Panama Tropical Research Institute

Fall 2013 Business Program Goals

WELCOME!

It is an exciting time for us at Kalu Yala and we are looking forward to you being a part of the team and the action!  The current priorities for the Business Program include planning for a 5 day, 200 person camping event to be hosted at Kalu Yala over New Years, and preparing for the initial phase of design and implementation of the first cottage homes to be built at Kalu Yala.

The workdays are structured for interns to work in the mornings on the program’s overall semester project, lead by their directors, and then transition to their independent projects in the afternoon.  Each semester interns are asked to come up with an individual project, and with the help of their peers and director, bring that project to life in a tangible way.  The Fall Business Program’s project, lead by the director in the mornings, will be focusing on the planning, organizing, and implementation of the Jungle Adventure camping event that Kalu Yala will be hosting in December.  Interns are provided with resources and connections that may help advance a project or expand networks, but each intern is responsible for putting in the work to get what they want out of this experience.

The educational aspect of the program focuses on daily group discussions on the required business reading material that incorporates lessons on Business Modeling, Sustainable Business Strategies, Entrepreneurship & Collaboration.

DIRECTOR GOALS & TECHNIQUES

  • Communication

    • Monday Group Meetings Discussing ‘Last Week’s Challenges & This Week’s Goals’

    • Individual Intern Meetings on Frequent Basis

    • Open Communication with Other Directors & Regular Meetings

    • Transparency

    • Provide Comfortable Feedback Loops for Interns

  • Lead By Example

    • Set Standards and Expectations

    • Be Patient & Encourage Ideas

    • Demonstrate Good Work Ethic

    • Professionalism

  • Guide the Interns

    • Inspire Interns to Develop Own Project & Proposal

    • Enhance and Improve Existing Project Design & Implementation

    • Assist Interns in Setting Project Goals & Timelines

    • Be a Resource for Interns and Provide Guidance to Their Projects

  • Education

    • Facilitating Daily Conversations on Assigned Business Book Reading Requirements

    • Relevant Articles, Blogs, & Videos to be Assigned Weekly & Discussed

    • Improve Sustainability and Health & Wellness Efforts Within Kalu Yala

    • Provide Networking Opportunities Through Guest Speakers, Workshops, Special Events

    • Incorporate Program Involvement into Local Organizations

  • Be Resourceful

    • Read, Research, Study and Demonstrate Knowledge of Material

    • If I Don’t Know Something, I Will Figure it Out

    • Seek Knowledge & Advice from Professionals & Experts

    • Ask for Help When Needed–we are not experts and need to acknowledge our limitations

PROJECTS

  • 200 Person Kalu Yala Event Preparation

    • Event Plan & Logistics Execution

      • Recreation Mgmt & Activity Plan

      • Identify Vendors & Suppliers

      • Hospitality Services

      • Volunteer Coordination

      • Communications

      • Infrastructure Management

      • Sponsorships

      • Permitting Processes

  • Furniture Business by Kalu Yala — “Align”

    • To continue with this summer business project by getting prototypes of furniture designs made, focus efforts on integrating products into the market, and identifying and securing supply chain

  • Eco-Tourism

    • Creating brand awareness to the athletic community in Panama for the existing tourism company, Jungle Adventures by Kalu Yala, by implementing  the event plans for a 1 day Jungle Run event tailored to crossfitters, runners, etc.  for an intense outdoor workout

  • Business, Marketing, & Operation Plans for Co-Working Eco-Resort

    • To create a business model and plans for a Co-Working/Co-Housing Development in Kalu Yala

  • Agricultural-Business Ideas: Product Development:  Taking an item that Kalu Yala produces on the farm and turning it into a marketable product that we eventually distribute.  Ex: Jam/Marmalade, Composting Fertilizer

  • Community Organization Involvement:  Establishing relationships and planning events  with local organizations to further connect the community of those trying to make a difference, live healthily and sustainably

Kalu Yala CEO, Jimmy Stice, also has several ideas for the Business Program this year for those who want to be more directly involved with the Kalu Yala land development company.

Real Estate Related

  1. Kalu Yala’s Builders Program

    1. Define builders program structure, including conceptualizing the Builders Guild

    2. Profile potential builders

    3. Create promotion plan to find and attract appropriate builders

    4. Design screening process to vet builders

    5. Design Kalu Yala Builds incubator to aid local and international builders make a successful transition into the world of Kalu Yala

  2. Cottage Sales Program

    1. There are 20 special cottage lots in the Founders Village reserved as the only lots for non-investors in that village

    2. Create profiles of target audiences for this special offering (ie people under 35, entrepreneurs, farmers, etc)

    3. Design sales program to find and attract the best of this target audience

    4. Define the cottage product in a way that is of high value to the target audience

    5. Construction Management Plan & permitting processes

  3. Securities Sales Program

    1. Learn about Kalu Yala’s financial structure, target investor audience, business model, and current promotional plans/activities, as well as securities regulations in the US and Panama

    2. Create a separate promotional plan for finding and attracting investors to add another prong to the arsenal

  4. Investor Business Plans/Pitches

    1. Use the Kalu Yala master plan, share structure, and community model to pick a building type(s) to match a business plan to

    2. Perform a feasibility study and create a resulting business plan

    3. Potentially package that business plan into a pitch deck to solicit investors

Economics Related

  1. Define Kalu Yala’s business principles required of all businesses doing business in Kalu Yala or using the Kalu Yala brand (i.e. regional producers who are part of a Kalu Yala co-op).

  2. Plan The First Kalu Yala Co-Op

    1. Co-ops are a big part of how Kalu Yala will enable small businesses to compete in a big business world.

    2. Identify opportunities for creating early co-ops that can include already existing regional businesses/producers at Kalu Yala

    3. Define Kalu Yala co-op goals and principles

    4. Use local context and co-op goals to identify comparable examples and blueprint Kalu Yala co-op structure and business plan

  3. Local Resource Index

    1. Radiating from Kalu Yala to San Miguel to San Martin, identify and catalog locally available resources

    2. Either choose a particular resource and map its occurrence in the region or work from Kalu Yala outward cataloging all the resources that can be identified in a particular area further before expanding the study

    3. Resource examples include human resources (i.e. political leaders, craftsmen of different types, large local financial stakeholders), natural resources (i.e. extraction industries, aquifer and water resources, timber), and products (ie. locally produced food products, unique crafted goods, medical, educations, etc)

  4. Draft Economic Development Plan

    1. Use Michael Shuman’s books The Small Mart Revolution and Local Dollars, Local Sense to identify the required components (guiding principles, institutions, financial and human capital) of a successful local economy that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses at Kalu Yala

    2. Chronologically order the development of these components

    3. Propose development plans for each component, starting with the first

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