6 | INNOVISION MAGAZ INE SPRING 2022 | 7 This Spring semester, the College of Business welcomed David Nassar (‘86), a serial entrepreneur to kick off Entrepreneurship Week. He founded Marketwise Securities, Inc., an electronic trading firm, which was sold in 2006. David is also a New York Times bestselling author. In 2006, he founded Flying Lady Winery and continued to develop other projects. Due to his successful career, he has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News, and CNBC. During his online webinar, David described how he did not have a plan for his future when he was young. He saw himself as a “late bloomer,” full of fear and uncertainty. This period of his life was daunting. Many young people find it difficult to decide on their future, especially when they have outside pressures. David knows this first-hand since his father gave him a choice to go to college or the military. David chose to pursue a college degree at Kutztown University. David had a challenging time in school due to his dysleia. He had to work extra hard to learn and graduate from high school. When he first applied to Kutztown, he was denied. This minor setback motivated him to work even harder, and it did not take him long before he was accepted at KU. As he made connections with professors and students, he built a foundation for his success. He was able to nurture his interests and develop his confidence. David is now grateful to share his experiences with current students. He advised students to discover their strengths and explore how they can be used to develop a path to success. Patience is important since that path may not be clear initially. Your first job might not be your dream job. So what was his path to becoming an entrepreneur? When David graduated, he was not immediately thinking about starting his own business. His main goal was to obtain a job; which he did, in the field of finance. He discovered he loved trading securities and that love led him to start one of the first broker/dealer electronic trading platforms in the U.S. KEYNOTE SPEAKER DAVID NASSAR Some of the advice David shared for future entrepreneurs is that being mentally and physically healthy ensures productivity. Also, as an entrepreneur, you must be optimistic to overcome setbacks. Entrepreneurs should be inspired by passion to ensure their ideas come to a successful reality. Relationships are important in building a foundation of support in this field. He also stated that saving money will allow you to make moves without seeing them as risks. “Confidence replaces fear,” said David when discussing how to approach taking the steps to start your business. While he has encountered some obstacles in his career, David's passion for entrepreneurship has not waned and he continues to pursue new opportunities through his company, Nassar Development LLC, which focuses on lifestyle projects like ski resorts and wineries. His advice to entrepreneurs facing difficult times, "Do not wallow in your losses for too long.”
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