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Lindsay Roundtree
MET 1010-400
Professor Hahnenberger
April 16, 2015

Solar Coats, LLC: The future is now


This is a coat with solar panels installed onto the shoulders. It will consume and
store a certain amount of solar energy and heat the jacket for up to four hours upon
wearers request to release energy at the convenient push of a button. Long enough
to get somewhere warm or long enough for a half day on the ski slopes if it gets
cloudy and cold. Button activation is used for the solar energy so when the sun is
gone the coat will be able to warm on command, therefore making it not entirely
dependent on the sun.
1. SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Solar Coats, LLC. is a business devoted to providing customer safety and
warmth. Our purpose is to create an innovative, sustainable clothing option
necessary for outdoor workers, skiers, hikers, meteorologists working in
extreme temperatures that can change on a dime, and any outdoor
enthusiast. We will achieve this by coupling up with engineers to create a
solar powered coat, designed to keep the wearer warm at all times. There is
high profitability for this product when marketed in the right place such as
Colorado, Utah, and the NE coast which sees a considerable amounts of
snowfall. For example, Boston, Massachusetts (1) sees an average of 43 of
snow per year. Aspen, Colorado (2) sees an average of 178 per year, and
Logan, UT receives 63.1 each year (3). There is minimal competition for this
product right now, as the only solar powered coats available are made to
charge electronics, not to provide warmth. The amount of startup money
required to make the vision a possibility will be around 5,000.00 for materials,
design, promotion and labor. We plan on receiving this money from personal
savings as well as a bank loan.
2. BUSINESS
The purpose of this business is to provide customers with safety and warmth,
by creating an innovative, sustainable clothing option for outdoor
enthusiasts, scientists, and workers. This company, an LLC, is owned by
Lindsay Roundtree, who created it out of frank dislike for the frigid cold air
that likes to frequent the Wasatch front, while still loving to observe the
changing and sometimes extreme weather. There is not yet any history of
this business, as it is a new startup company. The unique features of the solar
powered coat, designed to heat its wearer, will make it a hot feature on the
market right now.

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3. PRODUCT OR SERVICE
We are offering a solar powered coat designed to keep the wearer warm.
Those who work in outdoor conditions or who are avid skiers will appreciate
and flock to this luxury item. The solar powered coat features solar panels
installed on the shoulders to receive sunlight and store it in a small battery.
When the sun is gone, this will enable the user to receive the benefits of the
solar energy with a push of a button to stay warm on the slopes, or at work,
even when it is snowing and cloudy.
4. MARKET
We intend on marketing this product as a trial in Boston, Aspen, and Logan.
Our intended age group are individuals 18-45 who are outdoor working age
and avid skiing and snowboarding age. We envision a demand both short and
long term for this product. In the future, we may try to break into association
marketing, where we can give our product for free to those who are well
known in the public eye, or those meteorologists working in the more
extreme weathered parts of the world.
5. MARKETING PLAN
We do not plan on adding any further products to this line or to Solar Coats,
LLC. Our trial run will launch in November of 2015 and end in March of 2016.
Sales will be pushed heavily in February in Colorado, as March is Colorados
snowiest month (it receives 20% of the accounted for snowfall according to
(4). In Massachusetts, sales will be pushed heavily in January, as February is
Bostons snowiest month according to (5). In Utah, we will push sales heavily
in the month of November and December, as December and January in Utah
receives the most snow according to (6)
We estimate cost of production to be at 20 dollars per unit, with a sales prices
of 320.00 per unit which gives us a 300.00 net profit per coat. We plan on
breaking into the market at opening days in ski resorts in all three states. To
promote we will have a promotion team with promotional models running
booths allowing customers to take a break in a solar coat and enjoy a free
cup of coffee. This will show the wearer that they can still continue doing
daily activities even in the frigid cold, as long as they are wearing Solar
Coats.
In conclusion, the Solar Coats will be a highly lucrative business idea. It
combines the technical field of meteorology in predicting the average
weather of various states across the country and the business side of
budgeting, marketing, and promoting to ensure our product reaches as many
people as possible. Over all, I believe there is a very bright future here with
Solar Coats, LLC.

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Bibliography
Business Plan Guideline:
"Business Plan Model| Free Business Plan ModelForms." Entrepreneur. Web. 16 Apr.
2015. <http://www.entrepreneur.com/formnet/form/451>.
1) "Average Annual Snowfall in Massachusetts." Average Annual Snowfall Totals
in Massachusetts. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Massachusetts/annualsnowfall.php>.
2) "Average Annual Snowfall in Colorado." Average Annual Snowfall Totals in
Colorado. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/annualsnowfall.php>.http://www.thorntonweather.com/noaa/03preview.php
3) "Average Annual Snowfall in Utah." Average Annual Snowfall Totals in Utah.
Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Utah/annualsnowfall.php>.
4) "Denver Weather in March." Denver CO Weather in March. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/Places/denver-weather-inmarch.php>
5) "Boston Seasonal Snowfall." Boston Snow Graphs. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/BostonSS.html>.
6) "Salt Lake City Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages." Salt Lake City UT
Snowfall Totals & Snow Accumulation Averages. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

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<http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Utah/Places/salt-lake-city-snowfalltotals-snow-accumulation-averages.php .>.

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