20A- Growing Your Social Capital
Person #1
1. Who they are
I decided that my neighbor, who is also a good friend of my dad, would be the perfect person to choose as the domain expert within my industry. My industry, I would say, is primarily sustainable production of a variety of products. My neighbor works for 4ocean, which is a company that makes apparel and other merchandise primarily from recycled and environmentally friendly material. He is an expert within the sustainable industry which is primarily focused on reducing plastic waste that is thrown into the environment. 4ocean does not make reusable straws, but they do make bracelets, apparel, drinkware, cleanup gear, and a bunch of other products that are made from recycled and organic material. My neighbor, specifically, works in the Sales department, so he is really in charge of getting the products out and marketing them to a wide audience.
2. What slot do they fill
My neighbor is the domain expert because he works at a company that is primarily focused on the same values and foundation that my opportunity is built on.
3. How I found the person
Luckily, my neighbor is the person which made it a lot easier to contact him. I was able to catch him outside on Monday in the garage, so I came up and told him about the assignment and if he could answer a few questions I had for him. I told my dad that I had to do this assignment because I know my dad is good friends with him, so he gave my neighbor a heads up that I would probably be coming around at some point for a few minutes and I did. I jot down a few things on my phone in my notes and that is how I was able to get most of my information about his role in the company. I was able to give him my elevator pitch about my idea and ask him for feedback. After the feedback, he was able to clarify what exactly he did within his company and the specific areas that he could help me out given his personal experience.
4. Nature of the exchange
My neighbor did me a favor by answering the questions I had about his work and company. Although it was only a couple of minutes that we talked, he really did not have to take the time to answer my questions. He could have said he was busy, but the fact that he was extremely helpful and told me to swing by if I ever had any more questions was really considerate of him. To be honest, I don't think that there is a return expectation. I think he appreciated the fact that I was taking the time to genuinely ask questions and be curious. He has two kids, one is seven years old and the other is eleven. I think his kids are too young to care about jobs and adult life, so he appreciated that I was there asking questions about his job.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
I believe that having him in my network now will definitely help with my business. Having someone who has been on the front lines of this industry is extremely valuable. I know that he is someone I can always ask for anything, and having him within my reach will allow me to use his knowledge, expertise, and experience for anything that can possibly help my business will be very helpful. I am sure that there will be times when I do not know a thing about a certain sustainable measure, and at that point I will be able to go to him for help.
Person #2
1. Who they are
My 28-year-old cousin who lives in Miami Beach was the perfect person to choose as someone who is a market expert. My market is primarily composed of younger, college females who take part in practices that are very environmentally friendly. My cousin works for Comfort Colors, which is the main provider of college apparel for all UF sororities and fraternities. Clearly, the main market is the same as mine because they literally produce a huge portion of their products for these college students. My cousin works in the Marketing department and is in charge of marketing analytics and really overseeing strategies on how to attract new and retain current customers. More specifically, she is in charge of the University Relations portion of it and is the main liaison between colleges who order their products and Comfort Colors.
2. What slot do they fill
My cousin is the market expert because, within her company, she serves primarily the same market segment which is young college students.
3. How I found the person
Clearly, I always knew that my cousin worked for this company and upon reflection, I realized that the customer base that she serves is very similar to the ones that I hope to appeal to. With that being said, I decided to call her Tuesday morning and ask her a few questions regarding her position within Comfort Colors and what her day-to-day looked like in the office. I texted her a few days ago telling her that I had this assignment and if it was okay to call her at some point, and she said it was. I gave my cousin my elevator pitch and asked her what she thought of my idea. She gave me her feedback based on experience and how it would possibly appeal to her main customer base.
4. Nature of the exchange
My cousin did me a huge favor by taking time out of her day to sit on the phone with me and really allow me to understand what it was that she did in order to do her job the right way. She clearly did me a favor by giving me unique insight on what a normal day looks like at the office, and gave me some of her personal tactics and strategies that she uses in order to deal with these college customers. Since she is young, it is easy for her to build and keep a bond with the customers she serves. I truly do not think that there is a return expectation besides letting her know how I did on this assignment and if I have any further questions to definitely let her know.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
Now that I truly understand the position my cousin has in the company, I know that she is a valuable contact to have as I further my business. I know she will always be easy to contact and she will always be willing to help, and being able to count on her is crucial to taking my business to the next level. Additionally, I know that if I need any further help, she will be able to connect me to the right people who I can network with and gain unique insight from as well.
Person #3
1. Who they are
My parents own a business and one of their main clients works within the supply chain for a company that specializes in sustainable and environmentally friendly textiles. I figured that he is a great person to network with because of his experience with sustainable apparel and the role he plays within the supply chain. His company has factories all around the world that make shirts, towels, hats, and literally any other apparel that you can think of. A lot of the work is outsourced to other countries like China and India where the labor is cheaper than it is here. However, no matter which factory it is, all of the materials used are from recycled and organic material that does little to no harm to the environment. Once the apparel is made, it is supplied to other companies, such as my parents, in order to design it however they'd like or complete it to the customer's liking.
2. What slot do they fill
Max fills the important industry supplier slot of this exercise. Although he does not provide rubber to make reusable straws, he is focused on making sure his suppliers are using top-notch, sustainable material.
3. How I found the person
I talked to my parents and asked them if they had any ideas regarding someone who would be an expert supplier within an industry like mine or related to mine. They thought that this client of theirs would be a wonderful person to talk to. My dad usually goes on 5-6 business trips with him and a few others every year, so they are pretty close. Max has also been my parent's company's main supplier for the past 12 years. I emailed him because I figured it would be easier amidst how hectic these past few weeks have been. Essentially, I explained the assignment, gave him my elevator pitch, and asked him to explain how his company supplied products to firms within my industry. I also asked him for personal feedback and thoughts regarding my elevator pitch and my business opportunity.
4. Nature of the exchange
I know that Max is a very busy man, as he owns and operates many of the suppliers. He truly did not have to answer my email because it was pretty lengthy and it is definitely another thing to do on top of everything that has been going on, but he was more than happy to help. Also, he even gave me a few ways that he is able to connect with all of the different workers at the factories in other countries. I do not think that there is a return expectation with this exchange either. He is a professional far into his field and I don't think that him offering some expertise made him feel as though I owed him a return favor. He was happy to help without any reciprocation.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
Now that I have him in my network, I think I can definitely use this to my advantage moving forward with my business. I have all aspects of the supply chain, and being able to have an actual supplier who is an expert within this specific step of the chain will make my business much more efficient. I also know that he will be able to give me unique insight into the supply chain, and things that I should be cautious with or pay certain attention to when setting up business operations.
Reflect:
I really liked how this activity made us network with people who are typically out of our scope. All of the people who I contacted, I would have probably never gotten such valuable information from anywhere else. The fact that I had connections to these people that went beyond business really allowed me to dig deeper into their personal experiences and how they are able to do what they do best in the workplace. Had it not been for this activity, I probably would have never connected with these people on this level. In the future, I will definitely be more forward and blunt with networking. In other words, I will try to step out of my comfort zone in order to truly learn more. This has definitely differed from my past networking in many ways. For starters, I usually do not know the recruiters or people who I network with, which is why I approach them in the first place. On the other hand, I typically like to send out an email rather than a phone call or approaching them physically.
1. Who they are
I decided that my neighbor, who is also a good friend of my dad, would be the perfect person to choose as the domain expert within my industry. My industry, I would say, is primarily sustainable production of a variety of products. My neighbor works for 4ocean, which is a company that makes apparel and other merchandise primarily from recycled and environmentally friendly material. He is an expert within the sustainable industry which is primarily focused on reducing plastic waste that is thrown into the environment. 4ocean does not make reusable straws, but they do make bracelets, apparel, drinkware, cleanup gear, and a bunch of other products that are made from recycled and organic material. My neighbor, specifically, works in the Sales department, so he is really in charge of getting the products out and marketing them to a wide audience.
2. What slot do they fill
My neighbor is the domain expert because he works at a company that is primarily focused on the same values and foundation that my opportunity is built on.
3. How I found the person
Luckily, my neighbor is the person which made it a lot easier to contact him. I was able to catch him outside on Monday in the garage, so I came up and told him about the assignment and if he could answer a few questions I had for him. I told my dad that I had to do this assignment because I know my dad is good friends with him, so he gave my neighbor a heads up that I would probably be coming around at some point for a few minutes and I did. I jot down a few things on my phone in my notes and that is how I was able to get most of my information about his role in the company. I was able to give him my elevator pitch about my idea and ask him for feedback. After the feedback, he was able to clarify what exactly he did within his company and the specific areas that he could help me out given his personal experience.
4. Nature of the exchange
My neighbor did me a favor by answering the questions I had about his work and company. Although it was only a couple of minutes that we talked, he really did not have to take the time to answer my questions. He could have said he was busy, but the fact that he was extremely helpful and told me to swing by if I ever had any more questions was really considerate of him. To be honest, I don't think that there is a return expectation. I think he appreciated the fact that I was taking the time to genuinely ask questions and be curious. He has two kids, one is seven years old and the other is eleven. I think his kids are too young to care about jobs and adult life, so he appreciated that I was there asking questions about his job.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
I believe that having him in my network now will definitely help with my business. Having someone who has been on the front lines of this industry is extremely valuable. I know that he is someone I can always ask for anything, and having him within my reach will allow me to use his knowledge, expertise, and experience for anything that can possibly help my business will be very helpful. I am sure that there will be times when I do not know a thing about a certain sustainable measure, and at that point I will be able to go to him for help.
Person #2
1. Who they are
My 28-year-old cousin who lives in Miami Beach was the perfect person to choose as someone who is a market expert. My market is primarily composed of younger, college females who take part in practices that are very environmentally friendly. My cousin works for Comfort Colors, which is the main provider of college apparel for all UF sororities and fraternities. Clearly, the main market is the same as mine because they literally produce a huge portion of their products for these college students. My cousin works in the Marketing department and is in charge of marketing analytics and really overseeing strategies on how to attract new and retain current customers. More specifically, she is in charge of the University Relations portion of it and is the main liaison between colleges who order their products and Comfort Colors.
2. What slot do they fill
My cousin is the market expert because, within her company, she serves primarily the same market segment which is young college students.
3. How I found the person
Clearly, I always knew that my cousin worked for this company and upon reflection, I realized that the customer base that she serves is very similar to the ones that I hope to appeal to. With that being said, I decided to call her Tuesday morning and ask her a few questions regarding her position within Comfort Colors and what her day-to-day looked like in the office. I texted her a few days ago telling her that I had this assignment and if it was okay to call her at some point, and she said it was. I gave my cousin my elevator pitch and asked her what she thought of my idea. She gave me her feedback based on experience and how it would possibly appeal to her main customer base.
4. Nature of the exchange
My cousin did me a huge favor by taking time out of her day to sit on the phone with me and really allow me to understand what it was that she did in order to do her job the right way. She clearly did me a favor by giving me unique insight on what a normal day looks like at the office, and gave me some of her personal tactics and strategies that she uses in order to deal with these college customers. Since she is young, it is easy for her to build and keep a bond with the customers she serves. I truly do not think that there is a return expectation besides letting her know how I did on this assignment and if I have any further questions to definitely let her know.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
Now that I truly understand the position my cousin has in the company, I know that she is a valuable contact to have as I further my business. I know she will always be easy to contact and she will always be willing to help, and being able to count on her is crucial to taking my business to the next level. Additionally, I know that if I need any further help, she will be able to connect me to the right people who I can network with and gain unique insight from as well.
Person #3
1. Who they are
My parents own a business and one of their main clients works within the supply chain for a company that specializes in sustainable and environmentally friendly textiles. I figured that he is a great person to network with because of his experience with sustainable apparel and the role he plays within the supply chain. His company has factories all around the world that make shirts, towels, hats, and literally any other apparel that you can think of. A lot of the work is outsourced to other countries like China and India where the labor is cheaper than it is here. However, no matter which factory it is, all of the materials used are from recycled and organic material that does little to no harm to the environment. Once the apparel is made, it is supplied to other companies, such as my parents, in order to design it however they'd like or complete it to the customer's liking.
2. What slot do they fill
Max fills the important industry supplier slot of this exercise. Although he does not provide rubber to make reusable straws, he is focused on making sure his suppliers are using top-notch, sustainable material.
3. How I found the person
I talked to my parents and asked them if they had any ideas regarding someone who would be an expert supplier within an industry like mine or related to mine. They thought that this client of theirs would be a wonderful person to talk to. My dad usually goes on 5-6 business trips with him and a few others every year, so they are pretty close. Max has also been my parent's company's main supplier for the past 12 years. I emailed him because I figured it would be easier amidst how hectic these past few weeks have been. Essentially, I explained the assignment, gave him my elevator pitch, and asked him to explain how his company supplied products to firms within my industry. I also asked him for personal feedback and thoughts regarding my elevator pitch and my business opportunity.
4. Nature of the exchange
I know that Max is a very busy man, as he owns and operates many of the suppliers. He truly did not have to answer my email because it was pretty lengthy and it is definitely another thing to do on top of everything that has been going on, but he was more than happy to help. Also, he even gave me a few ways that he is able to connect with all of the different workers at the factories in other countries. I do not think that there is a return expectation with this exchange either. He is a professional far into his field and I don't think that him offering some expertise made him feel as though I owed him a return favor. He was happy to help without any reciprocation.
5. Exploiting the opportunity
Now that I have him in my network, I think I can definitely use this to my advantage moving forward with my business. I have all aspects of the supply chain, and being able to have an actual supplier who is an expert within this specific step of the chain will make my business much more efficient. I also know that he will be able to give me unique insight into the supply chain, and things that I should be cautious with or pay certain attention to when setting up business operations.
Reflect:
I really liked how this activity made us network with people who are typically out of our scope. All of the people who I contacted, I would have probably never gotten such valuable information from anywhere else. The fact that I had connections to these people that went beyond business really allowed me to dig deeper into their personal experiences and how they are able to do what they do best in the workplace. Had it not been for this activity, I probably would have never connected with these people on this level. In the future, I will definitely be more forward and blunt with networking. In other words, I will try to step out of my comfort zone in order to truly learn more. This has definitely differed from my past networking in many ways. For starters, I usually do not know the recruiters or people who I network with, which is why I approach them in the first place. On the other hand, I typically like to send out an email rather than a phone call or approaching them physically.
Hey Beca,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really great job with assignment and were able to contact people that could really help you out with this project in the future. I enjoyed reading this post and seeing how detailed you went into each person. I think each person has something unique that they could offer for your business, and the fact that you were able to contact two people that seem really familiar with the sustainability industry is great. I think you did a great job networking in this assignment, and this could really pay off for you in the future.
Hi Beca,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job with this assignment! I like how a lot of your connections were through family and friends. This assignment really shows how important networking and personal relationships are in the business world. I often think about how its interesting that the business world relies way more heavily on personal connections than the STEM world.
Hey Beca,
ReplyDeleteI can tell you really took a lot of time and effort to complete this assignment, and it definitely reflects well in your interview responses. I think it's so cool you were able to find other people who are equally interested and passionate about environmentally friendly products, and their new connections with you as an entrepreneur will be really helpful once you begin implementation of your business opportunity!