1) Domain Expert- Accounting/ Financial Analyst: This individual has experience within the accounting field and has an accounting background. I chose this individual as my domain expert because I thought that it would be beneficial for my product if the individual had experience with various financial concepts. My product is a mandatory financial management course or workshop that is required for students to complete upon graduation, therefore knowledge within the financial field will be extremely important for my product. This individual was someone that I grew up with back in my hometown, we've maintained contact, so it was not an extremely difficult process to get in contact with them. An essential aspect of this exchange was for me to expand my knowledge and gather as much information as possible. Including this individual in my network gives me a valuable person to contact whenever I need financial advice regarding my product.
2) Market Expert- This individual has an marketing background and is heavily involved with college students. This individual has engaged with college students numerous times and they pay attention to how students think and act. They focus on what their thought process is. They analyze what factors impact student's decisions the most. I found this individual through my Health and Human Performance program here at UF. This exchange involved analyzing how customers/students think about their finances. What are their initial thoughts and what is the most important component to analyze? This individual will be an excellent resource due to their marketing background. Marketing is always an essential component when one is trying to sell any product or service.
3) Supplier- This individual gives financial management workshops to students from time to time throughout the semester. However, not many students attend this workshop because they do not know about it or because it is not mandatory. Therefore, the valuable information may not be reaching the individuals that it needs to reach. I have attended one of the workshops before and this is how I interacted with the individual. Including this individual in my network can provide with me with a heads up for things that do work and do not work for students. It can help me be proactive rather than reactive.
In future networking events, I plan to be more engaging and try to establish authentic contact with the individual. Yes, this experience differed from others because it forced me to network using a method that I am not familiar with.
Prince,
ReplyDeleteI also think that your supplier may be able to aid you in the actual presentation of the workshops. Perhaps, he would be willing to partner with you and help with many different aspects of this entrepreneurial venture.
If we hadn't already, I believe that we all now better understand the importance of social networking, establishing social capital. Who you know can be the difference between success and failure in an entrepreneurial venture.
Prince,
ReplyDeleteI think all of these individuals are very beneficial to the opportunity you plan to carry out in the future. They provide a lot of good information and knowledge that can make a huge difference in how successful your venture will be with it. Networking is extremely important because a lot of the time it isn't what you know, but who you know in the working industry.
Prince,
ReplyDeleteYour selection of these various domain experts definitely add to your social capital and give you practice on networking. All your interviewees helped you learn of your target market, how to develop your product, and how to deliver to name a few. I hope you gained more information on how to develop your financial services effectively into the graduate market, and learned the value of networking. Good luck!