Hay-to-Go

I met an interesting entrepreneur in Wellington, KS last week. Don Applegate is a farmer/rancher who has invented a new way to sell hay. He is repackaging it into smaller bales which he shrink wraps. He hopes to sell in convenience stores, big box retailers, grocery stores, etc. His website is www.hay-to-go.com.

Hay has probably been sold for hundreds of years, but until now the emphasis was on how to get bales bigger, not smaller. Here is someone who is looking at a traditional market in a completely new way. His focus is upon convenience and cleanliness rather than bulk and price. I love how entrepreneurs can find niches like this and develop innovative products for them.

The same principle applies to towns. Some are able to differentiate themselves and excel. Others do the same thing over and over that they’ve done for years and wonder why nothing changes. Which type town do you think most people want to live in?