Growing Your Social Content

For the market expert, I selected Chef Nathan T. He has started, managed, and owned several restaurants on Johns Island and the surrounding area. His markets have been the same that I am targeting. I used to work for him when I was a server at one of his restaurants. I asked if he would poll his current employees at his restaurant on the island to see if they would be a consumer and would promote it if it existed. He informed me that some would use it (the coffee drinkers), and that they would promote it. He didn't ask for anything in return, he said I've done enough with my past work efforts. He is able to assist me in coming up with great marketing tactics for my target market.

For the product expert, I selected Sarah P. She is the owner of Muddy Waters, a future competitor, or potential ally depending on how we proceed with the relationship. She runs a coffee shop on James Island that serves French and Italy beans, which has a very unique taste. So while the market is similar, she has a very unique product. I connected to her by going to the store and asking who the owner was. I then emailed her to request a meeting. The favor I asked of her was to share with me feedback she gets on her pricing and products. She told me that she has found that the pricing range limits her to price between $3-$4 per cup to create maximum sales and revenue. She also told me that because of the unique taste of her coffee she has a very loyal following and focuses on the development of their loyalty and referrals instead of external marketing. She can help me to identify the best pricing point and how to be unique in the market.

For the supplier I spoke to Alex S. He is the salesperson for Charleston Coffee Roasters. This is the company we would use to roast our beans and import the product for our coffee. I found him through LinkedIn and sent him a message requesting a one on one to discuss his products. He helped to explain the process of their roasting and how the process works. I asked him if he could elaborate on how we can be highly sought after and a market leader. He informed me that the biggest thing we need to focus on is customer service and really developing loyal customers. In return, he asked if we would consider using him as our roaster. He has helped me to verify what we need as our competitive edge.