1-1: Who they are and what their background is
I interviewed Alex Rotham, co-founder of Continental Pools in Miramar, Florida. Alex has been in the pool service industry for 6 years, and his team has taken care of my pool for 3 of those years.
1-2: Which “slot” are you filling
Alex filled the domain expert in my industry slot.
1-3: A description of how you found the person and contacted the person
I’ve spoken to Alex a few times over the years regarding various matters regarding my pool. I called his cell phone and asked for some time to speak about this topic, and he was ready right then and we spoke at that moment over the phone.
1-4: The nature of the exchange
I spoke with Alex about my pool pump automation idea, and asked him how feasible he thought the solution was. At first he seemed dismissive, but by the end of the chat he seemed to be more receptive.
1-5: How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
Alex is in the pool industry, and could actually be a service provider or a reseller for me in the future. He also has good contacts and that has already helped me with this assignment.
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2-1: Who they are and what their background is
I had a quick conversation with Juan Reyes, who sells chlorine tablet distribution devices. He’s been in the pool service industry for 9 years.
2-2: Which “slot” are you filling
Juan is filling the market expert slot.
2-3: A description of how you found the person and contacted the person
My first contact Alex got me in touch with Juan.
2-4: The nature of the exchange
I spoke to Juan about how I might go about selling my device in Florida. He warned me of potential patent issues but ultimately gave me really good advice.
2-5: How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
Juan knows how to get a pool product on shelves and into pools. This was a critical earning experience for me.
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3-1: Who they are and what their background is
Angela Rincon is a supplier of chlorine tablets in South Florida. She’s been supplying pool tablets for 2 years.
3-2: Which “slot” are you filling
Angela is filling the supplier slot.
3-3: A description of how you found the person and contacted the person
I got her contact info from Alex and called her.
3-4: The nature of the exchange
Angela was short with me but did let me know that I "have a tough time ahead of me".
3-5: How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
Knowing her perspective is helpful to anticipate challenges.
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Reflection:
This was a hard core exercise where I had to face the music in my target industry. I was exposed to extremely relevant feedback from folks in the know. I do feel empowered from the experience, feeling I really do have an unmet need that hasn't been fully defined yet. In the future I'll have more confidence when speaking about my product to folks who can legitimately challenge its feasibility.
It’s definitely a good idea to talk with industry experts about your idea. I’m not sure we all realized how “unformed” our ideas were when we talked to regular folks about them. For the most part they were, after all, in the same position we were about the industry: largely ignorant. What seems like a good idea to an outsider can have serious challenges from an insider.
ReplyDeleteWarren,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really like how you received you last two contacts from the first person you contacted. You seem like you are very experienced with networking and that's a great skill to have. I agree that this exercise was very difficult, but you seem like you knew what you were doing. Your post was very organized and easy to read and it seems like you contacted people that can really help you in the long run. I had some difficultly with this assignment, but I ended up getting it done! Here it is if you want to check it out: http://shainaent3003.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-your-social-capital.html
Hey Warren,
ReplyDeleteGood post. I thought it was smart of you to actually interview people who have physical experience in the industry as well as mental experience. Talking to people who actually 'get their hands dirty' is a smart step.
Check out my blog post: http://sawyerlambert.blogspot.com/
Hi, Warren!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Excellent idea to ask actual specialists in the business work and industry experts about your idea! It's an excellent way to really see how well designed and planned your idea actually is! I agree this assignment was very difficult which is why I, unfortunately, did not do it. But I do have several other posts!
Please feel free to check out my blog at the following link:
http://efp13.blogspot.com/
Hi Warren,
ReplyDeleteThank you for a organized well done post! I know for me I didn't realize how different an industry expert responded than just my friend I bounced ideas off of. I'm really glad you felt empowered after the interviews because that is what is important. Sometimes we are shocked by the answers we get and responding poorly can really damage us. Good job!
Hi Warren,
ReplyDeleteBased on what I read in your assignment, It seems as if you received a great amount of feedback from numerous experts in the field you are exploring, which will be extremely valuable in your entrepreneurial pursuit. Its inspiring that you got empowered after speaking to the experts because thats what I think this class is all about. Thanks for sharing and good luck on your journey. Here is a link to my post: http://rodnog95.blogspot.com/2016/03/growing-your-social-capital.html