What's it take to turn an initial idea into a finished commercial product?
For Doug Holcomb, and two fellow classmates, it was a MBA course assignment that inspired them to create a set of interlocking garden blocks to make a raised garden bed. As Holcomb explains, there are would-be gardeners that would like to plant their own backyard garden, but lack the tools, or perhaps the engineering skills to build their own raised beds.
These plastic garden blocks from TogetherFarm that Holcomb and his colleagues designed, fasten together without the need for tools, are lightweight and more durable than wood, and can add extra color to a garden area.
I asked Mr. Holcomb if he had other ideas for his plastic garden blocks, and his eyes lit up.
"We have quite an extensive product roadmap for TogetherFarm. The amazing thing about having a modular system is that you can add on different components that all interlock with each other," he said.
One of his future plans involves creating a plastic base for the garden block walls that could be used on outdoor decks, and apartment balconies. Other ideas would provide a cover for the raised beds, and add-ons such as a modular block bench next to a planter box design.
What these three young men seemed to have learned--beyond the future of TogetherFarms-- how to forge the necessary building blocks of an ephemeral idea into a solid commercial reality.
Originally posted on Cooking Up a Story.