The first person I spoke with is a hypnotherapist. His job entails relaxing people and really understanding the psyche of how people function. He acts as a therapist to uncover the root of people's issues, but instead of talking things through, he then hypnotizes them into thinking in a healthier and more constructive mindset.
I consider him to be my domain expert. While he is not in the business of putting people to sleep using a sound machine, he does have to know about how people think and function and what relaxes people which is the ultimate goal of my product as well which is more helpful to me than anything else.
My mom is part of a business networking group that has a mix of people from different companies and industries in it, and over the summer I have been going to meetings with her and making connections for myself.
In return for feedback on my business idea, I promised to substitute for him in the next business networking meeting he misses so that he is not penalized for missing a meeting.
Having him in my network will be extremely beneficial because he knows the best tips and tricks for relaxing people into a peaceful state which is the goal of my product. His understanding of the human psyche can really help me in developing my product and he had many good suggestions for me on maximizing the relaxing effect of my product.
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The next person I spoke to was a sleep technician who studies sleep and different sleep disorders in order to find a way to fix it and help people sleep.
I consider her to be my market expert. As a result of understanding sleep behavior, especially in people who lack sleep, she really understands my market and would be very helpful to me in further understanding my market and developing a product that can help people who need a sleep aid.
Again, this is someone I know from going to business networking meetings and talking with people from all industries.
In return for feedback on my business idea, I promised to substitute for her in the next business networking meeting she misses so that she is not penalized for missing a meeting. She helped me to understand the different sleep disorders that are out there and gave me valuable insight into the minds of the consumers in my market.
She will help me to further expand my market to people who suffer from sleep disorders and not just infants who enjoy some noise to go to sleep. She will also help me by giving me insight into the treatments that have and have not worked for my market so that I am not designing a useless product.
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The final person I spoke with is the manager of a Brookstone. Brookstone is a store known to carry innovative items with many purposes and even has a sleep section in the back of most stores that includes pillows and other sleep related items.
He would be the supplier spot because this store has the right demographic and other products being carried to fit my product and see how sales do. As a result of the innovative product selection and the sleep section known to have products that maximize comfort, Brookstone would be the perfect place to have my product.
I often go to Brookstone with my family and talk with the various employees. I decided to reach out to the manager of the store in my local mall since the employees there would recognize my rather unique name.
I decided to see what the manager thought of my product and gathered their thoughts on how he felt it would do with their market. In exchange, I promised to keep returning as a loyal customer of the store given I buy from them for every major holiday.
Having him join my network really helps me because it is someone I can use to climb the ladder of Brookstone and reach the corporate individuals to have my product be widespread right away. Having a potential supplier before the product is even fully developed would be extremely helpful.
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Final Reflection
This experience definitely helped me to be more comfortable reaching out to individuals in my industry, even if it means receiving a few no's before you get the desired yes. It helped me to have a more open mind because most people were really open to sitting down and talking to me which was very encouraging. I definitely will assert myself in more networking situations and won't hesitate to speak up and introduce myself so that I can have as many connections as possible.
This summer I was really trying to force myself to network as much as possible, which is why I began going to the business networking group with my mom which obviously paid off for this assignment and for my ability to have experts to consult. However, this experience was still different than other networking experiences I've had in the past because this time it gave me something to talk about and some questions I had preplanned instead of just introducing myself and hoping they keep the conversation going.
Hey Katia,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you were able to sit down and build some more connections. I found it interesting that you said it has helped you become more comfortable with sitting down with people, and you were glad that they helped you. I know that at many times, we think that people are all for themselves, and many times that is true. With that being said, many people really do want others to excel and become successful. I am glad that you have made some connections, and I hope you continue to network yourself out there this summer.
-Dakota Horlocker
Hi Katia.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that the return favor is the same for the first two individuals, that you would fill in for them at a business network meeting. Are they members of the same business network?
I’m not sure that your third individual hits the mark. The important supplier spot is supposed to be someone who provides products and services to other firms in your industry. I’m not sure that someone retailing products to the public qualifies. It is supposed to be someone that knows how to sell your products to retailers, that might help you learn how to place your products in Brookstone’s and other retail stores. I don’t think the store manager of a chain store decides what products that store will carry- that decision is made farther up in the operating chain.
I also think that your post would have carried more weight if you had used their actual names instead of just descriptions. However, the important part of the assignment was to build connections in the industry that might help you build your own business. If you got this information from these people, perhaps it will help your own business be a success.
Katia,
ReplyDeleteI am sure going to those meetings is a great source of knowledge and you can learn a lot from the people in attendance. Filling in for them would be an even better experience I bet. You really have the right idea I think about doing your research for this product. Very through and complete great job. Maybe you could look at Sharper Image they are very much like Brookstone.