Marvin's Idea...
Manchester-based Marvin Baker, 34, is a self-confessed serial entrepreneur. You name it he’s tried - and occasionally succeeded - at doing it. The Global Startup Challenge provided Marvin with the perfect opportunity to do something in business that he’s always wanted to do. To give something back.
Marvin plans to create a ‘sustainable’ business which will see him purchase artificial Christmas trees via Alibaba.com. The exciting twist for this business model is that, for every Christmas tree he sells, Marvin will use the revenue to plant a new tree in the UK. Keen to get underway, Marvin has already agreed a partnership with a tree planting organisation that will assist him with his not-for-profit venture.
Not content with planting trees to offset carbon in the UK, Marvin has devised a Corporate Social Responsibility element to his business plan which will enable him to use any remaining profit from tree sales to fund the supply of computers to Africa as part of Computer Aid, a charity close to his heart.
Marvin's business plan
Marvin acknowledges that when it comes to buying Christmas trees, he has a pretty diverse target audience in general consumers, with a slant towards environmentally-minded individuals. In a catch-all approach, Marvin has devised a website called greenchristmasappeal.org which he intends to be the main vehicle for Christmas tree sales. He will be promoting his site via targeted online activity.
Additionally, Marvin intends to incorporate other marketing channels to showcase his greener Christmas plans which include PR and media relations and trading partner developments.
What Marvin Says...
Green Issues were top of people’s agenda before the recession. Price has overtaken this now, but Christmas is still a time to think about things other than ourselves. I need to overcome the consumer’s cost agenda and boost concerns over the planet and those less fortunate than ourselves back to the front of people’s minds.
www.GreenChristmasAppeal.org will create a sustainable business model which will benefit the environment and help children in the developing world. Christmas is not about taking, it’s about giving.
Marvin’s stage of the challenge
