Growing Your Social Capital

Domain Expert (Technical Expert):

1. Who they are and what their background is.
• His name is Franciso Blanco. He is a airplane mechanic that worked with my grandpa at American Airlines.
2. Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.
• I would consider this person a domain expert. While he is an airplane mechanic, he is also well knowledgeable in call vehicle part design, and is one of the best engineers that my grandpa worked with. 
3. A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.
• I found this person through my grandpa, who worked with him once, and contacted him by telephone.
4. The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 
• I basically described my idea to him, and asked whether or not he thought it was feasible to design and create it. He explained that while he wouldn't be the person to help come up with the prefect design, but that  he believes it is certainly possible with the right work space and resources.
5. How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
• I believe that one of the biggest difficulties with my product is the design and as I am not an engineer, nor do I know anything about building something by hand, I think it is important to talk to as many people who could influence the idea as possible. Specifically, vehicle mechanics/engineers. 

Market Expert:

1. Who they are and what their background is.
• Seat Belt Solutions, is an after market seatbelt supplier located in Palm Beach county Florida.
2. Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.
• This company is a market expert, and is in a similar business market that I would be entering. They provide aftermarket seatbelts for a wide range of vehicles, whereas I would be producing a single seatbelt for my own purposes.
3. A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.
• To be honest, I found this company by searching seatbelt into google, and it was an auto-fill option. I have actually heard of them before, which is why I decided to have a look and try to contact them. I contacted them through email, because it would allow me to better ask my questions.
4. The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 
• I emailed the company and told them what my idea was and that I had no idea where to begin really when it comes to design and if it was feasible. They told me that its fairly difficult to meet the safety regulations for seatbelts, and that while my idea was good in theory, it might be difficult to pass. I also asked if my idea were to pass, would it be easier to join the market as a standalone product, or sell alongside other after market seatbelts such as through their company, and they said it would be easier to work with a company similar to theirs.
5. How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
• The company Seat Belt Solutions is one of multiple companies that I could theoretically sell my product to, and leave the marketing and retail to them.

Industry Supplier:

1. Who they are and what their background is.
• According to the company, GWR Safety Systems is a leading manufacturer of custom safety systems, with a focus on designing and developing seat belts and safety restraint systems for commercial and specialty vehicles. GWR is a preferred seat belt supplier to the industry, serving seat and vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers globally. GWR also produces restraint systems for wheelchairs, child seating, construction workers, and the medical industry.
2. Which 'slot' you are filling with each person (i.e., domain expert, market expert, supplier), and how the person fills the spot.
• The company is a OEM, or original equipment manufacturer. The are the preferred OEM for seatbelts and the largest global seat and vehicle OEM. 
3. A description of how you found the person and contacted the person.
• I found this company through the company I spoke to before, Seat Belt Solutions. They also work with OEM's, which before I had never heard of. I researched Car part OEM's, and found GWR Safety Systems.
4. The nature of the exchange you have with the person -- what favor did they do for you? What is the return expectation? 
• I also chose to email this company, because I am not a serious company myself, so it would likely be my best chance to get a decent answer. I asked them what they thought of my idea and if they had heard similar ideas in the past. I also asked how a startup could work with them as a supplier and what it would cost on average. They responding with a clear answer to my questions, saying only that they have not really worked with many startups that weren't purchasing in volume, so I could not ask for a single unit of my product. They have not manufactured any similar product as mine. They also said that the cost per hundred units varies, but for a larger custom design it would be at least 4k, a at around 40 dollars a unit. 
5. How will including this person in your network enhance your ability to exploit an opportunity?
• If I were to include this company to exploit my opportunity, I would have to raise funds to be able to afford the costs for a sample set of units. I would hope to profit off of the first 100 units, and then if my product is successful, work with them to have a full time manufacturer and wholesaler relationship. 

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?

Networking is easily the most difficult, yet most rewarding aspect of being an entrepreneur. This was my first experience ever trying to network with people who were knowledgeable and could be helpful when it comes to furthering the production of an idea. It has been informative because it showed me how difficult it can be to actually get an idea rolling, and how many options there are when it comes to finding a supplier, and then marketing my product. It also confirmed my knowledge that I am fairly ignorant when it comes to creating and producing a product.