In today’s show, Steve interviews, YEAA alumni and film editor, Phil Serzo. Phil interned with YEAA from 2012-2014 before venturing into film production.

If you are a college student looking for an internship program that will give you a leg up and prepare you for the real world, then you should seriously consider YEAA’s one-of-a-kind management program. 

So, WHAT makes YEAA such a unique and rewarding program? And, what are some of the foundational skills that you can pick up as a YEAA intern? Can a YEAA internship really fast track your career and put you miles ahead of the competition?

Phil reveals the answers to these and many more questions in today’s show. 

In this sophomore year, Phil wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life. He was just wading through life with an utter lack of focus and ambition. After a night of partying, when he was out for an early morning bite, he came across an intriguing YEAA flyer.

And this flyer pretty much changed the trajectory of his life.

In his rookie year at YEAA, Phil managed to notch up sales of $68,000 and a neat profit of $10,000. He came back for two more summers – and his profits rocketed exponentially every year.

College is supposed to be a rite of passage – which transforms an adolescent into a man. However, formal education does not equip you with real-world skills

Listeners will learn how a YEAA internship fills this gap by helping students hone their problem-solving skills and time-management skills. Additionally, when you sign up for a YEAA internship, you will also learn the importance of hardcore work ethic.

After YEAA, Phil decided to go into film production. And he took up an apprenticeship in NY City at The Edit Centre. In the last segment of the show, Phil also gives us a peek into the gig economy and reveals what all he is doing to counter the challenges brought on by covid.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• What makes a YEAA internship such a different and unique experience?
• Does college really prepare you for the real world?
• How a YEAA internship can equip you with foundational skillsets and prepare you for the real world
• And so much more…

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

What do high-achievers do differently that others don’t? How do they achieve their goals of raising the bar higher and higher?

In today’s show, Steve interviews David Ploesser, District Marketing Manager at Federated Insurance, he shares his distilled wisdom on determination, relationships, and mindset. You will learn how betting on yourself can push you to achieve your biggest and most audacious goals.

“A typical 9 to 5 gets you typical results” ~ This is what David lives by, day-in, day-out.

Back in 2011, this mindset helped David become one of the top-performing managers in the country. He earned more than $30,000 in revenue of $100,00 in a single summer. This incredible performance was no fluke, and David shares what he did to make his YEAA internship a resounding success in the segment of the show.

David draws some interesting parallels between YEAA and his current employer, Federated Insurance. At Federated Insurance, David is a branch manager heading a team of 9 high-performing individuals. 

David opens up his playbook here and shares why great relationships are key to success in sales. You will also learn about the creative marketing strategies which have catapulted David and his team to the top 10% in the country.

If you are looking for some actionable ways to boost your productivity and growth, tuning in today will particularly help you out.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How I made $30,000 as a rookie branch manager at YEAA
• How surrounding yourself with the right people can help you raise the bar higher and higher
• How to channel your fear and boost your productivity
• How to leverage your relationships in the right way
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
• And so much more…

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show, Steve interviews UMass Masters student and all-time YEAA sales record-holder, Charles Bohl. While an average intern at Young Entrepreneurs manages to notch up sales of $75,000, Charles managed to reach $200K in revenue! ($201,395 to be exact).

So, how did Charles manage this impossible feat? In today’s show, listeners will learn how a mix of hardcore commitment, altruistic intent, and a strong support system made this possible.

It is difficult to believe that growing up Charles was very introverted. Raised in a small town with a population of 700, Charles just had one friend. So, it was hardly surprising that he found it very difficult when he first started college at UMass, Amherst.

But he soon realized the importance of reaching out to people – no matter how uncomfortable it was for him.

This evolution in his personality was further accelerated once he joined Young Entrepreneurs in the summer of 2019. 

So, when he first joined Young Entrepreneurs, did he have any audacious goals in mind? Had he chalked out any strategy before starting out?

Charles reveals that he had a couple goals in mind, including, keeping his clients and painters super happy. 

And, this altruistic intent was perhaps the biggest reason for his stupendous success. 

Additionally, Charles shares how he massively under-estimated the power of surrounding himself with great people. Having Steve and the other YEAA seniors at his disposal helped Charles keep his eye on the ball. 

Other topics discussed on today’s show include the value of a well-rounded education and why you need to get comfortable with the idea of “being uncomfortable”.

Enjoy!

 What You Will Learn In This Show

• Attributes that helped me break the all-time sales record at Young Entrepreneurs
• Importance of working with 100% integrity
• Why you need to get comfortable with the idea of “being uncomfortable”
• How a well-rounded education can set you up for success
• And so much more...

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show, Steve dives into the TWO main types of mindsets: Growth mindset & Fixed mindset.

Are you constantly afraid of being judged? Does the thought of doing something new scare you out of your wits? Is the fear of rejection stopping you from realizing your full potential? If the answer to these questions is in the affirmative, you probably have a fixed mindset.

Whereas if you have a growth mindset, you can go on to achieve your moonshots – those Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.

But, what can you do if you have a fixed mindset? Is the evolution from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset even possible? Can you shed a mindset which you have lived with all your life? 

Sure, you can!

Steve shares some actionable tips to help you out!

Tune in for some excellent nuggets!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How to shed a fixed mindset
• How cultivating a growth mindset can help you achieve your most audacious goals
• The power of surrounding yourself with the right people
• And so much more…

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show of Leaders Across America, Steve interviews Sean Nastase, district sales coordinator, Aflac.

Growing up in Nebraska and Michigan, Sean always had a big engine for work and a love for sports. As a sophomore, when he came across YEAA, he was instantly excited at the prospect of running his own business.

Sean shares how YEAA taught him all the nuances of running a business. From hiring the right people to managing your finances to handling production, Sean learned a lot in a short period of time.

This experience of his helped him land his dream insurance job at Aflac. Listeners will learn how Sean beat out better educated and more qualified individuals when he was hired as a sales commission agent at this insurance company.

In this segment of the show, you will learn about Aflac’s business model – which is not unlike YEAA. 

Currently, as a 22-year old, Sean is responsible for asset management and training other agents who are far older than him. 

Topics discussed in today’s show include the importance of committing yourself 100%, the importance of developing a stellar mindset, and developing the confidence to start your own business at a young age.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How my YEAA experience helped me hone transferable and critical skillsets
• How running my student painting business helped me get my dream job in the insurance industry
• The power of believing in yourself
• Importance of time management and prioritization
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA

In today’s show, Steve interviews Aaron Griffin. Aaron worked with YEAA from 2015-2019 and won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2017 for running a $150,000 business, a record in the MI division that stands to date. Aaron has also authored the book, Get After It and hosts a podcast by the same name.

Growing up, Aaron hated entrepreneurship.

Aaron had been helping his father run his pizzeria since he was 12. He had witnessed, first-hand how difficult it was to run a small business. 

So, in spite of this, why did Aaron decide to join YEAA in his freshman year?

Aaron shares how he was blown away by the body language of YEAA interns when he first attended the informational meeting. He immediately realized that a YEAA internship was a whole different ball game compared to running a pizzeria. 

In the next segment of the show, Aaron shares some interesting details about his YEAA internship. In this first year as a YEAA intern, Aaron’s painting business notched up sales of $150,000 and profits of $10,000. 

Aaron was the only student across YEAA to work as a branch manager in his second year. As a branch manager, Aaron went from managing a team of 5 people to managing a team of 25 people.

And, of course, in this third year, Aaron won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his spectacular performance as a branch manager in New England, Greater Boston. In his two years as a branch manager, Aaron notched up revenues of $3MM, created 400 summer jobs, and trained 75 branch managers!

So, what sort of mindset do you need to be number #1 on the country?

One of the themes that we touch upon in this show is the importance of being coachable and building tangible skill sets. 

Aaron shares how being a part of YEAA can give you access to some incredible mentors who can help you grow to the next level. 

Apart from this, Aaron also shares his big WHY that inspired him to write his book and create his podcast.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• Importance of being coachable and building tangible skillsets
• Mindset strategies to beat the competition and be #1 in your field
• The power of getting mentored by the right mentors
• And so much more.

Resources

YEAA

In today’s show, Steve interviews Colleen Harlan, real estate agent, Keller Williams. Colleen was with YEAA from 2014 – 2016. In her rookie year at YEAA, Colleen managed to break the all-time sales record as she notched up sales of $190,000.

So, how did Colleen manage this incredible feat?

We start this show with Colleen sharing an interesting backstory. Growing up in Minnesota in a close-knit and humble family, Colleen first heard about YEAA in her first year as a student at the University of Wisconsin.

Colleen reveals that she was immediately excited at the opportunity to do business without taking on any risk. Moreover, with no good internship alternatives to consider, signing up for the YEAA internship seemed like an attractive proposition.

But, notwithstanding these advantages, did Colleen have any concerns? 

Colleen shares that she had some (misguided) qualms about venturing into a predominantly male field. 

In the next segment of the show, Colleen goes on to reveal how she managed her record-breaking feat. Colleen went on to execute 73 different projects over the summer - the average project value being around $2,000. 

In this part of the show, Colleen shares how good people skills, the fortitude to deal with life and business events, and the support of other rookie managers helped her along the way.

In the last segment of the show, Colleen reveals some interesting details about her current work as a real estate agent with Keller Williams. She shares how the YEAA experience helps her hone her entrepreneurial skills and gave her the confidence to work as a real estate agent. She wraps up this show by sharing her ambitious future blueprint.

We hope you enjoy listening to this show!  

What You Will Learn In This Show

• What kind of mindset do you need to be the absolute best?
• How systems and processes can help you scale up your business
• How people skills can help you manage a large business
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Chris Moore, CEO and Executive Advisor at Elite Business Advisors. Chris worked with YEAA from 2010 – 2016. He shares some of the biggest takeaways from his YEAA experience and reveals how it helped him discover his love and passion for coaching and mentoring.

Chris starts this show by sharing his interesting backstory.

Back in 2010, Chris was waiting tables at Red Robin. This is when he came across YEAA through a common friend. The opportunity to manage a multi-thousand-dollar business with no financial risk had Chris immediately excited. And he was quick to grasp this opportunity.

In his first year at YEAA, Chris managed to touch sales of $75,000. Later on, as a student executive, sales from Chris’s business skyrocketed to a quarter-million dollars.

Chris shares how, as a student executive, he got the opportunity to coach and mentor other students. Chris’s experience with YEAA lasted for six rewarding years.

In 2017, as his entrepreneurial drive kicked in, Chris branched into business coaching with Elite Business Advisors. In the latter segment of the show, Chris makes some interesting comparisons between his B2B business and B2C business (YEAA). 

We hope you enjoy this show! 

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How a YEAA internship gives you the opportunity to hone foundational and transferable skillsets
• How to run a student painting business with zero financial risk
• How YEAA allows you the opportunity to mentor other students and develop your leadership skills
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

Chris’s Email

Elite Business Advising

In today’s show, Steve interviews Joe Schuit, a sports construction consultant at Byrne and Jones Construction. 

Joe has always ascribed to the “work hard, play hard” mentality. And growing up, Joe was big-time into sports – but this did not affect his studies in any way. When Joe was in his sophomore year, he got an opportunity to sign up with YEAA for a very rewarding internship that lasted for two years.

In the next segment of the show, Joe reveals some of the biggest takeaways from his YEAA experience. Listeners will learn how a YEAA internship can help develop a wide array of transferable and foundational business skill-sets.

At YEAA, you are not plugging in numbers into an excel sheet. Rather, this is a unique opportunity to garner real-world experience at a very young age. You will get to learn about estimation, sales, marketing, production, and finance – skills that you would normally pick up in your late twenties or early thirties.

Joe shares that YEAA was an extremely rewarding financial proposition as well. In this first summer, Joe managed to notch up $11,000 in profits. His second year was even more spectacular as Joe broke the $100,000 sales barrier, and his profits touched $23,000 – a particularly sizable amount for a college student.

In the last segment of the show, Joe shares some interesting information about his role as a sports construction consultant at Byrne and Jones. In this sales position, Joe has managed to crack deals worth $50 million in the last four years alone. 

Listeners will learn how a YEAA internship can equip you with the foundational skill sets necessary to snag your dream position – just like Joe.

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• Foundational skills that you can learn at YEAA internship
• How does a YEAA internship compare to other internships?
• How my YEAA internship helped me snag my dream sales position in the construction industry
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Chase Lawson, Account Executive, Oracle NetSuite.

This show starts with Chase sharing his interesting backstory. Originally from South Carolina, Chase has spent a part of his childhood in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Chase decided to attend  Clemson University for his major in accounting and financial management. 

Chase came across YEAA in 2013 when he was in his senior year at Clemson. The opportunity to run a large business as a college student with zero financial risk had Chase all excited. And he immediately signed up for the internship.

Chase ended up having a blockbuster rookie year as he led a team of student painters to notch up sales of $140,000 and profits of $33,000. This incredible performance of his won him the “Manager of the Year” award at YEAA. 

After this stellar performance, it was hardly surprising that Chase stayed with YEAA for two more years. Apart from the monetary aspect, Chase shares how the opportunity to help others inspired him to come back for two more years.

In the next segment of the show, Chase gives us a peek into his life as an account executive at Oracle. Based in Austin, Chase regularly ranks among the top-performing account executive at NetSuite. Chase shares how his YEAA internship has helped him hit the ground running at Oracle.

Chase has also authored a book, Financial Freedom: Breaking the Chains to Independence and Creating Massive Wealth. Chase shares his big WHY that inspired him to write this personal finance book. 

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How a YEAA internship can help create foundational and critical skill-sets
• How my YEAA sales experience helped me hit the ground running at Oracle
• Importance of having a good personal finance education
• And so much more…

Resources

Chase’s YouTube Channel

Financial Freedom: Breaking the Chains to Independence and Creating Massive Wealth

YEAA Internship