Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Community Income Streams

This blog is the first iteration of what has now become www.OneCommunityGlobal.org, please visit that site for all the most current details on this project. 

One Community has a diversity of business models and a specific plan and timeline for implementation. The success of One Community as a business is assured because the largest of the two business models (Center of Peace and Eco Construction Templates) don't require a community to implement and succeed. That said, the goal is for One Community to become an economy in and of itself with global reach and impact, to do this genuine community is a must.
Part of the inspiration for One Community has always been financial abundance. As a long time entrepreneur I know that EVERYTHING is marketable; it's just a matter of whether or not you have the skill and resources to bring it to market. Part of the excitement of developing One Community is creating a place almost everyone would like to be a part of so we bring the skills and resources to us rather than having to outsource. As our skill and resource pool grows, so too do our entrepreneurial options.

The businesses of One Community will be launched in stages with stages One and Two being my contributions to the community and the fruit of 10 years of planning. All the businesses after that will depend on the Community Members and Community Investors involved and the results of the community consensus process regarding their proposals.

"In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete. That, in essence, is the higher service to which we are all being called."
~ Buckminster Fuller ~

As the community grows our membership and our exposure will exponentially increase our entrepreneurial clout and appeal to investors and other interested parties and this is how we will become an economy in and of ourself and affect the global economic paradigm. One business at a time expanding our reach and supporting our market share by increasing exposure and linking to each other, building another business to further increase our reach and support other existing businesses and repeating this process over and over.

Stage One:
The first stage of business development is the Center of Peace. This building will represent the hub of the community and a beautiful place to stay for people interested in a bed and breakfast with the luxury of the Hilton and world class nature excursions right outside your back door. With Zion and Angel's Landing, Bryce Canyon, the South end of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powel, and The Wave all within an hour and a half drive and Coral Pink Sand Dunes and hikes to rival Zion Canyon within walking distance, One Community is a nature lover's dream come true.

Estimates to build Center of Peace have been as low as 250K so we are budgeting 400K with plans to break ground in the spring of 2011 and completion before winter.

Stage Two:
Stage two is the beginning of the 5 Pods that constitute the foundation of One Community as a community. Each of these buildings will be a very different style and construction and all of the steps to construct each building, building materials and costs, floor plans, etc. will become a marketable product. We will partner with local and national eco builders for assistance, discounts and referral fees and in return we will become a place where interested persons can come and not just see, but stay in, examples of the different options available for their own building and then speak with a knowledgeable source about them all.

Cost to build these eco buildings as been as low as $5,000 to $30,000 and we will begin building the first two pods in the summer of 2011 with completion estimated by winter 2012. This timeline will be significantly accelerated based on the growth of One Community as a community and the synergistic builder relations we create.

Stage Three:
Stage three is the most malleable stage of One Community's entrepreneurial reach because it depends on Community Investors and Community Members. What we have now is first rate website and website marketing expert ready to launch with any product line. The discussion thus far has revolved around duplicating this site for artists living in the community and linking all the sites together to create a sort of 'artistic hub' that draws people in and retains their business within the hub. This model can be duplicated indefinitely, uses one shopping cart, is easy to manage and update, and is ready to go now.

Other options that have been discussed are festivals, hosting retreats, there is an accounting business model already sketched out for Network Marketing Companies and our accountant investor, a good friend of mine is creating a holistic health documentary that would fit well with our model, another friend is already building eco homes and is looking for land to test new models on, organic farming products and farmer's market participation is a definite possibility, etc.  The list of ideas is long and increases every time we think of a person with new resources to bring to the table.

Bottom line is we are creative and entrepreneurial people so it's really just a matter of getting established and seeing what we have to work with. Stage One and Two are the foundations we will build on, and enough to make this venture a win for us and Property Investors over the next couple years; Stage Three is a limitless possibility we are excited to see develop as the right people are called to join us.