Partner Feature: Jeremy Turner
Jeremy Turner is the facilitator for the 2022 Ignite Portsmouth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. Jeremy graduated with a BA in Psychology from Marshall University and an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Business Administration from Marshal University’s Brad D. Smith School of Business.
“I’ve always got my hand in a bunch of different things,” laughs Jeremy Turner.
Indeed, Jeremy wears many hats. He serves as business coach, curriculum advisor, and faculty member for the West Virginia Governor’s School of Entrepreneurship. He is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Marietta College. He is a Business Development Officer and Entrepreneurship Education Project Manager at the Appalachian Investor’s Alliance. And he is also the Founder and President of EPIC Mission, a consulting firm that provides holistic strategy, practical innovation, and capacity building services to for-profit and non-profit social impact organizations.
“I am an entrepreneur,” explained Jeremy. “And like many, I’m an unlikely entrepreneur…As someone who fell into entrepreneurship, I realized growing up my family didn’t talk about it. There didn’t seem to be any entrepreneurs around me. I don’t even recall hearing the word when I was growing up. But in hindsight, entrepreneurship was all around me.”
Jeremy said his personal mission is to connect with ordinary people to help them achieve the extraordinary. “I talk a lot about the unlikely hero and the hero’s journey. My work at EPIC Mission helps me guide others on their journeys. These heroes, these entrepreneurs, these change makers all want to make the world a better place in some way.”
Now, Jeremy is gearing up to facilitate and lead the Ignite Portsmouth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp - which kicks off May 12th. As the catalyst for small business in Southern Ohio, Ignite Portsmouth is designed to teach participants entrepreneurial skills, business plan development, match them with a network of mentors and other local entrepreneurs, and develop an effective business pitch while competing for thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
“Most businesses fail in the first five years,” said Jeremy. “There’s a reason for that - they are ill conceived. They shouldn’t have existed in the first place. I went through that pain and frustration as an entrepreneur. It prepared me for where I am today. It taught me lessons that I now hope to pass on to others.”
“Congratulations to all the Ignite Portsmouth participants. This is the first step towards growing your ideas. I meet people all the time with all kinds of ideas. In entrepreneurship, ideas are almost worthless. It is ideas combined with execution that hold value…I encourage everyone who participants to get excited, stay excited, and stay insanely curious.”
Jeremy profoundly states curiosity is a super power.
“Stay super curious. Ignite Portsmouth won’t be me talking at you or lecturing you. That’s not it at all. Challenge. Ask questions. Seek to understand. Put in the time and effort because this is the type of program you can look back on years from now and realize it changed the trajectory of your life.”
Ignite Portsmouth at Shawnee State University begins May 12th thanks to support from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative, the Tri-State Angel Investment Group, and TechGrowth Ohio. Aspiring entrepreneurs can apply below to learn more.