What if the leaders who rise fastest are the ones who insist they are not that important?

Chris Thomson sits down with Nick Eaves, Chief Operating Officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and former President and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, in the conversation that started it all: the very first Leaders of Tomorrow interview. A Student Works alum, Nick built his career on a counterintuitive idea: none of us are that important.

They get into humility as a competitive edge, the patience of the long game, why there is no job too small, and how Nick kept saying yes to the next opportunity until he reached the C-suite. He also opens up about the setbacks that shook his confidence and what pulled him through.

If you are waiting for permission or a perfect plan, this conversation will change how you think about getting started. Listen now.

● 05:40 – The one thing Nick still leans on from his summer business years

● 07:06 – Why “there is no job too small” became the rule that built a 21-year run

● 10:29 – “None of us are that important”: the humility test behind every team he leads

● 12:33 – The risky call to put racing on TV, and why shrinking your own crowd can grow the business

● 15:59 – What a government-run business taught Nick about irrational stakeholders

● 18:17 – Why the best fans behave like owners, and how great venues earn that trust

● 24:35 – The setbacks Nick regrets most, and the confidence gap behind them

● 28:44 – How to tell when your natural style stops working, and switch gears

● 29:36 – The long game: patience, network, and never doing it alone

● 38:17 – The real path into a world-class organization like MLSE, and why rushing backfires

Nick Eaves is the Chief Operating Officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, where he oversees operations, revenue, and the LIVE events division across MLSE’s venues. He previously spent 21 years at Woodbine Entertainment, including five as President and CEO, where he led the transformation of the company’s business model. A Student Works Management Program alumnus and Western University graduate, Nick is known for a leadership style rooted in humility, patience, and the long game.

🔗 LinkedIn

• Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)
• Scotiabank Arena
• Woodbine Entertainment (formerly the Ontario Jockey Club)
• Western University

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

Most young entrepreneurs hit the same ceiling. The business can only grow as far as they can personally reach. The ones who break through stop trying to do it all and start building something bigger than themselves.

In this collage episode, host Chris Thomson pulls together the operators who did exactly that. You will hear how they planned the number before chasing it, recruited the right people instead of the available ones, learned to delegate and actually train, and made the shift from doing the work to leading it. Five operators, five different paths, one through-line: you cannot scale alone.

If you are ready to run a bigger business, start here, then come build one with us.

Alex Irvine is a Student Works operator and President's Club performer who ran a $275,000 painting business. | Episode 388 | Unlocking Growth: The Power of Delegation, Systems, and Coaching

Colby Wilson is a fourth-year Student Works operator and an incoming mini coach. | Episode 438 | How To Turn Failure into a $275K Comeback

Kaleb O'Very is a Student Works operator who grew his business 300% and stepped into a coaching role. | Episode 444 | How to Grow 300% and Love Every Challenge

Jamie Lee Bongard is a five-year Student Works alum and a Keller Williams operating principal in real estate. | Episode 350 | Path to Personal Growth and Business Success

Chris O'Rourke is a Student Works alum and the Chief Revenue Officer at Zeus Fire and Security. | Episode 397 | From Student Works to Building a Legacy of Success

1. Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
2. Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
3. Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
4. Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
5. Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What happens when a self-described average kid walks into a room full of high performers and refuses to get left behind?

Chris Thomson sits down with Matt Celeste, a fourth-year University of New Brunswick student who joined Student Works knowing no one and got two leads in his first three hours of marketing.

They dig into the mindset shift Matt calls an ego death, the leverage move that let him focus almost entirely on sales, and the Facebook ad system that booked nearly $300,000. In two seasons he went from roughly $196,000 to $433,000, all while in full-time school.

If you have ever wondered whether you can figure entrepreneurship out with no head start, this one is your proof. Listen now.

• 02:38 – The “normal average kid” from a town of 8,000 who was sure he had life figured out
• 03:54 – The med-school path Matt was headed down before Student Works
• 04:39 – Two leads in three hours: the shaky first session that nearly shook his confidence
• 05:12 – The moment watching Caleb close deals made the business feel real
• 11:11 – The “ego death” that reset how Matt saw his own ceiling
• 12:07 – How Matt doubled his business to $433K by changing where he spent his time
• 13:19 – The ad-spend jump from $3K to $30K that booked nearly $300K
• 22:48 – Why Matt's eyeing a house down payment while most peers sit in $50K of debt
• 24:29 – The one piece of advice Matt gives anyone thinking about entrepreneurship

Matt Celeste is a fourth-year student at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton and a two-year operator with the Student Works Management Program, running window cleaning and interlock restoration. Discovered on campus with no prior ties to the business, he was named the program’s top rookie and went on to double his business from roughly $196,000 to $433,000 in his second season, finishing as the fifth-highest returning operator in the program. Known for his level head, dependability, and competitive edge, Matt is now focused on developing leaders on his team as he targets $600,000 next year.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Contractor Marketing Mastermind (John Cameron)
• University of New Brunswick
• Facebook Ads (Meta)

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the fastest way to level up isn’t adding more, but removing what’s quietly holding you back?

Chris Thomson hands the room to Amer Abu Shakra, StudentWorks record-breaker and co-founder of Contracting.com, for a rare orientation-style talk built entirely from his own story. From a childhood in Jordan to a $500,000 sales year, Amer traces how three lessons rebuilt him.

He gets honest about the year he wasted almost 40% of his time on his phone, the mentor who told him he wasn’t reliable, and the dopamine trap that quietly steals ambition. Then he shows the loop that turns it around: remove, keep your word, put others first.

If your team feels unreliable or your goals keep slipping, the problem might be what you refuse to remove. Listen now.

• 05:02 – The gap Amer spotted that turned a summer job into Contracting.com
• 05:27 – The “300 lifetimes” math that explains why a franchise is worth it
• 08:05 – A highway stop in Jordan that rewired how Amer sees fairness
• 09:26 – Lesson one: why improving your life is about what you remove
• 11:43 – From busboy to bank vault, and the income ceiling that made him leave
• 14:20 – “Successful people are reliable, and you are not”: the heart-to-heart that changed everything
• 19:04 – The rooftop meeting with Grant Cardone he got on 30 minutes’ notice
• 21:04 – The 40% of his time that was quietly killing his business
• 22:02 – The rat, the button, and what dopamine is really doing to you
• 29:33 – The accountability call that made keeping his word automatic
• 33:48 – The loop: remove, stay reliable, attract better people
• 43:39 – Eat last: the closing challenge on who you’re becoming

Amer Abu Shakra is the co-founder and CEO of Contracting.com, where he and co-founder Patrick help remodeling and home-service contractors build self-managing businesses, now serving around 700 members. A StudentWorks alumnus based in Toronto, Amer broke the program’s all-time sales record and profited over $200,000 in a single summer before finishing university at the University of Toronto. He now speaks, hosts a podcast, and coaches contractors on the systems and mindset behind durable growth.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Contracting.com (Amer’s company, formerly Tradark Consulting)
• Grant Cardone
• Alex Hormozi
• David Goggins
• Google Calendar
• TD Bank

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the difference between quitting and a record-breaking season is just one more no?

Most people think sales is about confidence and the perfect pitch. The operators who last know it is really about stamina, consistency, and staying in the game long after everyone else walks away.

In this collage episode, Chris Thomson gathers the sharpest sales lessons from Amer Abu Shakra, Chris Caruso, Mark Cox, Esfar Sarker, Nikos Violetis, and Dave Hanley. You will hear how a $500,000 season comes down to counting nos, why hard work beats natural talent, and why no product sells itself.

Skip this one and you keep treating rejection as a stop sign instead of the input that compounds into results. Listen now.

• 00:00 – Mark Cox on why recruiters chase anyone with Student Works on their resume
• 02:14 – Amer Abu Shakra reveals the rule he enjoyed most: trust the power of input and breaks down the door-knocking math behind every booking
• 04:52 – The staggering number of nos Amer needed to build a $500K business
• 05:21 – Chris Caruso on the blunt reason he outsold everyone around him and why he threw away his balance and burned out chasing the record
• 06:22 – Mark Cox on the sales process IBM used that most companies still lack and on the one thing every company wants, because revenue fixes everything
• 08:52 – Esfar Sarker on the only real way to triple your business in a year
• 10:04 – Nikos Violetis on the hard truth that everyone lies, clients and workers alike
• 11:02 – Dave Hanley on the missing link that nearly sank a growing business and on why you can never learn sales from a book

Amer Abu Shakra – Co-founder and CEO of Contracting.com and the Student Works operator who broke the all-time sales record with a $500,000 season. | Episode 309: The Six Rules of Success that Helped me Break the All-Time Sales Record at Student Works

Chris Caruso – Owner, operations lead, and business coach at Student Works who broke the all-time window cleaning sales record with over $210,000 in a single season. | Episode 390: How to Break Records and Push Your Limits

Mark Cox – Founder of In the Funnel Sales Coaching and a Student Works alumnus who turned early door-to-door training into a career mastering professional sales. | Episode 394: How to Master Sales for Career Advancement

Esfar Sarker – Student Works operator who was rejected from the program, came back, and booked over $100,000 by March while learning to beat rejection. | Episode 412: How to Overcome Rejection and Succeed in Business

Nikos Violetis – Western University student, Student Works operator, and owner of NVWC Home Maintenance, known for building high-trust client relationships and handling rejection like a pro. | Episode 414: How To Overcome Self-Doubt As A Student Leader

Dave Hanley – Serial entrepreneur and Student Works alumnus who co-founded Risk Control Technologies and AdvertiseCast (acquired by Libsyn for $30 million), was founding VP of business development at Insurance Systems, and wrote The Delusional Founder. | Episode 433: How to Leverage Sales Skills for Entrepreneurial Success

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the business problem you keep hitting is really a personal one?

Chris Thomson sits down with Laura Tamburro, a Western University student and top Student Works operator stepping into a coaching role, for one of the most honest conversations on the show.

Laura opens up about the year she nearly walked away, the 100 percent team turnover that forced a mid-summer reset, and how facing her anxiety and depression changed everything. They get into why authenticity outsells any script, how she rebuilt and still finished in President's Club, and the daily practices that keep her steady.

If you have ever stayed busy to avoid the hard stuff or waited to feel ready, this one will hit home. Listen now.

• 00:17 – Every student job, varsity figure skating, and still not feeling fulfilled
• 02:25 – The hardest year ever: 10-hour weekend commutes, 5 AM practices, six classes
• 05:03 – The unexpected lesson that finally grew her business, and it wasn't selling
• 07:31 – “There's no such thing as business problems, just personal problems that show up in your business”
• 10:20 – Naming the anxiety and depression she had been outrunning
• 11:18 – 100% turnover and the call with her coach that forced real accountability
• 11:54 – Sold $200K, half the season left, and unsure she wanted to keep going
• 15:31 – “Never talk to yourself the way you would never talk to anybody else”
• 16:59 – The daily practices keeping her grounded: runs, sleep, journaling, and a Brick
• 20:15 – Muskoka to London: opposite market, opposite challenges
• 30:19 – Her one piece of advice: start before you feel ready
• 36:03 – What a real leader of tomorrow actually looks like, in her words

Laura Tamburro is a Western University student entering her fourth year and a top operator in the Student Works Management Program who is stepping into a coaching role. A varsity figure skater and self-described non-business student, she ran her first business in the Muskoka area, finished in President's Club, and grew her second-year business in London by more than 50 percent. Known for authentic leadership and for developing the people around her, Laura is now focused on creating more leaders as a coach in the program.

🔗 LinkedIn

• Western University
• Brick (phone-locking focus device)

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if finishing what you start is the one edge that survives the AI era?

Chris Thomson sits down with Brett Patrontasch, a Student Works top rookie who founded the painting franchisor Scholars at Your Service, scaled the workforce app Shyft past 2 million users, and recently summited Mount Everest. He is now building Servo, an autonomous lawn care startup.

They get into the honest middle of a founder's career: the wins, the ventures that did not hit the home run, and why mistakes are the price of admission. Brett makes his case for why judgment now beats raw execution, and the two principles he has lived by for 20 years.

If you have wondered how founders keep going through the ups and downs, or what a 33-hour Everest push shares with building a company, this one is for you. Listen now.

• 02:56 – The clipboard at McGill that turned an 18-year-old into an entrepreneur
• 04:27 – The one Student Works principle Brett still repeats to himself 20 years later
• 06:25 – From top operator to founding a competitor: the leap into Scholars at Your Service
• 08:32 – How Brett scaled a multi-city painting company to $2.5 million
• 10:40 – What Shyft actually does, and the RAZR-era gap it was built for
• 11:05 – Inside the Gap Inc. deal: one app across 2,500 stores
• 14:05 – It works and it makes money, so why it still was not the home run he wanted
• 17:33 – Meet Servo: a fleet of robotic mowers you order from your phone
• 20:11 – Why judgment now beats execution in the age of AI
• 24:17 – Just back from Nepal: standing on the tallest point on Earth
• 29:02 – The 33-hour summit push with no sleep and almost no food
• 34:10 – Brett on failure: if you are not making mistakes, you are doing it wrong
• 40:51 – The leader of tomorrow, in Brett's words: technology plus humanity

• McGill University
• Home Depot
• New Image Painting (painting company Brett worked with)
• Predictive Index (recruiting assessment)
• Yammer
• Techstars
• Gap Inc.
• Starbucks
• Shyft
• Servo
• Amazon: Jeff Bezos on Type 1 and Type 2 (reversible vs irreversible) decisions
• ChatGPT

Brett Patrontasch is the co-founder and CEO of Shyft, a mobile app that helps hourly retail and service workers swap shifts and message each other, adopted by enterprises including Gap Inc. and used by more than 2 million workers. A Student Works Management Program alum and former top rookie operator, he later founded the painting franchisor Scholars at Your Service, scaling it to roughly $2.5 million in annual revenue, and won an Ottawa Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 award at 25. He is now building Servo, an autonomous lawn care startup, and recently summited Mount Everest.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What actually changes between a good first year and a breakout one?

Chris Thomson sits down with three of the program’s most improved operators, Josh Shafter, Lizzy Lavalley, and Josh Burke. Each one cleared six figures in their first season, then came back and roughly doubled it.

They get honest about what was really holding them back the first time, complacency, a reactive grind, and a victim mindset, and how habits, recruiting, expectation setting, gratitude, and the right environment turned those weak spots into a breakout year.

If you have ever wondered why some people plateau after a strong start while others surge ahead, this conversation is the playbook. Listen now.

• 01:42 – Josh Shafter admits the real bottleneck in his first year was himself
• 03:05 – Why sales came easy for Lizzy, and why production nearly broke her
• 04:56 – Josh Burke on the “if it ain’t broke” trap that quietly capped his year
• 08:30 – The mindset and environment silently draining Lizzy’s results
• 10:02 – The good-week, bad-week pattern that burned Josh Shafter out at $99K
• 13:34 – The moment Lizzy realized her weakness was a skill, not a personality
• 19:17 – What finally made Lizzy decide to come back and go all in
• 23:01 – The onboarding talk that made Josh Burke lock his own phone
• 25:04 – The daily practice Josh Shafter credits for pushing the envelope
• 27:44 – Why Josh Shafter was his team’s least profitable rookie, and how he fixed it
• 32:24 – The “now or never” bet all three are making on Facebook this season
• 41:11 – Josh Burke on why your 20s are not the time to coast

Josh Shafter is a second-year Student Works Management Program operator and a sociology graduate of Concordia University. He grew his window cleaning business from roughly $100K in his rookie year to $170K as of late June, with a goal of $300K. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, he is known for trading a reactive, lone-wolf approach for data-driven systems, a built-out sales team, and a daily gratitude practice.

🔗 LinkedIn

Lizzy Lavalley is a third-year Student Works Management Program operator based in eastern Toronto and a kinesiology graduate of the University of Western Ontario. After seasons of $107K and $122K, she reached $260K and earned top vet of the week. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, she is known for rebuilding her confidence through strong habits, accountability, and a growth mindset.

🔗 LinkedIn

Josh Burke is a third-year Student Works Management Program operator in the Cobourg and Port Hope area and a student at Ontario Tech University. He grew his business from $125K in his first year to $220K. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, he is known for replacing complacency with sharper expectation setting, better recruiting, and disciplined habits.

🔗 LinkedIn

• Concordia University
• University of Western Ontario
• Ontario Tech University
• Facebook / Meta Ads (marketing)
• LinkedIn (recruiting)
• Indeed (recruiting)
• Water fed pole

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the mindset shifts that change everything only show up after you fail?

Mindset gets talked about like it is positive thinking. Stay motivated, believe in yourself, think bigger. But the real shifts usually happen when things get uncomfortable, when you fail, when effort alone stops being enough.

In this best-of collage, Chris Thomson gathers the strongest reflections on mindset from across the program. Zach Weiler and Landon Roberts on what changes when responsibility becomes real. Andrew Solomon on leading yourself first while growing an $8 million division at Rydel Roofing. Aris Lloshi on staying a beginner as he moves from top operator to coach. And David Young on discipline under real pressure.

Because mindset is not built through motivation. It is built through repetition, self-awareness, and how you respond when things do not go your way. Listen now.

• 00:50 – Chris reframes mindset: the real shifts happen when things get uncomfortable, not when you stay motivated
• 02:41 – Zach Weiler on suddenly seeing opportunity everywhere once he performed at his potential
• 03:52 – Landon Roberts on the gap between seeing opportunity and knowing your first steps to take it
• 04:46 – Andrew Solomon on leading yourself first and coaching from a humble place while building an $8M team
• 05:43 – Aris Lloshi on why you have to walk into year two, three, and four with a beginner's mindset
• 07:45 – David Young on treating self-doubt as just a feeling and beating anxiety by putting in the work

Zach Weiler is the owner of Norfolk Student Painting and a Student Works operator. | Episode 423 | How to Thrive in Leadership with Mentorship and Structure

Landon Roberts is an operator in the Student Works Management Program. | Episode 416 | How to Turn Athletic Discipline into Entrepreneurial Success

Andrew Solomon is the leader of an $8 million division at Rydell Roofing and a former coach in the Student Works Management Program. | Episode 393 | Leading Yourself First: How Personal Growth Fuels Business Success

Aris Lloshi is a veteran Student Works operator moving from top operator to coach. | Episode 434 | How to Build a $460K Business as a Student

David Young is a Student Works owner and operator. | Episode 374 | How to Transform Your Mindset for Business Success

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the riskiest move in your career is refusing to take any risk at all?

Chris Thomson sits down with Mark Tanel, a Student Works alumnus who now leads national sales for Dulux, now Canadian Industries Limited. Fifteen years ago Mark was a Queen’s Commerce student headed straight for accounting, until one elective changed his mind and his entire path.

They get into the calculated risks that moved Mark across the country, the real difference between hunting and farming in sales, and why leaving every role with integrity kept doors open years later. Mark also shares the full-circle moment of now serving Student Works as a supplier, and the systems thinking that has carried through his whole career.

If you are early in your career and wondering whether to play it safe or bet on yourself, this conversation is the nudge you need. Listen now.

• 00:27 – The "introverted extrovert" who had to learn how to own a room
• 06:05 – Why a future accountant blew up his own plan in fourth year
• 07:14 – The phone call to Dad that changed Mark’s entire career
• 08:57 – Inside a book of business worth over $80 million, and what it teaches you
• 11:16 – Moving across the country at 23, and why the risk paid off
• 15:10 – Hunter or farmer: the sales distinction that decides your paycheck
• 20:16 – How one phone call about Mark reopened a door he thought was closed
• 29:09 – The overlooked product line that grew from $500K to $7M in a few years
• 35:03 – Getting comfortable being uncomfortable, the skill nobody teaches
• 47:46 – What Mark believes really makes a leader of tomorrow

Mark Tanel is the National Sales Manager at Dulux, now Canadian Industries Limited (CIL), and a Student Works Management Program alumnus. A Queen’s University Commerce graduate, he began his sales career at Nestlé, managing major retail and grocery accounts across Canada, including a book of business worth more than $80 million, before moving into the paint and coatings industry. Known for a systems-first, relationship-driven approach to sales, Mark now partners with organizations like Student Works to create value on the supply side of the business.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Queen’s University
• Nestlé Canada
• Sobeys
• Loblaws
• Delissio Pizza (Nestlé frozen brand, discontinued)
• PPG
• Dulux Paints
• ClubLink
• Forbes 30 Under 30

• Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn
• Learn more about the Student Works Management Program
• Apply to be an Owner / Operator in the Management Program
• Looking for a fun job this summer? Summer Job Opportunities
• Hear more Alumni Success Stories

The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.