23A--Your Venture's Unfair Advantage

Generate a list of all of the resources in your venture (produce a list of at least 10 resources that you already possess). This can include your human capital, social capital, financial capital, and capabilities. You may also discuss the organizational culture you intend to create (but, obviously, it's not a resource that you have, now.) 

1. Availability
2. Proximity
3. Delivery
4. Superiority
5. Relationship
6. Value
7. Sustainable
8. Repeatable
9. Empowers you to support your local economy
10. Exceptional service

Conduct a "VRIN" analysis for each resource. That is, describe, for each resource, how it is valuable, rare, inimitable (how hard it is to copy by others), and non-substitutable (are there other resources that can provide the same benefits?). 

1. Availability -- prices often fluctuate during the year as processors near you begin to slow down or switch products for the season.
2. Proximity--I am by far the closest producer to you.  If I treat you poorly, it will exponentially affect my business.
3. Delivery -- I am the only processor and vendor who will deliver my product to your door or barn.
4. Superiority--I strive to provide you with a superior product. That is rare for an industry that dominated by mega-million dollar corporations.
5. Relationship--My other resources help create a partnership instead of a transaction.  This is especially rare across many industries. 
6. Value--I'm offering a great deal of service with a quality product for cheaper than my competitors.  That's true value.
7. Sustainable -- I am offering a non-conventional product that grants you the opportunity to farm more sustainably.
8. Repeatable -- I have created a simple process which keeps my margins low. This could obviously be repeated by other firms but many of them are likely too large to truly repeat my system without vast additional infrastructure and investment into small, partner farms like mine. Smithfield does this with swine but not for feed production.
9. Empowers you to support your local economy.  This is highly specific to our local area and it likely has intrinsic value for my customers.
10. Exceptional service--Since I am the only employee that deals directly with customers, I can guarantee a high level of service and care. 

I think every one of these resources provides value to my customers.  They save them money, time, and hassle.  Each of those reasons is significant for working adults. 

Very few of these resources or services are repeatable due to my niche market. The small town business vibe is not something that can be easily scaled up.

Large firms simply cannot copy the business model. They can offer a superior product because their scale allows them to hire chemists and engineers without raising their prices too high (costs are diluted and recovered in larger sales volume). 

There is are a couple substitutes to my system.  I cannot sell all of the goods you need at my farm.  I wouldn't generate enough sales volume to cover the overhead and infrastructure. Tractor Supply has nearly everything you need if you're willing to drive 45 minutes to get there and back.  This is likely not an option on a weekly basis.

Remember, not ALL resources will measure up well. That's OK. You just need one. After conducting the VRIN analysis, determine what your top resource is. Explain why it's more important to your venture than all of the other resources.

• Proximity allows me to provide nearly all of my other resources.  It's arguably the most difficult resource for my competitors to copy.  My firms function similar to a convenience store in many ways.  I have what you need when you need it. The incredible catch is that I also offer it at an affordable price.