feasibility study business plan on fish farming

Fish Farming Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Agriculture Industry » Livestock Farming » Fish Farming

Are you about starting a fish farming business ? If YES, here is a complete sample fish farming business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE .

Fish farming is a very lucrative business. It has been in existence for a very long time and more and more people have found it a very good means of livelihood. One of the unique things about the fish farming trade is that you have the opportunity to rear fishes and watch them grow from tiny to big enough to be traded with.

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This business isn’t so capital intensive, however it requires that one garners a good skill in the trade so that one can apply expertise in the business and not lose money at a slightest mistake. Much more than the skills to be garnered there is the business plan that needs to be written.

Business plans help you to decipher how a business is really being run. Here below is a sample fish farming business plan;

A Sample Fish Farming Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

The agricultural industry of which Fish and Seafood Aquaculture business is a subset of is no doubt among the leading industry in most countries of the world; it is the industry that produces fish and seafood for the populace.

Because of the significant role the agriculture sector plays, the government of most countries ensures that they go all the way to subsidize seedlings, fertilizers, and farming implements and machinery for farmers and also encourage entrepreneurs to go into commercial farming (fish farming inclusive).

The Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry comprises of businesses that farm aquatic animals or plants in controlled aquatic environments. Businesses in this industry make use of some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as holding in captivity and protecting from predators, pests and disease.

It is important to state that this industry does not including the fishing and harvesting of wild fish and shellfish especially on the high sea. A study conducted by IBISWORLD shows that the Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry has indeed experienced slow growth over the last five years.

Given that the vast majority of the revenue generated in the industry is derived from sales of fish, mollusks and crustaceans that will be processed into food products, this industry’s success is tied to levels of seafood consumption. Per capita seafood consumption in the united states has declined over the last five years, putting strain on businesses in this industry.

Nonetheless, increases in the price of seafood, combined with a healthy export market, have boosted the revenue growth in this industry. The revenue generation from The Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry is projected to grow at an annualized rate of 0.3 percent to $1.5 billion over the five-year period.

The Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world especially in developed countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Portugal Germany, Australia and the Caribbean et al.

Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 2,087 licensed and registered Fish and Seafood Aquaculture company directly responsible for employing about 10,440 employees and indirectly responsible for employing roughly 1,339,900.

The industry rakes in a whooping sum of $1billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 0.3 percent. It is important to state that there are no establishments with a lion share of the available market in this industry. If you are looking towards leveraging on the agriculture industry to generate huge income, then one of your best bet is to start a fish and seafood aquaculture business.

One thing is certain about starting fish and seafood aquaculture business, if you are able to conduct your market research and feasibility studies , you are more likely not going to struggle to sell your fish and seafood because there are always food processing companies and consumers out there who are ready to buy from you.

2. Executive Summary

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a world – class and licensed Fish and Seafood Aquaculture Company that will be based in a riverine area in Columbia, South Carolina – United States. We have done our detailed market research and feasibility studies and we were able to secure a hundred hectares of land to start our fish and seafood aquaculture business.

Our fish and seafood farm is going to be standard fish and seafood farm hence will be involved in raising and harvesting finfish (e.g. catfish, trout, tilapia and minnows), raising and harvesting shellfish (e.g. clams, oysters, crustaceans, mollusks and shrimp), raising and harvesting ornamental fish (e.g. goldfish and tropical fish), raising and harvesting aquaculture species to augment or replenish wild habitats, and raising and harvesting other aquaculture (e.g. seaweed, alligators, frogs and turtles) et al.

We are in the Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry because we want to leverage on the vast opportunities available in the agriculture industry, to contribute our quota in growing the U.S. economy, in national food production, and also to fish and seafood from the United States to other countries and over and above to make profit.

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is well positioned to become one of the leading fish and seafood farming business in the United States of America, which is why we have been able to source for the best hands and machines to run the company with.

We have put process and strategies in place that will help us employ best practices when it comes to fish and seafood farming processes as required by the regulating bodies in the United States of America. At St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC, our customer’s best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a private registered fish and seafood farming company that is owned by Vincent Denis and his immediate family members.

The fish and seafood farm will be fully and single handedly financed by the owner – Vincent Denis and his immediate family members at least for a period of time. Vincent Denis studied Fishery and he has well over 10 years of hands on experience in the fish and seafood aquaculture industry.

3. Our Products and Services

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a standard fish and seafood farming company that is committed to raising fish and seafood for both the United States’ market and the global market. We are in the fish and seafood to make profits and we are going to do all we can to achieve our business goals, aim and objectives.

These are the areas we will concentrate on in our fish and seafood farming business;

Raising and harvesting finfish (e.g. catfish, trout, tilapia and minnows)
Raising and harvesting shellfish (e.g. clams, oysters, crustaceans, mollusks and shrimp)
Raising and harvesting ornamental fish (e.g. goldfish and tropical fish)
Raising and harvesting aquaculture species to augment or replenish wild habitats
Raising and harvesting other aquaculture (e.g. seaweed, alligators, frogs and turtles)

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our Vision is to become one of the leading fish and seafood farm brands not just in the United States of America but also on the global stage.
St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a world class and registered fish and seafood farming company that is committed to raising fish and seafood for both the United States’ market and the global market. We want our fish and seafood to flood the nooks and crannies of the United States and other countries of the world.

Our Business Structure

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a privately owned and managed fish and seafood business that intend starting small in fishing community in Columbia – South Carolina, but hope to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading fish and seafood farming companies in the industry both in the United States and on a global stage.

We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hire the best hands within our area of operations.

At St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, and creative, result driven, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stakeholders (the owners, workforce, and customers).

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;

Chief Operating Officer

General Fish and Seafood Farm Manager

Human Resources and Admin Manager

Accountant / Cashier
Sales and Marketing Executive
Field Employees
Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
Responsible for providing direction for the business
Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
Evaluates the success of the organization
Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all farm activities across the various sections on behalf of the organization
Supervises other section manager
Ensures compliance during project executions
Provides advice on the management of farming activities across all section
Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
Using IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of the growth of fish and seafood in our ponds
Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and sale of fish and seafood farm produce
Represents the organization’s interest at various stakeholders meetings
Ensures that farming goals desired result are achieved, the most efficient resources (manpower, equipment, tools and chemicals et al) are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied.
Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
Carries out staff induction for new team members
Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
Oversees the smooth running of the daily office.

Accountant / Cashier:

Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
Responsible for administering payrolls
Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
Handles all financial transactions for St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC
Serves as internal auditor for St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC.

Sales and Marketing Manager

Manage external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
Model demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
Creates new markets cum businesses for the organization
Empowers and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets

Field Workers / Contract Staff

Responsible for feeding fish and seafood as instructed by the supervisor
Responsible for cleaning the ponds and the entire fish farm environment
Changes the water in the pond as instructed by the supervisor on a regular basis
Handles fish and seafood farm implements and machines (hatchery) as instructed by the section manager / supervisor
Responsible for raising and harvesting finfish (e.g. catfish, trout, tilapia and minnows)
Responsible for raising and harvesting shellfish (e.g. clams, oysters, crustaceans, mollusks and shrimp)
Responsible for raising and harvesting ornamental fish (e.g. goldfish and tropical fish)
Responsible for raising and harvesting aquaculture species to augment or replenish wild habitats
Responsible for raising and harvesting other aquaculture (e.g. seaweed, alligators, frogs and turtles)
Carries out task in line with the stated job description
Assists in transport working tools and equipment from the fish and seafood farm and back to the designated store room
Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

Front Desk / Customer’s Service Officer

Welcomes clients and potential clients by greeting them in person, online or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
Manages administrative duties assigned by the creative director in an effective and timely manner
Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries

6. SWOT Analysis

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC do not intend to launch out with trial and error hence the need to conduct a proper SWOT analysis.

We know that if we get it right from the onset, we would have succeeded in creating the foundation that will help us build a standard fish and seafood farming company that will favorably compete with leading players in the Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry in the United States of America and in the rest part of the world.

We engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured fish and seafood farming company that can favorably compete in the highly competitive fish and seafood aquaculture industry in the United States and the world at large.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC;

Our strength as a fish and seafood farming company is the fact that we have healthy relationships with loads of major players (agriculture merchants) in the industry; both suppliers of fish and seafood feeds and medications and buyers of fish and seafood within and outside of the United States of America.

We have some of the latest fish farming hatchery, tools and equipment that will help us raise and produce fish and seafood in commercial quantities with less stress. Aside from our relationship (network) and equipment, we can confidently boast that we have some the most experienced hands in Columbia – South Carolina in our payroll.

Our weakness could be that we are a new fish and seafood farming company in the United States, and perhaps it might take us sometime to attract big time customers in the industry. We are aware of this and from our projection will overcome this weakness with time and turn it to a major advantage for the business.

Opportunities:

The opportunities that are available to us as a standard and world – class fish and seafood farming company cannot be quantified, we know that there are loads of households, and businesses such as hotels and fast food restaurants that can’t do without daily supply of fresh water fish and seafood. We are well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity

Some of the threats and challenges that we are likely going to face when we start our own fish and seafood farming company are global economic downturn that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters (draughts, epidemics), unfavorable government policies and the arrival of a competitor within same location.

There is hardly anything you can do as regards this threats and challenges other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for your good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Trends

The Fish and Seafood Aquaculture industry has greatly benefited from campaigns advertising the health benefits of fish and seafood as a good source of protein. The vast majority of the revenue generated in the industry is derived from sales of fish, mollusks and crustaceans that will be processed into food products; this industry’s success is tied to levels of seafood consumption.

Per capita seafood consumption in the united states has declined over the last five years, putting strain on businesses in this industry.

As a matter of fact, one of the new trends is that with the recent advancement in technology, fish and seafood farmers can now comfortably predict and produce the quantities of fish and seafood they want to produce per time from their hatchery.

8. Our Target Market

Naturally, the target market of those who are the end consumer of fish and seafood and also those who benefits from the business value chain of the fish and seafood aquaculture industry is all encompassing; it is far – reaching.

Every household consumes produce from fish and seafood farms be it finfish (e.g. catfish, trout, tilapia and minnows), shellfish (e.g. clams, oysters, crustaceans, mollusks and shrimp), ornamental fish (e.g. goldfish and tropical fish), and other aquaculture (e.g. seaweed, alligators, frogs and turtles). So also almost all hotels and fast restaurants sell fish and seafood.

In essence a fish and seafood farmer should be able to sell his or her farm produce to as many people as possible. In view of that, we have positioned our business to attract consumers of fish and seafood not just in the United States of America alone but also other parts of the world.

We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that we meet and surpass the expectations we set for the business. Below is a list of the people and business that we will market our fish and seafood to;

Individuals
Restaurants
Fast food eateries
Agriculture merchants

Our Competitive Advantage

It is easier to find entrepreneur flocking towards an industry that is known to generate consistent income which is why there are increase number of fish and seafood farmers in the United States of America and of course in most parts of the world.

For example, Statistics has it that there are 2.2 million farms in the United States of America, covering an area of 922 million acres. These goes to show that there are appreciable numbers of farmers in the United States of America but that does not mean that there is stiffer competition in the industry.

As a matter of fact, entrepreneurs are encouraged by the government to embrace commercial farming cum fish and seafood farming business. This is so because part of the success of any nation is her ability to cultivate her own food and also export food to other nations of the world.

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is fully aware that there are competitions when it comes to selling fish and seafood all over the globe, which is why we decided to carry out thorough market research so as to know how to take advantage of the available market in the United States and in other parts of the world.

We have done our homework and we have been able to highlight some factors that will give us competitive advantage in the marketplace; some of the factors are effective and reliable fish and seafood farming processes that can help us sell our produce at competitive prices, good network and excellent relationship management.

Another competitive advantage that we are bringing to the industry is the fact that we have healthy relationships with loads of major players (agriculture merchants) in the industry; both suppliers of fish and seafood feeds and medications and buyers of fish and seafood within and outside of the United States of America.

We have some of the latest fish and seafood farming hatchery, tools and equipment that will help us raise fish and seafood in commercial quantities with less stress. Aside from our relationship (network) and equipment, we can confidently boast that we have some the most experienced hands in Columbia – South Carolina in our payroll.

Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups fish and seafood farming companies in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Sources of Income

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is in the fish and seafood aquaculture industry for the purpose of maximizing profits hence we have decided to explore all the available opportunities within the industry to achieve our corporate goals and objectives. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC;

10. Sales Forecast

From the studies and the survey conducted, we were are able to discover that the sales generated by a fish and seafood farming business depends on the size of the fish and seafood farm, the types of fishes and seafood available in the fish and seafood farm and of course the size of their marketing network.

We have been able to critically examine the fish and seafood aquaculture industry and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some workable assumptions as well with respect to the nature of fish and seafood farming business that we run.

Below are the projections that we were able to come up with for the first three years of running St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC;

First Fiscal Year-: $250,000
Second Fiscal Year-: $600,000
Third Fiscal Year-: $900,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters (draughts, epidemics), and unfavorable government policies

Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are quite aware that the reason why some fish and seafood farming companies hardly make good profits is their inability to sell off their fish and seafood as at when due.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the fish and seafood aquaculture industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC.

Over and above, we have perfected our sale and marketing strategies first by networking with agriculture merchants and businesses that rely on daily supply of fish and seafood that are likely to become our customers. In summary, St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC will adopt the following strategies in marketing our fish and seafood;

Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to stake holders in the agriculture industry, households, hotels and restaurants and agriculture produce merchant et al.
Advertise our business in agriculture and food related magazines and websites
List our business on yellow pages ads
Attend related agriculture and food expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
Leverage on the internet to promote our business
Engage in direct marketing
Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

Any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street or the city they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (both conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business. We intend growing our business which is why we have perfected plans to build our brand via every available means.

We know that it is important to create strategies that will help us boost our brand awareness and to create a corporate identity for our fish and seafood farming business. Below are the platforms we will leverage on to boost our fish and seafood farming brand and to promote and advertise our business;

Place adverts on community based newspapers, radio stations and TV stations.
Encourage the use of word of mouth publicity from our loyal customers
Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; YouTube, Instagram, Facebook ,Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Badoo, Google+ and other platforms to promote our business.
Ensure that our we position our banners and billboards in strategic positions all around Columbia – South Carolina
Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas in and around our neighborhood
Contact corporate organizations, households, landlord associations and schools by calling them up and informing them of St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC and the fish and seafood we sell
Advertise our business in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site
Brand all our official cars and trucks and ensure that all our staff members and management staff wears our branded shirt or cap at regular intervals.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Some of the factors that will help you sell your farm produce at the right price that will guarantee that you make profits is dependent on your strategy while some of the factors are beyond your control. For example, if the climatic condition is unfavorable and if there is natural disaster in the location where you have your fish and seafood farm, then it will directly affect the prices of your fish and seafood.

Over and above, if you want to get the right pricing for your fish and seafood, then you should ensure that you choose a good location for the fish and seafood farm, choose a good breed that will guarantee bountiful harvest, cut the cost of running your fish and seafood farm to the barest minimum and of course try as much as possible to attract buyers to your fish and seafood farm as against taking your fish and seafood to the market to source for buyers; with this, you would have successfully eliminate the cost of transporting the goods to the market and other logistics.

We are quite aware that one of the easiest means of penetrating the market and acquiring loads of customers for all our fishes and seafood is to sell them at competitive prices hence we will do all we can to ensure that the prices of our fish and seafood are going to be what other fish and seafood farmers would look towards beating.

One thing is certain; the nature of fish and seafood farming business makes it possible for fish and seafood farmers to place prices for their fish and seafood based on their discretion without following the benchmark in the industry. The truth is that it is one of the means of avoiding running into loss.

Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC will make available to her clients;

Payment via bank transfer
Payment with cash
Payment via online bank transfer
Payment via check
Payment via mobile money
Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for farm produces purchase without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who may want to deposit cash or make online transfer for fishes and seafood.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

When it comes to calculating the cost of starting a fish and seafood farm, there are some key factors that should serve as a guide. The different types of fishes and seafood to be raised in the fish and seafood farms determine the total cost of setting up the business.

Besides, in setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting / leasing a big facility, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.

This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations for your business. The tools and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked.

As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a fish and seafood farming business; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money. Below are some of the basic areas we will spend our start – up capital in setting up our fish and seafood farm;

The Total Fee for incorporating the Business (commercial farm) in United States of America – $750.
The amount needed to acquire / lease a fish farm land – $50,000
The amount required for preparing the farm land (fish ponds and fresh water supply et al) – $30,000
Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services (software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $3,300.
Marketing promotion expenses for the grand opening of St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580.
The total cost for hiring Business Consultant – $2,500.
The total cost for payment of insurance policy covers (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $9,400
The amount required for the purchase of the first set of fishes and seafood (fingerlings) – $10,000
The cost for acquiring the required working tools and equipment / machines / hatchery et al– $50,000
Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $60,000
The Cost of Launching an official Website – $600
Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,000

Going by the report from detailed research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need an average of $500,000 to start a standard fish and seafood farming business in the United States of America.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC

No matter how fantastic your business idea might be, if you don’t have the required money to finance the business, the business might not become a reality.

No doubt raising start – up capital for a business might not come cheap, but it is a task that an entrepreneur must go through. St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is a family business that is solely owned and financed by Vincent Denis and his immediate family members.

They do not intend to welcome any external business partners, which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital to 3 major sources. These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings
Source for soft loans from family members and friends
Apply for loan from my Bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $150,000 (Personal savings $100,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $350,000 from our bank. All the papers and document have been signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited with the amount.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to retail our fishes and seafood a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

St. Vincent Fish and Seafood Aquaculture, LLC will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of six years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

Business Name Availability Check: Completed
Business Registration: Completed
Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
Securing Point of Sales (POS) Machines: Completed
Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
Application for business license and permit: Completed
Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
Leasing of farm land and building of standard fish ponds: In Progress
Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
Generating capital from family members: Completed
Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
Writing of Business Plan: Completed
Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: In Progress
Recruitment of employees: In Progress
Purchase of the Needed furniture, racks, shelves, computers, electronic appliances, office appliances and CCTV: In progress
Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
Opening party / launching party planning: In Progress
Compilation of our list of products that will be available in our store: Completed
Establishing business relationship with vendors – key players in the industry: In Progress

How to Write a Feasibility Report on Starting a Small Scale Fish Farm

A feasibility report comes at the end of a feasibility study. Therefore, in order to understand feasibility report writing it is important to understand what a feasibility study is in the first place.

Feasibility Study of Any Business

A feasibility study of any business is basically an analysis of how probable it is that a given project will succeed, when all of the relevant factors have been taken into account. The last part is crucial: in order to say that a feasibility study is valid, it should have taken into account all of the factors that could influence the outcome of a project. Usually, they are grouped into political factors, technical factors, economic factors, scheduling factors, legal factors, and so on, depending on their characteristics.

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Before money and time can be invested in a project, a feasibility study should be conducted, and a feasibility report written. The project manager will then review the feasibility report and determine the positives and negatives of the project and whether it makes sense to make any investment in it or whether it should be shelved or modified.

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As an example, let's take a company that is considering the relocation of its headquarters. Amazon, the largest online marketplace, has been in the news lately for considering various large cities for its headquarters. Before it can finally settle on a new headquarters, it will have to perform a feasibility study and take into account various factors to figure out whether the relocation makes sense or not.

Some of these factors include both the labor and material costs of the relocation. The employees will be disrupted by that relocation, and therefore that should be taken into account. Also, public opinion on the relocation as well as its social, legal, economic, and political impact should be considered. All of these factors are crucial in determining whether relocating the headquarters to a particular city makes sense.

Feasibility Study Goals

A feasibility study will test whether something is viable or not. That something could be a project, a new business, or even something as simple as an idea. The whole point of the feasibility study isn't to tell you what could go right if you follow through with the project; the feasibility study examines what could possibly go wrong and whether, after considering all the potential negatives, it still makes sense to go through with the project. Feasibility studies are also great for obtaining funding as a report that shows that a project is feasible will inspire confidence in potential investors and creditors and make it easier to get funding from them.

The Elements of a Feasibility Study

A feasibility study isn't one big block of action. Instead, there are components to it, and each component concerns itself with one thing at a time.

The Description

This is a layout. It describes the business and what it offers in terms of products and services. It also describes how the business will make its products and services available.

Market Feasibility

This is a description of the industry within which the project will take place; its market. It talks about the current and future potential, the competition the project will be facing, estimations of the sales, and so on.

Technical Feasibility

This is all about the how of the feasibility. How will the project deliver what it wants to deliver? How will the business deliver its products and services? It includes the manufacture, transportation, required technology, labor, and raw materials, among others.

Financial Feasibility

This is all about the money aspect of the project. How much funding will the project need? Where will the funding come from? How much return on investment can be expected? All of these questions and many others will be answered through a financial feasibility study.

Organizational Feasibility

This is the part of the study that concerns itself with the legal and corporate structure of the new project. It includes a lot of information about the people behind the project, including their backgrounds and the skill sets they possess to bring the project to life.

Feasibility Study on Fish Farming

Fish farming is also known as aquaculture and is big business.with an increasing number of opportunities in the field. There is a growing demand for fish as a source of food due to their healthy nature. A small fish farm is also fairly easy to start because you don't need much in the way of requirements and you also won't have to investment is modest.

A feasibility study on fish farming would look at the viability of the farm; how much it will cost to set up; and also how profitable it will likely be. The feasibility report should contain certain ideal business elements.

The Introduction of the Report

This is a summary of the entire project. You can start by discussing the general importance of small-scale fish farming. You can talk about how fish farming will benefit you individually, as well as how it can benefit society as a whole. Also, talk about how you will carry out the project.

The Description of the Report

This part is like an expansion on the introduction, but with a deeper look at some of the major details. You can talk about the specific location in which you will carry out the project, as well as the amount of money needed to get it up and running; and also of how you expect to raise that money. At this point, you can talk about the mission of the project, as well as its vision. You can also write about the history and background of the project and of your motivations behind your desire to start this business.

The Description of the Market

This is all about how you will sell your fish. Start by defining the industry in which you will be operating and where you fit in that industry. For example, will you be selling your fish at wholesale? Or retail? You should also have a clear description of your target market and how you you plan to reach that market, as well as the marketing strategies that you will use.

The Description of the Products

Talk about the kinds of fish you will have in your farm. How will you price them? What led you to choose those specific species? What is your competitive advantage with your species mix?

The Organizational Plan

What will be the legal structure of your business? Will it be a sole proprietorship? A partnership? What licenses and permits will you need to run the business? What about the staff? What special skills will they need? How will you organize them?

The Marketing Plan

You may have described the marketing strategies that you intend to use, but you now need to have a solid plan for those strategies. The market research needs to be planned in detail. You need to know the different market segments available to you and how they differ from each other in terms of income, lifestyle, and spending. You need to outline the strategies that you will use to market to each of these segments, so that you will be able to solve their problems and your edge over your competitors.

The Financial Management

Where will the capital for the fish farm come from? How will you use that capital? What profits do you expect and how will you reinvest them back into the business? How will you prevent losses from occurring - or, at least to reduce the losses when they do occur? You can hire a professional accountant to help you with this part.

The Conclusion of the Report

This part has your conclusion and recommendations as to whether or not to carry out the project.

AQUASOL: Feasibility Studies
Cleverism: How to Conduct a Feasibility Study the Right Way
ASHA: Conducting a Feasibility Study
Investopedia: Feasibility Study
Study: How to Write Feasibility Reports: Purpose, Structure & Content
The Secrets of Entrepreneurship: How to Prepare a Good Feasibility Report
Consult a professional accountant to prepare the projected financial statements to add credibility to your feasibility report.

Nicky is a business writer with nearly two decades of hands-on and publishing experience. She's been published in several business publications, including The Employment Times, Web Hosting Sun and WOW! Women on Writing. She also studied business in college.