20A Growing Your Social Capital

1) Domain Expert:

Joe Diroma

Background:

· Proprietor

· Business Man

· Carrollwood Chairman

Joe was my previous boss at Bonefish Grill. He works with the corporate offices of Bloomin Brands. Providing great service and fantastic food is what Joe lives for. He loves to provide his guests with the utmost dining experiences. In exchange for giving me a wonderful job and helpful life skills, I returned the expectation of continuing my relationship with Bloomin Brands. I have been looking in to the restaurant industry as I move deeper into my major. Joe has provided me with event experience that has helped me gain a ton of relationships with potential businesses.

2) Market Expert:

Chuck Johnson

Background:

· Franchiser

· Entrepreneur

· Restaurateur

This person is my Uncle. He has owned and currently owns various restaurants and food and beverage concepts, including Papa John’s, Burger King, Smoothie King, Bonefish Grill, Old School Bar and Grill, and Metro Diner. He gave me advice on how to market myself towards different football coaches, Outback Bowl chairmen, and more. Since my Uncle is a part of my family, there is no return expectation, besides seeing his niece move up in the business and sports world. My Uncle has provided me with an array of successful business opportunities. Knowing the right people is how you make it in the business world.

2) Supplier:

Sarah Schaffear

· Young Entrepreneur

· DIY products

Sarah is my roommate that supplies many consumers with DIY monogram stickers. Although she does not sell her products in the same industry that I am interested in, she is the closest contact I have to a supplier. She designs monogram stickers for many sororities on campus at UF. In exchange for her helpfulness in providing my fellow sisters with monogram stickers for their Littles’, I increased her personal brand awareness. I believe that the more relationships you develop through networking, the more good karma you may receive (yes I believe in karma). Having relationships with just a set market of business people makes your image mainstream and nothing-out-of-the-ordinary. Having relationships with people of all business aspects can help you find new opportunities that set you apart from the average entrepreneur.

Reflect:

I don’t think this experience differs from my past experiences because of how I grew up. I grew up around a lot of business men, football coaches and players, and mainly the Outback Bowl itself. My life has been consumed with an array of networking opportunities and I have taken advantage of almost every opportunity offered to me.