DomeGaia Communities - Kaua'i Business Plan

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths

Our principle strength is our business model, which is extremely unusual in that people actually pay us to construct buildings on our site. Because the construction methods are eco-friendly and inexpensive they have a broad appeal to owner-builders and construction people worldwide. Because all members of our team are unified in our dedication to sustainable systems, health, and beautiful, eco-friendly environments, there is a lovely opportunity to create “heaven on earth” by channeling the volunteer energy that DomeGaia has been abundantly receiving into eco-friendly projects that create a Model of healthy, beautiful, sustainable living for worldwide propagation (which is our long-range goal).
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Our additional strengths include: Unusually high positive cash flow through a pre-existing, well-established series of workshops, and a brilliant management team with a lot of business experience, vision, and financial savvy.

Weaknesses:

​Our core team is adept at business management, health, and wellness, but not particularly experienced with farm management. Fortunately, we enjoy the support of the local farming community, and several local farmers who understand and align with our vision have expressed strong interest in participating in the development of any land we purchase. DomeGaia’s Internship / volunteer program also creates an essentially free labor pool where students interested in Alternative construction technologies receive college credit for learning about & actively creating ecologically friendly environments via the DomeGaia Certification Program: similar to Woofing, but more academically oriented.

Opportunities:

​In spearheading the propagation and distribution of tools, knowledge and equipment for the construction of affordable housing, there is a tremendous opportunity to revolutionize the construction industry from unaffordable ( > $200/sq. ft.) homes that are prey to rot, molds, insects and rodents to a new model characterized by beauty, affordability, longevity, weather and pest resistance. In a world seeking eco-friendly solutions, the opportunity to showcase this methodology in a beautiful, harmonious, ecologically sound environment, and propagate it worldwide through the establishment of similar properties elsewhere is a completely untapped resource that has the potential to create massive positive change in the world: beautiful, affordable, weather resistant, sustainable housing solutions. DomeGaia – Kauai is intended as a flagship community for worldwide replication. And the scope extends beyond the construction methods to include the surrounding environment as a biodynamic, healthy ecosystem that nurtures the humans caring for it.

Threats

​The principal threat is the restrictions imposed by Kauai Zoning Laws, which severely restrict the types of structures that can be built on the land. While domes as a form are suitable for all types of buildings (from Ag processing kitchens to nurseries to tool sheds to homes), current zoning laws restrict the types of buildings that can be constructed in this area to Ag-use only. While the Comprehensive Plan is under review and the Affordable Housing Crisis being deeply considered, if farm worker housing becomes legalized, a tremendous opportunity would exist to create residential housing on this property (as well as others nearby). However, until / unless that happens, our ability to construct will be restricted to Ag-use buildings, which is sufficient, just not ideal. Keeping an eye on the building rights associated with any particular parcel of land is therefore something we need to pay a lot of attention to (as do most purchasers).

Alternative Action Plans & Competitive Advantage:

Since revenue from DomeGaia workshops constitutes 2/3 of our gross income, that is the revenue stream we really want to focus on. With a 20,000 person mailing list (which has doubled in size in the last 6 months), this is a burgeoning market and our focus right now is gearing up to handle its viral growth. It is worth noting that the numbers REALLY work and our net income exceeds our gross monthly expenses by a factor of 5, so even if this revenue stream were to surprisingly vanish, the remaining revenue streams more than cover the expenses, and thus essentially comprise an alternative action plan.

DomeGaia’s capability to build structures for a materials cost of $1/sq. ft. x the thickness of the walls (in inches) provides an exceptionally strong Competitive Advantage in a time when typical construction costs exceed $200/sq. ft. and is the formative reason for the viral interest in our workshops, which teach those techniques. Were that interest ever to flag (which is unlikely since Hajjar invented and sells the tools and techniques, and is continually improving them), we could always switch to a business model based around construction rather than education and have a massive clientele of people wanting low-cost housing built for them on their land.

Marketing Strategy:

For DomeGaia Workshops, we will continue the Marketing Strategy that DomeGaia is currently using to successfully advertise its workshops: specifically their Website, Mailing List, and YouTube videos.

For Farm produce distribution, we will use local Farmer’s Markets, direct local contacts to Restaurants & chefs, and possibly Esaki’s.

For Therapeutic / Healing sessions, we will continue the Marketing Strategy that Aloha Massage Kauai is currently using to successfully advertise its services: specifically their Website, local concierges, Yelp!, TripAdvisor, and Google Adwords.
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For Healthy Lifestyle workshops, we will use David & Natalie Rose’s burgeoning contact / wait list for those types of services. 
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