Assignment 20A - Growing Your Social Capital

1. Domain Expert: Matt Noah, Fargo Soccer Club President

• Matt started his own soccer club and runs a forum where he helps other people interested in starting their own clubs. He knows the explicit details of the requirements of running a club and specifically: how to manage expenses, establish relationships, and attain sponsors. He is also very informed on the process of joining a national affiliate and what that means in terms of of the competition and tournaments that the club can play in, as well as the sponsors that come with it. I believe his wholesale knowledge of the process adequately qualifies him as a "domain expert."
• I found his contact information while I was doing further research on the process of starting a club and what the national affiliate system actually is. I then reached out to him through email, and he was kind enough to reply and ask how he could help out. I then sent him a link to my Idea Napkin No. 2 so that he could look over and critic it, so that I may be able to further improve on it. 
• I think that establish a connection with Matt can be helpful in that he will be able to provide me with guidance in the process of contacting clubs and possible sponsors so that I can foster a relationship between the two. I also think that his breadth of knowledge on the subject will be useful if I ever run into issues or find myself unable to resolve a problem that arises during the process.

      2. Market Expert: Steve Arsenault, Managing Partner at South Florida Club Sport

• Mr. Arsenault is a Managing Partner at a soccer club which means he has an insiders knowledge of what it takes to run and sustain a club. Part of sustaining a club is attaining and maintaining sponsors and keeping a good relationship with them which is why I think he qualifies as a "market expert."
• I found Mr. Arsenault's contact information while I was researching soccer club sponsors in the South Florida region; and although he is not a sponsor, he does have expert knowledge in the field. I first emailed Mr. Arsenault but he was busy traveling with the team but he recommended that I contact his office with my questions. His staff was able to help me in his stead, and I can then further contact him if I have any more concerns.
• Establishing a relationship with Mr. Arsenault will be very beneficial towards my efforts to gain a better understanding of the sponsorship landscape of club soccer. Although it is a role that perhaps Matt could have fulfilled, I think it is important to perhaps have two people who could help me in that department.

      3. Industry Supplier: Dave Zighelboim

• Mr. Zighelboim works in the sales department at SoccerLocker, which is a store that sells soccer equipment and also sponsors certain teams. This is why he qualifies as an "industry supplier" and I am confident he can guide and perhaps teach me about the sponsorship process that clubs go through.
• I also found Mr. Zighelboim's contact information while research club soccer sponsors, except this time I actually found a company which sponsored certain clubs and I was able to gather his contact information through their site. I first contacted another member of the team which he is a part of but did not receive a response so then I messaged Mr. Zighelboim.
• As I said, by establishing a relationship with Mr. Zighelboim I can hopefully learn more about the sponsorship world of club soccer and how to successfully navigate its inner workings. Therefore, when I am working on my business later on, I will be better prepared for the challenges to come. Hopefully, I can also get the contacts of some of his fellow sponsors to help kickstart my business.

This experience worked out far better than I imagined, especially as it concerned the success rate of the people whom I contacted. I received a response from three out of the four people that I emailed and was able to get their feedback on my idea. This will give me more confidence as I move forward and try to network on my own at future networking events. My networking experiences of the past centered around events which were thrown with people there that I could simply go talk to. With this assignment, I had to locate the people myself so it was a bit more work and involved more autonomy.