|
Courtesy of Jason E. Kasher Jason E. Kasher of Reading prepares for his 183-day run to pay off his student debt. A recent graduate of Temple University, Kasher created a business of run sponsorships. |
The run turned into a coast-to-coast marathon during which time Forrest became a celebrity who attracted other runners and inspired entrepreneurs.
Forrest Gump was a fictional character, but Jason E. Kasher, 23, Reading, is the real thing.
Like Forrest, Kasher has a passion for running, an adventurous spirit and a desire to inspire others.
On Sunday, Kasher, a 2008 Reading High School graduate, plans to begin a six-month journey, running six miles each day.
Kasher has turned his approaching 183-day marathon into a business, Paid to Run.
He anticipates making money by having businesses or organizations sponsor him on a daily basis.
Making a run from Winter Haven, Fla., to Washington State, to Pennsylvania and then back to Florida may not exactly be a traditional career path.
But he did start with one.
Having graduated from Temple University, Kasher has a degree in marketing.
"I was working for a logistics company in Carlisle, when I came to the realization that I always wanted to work for myself," Kasher said.
But faced with $29,000 in student debt, the prospect of being able to start a business didn't seem viable.
"If I stayed in that job, what would I really accomplish after one year?" Kasher asked himself.
Then Kasher was struck with an idea to turn himself into a living and running billboard.
He began an aggressive social media campaign and started a website to generate interest, pique curiosity and draw attention to himself.
"The run itself doesn't draw sponsors; it's the journey," Kasher said. "I'm trying to build a repertoire of followers through social media."
On the first day of the run, a sponsor will pay $6.
The cost to sponsor a run progressively increases each day. On the last day of the 183-day journey, a sponsor would have to pay $1,098.
That may seem like an impossible sell, but Kasher has a plan.
"As I gain more attention in making this run, the exposure will become broader and the return on someone's advertising dollars will justify the increases," Kasher said.
Kasher believes that the interest he has already generated will make people across the country join him in running in some locations.
On each day of the run, Kasher will wear a company polo or baseball cap from the sponsor of the day.
As he generates funds, he also wants to bring attention to running.
"I have always heard about great places to see across the country, but I want to discover a thousand great places to go for a run; I want to bring these places around the country to light," he said.
Kasher knows the task ahead of him will not be easy.
"I have set a very high goal in doing this," he said. "But I am confident in myself."
Kasher has a goal in mind of making $100,000 through the sponsorships.
The primary purpose is to pay off his student loans, but Kasher has a vision of making enough money to morph Paid to Run into his own ad agency.
"I know this may sound like a quirky and 'out there' idea, but I like it because I want to inspire other people to step out of their comfort zones and do something they always just dreamed about doing."
Contact David A. Kostival: money@readingeagle.com.
Source: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=504138
disco inferno b.i.g 1000 words ron white ron white buckyballs buckyballs
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন