20A - Growing Your Social Capital

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Introduction:

Finding a domain expert or general expert for my business idea proved challenging. As it turns out, there aren’t any other business who actually craft allergy menus for small restaurant businesses. My idea is relatively simple: no app coding, no production costs, no shipping logistics> I simply create the allergy menu in excel and send the PDF off to the company for a fee and they can place it on their website for customer viewing. Given this, it was difficult to think of a supplier as well.

Domain Expert: Paul A.

Paul is a former Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Investments, member of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and is the founder of Allergy Eats, a nonprofit organization which writes blog posts about food allergy news as well as operates a website which provides already available allergen information to the appropriate consumers. I fund this person by searching the web for similar firms to my own and navigating to the “our team” section of the Allergy Eats website. I contacted the firm through the “contact us” tab on the top of the page/ The proposal was that I send the executive team a link to my elevator pitch for feedback in exchange for feedback on my part as a user of their website. Paul could provide wonderful information about the industry and the market as well as market for me on his own as a fellow individual concerned with helping those with allergies.

Expert: Sarah S.

Sarah is the creator and writer at the Gluten Free and Dairy Free at WDW (Walt Disney World) blog. Her background is in public relations and marketing and she frequently hosts meetups within Disney theme parks to escort groups of park goers with dietary restrictions to the safest (and most delicious) spots to eat. As an individual who frequently interacts with restaurants within WDW and consumers with food allergies, Sarah seemed like a valuable resource to me in terms of market knowledge. I reached out to Sarah through her blog’s “contact me” mechanism and offered feedback on her blog in exchange for feedback on my elevator pitch.

Supplier: N/A

Considering the nature of my industry (I have yet to find another business which would be a perfect competitor) and the product which I would be offering, there really is not technical supplier. There is no one writing code and there is no one providing me any service. The only “supplier” in a logical sense is my customer (the restaurant) who is supplying me with their allergen information.

Reflection:

I felt, before this exercise, that “networking” always had a negative connotation. I pictured college students who used the word purely in the hopes that they would sound more professional. However, I now view networking in a slightly more positive light. It is an opportunity to exchange something of value. It is important to have a specific purpose when networking with individuals. And it is important to offer a reason that your “target” (for lack of a better word) should be interested in connecting with you.


Comments

  1. Ava DalyOctober 30, 2019 at 1:34 PM

    Hello Johnathan,
    I loved how even though it was difficult to find the appropriate networks to help with your idea, you still did your research and found great contacts. I believe your network contacts would be a great help to your idea and product since they have experience in different areas than you. I also agree that networking can sometimes be seen negatively, so I also liked how this assignment changed the view of that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mauricio RNovember 3, 2019 at 9:03 PM

    Johnathan,
    I also found it challenging to think of a domain expert and a supplier, especially when the business focuses more on service than a product. I thought it was interesting how you were able to contact people through their blogs, it shows that their content is actually provoking thought amongst others. I too viewed network as a negative connotation, but after this assignment I no longer view it that way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daryl SutherlandNovember 3, 2019 at 11:30 PM

    Johnathan,
    My mother works for Disney World as well. She currently works in HR. Over 20 years ago she was writing reviews for their hotels and now she runs management in Orlando and California. I also found it hard to review people in other different categories. I enjoy how you used someone who works at a large company because without a allergy menu it would be difficult for tourist to eat within the park. Lucky for Disney they can probably charge three times the price like they do with all their other food. I am also glad you got to reach someone through the internet. I could not find anyone who could speak within the week.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Remi TaylorNovember 4, 2019 at 10:14 AM

    Hey there Johnathan! Super great job with this blog post. I am surprised it was difficult for you to find a domain expert or general expert for your business idea. I would think you could have spoke to anyone in the restaurant business, even if they do not specifically provide an allergy menu. I am sure they still deal with allergies and could give you useful tips.

    ReplyDelete

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