20A – Growing Your Social Capital
1. One person must be a domain expert in your industry.
I talked to a business owner in my hometown. She sells water bottles, but decorates them with initials, sports teams, etc. I thought it was be interesting to talk to her because I got feedback on a past assignment and through interviews that it would be cool if my heating cup came in different designs and colors. I talked to her about my product and she loved it. She explained to me that her business stood out to people because the bottle wouldn't be generic, it would have personality and appeal to all ages because they can accessorize it as they please.
2. One person must be an expert on your market. Alex Pagani is a sophomore at UF. He is also an innovation minor and that is how I knew him. Alex is a student ambassador for an app, Islands. The app is also targeted at college students so it was great talking to him about how he and his team appeal to the masses of students. They often table at Turlington and have people get the app for free gear with the Islands logo on it, which is even more advertising. College students will do anything for free stuff. It was great having someone to talk about the marketing aspect of the product with.
3. One person must be an important supplier to your industry.
I talked to an engineering student I knew through a mutual friend. I talked to him about my product and explained to him that I'm a telecommunications major and definitely needed help when it came to getting the heater to work. He showed me some models of how the cup would look on Tinkercad, a 3D printing computer program
Reflection: These meetings actually went well. I learned that I need to utilize the people around me and that there are a lot of resources on campus. In the past, I have only really networked on LinkedIn, but this gave me a chance to see the person face to face and get instant feedback, while collaborating.
I talked to a business owner in my hometown. She sells water bottles, but decorates them with initials, sports teams, etc. I thought it was be interesting to talk to her because I got feedback on a past assignment and through interviews that it would be cool if my heating cup came in different designs and colors. I talked to her about my product and she loved it. She explained to me that her business stood out to people because the bottle wouldn't be generic, it would have personality and appeal to all ages because they can accessorize it as they please.
2. One person must be an expert on your market. Alex Pagani is a sophomore at UF. He is also an innovation minor and that is how I knew him. Alex is a student ambassador for an app, Islands. The app is also targeted at college students so it was great talking to him about how he and his team appeal to the masses of students. They often table at Turlington and have people get the app for free gear with the Islands logo on it, which is even more advertising. College students will do anything for free stuff. It was great having someone to talk about the marketing aspect of the product with.
3. One person must be an important supplier to your industry.
I talked to an engineering student I knew through a mutual friend. I talked to him about my product and explained to him that I'm a telecommunications major and definitely needed help when it came to getting the heater to work. He showed me some models of how the cup would look on Tinkercad, a 3D printing computer program
Reflection: These meetings actually went well. I learned that I need to utilize the people around me and that there are a lot of resources on campus. In the past, I have only really networked on LinkedIn, but this gave me a chance to see the person face to face and get instant feedback, while collaborating.
Great post on growing your social capital Sara. I like the fact that you made a social contact that is an engineering student that could provide some idea of what the product might look like or a design for the cup. I had a friend who developed a solar sign and they took their idea to an engineer who designed it for them and then they had a prototype made.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara;
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think your post does an excellent job of establishing contact with people who may be valuable to your potential business. I find it interesting that the woman who sells decorated water bottles could give you insight on how to design your heating cup. I also believe that selling a cup that can express the buyer's personality is much more appealing than selling a generic cup. Design matters. Go Gators!
Hello Sara, I believe this assignment was very good for you. In your reflection you said that you had not networked much beyond LinkedIn. That is similar to my experience with this assignment. I had not networked much before and being able to expand my social capital with such crucial relationships is crucial for a future job or with help on the business. Good luck and don't stop networking!
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