Introduction

We are a non-profit company called Stargazers. The concept behind Stargazers is to

help families in a time of need where most conventional avenues of laying a loved one to rest can

seem overwhelming and not in line with who the person was here on earth and what they meant

to so many. Although an estimated 2.4 million funerals take place in America every year, most

people do not know or are unsure what to expect when planning to lay a loved one to rest.

Countless family and guests do not understand the intricacies of planning or attending a funeral.

We want to provide a service to those who wish to convey who their loved one was on this earth

but cannot afford everything that makes the service memorable.

Executive summary

Stargazers aspire to offer compassion and services to family members by arranging unique

memorabilia for the service. My husband and I currently run our small non-profit from home, so

we plan on only assisting those in desperate need who cannot afford special floral arrangements.

Both my husband and I have been in a place of deep despair while wading through the various

complexities of a funeral service. We know first-hand what an enormous load it can be to

organize and plan a memorable service. We want to offer our service to those needing aid by

arranging floral arrangements uniquely for their loved ones. If family members request, we can

help with ideas and arrangements in other service planning areas to keep everything on task and

stress-free. The Stargazer's mission is to aid families in bereavement so they can give one last

memorable gift to their loved ones.

 My husband has an exceptional talent for floral arrangements, and I am skilled in

arranging and keeping everything on task if needed. Stargazers differ from a funeral director or

other essential services offered at a funeral service. Our small non-profit company offers

specialty floral arrangements that are much cheaper than those of most funeral homes. The

service works by purchasing in bulk from the wholesale marketplace. Once we establish the

types of flowers the family would like for their loved ones, we go to wholesale markets, buy in

bulk, and create unique flower arrangements to make a memorable impression at the service. The

Stargazers can also offer a portfolio of arrangements from our own family members' funeral

services that made their burial unique and memorable of who they were here on earth. In

addition, our small company can also offer distinctive and creative ideas that will give families in

deep grief and despair a way to say a final goodbye to their loved ones. We also want to assist

other families that might need a helping hand in creating memorable services for a small

donation fee that will all go back into our non-profit to help other struggling families.

The funeral service market offers extraordinarily little, if any, aid for those families that

cannot afford the typical funeral costs. Stargazers can help find charities that might assist with

the funeral costs. Furthermore, we can lend a hand in ideas for raising money for the loved ones'

service. The goal is to create a strong community presence by branching out into the church

communities. We aim to gain the support of the local churches first and then branch out online to

others in our state that might aid struggling families in communities throughout the state. Our

company believes that once we have created a base and presence in the community and online,

we can branch out and expand our small company to help other families grapple with this

monumental task. We wish to aid in both the financial aspect and creative side of this small yet
humbling service in an area that others might shy away from because of the intense pain and

emotions that arise when a loved one passes.

Mission Statement

Make your last gift memorable. Give the gift of love and remembrance. Our mission is

to give back to those struggling by investing money earned back into our non-profit business to

be able to expand and help more families in need of laying their loved ones to rest.

Vision Statement

"Grief is the last act of love we give to our loved one. Where there is deep grief, there is

great love. Grief is a great rite of passage; it is a hero's journey of courage, sacred battles, sorrow,

love, joy, and loss. Through the darkness of grief, we can finally understand something clearly:

love that transcends death. And with the pain can come gratitude for the gift of time we had, the

love shared by our loved one, and the power to become a better person because they loved us"

(Hospice). Our vision aim is to help assist families that do not have the means or emotional

capacity at such an overwhelming and despairing time.

Marketing Goals

We endeavor to achieve the vigorous yet humble task of promoting our non-profit

company through the venues of both funeral homes and churches. We intend to meet with funeral

homes and churches in our area and display our portfolio of floral arrangements. The Stargazers

will also promote our creative ideas to make the service more personal to the family's loved ones

if the families need that service. As the owners of our non-profit company, we will extend an
invite to our website, where families can arrange an appointment and see various ideas, we

advertise to make their loved one's service momentous. In the future timeline of our company,

which is the five-year mark, we will also market to consumers who wish to commemorate their

loved ones' deaths with a celebration of life. Stargazers will then add to its website those services

in which a percentage of the profits will go into a fund for our non-profit business to help aid

more families in their time of need and anguish.

Target Customers

The target market for our company is families who have lost a loved one. Since anybody

can pass at any time, there is no specific age, gender, or group type for this segment. There are

currently fifty-two funeral homes in our state of Nevada. Our small company will narrow that

down to the areas closest to our city for the present time. We will set up an appointment with the

four funeral homes within our immediate area, go over what we offer, and let them refer families

to us who are financially or emotionally struggling and need help planning and organizing

certain aspects of their loved ones' service. Also, we will visit the hospice homes and senior

homes in the area.

My Professors Instructions:
Week 1: Topic Proposal (20 points)
During Week 1, you will select a topic for the marketing plan, and thereafter, all related
assignments (the draft in Week 4 and the final marketing plan in Week 7) must be on
that same topic. You may not change your marketing plan topic without approval from
your instructor.
Your topic must be for a new product (a good or service). Because this is an applied
project and not a research paper, please be creative and do not select a new product
for a large brand, such as Starbucks. If you are interested in coffee, for example,
consider your own bistro as your topic and then use information from companies such
as Starbucks or Seattle's Best Coffee for ideas and competitive research as you work
on your project.
For Week 1, write a two-page description of your product, including the following.
1. Information about ownership and company structure
2. A description of product
3. A mission statement
4. Marketing goals
5. Who a typical customer might be