20A- Growing Your Social Capital

Austin Andrade

Austin is an aspiring app designer at the University of Miami. He has had an interest in creating application since he was in high school. He is a domain expert that would be able to help me build my medical application. I found this person because he is best friends with my cousin from back home in Miami. I contacted him through Facebook asking him if he liked my business idea. He gave me tips on how I can structure my app and told me that he would love to help me if I needed to build the app one day. If I included him in my social network, he would be able to help me with the technical skills that I do not have when building an application for a mobile phone.

Efrain Bueres

Efrain is the head manager of social media at a marketing firm In Miami, Florida. He works with several clients that target millennials in the Miami area. He would be a market expert because he understands how to target the millennial market. I found this person through a friend who is very close to him. I contacted him through Instagram direct message. He gave me advice on social media marketing for an application. He did not expect anything in return and explained that he loves helping young entrepreneurs enhance their company through marketing. Including this person in my network will enhance my knowledge of targeting millennials through different forms of marketing.

Gillian Sutherland

Gillian works at a surgical center in Miami, Florida. She works on the administrative side in the medical field. She would be the person I would talk to sell my product to the doctors in the office. She would be my supplier. I found her through my brother because they are good friends. We spoke in person at my house about my application. She gave me advice on how to get in contact with different hospitals and people in the industry. She doesn’t expect anything in return because she is a family friend. With her in my network I will be at advantage when contacting people in the medical industry. She would help me on the sales side of my company. Gillian would help me expand my network even more than I already have.

Reflect

This experience showed me how important it is to keep in contact with family friends and acquaintances. I never knew how important old connections are for building a company. It shows how keeping a good lasting impression can go a long way with people when you need a favor. This was the first time I had to reach out to people that I was not very close to. I learned that writing a professional email or message can go a long way. People tend to appreciate professional emails and answer them more thoroughly.