommendations
The low competitor rate within the industry of Indigenous Culture education and experience as
well as native plants is quite low, guaranteeing that market disruption will be successful and that we
successfully concentrate a substantial portion of the regional market. Conclusively, over 80% of the
market research conducted locally revealed interest in learning more about Indigenous culture and
native flora, but most importantly, adults identified their missing education within school, making the
project highly feasible from an industry perspective, especially with the previous years and predicted
growth. Therefore, direct liaising with schools will be our main marketing strategy, using direct cold
calls. As seen in the budget and Gantt chart, social media will also be utilised to advertise and attract to
customers, alongside a website for online presence and exposure through markets.

The market research and target psychographic profiles identified that the service with the
highest customer demand was the workshops, comparable to the growth of public and private craft
classes and social events as well as the school excursions. Fortunately, the ease of access and
advertising of these kind of events through booking platforms such as Eventbrite and Groupon offer a
technological advantage and it is recommended that The Nursery offers many highly discounted, but
still profitable, tickets at the beginning of the project to gain exposure.
The functional organizational structure seems to be the most effective for The Nursery.
Considering the gardening, workshops and market-holding require all completely different skillsets.
The separation of each arm of the project also hopefully means that many staff might never have to take
the climb up the mountain. Instead, transport and delivery of the products will be done by the manager
to the staff member at the event. This allows emotional wellbeing check-ins, open communications and
questions between staff and the manager to check off on the presentation and behaviour of the acting
staff member. To source staffing with further education, we will approach indigenous arms of
universities and TAFEs, allowing advertising as well as direct contact with future and past graduates.
The clear hierarchy and job requirements and preferential criteria allow the manager to identify suitable
employees easily through recruiting software such as SEEK.com and Indeed.com.au. Furthermore,
recruiting companies such as Sarina Russo that are related to the governments job seeker payments
would assist in identifying those who would be a good match for the company of the 59.2% unemployed
Indigenous people in Queensland (Australian Government, 2021). Financially, The Nursery has more
than enough money to support funding for an indigenous organisation, and ethically, they should try to
partner with one to receive the profits.
To help launch expenses, it is expected that the Australian Government may also contribute
various amounts of funding from at least one of the grants outlined in Figure 6.2, ensuring more
financial stability and the manager should apply for these, or subcontract a grant writer to obtain more
funding. For example, the unknown expense of sourcing a recruiting company like Sarina Russo would
be reimbursed through the Closing the Gap initiative and government funding to support indigenous
employment. Additionally, the sequential installation of each arm has assisted in reducing financial
strain and increasing profit to fund the successive project and pay regular expenses. As for the retail
products, there is no outline on the finances of the retail products that are sold, but the outline of cost
of goods and RRP in figure 6.1; however, it is recommended that The Nursery does an analysis of how
they can create these products on site, using their organic and self-grown ingredients.

Appendix
Figure 3.1 Target Psychographic Profile 1

Figure 3.4 Market Research Graphs

Figure 3.5 Consumer Decision Making Journey

Figure 5.1 Kiara Austen’s CV

Figure 5.2 Willhelm Ballard’s CV

Figure 5.4 Yvonne McCarthy’s CV

Figure 5.5 Estelle Darcy’s CV

Figure 6.1 Pot Cost Sheet
Pot Size Volume Quantity Cost Total
Volume
Avg. RRP
40mm
(Propagation)
0.11L 400 60.00 44L N/A
80mm (Small) 0.3L 300 65.95 90L 9.50
180mm (Medium) 4.5L 200 65.00 900L 20.00
300mm (Large) 13.5L 100 197.50 1 350L 60.00
370 x 330mm (XL) 35L 100 7.00 3 500L 150.00
Total 1 100 395.45 5 884 L
Figure 6.2 Australian Grants Available
To help launch expenses, it is expected that the Australian Government may also contribute
various amounts of funding from at least one of the following:
Indigenous Advancement Strategy (under culture and capability)
Commercialisation Guidance
Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support Program
Indigenous Native Food Program
Organisations Fund
Touring Queensland Quick Response
Looking after Country Grant
Figure 6.4 Queensland Schools by Region
Region Public
Primary
Public
High
Private Total TAFE University
Campuses
Gold Coast 100 16 28 134 5 3
Greater
Brisbane
223 88 210 521 13 11

Figure 6.11 Foot Traffic at the Nursery
SOURCE OF
CUSTOMER
PURCHASE
RATE
# OF
PURCHASES
AVERAGE
PRICE
TOTAL
EXCURSIONS (12) 5% 69 14.75 1017.75
WORKSHOPS (9) 50% 900 59.87 53 883
WALK-INS (600) 20% 120 33 3 960
TOTAL MONTHLY SALES FROM NURSERY 58 860.75
SOURCE OF
CUSTOMER
Purchase
Rate
# of purchases Average Price Total
EXCURSIONS (12) 5% 69 7.50 517.50
WORKSHOPS (9) 25% 450 25.00 11 250
WALK-INS (600) 10% 60 25.00 1 500
TOTAL MONTHLY SALES FROM RETAIL 13 267.50

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