Jeff Reiland: I want to add Jeff to my social network because he has real estate investment experience and an extensive network of commercial real estate properties. He would be the domain expert in helping me grow my network of gyms. He was referred to me by a friend that is a real estate agent and we set up a time to meet over coffee. The favor Jeff was able to do for me was set me up with the foundation of what I need to know before the first purchase even begins. He said rushing into commercial estate can be very tricky and risky. Currently, there is no expected return, but we will be in touch moving forward. Jeff would be a major asset to my opportunity in locating, purchasing and managing my gyms. The capital is very important, so I think Jeff's assistance in purchasing the best places is crucial.
Cory Carlson: Cory is a physical therapist that would be beneficial to have in my social network. Cory would be the expert that is doing the research and would be the brains behind the service we are selling. I did a Google search of physical therapy trainers in the Gainesville area and found Cory who works at a gym with a clientele aging between 40 and 70 years old. Cory will be able to help turn the business idea into a tangible service to help people. There wasn't a solid favor exchanged, but he was able to share some information and stories from his experiences as a physical therapist. Having Cory in my social network would help by regulating patient care and ensure that our service is advanced and helping people in the best, most effective way possible.
Lori Amborn: Lori is a medical supply purchaser for hospitals. She would be an important supplier to have in my social network to help supply me with the leading orthopedic training equipment. Lori is a family friend that has been in the medical supply chain industry for over 20 years and enjoys what she does. She said people assume drugs or needles when they hear medical supply purchaser, but it really ranges from X-ray machines to elastic training bands. she was able to share some tricks of the trade and elaborate on the logistics and business side of the operation which was beneficial. Having Lori would help in supply chain management and business operations from a medial standpoint.
This networking experience has been much different than my previous ones. Besides getting to know someone a little bit, I never went into networking events with an exact objective until now. Going in to meet with these people with a plan made it more engaging and lead to positive results and curated relationships that could be lucrative in the future. This experience taught me the importance of always having an objective when meeting with someone.
Hey Caelan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post this week. I think you did a great job with building your social capital and making sure that one person was designated to a specific area. When you connect three different people with different background it ultimately helps all you connect into one unit which makes a business very powerful and I think you have the potential to do that with your idea. I am glad that this business and networking experience has been different than your past because its good to grow and learn. Overall, great post and details.
Caelan,
ReplyDeleteGood job with your contacts. I think reaching outside your college friends will pay-off and help extend and add depth to your network far beyond than if you stayed in-campus. I also like that you described the prospective role of your contacts and the nature of the exchange, as well as the advice you received from them. This exercise took me out of my comfort zone as well, but I agree it was worth doing and will pay-off in the future. Again, great job with your post!
Caelen,
ReplyDeleteYou were very in-depth with your three different individuals and this allowed you to analyze them the most you could. I enjoyed your paragraph on networking as it was very descriptive as to what each professional does and how there experience was useful to them serving as a necessary tool for your research. I definitely agree that meeting with people in person provides a vastly different dynamic than simply emailing or speaking with them over the phone.