Former Northwood University Florida Campus student Nathan Newman recently turned to his alma mater for interns while preparing to launch his new nonprofit social media website.“It was a no brainer,” laughed the former Management Information Systems major. “An intern from Northwood University offers me a person who I feel confident will one day become a leader in their industry, and the university’s teaching style provides me assurance that students are prepared for the intern process,” said Newman. “The most important lessons I learned at Northwood that have carried with me through the past 14 years of being an entrepreneur are leadership, confidence, and execution. Values and work ethic in my opinion are what separates a successful business person from another. The key values which helped me through the years were taught and instilled in me from my everyday teachings at Northwood. It’s not about the education, it was about the delivery of those facts and teachings,” added the entrepreneur.
Well recognized in technical circles as a founder of eDimensional, one of the first companies to produce wireless glasses which allow computer users to view video games and DVD in three dimensions, Newman first flexed his entrepreneurial muscle in the early 1990’s by starting a car detailing business to raise seed money for the invention. Inspired by a virtual-reality ride at Universal Studios, he partnered with his friend Michael to bring the idea to life. And the investment paid off, producing over 2 million in sales within the first full year of business.
And this subsequent venture is equally inspiring. “As a successful entrepreneur waking up every day to put in a standard 12 to 15 hours of work, it just hit me. I could focus all of my efforts instead on something that really makes a difference in the world. The idea is simple: we will offer a platform and tools to share content, connect with friends and see what’s going on in the world. There will be businesses who want to advertise on the site – and herein lies the difference. The profits made from advertising revenue will be donated to non-profits,” shared Newman of his new venture. “It’s not an innovative idea, nor a cutting edge technology. This is why the idea is so great! We don’t need to produce any goods, or convince the consumer to buy a new product. It is completely free and will impact so many people in a great way,” he smiled. “Based on the ease of making so much money so quickly, we can create a seismic shift where we become a generation of giving back. Advertising dollars have to go to a social media site, so why not support a site where those dollars go to people in need,” he stated.
And its young business leaders like Newman who serve as role models for the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
“An internship should be a learning experience for a student to be exposed to real-world activities in their specific major.” Newman continued. “As a former student at Northwood, I understand the process and am excited to also benefit from the student’s work. When you are starting a new business it’s an every hour, every day thought cycle. Sometimes you miss out on the big picture while trying to focus on the work in front of you. I look forward to allowing the student to express their opinions and benefit equally from a fresh take on our project. I attended another University before Northwood, and unlike that learning environment where classes are filled with 300 or more people, Northwood provides the students with an intimate learning experience. I know the student will be ready to excel in their internship having been prepared in their class setting,” said Newman.
