Business Planning for Kelp Aquaculture
Resources for Prospective Farmers
NOAA Sea Grant has developed a comprehensive suite of resources to assist prospective kelp farmers in making decisions. This guidebook will help you develop a kelp aquaculture business plan that is comprehensive, flexible, and grounded. It is designed to provide you with operational and financial information to make rational decisions about kelp aquaculture investment. This guidebook is also linked to a flexible financial model (worksheet), which will allow you to see the dollars-and-cents impacts of your plans as they evolve. Potential investors and kelp farmers are advised to modify the data and economic and financial projections based on their own locations and economic situations.
Guidebook
This guidebook leads you through the process of preparing a written kelp aquaculture business plan. When you have completed the exercises in this book, including developing a detailed financial model for your business ideas, you will have a solid sense of whether kelp aquaculture business is a good move for you. That is the value of business planning. Before spending any money, you need to think through all the aspects that can be planned for in preparation for the unexpected.
Financial Planning Model for Sugar Kelp
This is a downloadable excel file where you can enter all of your assumptions about the cost and revenue you plan to achieve in your kelp aquaculture business. The model will produce economic analysis and financial projections to guide your decisions. Visit the Connecticut Sea Grant website for additional information.
Data Entry Sheets
These are printable PDFs that you can use to complete the inputs for your financial planning model without needing to have an excel workbook open at all times. Complete these sheets on your own time and then enter them into the downloadable excel financial model.