Growing My Social Capital

1. The first person I interviewed was Seth G. from LA Fitness in Valrico, Fl. He is a sales manager for that location. He fills the position of domain expert. Seth is a friend of a friend who is a member of the gym. I was back in town for the weekend and we were actually going to LA fitness to workout and Seth helped me fill out my guest pass. I asked him if he could do a little interview for me about his job position and at the end I introduced him my idea. I briefly explained to him my idea of renewable energy using gym equipment and at first he was a little lost but I explained it in more detail and he was really wowed by my idea. He said that he thinks my idea could work because the gym doesn't have any kind of equipment like that and some of the machines could easily be transformed into energy producing equipment. I believe Seth is a great connection because of his experience at LA Fitness. He knows how to run the gym and how the sales work so if wanted to open my own gym or find information he would be a a solid source.

2. The second person I interviewed as Juan Medina a counselor at Gainesville Health and Fitness center. Juan fills the role of market expert. I went to the club to take a tour and Juan was my tour guide of the gym. He let me tour the gym seeing the kind of equipment they had. I told him about my idea and he said that it was really good and he shared a passion to help the earth. I explained to Juan on how my idea would work and he said it seems very plausible. Juan informed me that on the types of members the club had. He said there was a every type depending on the time of day. In the morning was when you can find the elderly getting a cardio or light workout. During the afternoon is when you find college students getting a work out in. And at night is when the body builders come out. After the tour we exchanged numbers and he offered to set up a interview with the owner of the gym. Juan is a good connection because he allows me to get my feet wet in the Gainesville Health and Fitness club. What I mean by that is I can come back to the gym and meet other staff members to review my idea or ask questions. 

3. The third person I was not able to interview but I plan on doing it. His name is Hudson Harr. He the CEO and founder of ReRev a company that produces gym equipment that makes electrical energy. He fits the role of supplier in the industry. Harr is a UF alumni and his business is near my hometown of Tampa so next time I go home I plan on visiting his business. An interview with him will be pinnacle in my business idea because he is a pioneer in the field of green gym energy. His technology is similar to mine but I want to explore other ideas away from ellipticals machines and I don't know if I want to produce the equipment or have a gym that will have the equipment in it. Harr currently has his equipment in several colleges across the nation with his experience on the technology and sales I could get a jump start on my idea. However, I am afraid he might not want to share his information to a potential competitor. 

Reflection:

After finishing this assignment on targeting connections in the field of my idea I have a greater insight in all aspects of my idea. The domain expert helped me see what the gym industry is really like and why is it a growing business. The market expert allowed me to see the types of people signing up for gyms. And finally the supplier gives me an idea on how the technology works and a foundation to start from. I feel as this assignment really helps me reevaluate my idea and a step in the right direction to further solidify my idea.