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

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