Growing My Social Capital

Domain expert: Nikil Patel
1) Who they are and what their background is.
His name is Nikil Patel, he is originally from San Fransico, CA. He has been in this industry for ten years and counting. He has established his first personal business in Gainesville, FL the local Chevron gas station/ convenience store. He has developed his hospitality through previous employment at hotels, which he has managed at the Hampton and Comfort Suites. His has developed his sense of marketing, star reports, payroll, conducting reports, yearly projecting,and business management through previous employment history, which he has practiced his knowledge. He has other business ventures, like renting out a house in the local community and he has started his own property management service in Gainesvillle, FL. Ultimately, he is a very successful family man with a wife and kid that drives to a new level of success and motivates his continuous journey of growth. 

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

Nikil Patel is filling the spot of the domain expert because he has started this business from scratch working 16 hour shifts for about two or three years during the start up process of this business. He has experienced how to run a successful gas station and has implemented new services to increase his sales and broaden his customer market.
3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.
I found this person from my local gas station, Chevron, and formed a friendship over the past two years through our humorous interactions and kind care. I contacted this person by coming into the gas station and asked for an interview, which he was willingly open to the idea. 

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?
He has granted me an interview in exchange for my loyalty as a customer and friend. 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

Yes, I think it was enhance my network through advertisement in his stores since he is a business man with many locations of business. 

Supplier: Sam's Club, Pepsi, Arizona, Mtn. Dew, Barkhardth, Cone, HT Hackney, Brown distribution. 

 Bark1) Who they are and what their background is.

These suppliers are decorations that produces their products in whole sale quantities and sells their products to local business in counties all around America. 

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

These corporations fill the spot of supplier because they produce mass production of their products and sell mass quantities among other businesses, like convenience stores. 

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I found the names of these corporations through Nicks logs of transactions and record book from recent prior business transactions. I could contact these corporations, but I was able to run into one of the truck workers and ask them about the service. They gave me a brief overall explanation of where they deliver to and how much they deliver to these local businesses. 

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 

There was not a nature of exchange at all since I was not able to contact with the corporation. I was pleased with the explanation from the corporation workers and what was their work expectations, which was a delivery. 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?

No, this person will not enhanced my network, but in the future can supply me with mass products at a whole sale price. 

Expert in industry: Ale Smith, worker for America Tax Company.

1) Who they are and what their background is.
Ale Smith is an employee at the company known as, America Tax Company. He has worked there for three years now and he has practiced his services to many local businesses. He is from Valdosta, Georgia with a passion in finances and wants to help the economic status of his local community in anyway. He has a drive for success that was obtained through the hardships of his family life that he has converted in motivation. He is a happy man with a wife and a newborn son.

2) Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.

This person fills the spot as a market expert because he has went to college for an education in business management and has a current profession as a financial analyzer.  He is a certified public accountant in Gainesville, FL that works with the America Tax Company. 

3) A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.

I contacted this person through Nikil since he is his personal CPA that certifies his records for government purposes. 

4) The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation?
There was not an exchange at all, but he did say if I needed his help in the future to contact him. 

5) How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
Possibly, I am unsure of all the connections he has or if he can enhance my network in any way besides management services. 

Finally: Reflect. This experience requires you to do a little 'targeted networking.' How will this experience shape how you participate in any future networking events? Did this experience differ from your networking experiences in the past? How?

This experience will shape how I approach other future networking events by allowing me to structure my questions similar to the ones I asked in the list of five given to me. I will have a better sense of confident when it is time for me to go out and explore more networking opportunities. This experience differed from other ones due to the mission and purpose of the interview. However, it was not too different in sense that it was an one on one interview and an exercise of communicating with others.