Recent Positively West Virginia guest, Max Knapp, is one of the many young West Virginians who felt forced to leave to find opportunity. However, after leaving, Max found that he could make his own opportunity right here at home.
After graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan College with an accounting degree, Max furthered his education by venturing off to Vanderbilt University to obtain his masters in finance. It was through higher education that Max found the plethora of opportunities that existed in his field. Like most in his field, Max found himself on a journey to Wall Street in New York City.
Max spent some time working for a bank in New York before moving to Palm Beach, Florida. There he decided that it was time to come back home and start working on his own goals to entrepreneurship. Today, Max owns Blackbear Capital, a Wealth Management firm, and Intellispect, a FinTech SaaS company.
Since coming home, Max has realized the vast potential that our state has. He has found success in personal relationships and outreach. He believes that a “boots on the ground” mentality gets and keeps sales flowing for a business.
Max said, “Clients should always know that we have their best interest ahead of our own.”
In order to keep himself on track, Max tries to meditate, focus, discipline and interact with people. He believes that it takes real grit to be an entrepreneur, and while it isn’t the path for everyone, it certainly can be.
Some of the more challenging moments for Max have involved navigating relationships and deciding where to spend his energy. For him, spreading himself too thin isn’t an option, so he’s careful about the partnerships he chooses to pursue.
If you would like to learn more about Max’s ventures, you can visit https://www.blackbearcapital.co/team/max-knapp/.
Listen to Max’s full podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-174-max-knapp-intellispect-black-bear-capital/
PWV QUICK BITS | MAX KNAPP
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: The 10% Entrepreneur by Patrick James McGinnis
- PIECE OF ADVICE: “Grit is by far the most important quality in an entrepreneur,” advised Max.