Business Planning
Once the business case has been validated through feasibility analysis and with an operator on board, we help teams develop a formal Business Plan and prepare for fundraising. The Business Plan adds further rigor to the feasibility assessment assumptions and business model, including complete operations, marketing and financial plans.
It identifies the funding needed, a financing strategy that matches the types of funding with the most appropriate investors and lenders for the uses of funds, and projects the level and timing of investor returns. If an operator for the enterprise has not yet been identified, we assist our clients in conducting a comprehensive operator search and selection process before this phase of work begins.
The key audiences for the Business Plan are the management team and potential investors. The process of writing a business plan ensures the management team is in agreement about how the business will be established, operated and overseen. The Business Plan will signal to investors and lenders that the management team understands the business and can manage and grow it successfully.
About Us
New Venture Advisors is a team of business consultants specializing in local food system planning and new enterprise development.
Business Planning Projects
Learn how we have helped our clients develop Business Plans below.
Clinton Hill Grocery Developments
Newark, NJ
In the Clinton Hill neighborhood, community-led grocery ventures are becoming a model for equitable food access. New Venture Advisors is partnering with Clinton Hill Community Action to develop both a mutual aid grocery and a food cooperative. The team designed and modeled multiple formats to align with community goals and facilitated engagement to build local leadership capacity. NVA also coached the launch of the mutual aid grocery, ensuring both initiatives are rooted in sustainability and local ownership. (2026)
Philabundance Community Food Strategies for Hartranft and PCK Entrepreneurial Program
Philadelphia, PA
In North Philadelphia’s Hartranft neighborhood, community-driven change is at the heart of Philabundance’s Neighborhood Thrive Initiatives. New Venture Advisors supported engagement efforts to identify strategies that increase food access and strengthen equity. The team coached local partners to lead inclusive outreach grounded in community ownership and trust. Building on resident feedback, NVA also created an entrepreneurial curriculum for the Philabundance Community Kitchen to help residents explore food business opportunities and workforce development. (2024)
Healthy Corner Store Initiative Program Design
Wichita, KS
New Venture Advisors supported the City of Wichita in designing a Healthy Corner Store Initiative to improve access to healthy food in food desert neighborhoods. Building on recommendations from the Wichita/Sedgwick County Food System Master Plan, NVA partnered with The Food Trust to design a pilot program, develop a draft budget, and support the city’s RFP process to identify an implementing organization. (2023) Download plan here.
Whatcom Local Food Campus
Bellingham, WA
Whatcom Community Foundation continues to partner with New Venture Advisors to guide the development of the Kitchens@Millworks —a bold project uniting health, equity, and market access. Building on previous work with the Farm to Freezer program, the team developed an operational model, financial analysis, and partner strategy. NVA is evaluating expansion of farm-to-institution efforts and their potential relocation to the new campus. Advanced financial models support a multi-operator facility encompassing production, aggregation, retail, and community programs. (2026)
Oneida Nation Meat Processing Facility
Oneida, WI
New Venture Advisors partnered with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin to explore the development of a Nation-owned and operated meat processing facility as part of its ongoing commitment to food sovereignty and self-sufficiency. The feasibility study examined opportunities to localize protein processing and integrate workforce training in production spaces. NVA also created a regulatory resource guide spanning sovereign, local, and state jurisdictions to support implementation. (2022)
Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub Business Plan
Duffield, VA
New Venture Advisors supported Appalachian Sustainable Development in strengthening the financial sustainability of the Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub, an initiative building a regional forest and medicinal herb economy in Central Appalachia. NVA developed a business plan and operating model for value-added processing and aggregation, reducing reliance on grant funding while supporting small producers through shared infrastructure and regional market growth. (2022)
Oneida Community Cannery
Oneida, WI
Through a multi-year collaboration with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, New Venture Advisors helped bring the Oneida Community Cannery through concept development —a commercial and community-use food production center designed to preserve traditional foodways and foster local entrepreneurship. Beginning with a feasibility study in 2018 and culminating in a detailed business plan in 2022, NVA guided the Nation through each stage of development. The process emphasized culturally responsive engagement rooted in storytelling, intergenerational dialogue, and local leadership. NVA also crafted an operating model that translated traditional recipes into scalable production systems, blending heritage and innovation in food systems planning. (2022)
The Good Food Collective Social Enterprise Launch
Durango, CO
Fruit for Good is a new social enterprise of The Good Food Collective. It dehydrates gleaned fruit from area farms, sells it to regional retail and wholesale customers, and donates it to food banks and pantries. New Venture Advisors coached the organization to conduct a market study to refine the value proposition for customers, put plans on paper that define the operating model and staffing plan, project the financial resources required, and build a roadmap with milestones through the pilot and full launch. (2021) Read the case history.
Open Door Community House Incubator Operating Plan
Columbus, GA
New Venture Advisors designed and supported the launch of Open Door Community House’s Culinary Incubator in Columbus to expand pathways for its Culinary Arts and ServSafe graduates. NVA developed an operating plan, provided individualized coaching during the pilot phase, and created hands-on curriculum tools to support emerging food entrepreneurs in building sustainable businesses. (2020)
Worcester Regional Food Hub
Worcester, MA
Originally piloted in 2016 as a kitchen incubator and aggregation hub, the Worcester Regional Food Hub strengthens the regional economy by connecting producers and consumers, advancing workforce development, and supporting food business incubation. New Venture Advisors conducted a market assessment and developed a business plan to guide the hub’s expansion and long-term sustainability. This work helped position the Food Hub for its successful transition to a permanent home at Union Station in 2025. (2019)
Frenchtown KitchenShare Food Business Incubator
Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee’s first food-based incubator is located in historic Frenchtown, one of Tallahassee’s poorest neighborhoods and food deserts. KitchenShare provides equipment access, business training, product development, marketing and networking to early stage food businesses. NVA assisted in the development of the business plan to launch an online marketplace that enables regional farms, KitchenShare food entrepreneurs and area wholesale customers to buy and sell from each other. (2017)
Project Angel Heart
Denver, CO
Project Angel Heart (PAH) delivers medically modified meals to improve quality of life, at no cost, for those coping with life-threatening illnesses. New Venture Advisors worked with PAH to develop a business plan for a Community Partners Program through which the organization would contract with hospitals to provide meals to patients upon discharge. The program would serve as a new revenue stream for the organization and would help providers align with new requirements and incentives emerging from the Affordable Care Act. The program launched in 2016. (2016)
Eastern Market Corporation
Detroit, MI
Eastern Market Corporation is a nonprofit organization that manages Detroit’s historic Eastern Market and plays a critical role in fostering local food system development and healthy food access via a number of innovative initiatives. New Venture Advisors worked with EMC to develop a Business Plan for a local individually quick frozen (IQF) processing facility that would provide a new sales channel for regional growers, and increase access to local produce year-round for Detroit area institutions. (2016)
Field & Fork Network
Buffalo, NY
New Venture Advisors conducted a Feasibility Study with Field & Fork Network and in partnership with Cornell University Cooperative Extension. The study recommended the launch of a Western New York Food Hub. New Venture Advisors worked with the project team on an operator search, and then developed the food hub Business Plan alongside the chosen operator, Eden Valley Growers, a longstanding farmer-owned cooperative in Eden, NY. The hub launched in 2015. (2015)
