Growing Your Social Capital

The domain expert in my industry…I was able to get in contact with the owner of a local supplement shop back in my hometown. He said that my idea was unique and that the idea of backing your dosages with research and offering different caffeine levels was a good idea as well. Many of the customers at his store resemble the prototypical customer, an avid gym-goer who is extra conscious about buying effective supplements. He told me that he would give my product another look when the design is more clear and see if it would be a good item for the store.

An expert on the market…conveniently enough, I was able to talk to my dad about this one. He is the general manager of Living Fuel Inc., an online superfood nutrition platform. While they do not have a patented preworkout, they appeal to a prototypical customer similar to SmartStrength’s. He liked the idea of marketing a science-based product because of the increasing hyperawareness of fake or ineffective products that has arisen from the surge of fake news in recent years. He also told me that he would be able to get expert advice from the owner of the company and get me in contact with industry suppliers.

The important supplier in the industry…as previously mentioned, my dad was able to get me in contact with one of his suppliers to ask him a few questions about my chosen business idea. He liked the idea of SmartStrength, and gave me a few recommendations on what to look for in a high-quality supplier firm. He pointed me to some of the industry suppliers that ship preworkout supplements as well.