Social Capital

For my first interview I got to meet with an engineer from UF. He graduated last year and is one of my brothers good friends. He not only is an engineer but has been working on making cars more efficient since he graduated. Upon meeting him I got to see some of his works. He actually has some really creative ideas for cars that I did not think about. Dean is filling in my domain expert of the car industry. I thought he was a good fit because he creates pieces for cars. Dean took the time to speak with me along with the two others I got to speak with. Dean was the most enthusiastic when I spoke these people. He enjoyed that someone as young as him has the same boldness to attempt to make “the perfect car.” Dean is a very busy person and only expected a conversation out of me. We have known each other for years and it was nice to catch up. I would include engineers in all aspects of my product. I will need multiple dozens of engineers to build this car. There are so many pieces to building this car that it requires multiple people to get this product on the road.

For my second interview I chose to interview a car manufacture named Mr. Giles. Giles has been working for over 30 years in manufacturing cars for Ford. He said he wish he would have actually made better decision in life so that he wasn’t doing so much hands on work. He said sitting behind a desk may suck but it is better than having back issues, heat dehydration and other health concerns. Giles said the only reason he never quit is because he feels that he is doing a service for the people. Giles fits in my expert on the market. Right off the bat he mentioned that my idea would be far from cheap and that my customer market will be cut in half compared to other car companies. I met Giles through my dad. Since me and Giles had never met he did not ask for anything in return besides to have a solid conversation. He was easy to speak with and did not skip a question. I need a car manufacturing place for my cars to be built at. Without a manufacture I have no car to sell. He told me how trusting your manufacture is needed. If you doubt who is building the car then the car is not going to be as successful as planned.

1) Tesla first fully battery powered car to successful start a company. I got the chance to speak with a Car Dealer from Tesla. My dad owns a copier business and provides copiers for lots of car companies in Orlando. He aligned me up with all of the people I interviewed. Tesla stated how other companies have attempted to make cars but have not made profit and ended up going out of business. Tesla’s cars are very technology advanced as well. S, 3, X, and Y all can drive without a driver within a parking lot.  

2) Tesla fills in the spot of the supplier. I chose Tesla as a supplier because it is the closest company to my car. Tesla sells four models spelling S3XY. All other cars are way less technologically advanced and not as comparable to my product.

3) I found Eli through my dad. He told me that he has been working at Tesla since they opened in Orlando. Eli has sold over 200 cars since working there and has had three different positions. He currently is the Finance Major. He said budgeting is very important and that without properly spending their money they would have gone out of business. He stated how important funding is and how hard it can be.

4) Eli took time out of his day just to talk to me. Eli did not ask for anything in return except for me to continue improving my product based on customer feedback. He said listening to customers is what can make your company grow exponentially.

5) I will include this person because he told me to keep an open eye. Sometimes you’re going to get an offer and risk vs reward is very important. Without weighing out the sides you do not know what’s worth risking. Sometimes it may risk you losing your whole company.

Reflection

It was kind of shocking. I heard a few things that others have told. That stood out to me because I have received similar feedback. The feedback I got this week related to a lot from what I heard from the last assignment. Every person I spoke to told me I had great manners and filling the “role” of a CEO is the backbone of the company. Without a successful CEO no company can stay in business.