Blanket and Board is in a very unique position. As CEO Tierra Thorne mentioned during her interview with CBS Pittsburgh, the city of Pittsburgh has a lot of green spaces, meaning there are a lot of potential locations for customers to experience the service provided by the company. That’s one resource that Blanket and Board has in abundance. Another important factor to consider is that society at large is becoming more open to and acknowledging of mental health issues. It’s a primary marketing point that a premade picnic in a beautiful park is a really beneficial psychological experience. This increase in demand, though its roots are not desirable, means that Blanket and Board will likely continue to have customers, probably at an increasing rate.

Halfway through the summer, at the end of July, the website already says that its summer accommodations are completely booked. This bodes well for the company, as the only direction for company growth that can imply is forward, rather than backward. A suggestion in this area, to meet the growing demand, would be to expand the Event Coordinator team. Currently, the website lists five members who have been assigned that role. With proper expansion, there could be a more robust department dedicated to coordinating an ever-increasing number of picnics.

Just as well, it might be prudent to invest in negotiating contracts with Blanket and Board’s suppliers, as relying on what’s available for general consumption in supermarkets can limit the company’s ability to meet heightened demand. Similarly to airlines negotiating fuel contracts years ahead, Blanket and Board can do the same with local supermarkets.

It would also potentially become necessary to open a central facility for the standard and larger-scale preparation of event food spreads. Certified chefs might even need to be enlisted.

Finally, as a marketing-partnership related suggestion, it might be beneficial for Blanket and Board to discuss advertising through local therapists, as their clients might be able to directly benefit from the company’s services.

A potential challenge for Blanket and Board will be the pacing of their expansion. They should be mindful of taking baby steps, or implementing MVPs (minimal viable products). Currently, the organization isn’t very large, so it might be daunting and perhaps imprudent to try to conquer every suggestion mentioned above, and more. Similarly, DoOrder, in Dublin, Ireland, is also in a position of looking ahead to all of the possibilities, but perhaps being intimidated by the scope. The suggestion in both cases would be to put emphasis on the proverb “slow and steady wins the race.”