2. Agren’s
Leadership
Background
Farm
Backgrounds
USDA
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Service
Combined
24
years
Six
different
field
offices
Lots
of
contacts
Degrees
in
Agronomy
&
Animal
Science
3. Agren’s
Background
July
1,
1996
Agren
started
as
a
consulting
firm
Work
fell
out
of
the
sky
Added
staff
Family
business
4. During
Last
15
Years
Expanded
list
of
clients
Diversified
consulting
work
But
still…endless
pursuit
of
work
5. Desire
For
Change
Wouldn’t
it
be
nice
to
be
diversified
where,
in
addition
to
consulting,
we
would
have
something
to
sell.
6. Stars
Line
Up
The
idea
If
we
just
had
high
quality
topographic
data…
The
opportunity
Iowa
DNR
purchased
LiDAR
The
funding
NRCS
Issues
Conservation
Innovation
Grant
RFP
The
knowledge
Past
experience
7. The
Product
Great
reviews
Increased
efficiency
Used
new
technology
No
one
else
doing
it
A
vision
for
the
future
8. Changing
The
Business
Model
Agren
=
Consulting
Work
done
with
public
funds
NRCS
needed
this
technology
But
NRCS
was
not
interested
9. Something
To
Sell
Software
as
a
Service
(SaaS)
Model
Where
to
begin
Customers
Knowledge
Desire
Competition
10. We
Got
Lucky
Iowa
Department
of
Economic
Development
Call
Mike!
12. Intellectual
Property
Ownership
of
IP—Contact
an
attorney
Do
contracts
to
retain
IP
ownership
Patents,
Trademarks,
Copyrights
What
will
past
customers
you
developed
the
IP
in
the
past
care?
Did
you
ask?
13. Leverage
Products
build
on
past
services
Products
will
build
on
future
products
Content
Code
Will
it
add
cash
flow
and
smooth
cash
flow
14. Scale
Growth
within
original
market
Additional
markets
Can
Agren
support
the
growth
15. IdenGfiable
Market
We
could
identify
our
market
We
know
our
customers
We
can
directly
contact
our
customers
We
knew
how
to
talk
to
our
customers
16. Time
To
Market
We
had
the
time
No
competition
Working
with
government
We
knew
the
features
Required
Optional
Nice
to
have
17. Pricing
The
Product
Where
to
start
Could
we
be
competitive
What
evidence
did
we
have
Testing
the
price
point
Benchmarks
Cash-‐forward
business
model
Auto-‐renewals
18. Time
To
Cash
Flow
How
much
cash
did
we
need
Where
to
get
the
cash
How
quickly
can
we
cash
flow
Do
we
develop
more
tools
Can
the
“Service
Sector”
provide
the
float
19. RelaGonship
In
The
Market
Brand
recognition
Would
we
be
recognized
Current
customers
Would
customers
(NRCS)
accept
the
product
Current
competition
Other
vendors
Collaborators
Support
in
the
market
20. Selling
Model
Our
selling
model
Sales
training/experience
Leverage
with
partnerships
21. MarkeGng
Plan
We
have
a
clear
plan
Need
perseverance
Need
focus
Staying
in
contact/Customer
Relationship
Management
Tracking
sales
cycle
Automated
sales
Realistic
projections
22. Time
&
Money
(Do
you
know)
Development
costs
Legal
costs
for
IP
on
contracts
Marketing
costs
Hosting
or
other
support
costs
Support
Marketing
Services
Administration
&
Billing
Updates
to
stay
competitive
23. Long-‐term
Decisions
Do
we
keep
the
service
sector
How
long
Do
we
keep
the
product
sector
Bring
programming
in
house
Adequate
resources
Do
we
keep
both
Can
you
do
everything