20A Growing Your Social Capital
Mark Candela
20A Growing Your Social Capital
Its who you know, not what you know
1. My first connection was with someone in the car and scooter industry. Jimmy is a local car and scooter manufacturer and repairman who works for a company in Gainesville near UF campus. He is an important supplier to the industry and has played a pivotal role in thousands of students purchasing their vehicles and making sure they run smoothly. I actually found Jimmy through his work by taking in my scooter to be serviced in years past and we forged a friendship of sorts. He has helped me countless times and I appreciate his service. We have also briefly spoke about my product as I went to take my scooter in at some point this semester to be serviced and I explained to him what I was doing with my product to which he said he believes it'll be a big success with all the student drivers and minimal parking available. Having Jimmy as a connection in his line of work is an excellent tool for my market and product opportunities. He can almost single-handedly expand my network due to the sheer number of people with vehicles he comes across every single day.
2. The next person I spoke to was my cousin Will. Will is an entrepreneur as well and has launched numerous apps on the apple store and digital platforms. While he is not a so-called "expert" with cars, he is an expert as an online entrepreneur and a domain expert in the industry. I asked him if he felt confident in my product and its ability to attract customers and loyal users. He initially said he was unsure because he did not drive a car so he did not know how much of a mass impact it could have but when he networked with some of his buddies who he graduated with they all loved the idea. In the past I have bounced ideas off my cousin before so sparking this line of dialogue was very familiar for us. Will in asking his friends has already expanded my market significantly so I do believe he can have a large impact positively.
3. The final person I spoke to was my sister's friend who works as a valet driver. While these lines of business do not parallel exactly, they are quite similar in many aspects, both focusing on making it as easy as possible to park cars. She is an expert in my market of the business. I reached out to her via my sister and the connection we had there. We have met before as she has come to my home on occasion. We spoke about the complexities of the line of work and she was actually impressed with what I had thought up because in her years of working she has never really heard of a competitor in that market, which my product would be of sorts to valets. She won't have a huge impact socially in my network but being able to reach out to her for advice on the subject is very beneficial.
Target networking was very interesting as it brought out a different approach to people search. I did not look for individuals to sell my product to but rather looked for those who could advise me as to how to be successful, people who have already put time towards their line of work. I believe it can help me approach people in a new way that is more inclusive rather than sell, sell, sell attitude that can be beneficial.
20A Growing Your Social Capital
Its who you know, not what you know
1. My first connection was with someone in the car and scooter industry. Jimmy is a local car and scooter manufacturer and repairman who works for a company in Gainesville near UF campus. He is an important supplier to the industry and has played a pivotal role in thousands of students purchasing their vehicles and making sure they run smoothly. I actually found Jimmy through his work by taking in my scooter to be serviced in years past and we forged a friendship of sorts. He has helped me countless times and I appreciate his service. We have also briefly spoke about my product as I went to take my scooter in at some point this semester to be serviced and I explained to him what I was doing with my product to which he said he believes it'll be a big success with all the student drivers and minimal parking available. Having Jimmy as a connection in his line of work is an excellent tool for my market and product opportunities. He can almost single-handedly expand my network due to the sheer number of people with vehicles he comes across every single day.
2. The next person I spoke to was my cousin Will. Will is an entrepreneur as well and has launched numerous apps on the apple store and digital platforms. While he is not a so-called "expert" with cars, he is an expert as an online entrepreneur and a domain expert in the industry. I asked him if he felt confident in my product and its ability to attract customers and loyal users. He initially said he was unsure because he did not drive a car so he did not know how much of a mass impact it could have but when he networked with some of his buddies who he graduated with they all loved the idea. In the past I have bounced ideas off my cousin before so sparking this line of dialogue was very familiar for us. Will in asking his friends has already expanded my market significantly so I do believe he can have a large impact positively.
3. The final person I spoke to was my sister's friend who works as a valet driver. While these lines of business do not parallel exactly, they are quite similar in many aspects, both focusing on making it as easy as possible to park cars. She is an expert in my market of the business. I reached out to her via my sister and the connection we had there. We have met before as she has come to my home on occasion. We spoke about the complexities of the line of work and she was actually impressed with what I had thought up because in her years of working she has never really heard of a competitor in that market, which my product would be of sorts to valets. She won't have a huge impact socially in my network but being able to reach out to her for advice on the subject is very beneficial.
Target networking was very interesting as it brought out a different approach to people search. I did not look for individuals to sell my product to but rather looked for those who could advise me as to how to be successful, people who have already put time towards their line of work. I believe it can help me approach people in a new way that is more inclusive rather than sell, sell, sell attitude that can be beneficial.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteYour post is super interesting. You have great sources that are key to your product. Learning from these people who have more knowledge in the industry and in the market are essential for the success of your product. It is very important that we always get advice from experienced people to clarify doubts and know if we have to modify something and more when we are new to these processes. Good luck in your business idea.