Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert in My Industry

1. The person who is a domain expert in my industry is David Clark. He is a family man who loves tennis. He works as an adjunct professor at UNF, teaching public relations. His main work is centered on nonprofit leadership, as he is the Executive Director of DESC, an nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing, and financial assistance to those in need.

2. This individual fits this slot of domain expert in my industry, as he has many years of experience in philanthropic matters. His work with Feeding Northeast Florida and Farm Share in obtaining resources for his own food distribution to those in need is value in itself. He is engaged in an extremely similar business activity to that of my own interests, feeding the hungry.

3. I met David Clark recently while volunteering for his organization. I had no direct ties to him upon beginning my volunteer service there; however, I have had brief conversations with him since then. We were barely acquaintances. Having met him recently, and having shown my face, making myself a remarkable member within the organization, contacting him was not too difficult. His contact information is posted on several platforms and my other contacts within the organization gladly connect me to him upon request.

4. The nature of the exchange I have with this person is not strictly formal, however it is not entirely casual. He is quite a busy individual, considering the amount of work he does on a daily basis. He offers his knowledge on how to connect with other nonprofit organizations, having extensive knowledge on the organizational and directive requirements of feeding those in need. There is no expected return, except that I use his advice to help others, just as he has devoted his life to.

5. Including this person in my network will enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity, as he has connections with other nonprofit organizations that provide the food resources necessary in feeding the less fortunate. He also has an extensive knowledge set directly related philanthropy, which proves useful for my own business ventures.

 
Expert on My Market

1. The person who is an expert on my market is Salli Sollow. She is an incredibly outgoing and experienced woman who previously worked as a wedding consultant and also worked for the government, having run programs for senior citizens. She is now retired, but is still active in the community, being as philanthropic as ever. She also mentioned working in retail before, Bloomingdales if I remember correctly. For her 70th birthday, she decided to raise money for work boots to donate to those who need them, rather than having a lavish celebration. She raised thousands of dollars with the goal of getting one pair of boots for each year she lived; however, she raised money so quickly through her amazing connections that she doubled her goal.

2. Salli fits this slot of expert on my market, as she has plenty of experience working with people, especially getting to know what customers need and want. Not only is she someone who is targeting my market with similar services, even in her retirement, but she is also extremely talented at conducting customer research in my area. She is the prime example of a people person. She simply knows how to get into the heads of customers.

3. I found Salli by working alongside her in Downtown Jacksonville. We met while volunteering for an organization that provides clothing to the less fortunate. Finding, or more so meeting, Salli was kind of a lucky sequence of events. As I knew her prior to this assignment, contacting her was not difficult. I had her email address and phone number from discussing a fundraiser with her recently. She also texts me occasionally, checking in on me and how things are going.

4. The nature of the exchange I have with Salli is decently casual, as we are quite friendly with one another. She offers me the wisdom of her experiences and introduces me to her own connections, even offering me opportunities that she sees as appropriate for my skill set. The return expectation is not high. I show my appreciation and she enjoys sharing her knowledge and time.

5. Including this person in my network will enhance my ability to exploit an opportunity, as my ties to her lead me to a greater network of people. She has a plethora of connections that could prove useful to me in my business ventures. Additionally, the knowledge of the market she possesses is remarkable, so she serves as a great resource in terms of becoming more educated as well.

Important Supplier to My Industry

1. The person who is an important supplier to my industry is Beth Hood. She is not only an extremely hard worker, but is also a wife and a mother to three sons. She previously worked in a more clerical role within the education industry, but now does more administrative work in the philanthropic sector.

2. Beth fits this slot of important supplier to my industry, as she works specifically with clients, one-on-one. She connects directly to other organizations in my industry, making her a prime connection and a valuable resource.

3. I met Beth through a family friend. She was not difficult to find, as we have been introduced. Having met her on several occasions recenlty, I had her phone number, a means to contact her by. We were well acquainted enough that I could text her when necessary.

4. The nature of the exchange I have with this individual is friendly, as she is happy to help me if I ever voice concerns for help. She offers me advice and encouragement with regards to all my endeavors whenever she is able. The return expectation is that I assist her if she ever expresses a need for help with her own ventures.

5. Including Beth in my network enhances my ability to exploit an opportunity, as she has the knowledge and resources to get me connected to resources that I may need if I do decide to pursue my business concept and actually bring it to life.

Reflection

This experience will shape how I participate in any future networking events by guiding me toward those I perceive as the most useful or valuable individuals to my own ventures. I will take every person I meet as a possible resource, as each individual has their own set of skills, including their own social capital that could lead me to connecting to even more individuals. This experience did differ from my networking experiences in the past, as I previously attended networking events without specific goals. I would attend and converse with people with no targeted goals, but this experience proved to be entirely selective.