Today’s youth rarely stops and thinks – what am I going to actually do when I graduate? And the problem with that lack of reflection and inspiration is that students aren’t developing the skills necessary to become employed upon graduation. That’s where Will Esposito’s business comes into play.

HYPELITE is a nonprofit organization, comprised of socially responsible millennials determined to inspire and guide young scholars to take charge of their future by cultivating their passion and creativity into successful life and business practices.

We caught up with Will to hear the inspirational story of how Hypelite came about, and where they’re headed.

How did you come up with the idea?
It was the summer of 2012, and I was making my way slowly but surely through the pages of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. An all-time best selling self-help book that …led me to…an Idea. An idea I knew I had to share with somebody. So the first person I reached out to was Alex Bridge, a close friend of mine. Without hesitation, Alex was on board to form a mastermind to create something that would solve some type of problem and we began to recruit more minds. [Six more joined shortly after]…

Weeks turned to months, and before we knew it we were HYPELITE, with a mission to shed light on local hype, particularly catering to small businesses. We wanted to help get the word out about these “hole-in-the-wall” businesses that were creating buzz around town and market them to the public for free. After all, we were still in school and wanted to make connections with these businesses.

Thus, HYPELITE, “The Entrepreneur’s Network” as we coined it, hit the New Milford National Night Out which is a community with absolutely no idea what we were besides this idea. No website, no business model, no social media presence yet we took on the town wide event with no fear. We did manage however, to get a banner and t-shirts donated as well as some raffle prizes from local businesses to raise some capital.

Looking back at it I can’t help but laugh and admire our fearlessness….but when you have a team with such blind optimism it doesn’t seem crazy to you. That’s how Alex put it…

[The team size was cut in half due to extenuating circumstances] until we lost one more. But this last time it was [highly] personal. A loss that to this day and for the rest of my life will effect me and the decisions I make. I will never forget the moment my brother told me Alex was shot and killed.

Losing Alex was like losing a part of myself. We shared the same desires and dedicated our lives to the same cause. Now, with a new team, it is in his name that we continue HYPELITE’s mission to Bridge Passion With Purpose.

Losing his friend and co-founder has singlehandedly been the hardest challenge Will has faced thus far. How is he trying to overcome it?
Continuing to build this movement in [Alex’s] memory. Surrounding myself with people who share the same values as HYPELITE and who are on the same mission.

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Where does Will see HYPELITE in the future?
I see our company redefining the way we educate our youth. HYPELITE’S vision is to be the epicenter in every community for self-discovery, entrepreneurship, and leadership in the country. Establishing community centers that invite members from the community to share their knowledge and experiences with the next generation. Our community partners will provide learning opportunities for the students in the form of apprenticeships and internships, as well as teaching students entrepreneurship.

How is Will using Ideator?
Ideator has helped validate our cause through personal discussions with people across the globe who believe in our mission. It has also provided some extremely valuable resources that have aided in several processes such as creating a pitch deck using Guy Kawasaki’s tips.

Will is looking for more passionate partners!
We’re always looking for people who are interested in sharing their passion for anything with anyone, especially for those who are interested in mentoring we are looking to create a virtual online platform the bridges people with similar passions to share their story so developer to join our team would be amazing. Also, we are a non-profit organization so we are always looking for funding opportunities to run our programs and events.

Login and connect with Will and Hypelite today!

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