OpenIDEO - Susan's Profile

My Design Quotient

0,100,62.8,224

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Inspiration: 0pt
Concepting: 100pt
Evaluation: 63pt
Collaboration: 224pt
Total: 387pt

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My Challenges

How might we better connect food production and consumption?

How might we improve maternal health with mobile technologies for low-income countries?

Susan

"Add water for instant courage"

Vietnamese-American Harvard grad currently an entrepreneurial chocolatier. Loves that my job involves people who declare that they have orgasms in their mouth and walk away with a brighter step. Fixated on public service and international development through work in Cuba, Vietnam and Zambia. While playing ultimate frisbee in Vietnam, launched a frisbee clothing brand that is rocking the Southeast Asian and Australian markets. Served as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and is fascinated by the dance (and lack thereof) of the different sectors in the world and the potential of how they can collaborate. Loves playing with puppets, cooking, and meditating. Secretly would love to reform the DMV and host a children's television show.

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Where There is No Compost (Doctor)

Composting is an amazing idea - but how do you do it if you are in an urban setting with a municipality that does not provide the cute green bins to your humble abode? Better yet, what incentives do caterers and hotel groups (who throw away TONS of food after events) have to compost if the facilities don't exist? What if the private or non-profit sector could create a social venture around food waste, compost and financial incentive?

April 18, 2011, 06:42AM 622 views 10 comments 7 applause

How the Carrot Crumbles

When you buy at Whole Foods Market versus the local farmer's market or a CSA box, how does the carrot really crumble? How much does the farmer make through each method? In an increasingly visual and over-stimulated society, consumers need visuals to really understand at a glance how much the farmers gain when consumers buy direct.

April 06, 2011, 06:32AM 564 views 14 comments 15 applause

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My Testimonials

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Johan Löfström

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April 18, 2011, 08:29AM

Hello!
It was interesting and very valuable to read about your experiences from selling your products in-store and on farmers market. I wonder if we could discuss this further, to perhaps develop a new concept that tackles "your perspective" of these obstacles??? are you interested?

• Long waiting lists seem to indicate that your market place are popular and too small. Are we talking outdoors or inside a ware house?
I recently visited Brick Lane Market in London. It started as a road market, on both sides of a narrow street, and when it reached too many customers and the street was always over-crowded, they rented a little warehouse at the end of the road, and moved in half of the vendors there. And when this warehouse was filled up, and the street again filled up with vendors on both sides of the street, they rented a bigger warehouse and moved in all vendors there. So they have flexibility thanks to empty industry lots in the area, they bargain with realty owners to try to get as short term lease as possible, so they can adapt to public demand.

• Perhaps some sort of support system could help the organizers of farmers markets overcome unexpected problems. Having a pool of different creative people, that you could ask and brainstorm around certain problems ?

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And your bio seems to indicate you are passionate about developing ideas and concepts! persons like you are a true inspiration and i would love to collaborate further, across the borders.

I have started a tv-program that is showing animated films on local-TV, (not for children), so we have no host. But if we would in the future change our concept, I will definitely ask you first for the job. :D

and my secret dream is to live in a country like vietnam, and try to assist entrepreneurs and developers with my creativity.

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Susan 's reply to Johan Löfström's comment

Susan

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April 20, 2011, 03:37AM

Hi Johan,

Thank you for all of your comments on my concepts. Yes, I would love to collaborate. There is a group called the Underground Farmer's Market that uses large warehouse spaces for uncertified food producers. They continue to use larger spaces as they grow.

However, their model is a little bit different - their goal is to serve as an incubation space for homegrown businesses. As a business that is further along, I need to find channels that are my target audience and will guarantee numbers - whether it be indoor or outdoor. The issue of the roving location is that it might not get a large number of consistent clients because of the "hassle factor" of having to figure out where the location is (some age groups do not prefer or are not savvy to constantly check Twitter/Facebook/or even a website).

As for creating a new concept, what driving questions do you have to steer the collaboration process?

And as for the animated films - let me know if you ever need someone to do voiceovers - I'm dying to get into that.

If you do move to Vietnam, let me know - I have a number of connections there.

Susan

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Johan Löfström's reply to Johan Löfström's comment

Johan Löfström

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April 20, 2011, 11:50AM

Oh, you are so kind. thank you.
Most of my ambitions is from an environmental friendly aspect. To come up with concepts that helps people reduce their emissions, waste or costs. And for the end user it should involve ease of use, so it is adapted and becomes a habit that helps the world improve, a tiny step at the time.

And I also have ideas concerning designing furniture and other products that are made of sustainable materials, such as bamboo. But I feel that my products must have functions that replace other "unneccessary" products.

As regarding chocolate sales in market place, i got the idea that you could try to team up with a few other related entrepreneurs. Perhaps one sells fair trade coffee, another wine, another tea?
It should all be products that are little luxury items of food and beverage. And you could make "home-tasting-parties" in some customers homes? The home-owner gathers 6-12 friends, they receive a free tasting of samples, and you hand out leaflets, brochures and info on how to order from you in the future.

(i just guessed that you have no shop of your own?)

perhaps you could team up with a company that does wedding-cakes? so it becomes much more options and alternatives for their clients? a wider product range in same place for weddings.

Or one more interesting idea: try to find a hair-stylist that can let you rent shelf space in their salon to display your products in such an environment. I think it would be interesting to try.

Let me know about your philosophy and thougths of business and concepts. Is it only for the orgasms in the mouths, or? :) haha
J

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