Growing My Social Capital

I contacted three people over the past couple days, hoping that I would get an answer by today. My product is a distributed product/service without a store, so I tried contacting certain organizations pertaining to my venture idea. Due to similar characteristics, I chose to email them. 

*Supplier*

The first organization I got in contact with was Larabar. This company, founded in 2000, produces healthy sweet treats made strictly from nuts and fruits. My goal is to get in touch with the founder Lara Menniken. She started making these bars to snack on during a hike and has turned into a booming business, selling millions of bars each year. I chose to contact Larabar because when I had this idea for a subscription box system, inlcuding Larabars was the first thing I thought of to put in them, because its a perfect example why eating clean can be delicious and switching to a healthy lifestyle can be very convenient and "on-the-go" if necessary. I inquired if they have had this kind of business deal with other organizations in the past. Networking with a potential supplier felt very motivating.

*Domain Expert*

I also got in contact with 3 Natives. Within the past year, 3 Natives opened up a location on University Avenue, walking distance from campus. I chose to seek communication with them because, although we have different products, I feel we have either the same or similar target markets. After reaching out to them, I realized we are both meeting the needs of health-conscious college students by providing a product which can doesn't impede on their health and is a good grab-and-go source for nutrient-rich meals or snacks.

*Market Expert*

The third company I got in contact with was called graze.com. Through more in-depth research to learn more about different subscription box systems, I discovered a very similar product, graze! I really wanted to hear more about them especially since it related to the subscription box system I wish to create. They have a similar target market, except that mine is geared toward college students. But her product is a mystery delivery box of wholesome snacks that gets delivered to your door every 2 weeks, consisting of up to 8 different snack boxes to try out. I inquired to see how their dense their market is with their business or if its a pretty versatile market.

I feel that  with all 3 of my contacts, we can each have potentially symbiotic relationships with each other and a strong social capital to continue on with had my business been in more of the production type process.

Reflect: 

I think I learned a lot about this networking experience. It's definitely a little uncomfortable reaching to companies or people about their business, but it's rewarding when there is valuable feedback that gets back to you from it. I also learned that email responses tend to take much longer than direct contact.