Growing My Social Capital

John Kaplan

John Kaplan is a friend of my mother's. He owns and operates a small restaurant called Kappy's in Maitland, FL. It's similar to my business idea as it is a very unique set up that is different than most. It has a pick up window as well as a seated area, something I also want to do. I without a doubt consider him the domain expert of the bunch. Because my mother is close friends with him, I was able to give him a ring and exchange ideas. His best advice to me was to keep my initial costs low, as the food industry is extremely competitive and there are no guarantees for success.

Meg Pietkiewitcz

Meg, or Mrs. P as I call her, is an expert on marketing and research. In fact, she was my high school marketing teacher. She conducts a business called Live Life Healthy, which inspires people to engage in a healthier lifestyle, showing alternatives too many food options. This is invaluable to my restaurant idea, as healthier options will be necessary for customers who are more health savvy. Her greatest advice to me was to get as involved as possible on social media. The world is changing, and we have to change with it. This is the single greatest way to reach a large group of people. I also gave her a phone call and shared my blog with her so she could browse my various ideas.

Jeffrey Pagliolonga

The final person I spoke with was Jeffrey Paglialonga. This was very convenient for me as he is one of my good friend's fathers. He works as a wholesale distributor at Costco and specializes in moving large quantities of items. While I plan to make my own food at restaurants, I'm sure we will need some ingredients shipped in bulk. I was lucky enough to personally get to sit down and talk to him, with my computer by my side. I also gave him my elevator pitch in person. His best advice was to stay confident and to understand that the road to success may have many ups and downs.


This was definitely a different experience as I've never done too much networking in my time. However, it did make me realize that networking is so important. Had my mom not known John, I would've had trouble finding someone for that area of this assignment. Likewise, had one of my friends not had a father who worked for Costco, I would've had trouble there as well.