1. The first person I talked to is Rob, the plumber that works for my dad and does the plumbing work for his real-estate business.
2. Domain Expert. They fill this spot as he owns his own plumbing business in South Florida, and has done so for the past 20 years.
3. I talked to my dad and after asking if he knew anyone that worked in the same field I am in with my business idea, he sent me Rob's information. I went ahead and asked to facetime him after sending him over my elevator pitch, and he agreed to help.
4. When I was talking to him, I asked him how the industry looked and whether or not he believed in my idea. Him being a self-employed plumber with 2 employees, he said he is always swamped with work and that in the last year, he has never had a day without someone needing work. I asked him what he thought the best areas and things to do were when advertising and targeting a customer group. He was very helpful and gave me a lot of good information, and in return he wanted nothing, he just wanted to help so it was an amazing person to talk to for sure.
5. I think establishing a relationship with Rob will help me greatly in the future as we may be able to share clients and work with each other when it comes to training and finding new employees. He can help me train them and explain to me what they need to know in the first place, and he can also help me get off my feet, by him having already made all the mistakes I would've made. Overall, he will help me greatly in finding my place in this industry.
2nd Interview:
1. I talked to a guy named Raul who works for AT&T as a market researcher. He went to the University of Michigan, and that is all he has done since college.
2. Market Expert. Market Research is all that Raul has done the day he stepped out of college and he has been around for many market turns and changes, giving him much knowledge in this industry.
3. I looked up AT&T's local number for the Gainesville office and asked if there was someone there I could talk to about this assignment and they told me to come by and talk to Raul. I came in and talked with him and before that I sent my elevator pitch for him to understand where I was coming from.
4. Raul helped me by giving me some information regarding the heightened electricity demand in Florida in the last 5 years, and that this has led to more and more people needing electricity work. Other than that, there was not much he could tell me as far as my business idea as he works for a service provider and I am related to that, but they are not linked by business whatsoever. Therefore, he did not want anything in return as he gave me little in the first place.
5. Raul may be helpful in some way down the road, but with this job being quite different than my business, and that him helping me would take away from the AT&T electricians work, I do not think that he will be of much help to me in my future endeavors.
3rd Interview:
1. The last person I talked to was a woman named Sarah who is the owner of a local lighting store here in Gainesville. She has owned this store where they sell chandeliers, light bulbs, and things like that for over 20 years, and is very skilled in electrical related things.
2. Supplier. Sarah has been supplying light bulbs, electrical wire, and all related things to electricians and homeowners in Gainesville for 20 years and has been aware of things going on in that industry.
3. I looked up Lighting stores in Gainesville and found a nearby store. After visiting and asking to speak to the owner, I found Sarah and talked with her for a little about my idea and what she thought.
4. I spoke with Sarah and after explaining to her what I wanted to do, she didn't really have much to tell me. She said she has been in Gainesville her whole life and she knows nothing of electricians in upper income areas like where I was mentioning. She did tell me that there is always a need for electricians and that no matter what she thought that my business could work anywhere. She supplies most of the local electricians and hooks them up with bulk deals and thinks alike, but with the areas I am going to do business, I do not think she could be my supplier.
5. If I was to do business in Gainesville and this area, she could've been tremendously helpful as I would've just been in contact with my supplier and would've saved money when buying other equipment at retail prices. I think that I will stay in contact with her for sure in case of any business around central Florida, but as far as the long-run of my business, I don't know if she could be too helpful.
Reflection:
I really liked this assignment as I always love to meet new people and see where their relationship leads me later in life. I think that after this, I will definitely continue to look for and talk to people in the industry I am looking into in order to find little tips and tricks to save money and to get further in my business, faster, as their help is priceless. This experience was definitely different from other networking I have done as most of the people I meet are due to spur of the moment events or social meetings where it all happens on the fly. I have done little networking where I specifically contact an individual I researched to find help, but after doing it a couple times, It seemed to be almost more beneficial than trying to find that needle in a haystack at conferences. I really enjoyed the experience and it helped me a lot.
2. Domain Expert. They fill this spot as he owns his own plumbing business in South Florida, and has done so for the past 20 years.
3. I talked to my dad and after asking if he knew anyone that worked in the same field I am in with my business idea, he sent me Rob's information. I went ahead and asked to facetime him after sending him over my elevator pitch, and he agreed to help.
4. When I was talking to him, I asked him how the industry looked and whether or not he believed in my idea. Him being a self-employed plumber with 2 employees, he said he is always swamped with work and that in the last year, he has never had a day without someone needing work. I asked him what he thought the best areas and things to do were when advertising and targeting a customer group. He was very helpful and gave me a lot of good information, and in return he wanted nothing, he just wanted to help so it was an amazing person to talk to for sure.
5. I think establishing a relationship with Rob will help me greatly in the future as we may be able to share clients and work with each other when it comes to training and finding new employees. He can help me train them and explain to me what they need to know in the first place, and he can also help me get off my feet, by him having already made all the mistakes I would've made. Overall, he will help me greatly in finding my place in this industry.
2nd Interview:
1. I talked to a guy named Raul who works for AT&T as a market researcher. He went to the University of Michigan, and that is all he has done since college.
2. Market Expert. Market Research is all that Raul has done the day he stepped out of college and he has been around for many market turns and changes, giving him much knowledge in this industry.
3. I looked up AT&T's local number for the Gainesville office and asked if there was someone there I could talk to about this assignment and they told me to come by and talk to Raul. I came in and talked with him and before that I sent my elevator pitch for him to understand where I was coming from.
4. Raul helped me by giving me some information regarding the heightened electricity demand in Florida in the last 5 years, and that this has led to more and more people needing electricity work. Other than that, there was not much he could tell me as far as my business idea as he works for a service provider and I am related to that, but they are not linked by business whatsoever. Therefore, he did not want anything in return as he gave me little in the first place.
5. Raul may be helpful in some way down the road, but with this job being quite different than my business, and that him helping me would take away from the AT&T electricians work, I do not think that he will be of much help to me in my future endeavors.
3rd Interview:
1. The last person I talked to was a woman named Sarah who is the owner of a local lighting store here in Gainesville. She has owned this store where they sell chandeliers, light bulbs, and things like that for over 20 years, and is very skilled in electrical related things.
2. Supplier. Sarah has been supplying light bulbs, electrical wire, and all related things to electricians and homeowners in Gainesville for 20 years and has been aware of things going on in that industry.
3. I looked up Lighting stores in Gainesville and found a nearby store. After visiting and asking to speak to the owner, I found Sarah and talked with her for a little about my idea and what she thought.
4. I spoke with Sarah and after explaining to her what I wanted to do, she didn't really have much to tell me. She said she has been in Gainesville her whole life and she knows nothing of electricians in upper income areas like where I was mentioning. She did tell me that there is always a need for electricians and that no matter what she thought that my business could work anywhere. She supplies most of the local electricians and hooks them up with bulk deals and thinks alike, but with the areas I am going to do business, I do not think she could be my supplier.
5. If I was to do business in Gainesville and this area, she could've been tremendously helpful as I would've just been in contact with my supplier and would've saved money when buying other equipment at retail prices. I think that I will stay in contact with her for sure in case of any business around central Florida, but as far as the long-run of my business, I don't know if she could be too helpful.
Reflection:
I really liked this assignment as I always love to meet new people and see where their relationship leads me later in life. I think that after this, I will definitely continue to look for and talk to people in the industry I am looking into in order to find little tips and tricks to save money and to get further in my business, faster, as their help is priceless. This experience was definitely different from other networking I have done as most of the people I meet are due to spur of the moment events or social meetings where it all happens on the fly. I have done little networking where I specifically contact an individual I researched to find help, but after doing it a couple times, It seemed to be almost more beneficial than trying to find that needle in a haystack at conferences. I really enjoyed the experience and it helped me a lot.
Hi John, I think you talked to the right people for this project. You got help from a plumber, research from someone who knows the market, and a supplier for the electrical side. This is the start to what could be a great business. It's interesting to see how you meet people through networking when you look for it rather than it being by chance.
ReplyDeleteHey John,
ReplyDeleteYour interviews were really good ones. I think you picked great people for each interview. Your three people worked great for each of the main topics. These people would help you further work on your business idea. It is also great that you love meeting new people. That will help you in the networking process. I agree with you it is more beneficial.
Hey John, great job on this post. I think that the people you interviewed are really good options to turn to in the future. I believe that these people can offer you some very useful advice when you decide to pursue this opportunity. I believe that all of these people are very knowledgeable of this business, and can be of some great help down the road.
ReplyDelete