Domain Expert:
I have established goodwill with a family friend who owns store in various hotels. They understand how to own and grow a store, what to sell, and how to sell it. They have been in this business for almost ten years and the managers and owners. Since we are such good family friends, there really is no exchange for them giving me advice. They were excited to hear about my idea and thought it was a really good one! They know a lot of people in this field and have very good relationships with different clothing distributers.
Market Expert:
For this slot a chose someone who has raised girls, shops a lot, and has various experience in different businesses. She understands this market on a personal and professional level. I have known this woman for a few years and she is very willing to provide me with the information I will be looking for. This lady knows many shoppers and future clients that I would like to have. She is very influential and if she likes my idea, then her opinion can help drive the success of it.
Supplier Expert:
Because I wish to sell name brand items, establishing contact was the most difficult aspect of this assignment. I chose someone who communicates with suppliers on a daily basis. This person also owns her own store and has shown me how she went about establishing contact with different distributors and companies. When I do open my store and want to sell brands like Free People, Tarte, and Splendid, I will know how to go about business with them and how to get my foot in the door.
Reflection:
This experience opened my eyes up to all of the different facets of starting a business and of being an entrepreneur. A lot of people have said that opening a store does not mean you're an entrepreneur and I disagree. For one thing, I plan on opening a store with a product mix I haven't found anywhere before. I also think that whenever you have so many moving parts and you reinvent the wheel, you are an entrepreneur. I am excited for this journey and glad that I have these contacts to learn more about this idea.
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I feel like you know what are you suppose to do and develop some deeper understanding on the existing connections that you already have. In my post, I did pretty much same which I chose the connections that I already have and review them, see what they provide for me and what I did for them, thus asking the favor. Here is the link to my growing social capital, check it out if you have time. http://jzent3003.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-my-social-capital.html
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ReplyDeleteHey - Congrats for making it this far! I've seen a lot of students drop out and quit the class. They were unable to maintain the discipline required to pass. So props to you for sticking it out.
ReplyDeleteAS far as this assignment is concerned, I was not left with the impression that you spent a lot of time doing it.
It feels to me like you just did the bare minimum so that you could turn somehting in and receive a grade for the assignment.
I've done plenty of those too.
But it'd be really cool if you'd go into a little more detail. Explain how you secured those connections, the conversations you had, specific things you learned that you are going to apply to your business.
Don't just think of this blog as something to do to get a grade. Rather, think of it as a platform for you to teach others something new.
I'd love the opportunity to learn something from you.
Thanks
http://prestonkirkpatrick.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-my-social-capital.html