20A Growing Your Social Capital

1) Who they are and what their background is.

Domain expert: Manuel Jude is currently an employee at the Counseling & Wellness Center (CWC) at UF. He specializes in occupational therapy.

Market expert: Sarah Keating is a third year student majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and minoring in Music.

Supplier: Dr. Jason Perez, Ph.D. is a professor at UF who teaches music composition and performance. He has other ventures he does on the side, including establishing his own business.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Domain expert: He is very knowledgeable when it comes to stress management, which plays a big role in my opportunity.

Market expert: She is a musician who enjoys listening to music and does so to relax her mind.

Supplier: Answered above.

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

Domain expert: I was able to reach Mr. Jude by visiting the CWC and asking to meet with a therapist who deals with stress management. We exchanged email addresses and I was able to get the information I needed.

Market expert: I met Sarah in the School of Music through one of our classes together. We mostly stayed in contact through text and also had lunch to talk a bit more.

Supplier: I also met Dr. Perez by visiting the School of Music. I looked up his information online and emailed him about setting up an informal interview.

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

Domain expert: Mr. Jude is willing to provide me with more information about different techniques on how to deal with stress management. He would like for me to stay in contact with him about my idea and if he can be of any more help.

Market expert: She told me about the different types of emotions that people can feel based on a specific type of genre and its tempo.

Supplier: He has provided me with tips on building a business plan and how music has changed his perspective on a lot of things. He wants me to keep him updated on my idea and the business plan I will be creating later.

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Domain expert: I didn’t really know much about the different methods on coping with stress until I met Mr. Jude. He has allowed me to gain more knowledge about my opportunity, which I can utilize when speaking to investors.

Market expert: Sarah fits the criteria of a consumer who would purchase my service. Thus, by forming a connection with her, I can learn more about what consumers would want from my business and how to meet their needs in the best way fit.

Supplier: Dr. Perez is getting me one step closer towards establishing my own business because he has been through that route and he’s giving me great advice on managing the business when it begins operating.

Finally: Reflect. This experience requires you to do a little 'targeted networking.' How will this experience shape how you participate in any future networking events? Did this experience differ from your networking experiences in the past? How?

I now know how to approach individuals with my idea: I need to be direct with what I’m attempting to sell to them and I need to be as descriptive as possible. I will also listen with more attention to what people are saying because I sometimes get easily distracted. There wasn’t a huge difference in this experience. I still network with others to the best of my ability, even though there are always improvements that can be made.