In today’s show of Leaders Across America, Steve interviews Ian Scott, Sales Office Manager, Safehaven Security.

Ian was with YEAA from 2016 – 2019. He joined YEAA when he was a freshman at Jacksons College.

In his first year as a student painter, Ian managed to notch up sales of $200,000. While in 2019, as a student manager, Ian had other student painters working under him. In his last year, he managed sales worth half-a-million dollars. 

From cold-calling to imbibing a solid work ethic, Ian shares some of the biggest lessons that he learned in his three-years at YEAA. 

Specifically, he shares the importance of being immune to rejections. Listeners will learn why embracing rejections is the ONLY way of being great at outside sales. 

In the next segment of the show, Ian gives us a peek into his daily responsibilities as a sales office manager at Safehaven security, an organization in the home security business. Ian is responsible for recruiting, training, and outside sales here. 

Ian shares how he managed to beat out the competition and snag this prestigious job. Specifically, he shares how his impressive YEAA experience played an important role in him getting hired in the first place.  

Other topics discussed in today’s show include mindset strategies for being great at outside sales, the importance of working on your weaknesses, and some critical attributes of highly successful leaders.

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How to handle and get over rejection
• Importance of leading from the front 
• How YEAA can help you gain foundational and critical skill-sets
• How to indulge in critical self-evaluation and work on your weaknesses
• How to develop the right mindset for outside sales 
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Cate Latting, Executive Regional Manager at Young Entrepreneurs Across America.

This show starts with Cate sharing how she got involved with YEAA in the first place. Outgoing and athletic, Cate got a chance to co-op in her sophomore year. In this segment of the show, Cate talks a bit about the mental hurdles that she had to overcome when she first got involved in the painting business. Was it worth taking up all the challenges?

Next, Cate gives us some interesting insights into her summer stint where she ended up making an $18,000 profit from her painting job. Home-owners, Cate reveals, like to buy from young and excited students who are heavily invested in making a better future for themselves. Further, you will also learn how having an accountability partner inspired  Cate on to put in her best.

One theme that we discuss quite a bit is the importance of communication and follow-up. As is common with many folks who are managing their first business venture, Cate was afraid that incessant follow-up would kill her sale. She talks about her struggle with overcoming this mental hurdle.  

Cate also shares how, given the chance she will handle her employees differently. Having gone through 25 painters throughout summer made her realize that she needs to better incentivize her employees.

In her second year at YEAA, Cate is managing a team of 7 first-year interns. How does she plan on mentoring these interns to have a more successful second year?

We wrap with this show with Cate sharing some great advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in for some excellent insights!

What You Will Learn in This Show:

• How to communicate with prospects and convince them to hire you
• How to deal with your employees and build a dream team for your business
• How an accountability partner can inspire you to put in your best

Resources:

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

Today’s show is a special one as Steve talks to parents of interns to learn how the YEAA internship affected the lives of their sons and daughters from a growth and leadership perspective.

Steve first talks to Dan and Patti, Ian’s parents. Six weeks into his college, Ian first called up Dan and Patti and informed them that he had snagged an exciting internship where he would be running a $75,000 business over the summer. 

Needless to say, Dan and Patti responded back with skepticism and concern. After all, how could an eighteen-year-old run a business? Would they have to invest any money upfront? All this sounded too good to be true. Right?

Valid concerns. 

Dan and Patti share how their skepticism was slowly replaced with wonder and gratitude as the YEAA experience helped transform Ian into a responsible and extremely hard-working individual. They share how, contrary to popular perception, the internship is more about grooming leaders than teaching students the ropes of the painting business.

Ian returned to YEAA for as a student executive to eventually run a painting business that clocked half-a-million dollars in sales. Currently, Ian is studying engineering at UMASS, Amherst. 

Our next interviewee’s on today’s show is Jody, Riley’s mom.

Like Ian’s parents, Jody was pretty apprehensive about the internship when she first learned about it. She goes on to reveal how Jody went on to run a $300,000 business while mentoring other students.

Jody also shares how she and her husband helped Riley alter her mindset so that she could develop the fortitude to manage her business.

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How the YEAA internship allows eighteen-year-olds to run a multi-thousand-dollar business while grooming their leadership skills
• How the YEAA internship allows college students to manage a painting business without any financial commitment
• What sort of mentorship does YEAA provide to its interns?
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Enin Mulligan, a college student from UMass, Amherst. Enin shares how he managed to notch sales of $170,000 in his painting business in his very first year with YEAA.

We start this show with Enin sharing what attracted him to YEAA in the first place. Enin was introduced to this exciting business opportunity through an info session at his college. Talking to other students who had already gone through the program convinced and inspired Enin to take up this challenge.

Enin was quick to realize that if he could really leverage the well-oiled systems and processes if he would simply outwork everyone else. And that’s exactly what he did.

When others were putting out 500 flyers, Enin was putting out 1,000. While others would unwind with their friends or family after dinner, Enin would be out marketing his business early into the morning.

The end result?

His mammoth marketing effort that involved putting out 40,000 flyers in 5 months paid off big time as revenues touched $170,000.

Not bad for an eighteen-year college student with zero business experience. Right?

In today’s show, Enin reveals what all made his incredible success possible. What fears did he have to overcome going into the internship? Was it really stressful to manage his team of painters? How did eighteen-year-old, Enin motivate and inspire his painters to go the extra mile?

For all this and much more, tune in to our latest show now!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How a YEAA internship allows you to run a large business without any experience
• What are some skillsets that you will pick up as a YEAA intern?
• How to market and sell painting services to complete strangers
• Cold-calling strategies for running a profitable painting business
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Mike Robinson, Executive Vice President, Huntington Bank. Mike handles the wealth management business at Huntington which includes private banking, wealth and investment management, and retirement plan services.

Today, Mike shares why he thinks a YEAA internship is a unique and extremely rewarding experience for college students who are eager to develop core foundational skill sets.

As a business leader, Mike has interviewed and hired numerous people over the years. While 4.0 students have some obvious skill sets, Mike shares how large organizations are equally eager to hire enterprising people with good people skills.

He goes on to share how a YEAA internship helps young people learn all the critical facets of running a business. From recruiting and training to negotiating and estimating, YEAA teaches skill sets that a young person will not learn before they are in their late twenties or early thirties. 

While the money at YEAA is great, what is even more important is how it builds your resume.

So, what type of individual should pursue a YEAA internship? Should you consider this internship if you are  planning on taking a corporate job? Is it really possible to learn critical managerial skills while running a painting business?

For all this and much more, tune in to our latest show now!

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How a YEAA internship can help you hone critical and foundational skill sets
• How an entrepreneurial mindset can help you find success in a crowded marketplace
• Is it possible to learn critical skills while running a painting business?
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Brittany Piening, a junior at Ohio State University.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Brittany had to give up her dream of being a professional dancer after dislocating her knee thrice. Currently, she is studying to be a doctor. 

In her freshman year, Brittany came across the YEAA internship program courtesy her seniors, Sadie and Matt. What drew Brittany to the program apart from the opportunity of earning thousands of dollars in the summer? In this segment of the show, Brittany shares her big WHY and reveals what all make the YEAA internship such a unique opportunity. 

In her first year at YEAA, Brittany’s painting business clocked revenues of $75,000 and profits of $13,000. Listeners will learn some of the biggest lessons that Brittany learned in her rookie year. Topics discussed here include the importance of having a good production team to back you up and the value of being coachable. 

On the basis of her YEAA sales experience, Brittany got an opportunity to intern with a billion-dollar company. Unfortunately, this opportunity fell through because of COVID. 

So, she worked as a sales counselor at LA Fitness before making the decision to re-join YEAA.

In her second year at YEAA, Brittany is targeting sales of $350,000.

So, what made Brittany come back to YEAA? Is there a real dearth of good internships in the job market? Do other internships give you the opportunity to hone your critical skillsets and grow as individuals? Tune in to find out!

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• What are some critical skills that you can learn as a student painter with YEAA?
• The immense value in being coachable
• What makes the YEAA internship a special and unique experience?
• And so much more…

Resources

YEAA Internship

In today’s show, Steve interviews Sherv, senior year at UMass, Amherst.

Growing up, Sherv always was always driven and had a big engine for work. When he was just 14, Sherv started working in a furniture store. This experience stoked his entrepreneurial spirit and instilled in him a keen desire to start his own business someday.

Sherv stumbled upon YEAA in his freshman year at UMass. And he was quick to grasp this exciting opportunity. 

However, his first year was a rough one where he struggled to figure out the nuances of running a painting business. And even though he “screwed up a lot”, he managed to chalk up revenues of $80,000 and profits of $18,000 in his rookie year.

His second year at YEAA was even more spectacular as he managed revenues of $120,000 and profits of $43,000. 

So, how was Sherv’s first-year different from his second-year? What important lessons did Sherv learn in his first year that helped him notch up a dramatically better second-year? 

In this segment of the show, listeners will learn how surrounding yourself with well-meaning mentors can help you overcome some of the biggest challenges.

Additionally, we also discuss the importance of a powerful mindset. If you “got your head right”, you can find the fortitude to overcome some of your biggest and unforeseen professional challenges.

We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How a YEAA internship can equip you with transferable and foundational skillsets
• How a strong network can help you overcome some of your biggest challenges
• Importance of a powerful mindset and “getting your head right”
• And so much more…

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show, Steve interviews Logan LaMance, Founder, Kanga Coolers.

Logan graduated from Clemson in 2018. As a first-year student at Clemson, Logan had little inclination from entrepreneurship. Till he discovered YEAA.

In fact, Logan calls his first-year at YEAA the “most transformative” year of his life. At YEAA, Logan inculcated some critical habits  and routines that are commonly found in successful people.

However, his YEAA stint was not without challenges. 

Particularly, Logan shares how all his painters quit when he was in his first year at YEAA. Did Logan manage to meet his sales goal inspite of this? What important lessons did Logan learn in his first-year that eventually led to a spectacular second-year?  

The next segment of the show is about Logan’s business, Kanga LLC. Logan was majorly into tailgating at Clemson. And he was fed up with lugging around large coolers just so that he could enjoy a chilled beer or soda. This led to Logan discussing the idea of a “koozie” for a beer case in a class project at Clemson – and eventually, Kanga LLC.

Logan also shares how he managed to successfully pitch Kanga LLC on Shark Tank. After carrying the Shark Tank application for nearly two years in his backpack, what prompted Logan to finally take the plunge? He shares all the extensive preparation that helped Kanga coolers secure funding from the Sharks.

Other topics discussed on today’s show include managing cash flow, product development, the importance of resilience, innovative marketing techniques, and much, much more…

We hope you enjoy this show.

What You Will Learn In This Show

• Why resilience is the most important trait of successful entrepreneurs
• Biggest challenges of bootstrapping a business 
• How marketing and innovative product development can help carve out a place for yourself in a crowded marketplace
• How I manage to pitch my idea at Shark Tank

And much, much more…

Resources

Kanga Coolers

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show, Steve interviews Jordan Ames, Associate Marketing Manager, Hubspot. He is also the Founder/President of the Isenberg Sales Club. Jordan worked with YEAA from 2014-2016.

Jordan always had the entrepreneurial bug. As a high school student, Jordan was always working odd jobs to earn some extra cash to cover expenses. Later on, as a college student at UMass Amherst, Jordan was majorly into football and basketball.

Perhaps, it was this competitive spirit that made Jordan snap the YEAA internship when he came across it. But this internship came with its own set of challenges.

In his rookie year, Jordan admits he used to initially short-change the customer. However, he was quick to realize the benefits of under-promising and over-delivering. Jordan shares how he put these learnings to good use in his second year at student painters.

In the next segment of the show, Jordan shares how his tenacity helped him land a job at Hubspot. Here, he also gives us a peek into his daily responsibilities. Moreover, he talks at length about how sales should be relationship-focused with an eye on the long term.

Other topics discussed in today’s show include goal-setting tips, critical skills that you can hone at YEAA, the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance, and much, much more…

We hope you enjoy this show.

What You Will Learn In This Show

• Transferable skill sets that you can hone at YEAA
• Importance of under-promising and over-delivering
• Why sales is a relationship-focused, long-term game
• Importance of maintaining a good work life balance

And much, much more…

Resources

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

In today’s show, Steve interviews Jake Ignasiak, Account Executive, Consumer Sales at Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. 

Jake has a sports management degree from the University of Michigan. In his sophomore year, Jake came across YEAA and was quick to snap up the opportunity to run his own business and be his own boss. In this segment of the show we discuss the three things that make an ideal internship – an internship that lays the foundation for a successful career ahead.

Next, Jake shares some interesting details about his incredibly successful YEAA stint. He reveals how he managed to generate revenues of $87,000 over a single summer taking up painting jobs in Northern Michigan.   

His YEAA experience paid off in more ways than one as Jake landed his dream job – that of an account executive at Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. Jake regales listeners with some interesting anecdotes in this part of the show. You will learn how he was selected from 5,000 applicants for this position. He also gives a peek into the sports management industry, and reveals some crucial attributes that can help you find success in this incredibly tough industry. 

 We hope you enjoy this show!

What You Will Learn In This Show

• What constitutes an ideal internship?
• What makes a YEAA internship so unique and incredibly rewarding
• A peek into the sports management industry
• The transferable skill sets that you pick up at YEAA

And much, much more...

Resources

YEAA

Jake Ignasiak