HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The deadline to apply for the West Virginia Governor’s School of Entrepreneurship has been extended to April 15th, a decision that has guest speaker and Morgantown entrepreneur Luke Nesler excited.
“I wish I would have had an opportunity to do the same thing when I was in high school,” he said. “I didn’t realize that I was going to be an entrepreneur until my junior or senior year of college. This is going to be something that’s really going to jump start the career of some great, bright young talent in West Virginia. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Nesler has worked as an entrepreneur in the advertising and marketing world and now owns his own business in Morgantown after graduating from WVU. He said what really helped him get a leg up was the popularization of social media.
“You can get your name out there, showcase the skills that you have, and the value you can provide to other individuals whether it’s your product or you service,” he said. “It’s been extremely beneficial to my personal brand, my business partner’s brand, and just my company’s brand.”
The three week school session will include workshops, recreation, and close partnership on projects with other students. Nesler said that will help build something West Virginia badly needs: a network of budding entrepreneurs.
“It’s going to start to form a young entrepreneurship community in West Virginia that is much needed,” he said. “There’s not enough people out there connected.”
He plans on focusing on the role social media plays today in not just his field, but for entrepreneurs everywhere.
“It’s one-on-one communication,” he said. “Rather than talking down or at your consumers, you’re engaging with them just like you would at a cocktail party. That’s essentially what social media is. It’s the cocktail party of the internet.”
Nesler is hoping that more than a few students will walk away from the workshop with new life goals.
“This is something that is going to genuinely change the life of several individuals down there,” he said. “It’s going to open their eyes to a career path that is not spoken about enough in the school systems. I didn’t realize I could work for myself and actually make a substantial living and live the life that I wanted to live until I was in college and I saw other people doing it.”