Leaders Across America With Steve Acorn

Latest Episodes:

7 | Simon Fraser | Scaling Up The Business To Over $240,000 In Year 2 Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews Simon Fraser, a previous intern with Young Entrepreneurs, author, and videographer.

This show starts with Simon recalling his life as a teenager. As a young adult, Simon was frustrated with his lack of clarity. This is when he came across Young Entrepreneurs. What attracted Simon to Young Entrepreneurs in the first place? Was Simon immediately convinced when he first came across this unique opportunity?

The next segment of the show is about Simon's experience with Young Entrepreneurs. Strong mentors and proven systems helped Simon quickly pick the ropes of his painting business. Here, Simon shares the struggles he went through as a student painter in his first year. Long work hours, difficult work conditions and lack of material comforts did not deter him. So, what inspired Simon to stay put?

This persistence paid off big time as Simon had a terrific-first year at Young Entrepreneurs. Drawing on these learnings, Simon managed to generate $240,000 in year two. How did Simon manage to scale up his painting business so dramatically? Listeners will learn the importance of delegation, teamwork, and motivation in this segment of the show.

This terrific success and the opportunity to move on to bigger and better things made Simon quit his engineering college to join Young Entrepreneurs as a full-time GM.

The latter part of the show is about Simon's post Student Painters life. Simon talks a bit about his book, "Undecided". In his book, Simon highlights why it is important to choose your professional path after careful consideration.

Simon also shares his experience of working at Praxis, a 10-person start-up in the education space. Here, Simon draws some interesting comparisons between working at Praxis and a large organization like Young Entrepreneurs

Eventually, Simon decided to follow his passion and pursue videography as a freelancer. If you are struggling to convert your passion to profit, this segment of the show will particularly interest you.

What You Will Learn in This Show:

Transferable skill-sets that you can pick up at Young Entrepreneurs
Benefits and Challenges of Working in a Start-up environment
How to turn your passion into profit
Importance of challenging the norm as an entrepreneur and professional
And so much more!

Resources:

YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America)

Undecided: Escape the system, find your passion, and achieve the freedom and happiness you've always

Simon's Website

6 | Christian Chasmer | Finding Success By Eliminating Your Limiting Beliefs Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews Christian Chasmer, Partner and COO at Vessel, a health-tracking company. Additionally, Christian is also the founder of Elevate, a consultancy firm and CC solutions, a real estate development firm. He also authored the book Lose the Limits.

And he is just 27.

So, how did Christian manage to achieve so much success at such a young age? In this show, Christian shares his incredibly entrepreneurial journey which will particularly interest new and young entrepreneurs.

Was Christian always keen on taking the entrepreneurial route? And, did he possess the necessary skills to manage a painting business when he first joined Student Painters? Listeners will learn about the different challenges he had to overcome once he made his foray into this painting business. So, how did Christian manage to scale up his painting business from $74,000 in this first year to $365,000 in his second year? Here, listeners will get some important lessons in delegation and leadership.

Next, Christian reveals how he got started with his first venture after Young Entrepreneurs, CC solutions, a real estate development company. Christian and his partner put their YEAA experience to good use as they managed to raise capital using creative cold calling methods.

Then Christian goes on to share some interesting details about Bloom Health. Bloom Health has come up with an innovative health tracking solution that allows users to test 15 different health markers at the click of a button.

Christian faced some significant hurdles while starting his consulting business, Elevate. Here, you will learn how to hustle and manage your cash flow when you are starting a new, capital-intensive venture.

If you are a new or aspiring entrepreneur, this show is filled with some excellent nuggets to help you.

Tune in now!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

Innovations in the healthcare space, and how they are increasing affordability and convenience
How to manage your cash-flow in the initial stages of a business
Why delegation and team-work are crucial for scaling up a business
How to raise capital using creative cold-calling techniques
And much, much more!

Resources:

YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America)

Lose the Limits

5 | Alex Dalpiaz | Stepping Outside Of Your Comfort Zone Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews Alex Dalpiaz, Head of Sales, Madewell Concrete.

This show starts with Alex recalling his life as a student at Clemson University. Alex admits that he lacked clarity and was running on autopilot. This is when he came across Young Entrepreneurs Across America.

So, what drew Alex to YEAA in the first place? And, did he have the necessary skills to operate a painting business successfully?

In the next segment of the show, Alex reveals some of the biggest challenges that he faced as a 19-year old running a painting business. Here, listeners will learn why stepping out of one's comfort zone is critical for growth and personal development.

This opportunity to continuously imbibe new learnings meant that Alex stayed with YEAA for 7 long and extremely fruitful years.

Post-YEAA, Alex worked with some startups in the SAAS space before eventually transitioning to a concreting company, Madewell Concrete.

The last segment of the show is particularly interesting as Alex talks about this current role as Head of Sales at Madewell. How did Alex and his team manage to attain a 400% growth over the last year? And, what steps are they taking to expand their presence to 28 US locations and become a $100m business? Listeners will also learn how establishing systems and processes can help drive customer satisfaction.

We wrap up this show by sharing some excellent advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in for some excellent insights!

What You Will Learn in This Show:

Transferable skill-sets that you can pick up at Young Entrepreneurs
How to project a vision and scale up your organization
Why taking calculated risks is critical for furthering your career
Using processes and systems to ensure customer satisfaction

And much, much more!

Resources:

Alex's LinkedIn

YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America)

4 | A.J.Mida | The Power Of Envisioning Your Perfect Life Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews real estate agent AJ Mida, real estate agent, eXp Realty.

This show starts with AJ sharing how he got involved with YEAA. What drew him to YEAA in the first place? Was he always inclined towards entrepreneurship? Steve then goes on to share some interesting anecdotes about his Student Works stint.

Admittedly, when AJ started out as a rookie in 2005, he was ill-prepared to manage a painting business. However, Steve's able mentorship helped him figure out the ropes of the business. AJ managed to clock revenues of $60,000 inspite of his slow start. He put his learnings to good use as he managed to increase his sales to $250,000 in his second year.

So, what are some crucial takeaways that AJ learned from his experience as a Student Painter? And did this experience play a big role in his future success?

The next segment of the show is about AJ's real estate business. After working for Keller Williams for some time, AJ moved over eXp Realty. Here, AJ explains eXp Realty's unique and incredibly lucrative commission structure that has allowed him to build up a huge passive income stream. As the eXp Realty team has grown from 2,400 agents to 26,000 agents, AJ's revenue share team has also increased to 1,800 agents.

Towards the end we share some crucial attributes that truly define a leader of tomorrow. Topics discussed include overcoming your fear of failure, and leveraging the power of visualization to meet your end goals.

We hope you enjoy this success story!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

How a YEAA stint can equip you with transferable skill-sets that can fast-track your professional career
How to overcome your fear of failure or rejection
How a revenue-sharing system can help agents earn more lucrative commissions
How visualization can help you achieve your most audacious goals
And much, much more!

Resources:

AJ's Email

YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America)

3 | Andrew Dennison | Becoming The CEO Of A Drone Company Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews Andrew Dennison, founder, Uplift Data Partners and Director of Enterprise Services at DroneDeploy.

This show starts with Andrew recalling his high school life. Why did an engineering student from the University of Michigan enroll at Student Painters? Andrew reveals that he was looking for a unique opportunity that allowed him to garner the hands-on experience of running a business.

Next, Andrew shares his experience of running a student painting business. How did an 18-year old with no prior business experience or painting experience successfully lead and manage people? Andrew shares his biggest takeaways and reveals how he managed to really scale up his business in his second year at Student Painters.

Listeners will find the next segment of the show particularly interesting. Andrew decided to venture into drone technology in 2014 with Uplift Data Partners. This gamble paid off big time for Andrew as Uplift ended up provided their drone services to some of the largest organizations in the United States.

Andrew started Uplift as a solo-entrepreneur and then managed to secure VC funding to scale up his business. How did someone like Andrew (who started with zero knowledge of drones) manage to convince VC's to back him? He shares how his Student Painting network helped him in this fund-raising process.

In this segment, Andrew draws some interesting parallels between running a technology company and a painting company. Is running a technology company significantly different from running a painting company? And, why did Andrew decide to sell out to PrecisionHawk just when his business was taking off?

Towards the end, Andrew has some excellent advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in for some excellent nuggets!

What You Will Learn in This Show:

How a Student Painter stint can equip you with transferable skillsets
How a Student Painter network can help you scale your business
A "peek" into the future of drone technology
How to start and scale up a business
And so much more!

Resources

DroneDeploy

YEAA

2 | Mike Lamorgese | How to Land Your Dream Job Right Out Of College Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

In today's show, Steve interviews Mike Lamorgese, Equipment and Technology Specialist, Henry Schein.

This show starts with Mike recalling in his teenage years. Mike shares that he was a "novice, young man trying to find his way". His lack of focus is certainly something that most of us can identify with. This is when Mike stumbled upon YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America).

What drew Mike to YEAA in the first place? In this segment of the show, listeners will learn how a YEAA stint can equip you with transferable skill-sets that propel you ahead in life. Mike reveals how the opportunity to run a real business while in college proved to be an invaluable one for him. Here, Mike encourages all college students to be extremely selective while selecting an internship.

After Student Painters, Mike landed a coveted job at Henry Schein. How did Mike experience as a student painter help him land this job? Listeners will learn how Mike's YEAA stint was the differentiating factor that helped him get his foot in the door.

Mike goes on to share some interesting details about his position as a digital and technology specialist at Henry Schein. Towards the end, Mike shares his daily routine and reveals some crucial attributes that help him perform at a high level.

What You Will Learn in This Show:

Importance of getting the right internship that propels you forward
How YEAA will equip you with transferable skill-sets that help you throughout your professional life
How leveraging the YEAA alumni network can land you some spectacular opportunities
Why switching jobs too often is detrimental to your career
And so much more!

Resources:

YEAA (Young Entrepreneurs Across America)

Henry Schein

1 | Welcome To The Leaders Of America Show Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Today's show is a special one as Steve Acorn, President, Young Entrepreneurs Across America announces the launch of the YEAA podcast. In this show, we will be sharing real-life stories of young students who have joined the program.

This show is aimed at 18-24-year-olds who have a burning desire to change the course of their life. Steve shares how young 19-20-year-old folks can enroll in the YEAA management program and learn the nuances of running a business. Towards the end, Steve shares his own life story and reveals how he has managed to generate over $200 million in revenues over 34 years.

If you are driven individual, keen on evolving into a better version of yourself, you will love this show. Tune in now!

What You Will Learn In This Show: