Eight years ago, Raj Hapi launched Hapi's Petting Zoo & Caf (Hapi's). Hapi's is a not-for-profit zoo located in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. It is a place where people can interact with various animals, including sheep, guinea pigs, ponies, alpacas, chickens, cattle, dogs, pigs, miniature donkeys, monkeys, and kangaroos. Admission to the zoo is by donation. There is an adjoining caf where customers can purchase treats, which helps offset some of the costs of the zoo. The caf focuses on vegan and gluten-free treats to support the zoo's love of animals and provide dietary options for all. Hapi's is open Thursday to Sunday year-round, including holidays. Customers frequently praise Raj for providing a unique, family-friendly experience, and have rated Hapi's one of Nova Scotia's top 10 attractions on multiple tourism websites.

Hapi's would have been operating at a net deficit since inception had it not been for a 10-year government grant of $100,000 per year. That grant is due to expire in two years and cannot be renewed. There are no similar grants, so Raj is faced with a dilemma: find a way to make Hapi's break-even or shut it down. To secure its future, Hapi's must be self-sustaining and without debt.

Raj has recently been approached by Petzy, a commercial petting zoo that is looking to expand its operations. Petzy would like to take over operations of the petting zoo, while the caf portion of the business would continue to be operated by Raj. Petzy is a for-profit organization that incorporated 12 years ago. It started with just one location but now has petting zoos throughout Western and Central Canada, and it is now looking toward Eastern Canada. Petzy offers monthly specials, such as two-for-one admission and free admission for kids on Tuesdays, and its catchy, '60s-style radio jingle plays persistently on national radio stations during the morning commute, proclaiming, "We bring the farm experience to you!" The company prides itself on the fact that no matter which Petzy location people visit, they will get a consistent experience.

An alternative would be for Raj to change his current operations and start charging admission. He doesn't like this idea, as he wants the zoo to be accessible to all, but he would consider it if it allowed him to maintain the zoo.

If Petzy were to purchase the zoo, it would be open seven days a week but only from April 1 to November 30. Raj would retain the caf and thinks he would open it on the same schedule as that of the zoo in order to benefit from the zoo's business. He expects to see an increase in revenue similar to the increase in the number of days of operations.

In addition to this expected revenue increase, Raj expects an increased number of daily visitors to the zoo under the Petzy brand. As a result, he expects his caf's daily sales should increase by 40% in the first year, 20% in the second year, and an additional 10% in year 3. Sales should remain steady after that.

Revenue-operations Revenue-donations Revenue-grant Appendix Hapi's financial information Petting zoo $ 254,000 - Caf $ 80,000 100,000 Total $ 80,000 254,000 100,000 Cost of goods sold (45,000) (45,000) Gross margin 254,000 135,000 389,000 Animal maintenance 129,000 129,000 Repairs and maintenance (Note 1) 20,000 20,000 40,000 Utilities (Note 1) 12,000 12,000 24,000 Wages (Note 2) 60,000 60,000 120,000 Rent (Note 3) 36,000 36,000 72,000 Office supplies (Note 4) 2,000 2,000 4,000 Excess (deficit) of $ (5,000) $ 5,000 $ 0 revenues over expenses Raj mentions that a number of the expenses are split 50/50 on the internal statement, as in the end it is all Hapi's financials and he doesn't want to spend a lot of time tracking each expense as either the petting zoo or caf. He knows it isn't a perfect approach, but he just looks at the total column anyways. Note 1: Actual maintenance is 90% for the petting zoo and 10% for the caf. This is the same breakdown for utilities. Raj expects that if the caf adjusts to Petzy's hours of operations, and opens for more days during the year, then utilities will increase by 15%, but maintenance costs will remain the same. Note 2: Wages during operating hours are for three employees-two for the zoo and one for the caf. All employees are paid equally. Note 3: The petting zoo and caf have two separate lease agreements. The petting zoo is $60,000 which is renewed each year and not expected to increase whereas the caf is $12,000 annually with eight years remaining on the lease term. Note 4: Raj believes the office supplies are split approximately 75% for the zoo and 25% for the caf.