Leaders Across America With Steve Acorn

Latest Episodes:

112 | Andrew Dennison | From Student Painters to Basepath: The Journey of Building Success Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to start, grow, and sell a successful business? In this episode of the Leaders Across America podcast, host Steve Acorn welcomes back Andrew Dennison, an alumnus of the Young Entrepreneurs Across America program and now the CEO of Basepath. Andrew shares his incredible journey from running his first business as a student branch manager to co-founding a groundbreaking software company that revolutionized payments for college athletes.

Andrew reflects on how the lessons he learned as a student entrepreneur—including managing challenges, trusting the process, and scaling operations—shaped his approach to business and ultimately led to the sale of his company. This episode is packed with invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs, offering a blueprint for leadership, growth, and resilience.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

The critical role of learning by doing and the power of mentorship in entrepreneurship.
How the fundamentals of running a painting business apply to scaling tech startups.
Why trusting the process is essential to achieving long-term success.
The importance of ownership in building personal wealth and professional legacy.
How networking and alumni connections can open doors to new opportunities.
And much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

111 | Griffin Workman | How to Leverage Mentorship for Business Success Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to excel as a young entrepreneur and leader? On this episode of Leaders Across America, host Steve Acorn speaks with Griffin Workman, a standout participant in the Young Entrepreneurs Across America program. Griffin takes us through his transformative journey from a rookie painter to running a $150,000 business and earning $30,000 in profit—all while balancing the challenges of leadership, team management, and sales.

Griffin shares how his competitive mindset, strategic approach to marketing, and ability to implement incentives for his team helped him achieve extraordinary success. He discusses the importance of buying into the system, leveraging mentorship, and staying focused on your own path despite external doubts. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or looking to sharpen your leadership skills, this episode is packed with actionable insights to inspire and motivate.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

The critical role of a strong preseason strategy in achieving success
How to build trust and inspire your team through incentives and challenges
Why time management and an hour-by-hour schedule can set you apart
How to stay focused on your goals and block out external noise
The power of mentorship and following a proven system to drive results
And much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

110 | Emma LaVelle | Mastering Time Management for Student-Athletes Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

How does a student-athlete balance rigorous commitments while running a six-figure business? In this episode of Leaders Across America, Steve Acorn sits down with Emma LaVelle, a trailblazing participant in the Young Entrepreneurs Across America program. Emma shares her inspiring journey of managing a $120,000 business while excelling as a full-time student athlete and figure skater. Her story showcases the power of discipline, time management, and an unwavering mindset in achieving the extraordinary.

Emma dives into the challenges she faced, from breaking through doubts to mastering leadership and scheduling, all while smashing records in the program. She highlights the importance of mentorship, self-confidence, and stepping out of her comfort zone to unlock her full potential. This episode is a must-listen for anyone striving to achieve their goals while balancing multiple priorities.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

How Emma broke records while balancing the demands of being a student-athlete
The importance of mentorship and mindset in achieving big goals
How to plan and schedule effectively for both work and personal success
Why stepping out of your comfort zone leads to extraordinary growth
Tips for overcoming doubts and building confidence in leadership
And much more…

Resources

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

109 | Adam Pompilius | How to Run a $230,000 Business and Earn Over $70,000 in a Summer Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

How do you go from zero business experience to smashing state records in just a few summers? In this episode of Leaders Across America, Steve Acorn talks with Adam Pompilius, a standout in the Young Entrepreneurs Across America program and Michigan's all-time sales leader.

Adam shares his journey of becoming Rookie Manager of the Year, managing over $230,000 in sales during a single summer, and transforming his raw potential into real-world success. He discusses the key lessons he's learned about mentorship, time management, and personal growth throughout his three years in the program. From mastering the art of leadership to balancing the grind with having fun, Adam's story is packed with actionable insights and inspiration.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur looking to take your first steps or simply curious about the skills and mindset needed to excel in business, this episode offers a wealth of inspiration and practical advice. Adam's journey will leave you feeling motivated, equipped with fresh perspectives, and ready to tackle your own challenges with confidence and determination.

If Adam's story inspired you, share this episode with someone who could benefit from hearing it! Don't forget to follow, rate, and review Leaders Across America to stay updated on more incredible stories of young leaders making their mark.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

Mentorship plays a huge role in figuring out what works and how to succeed.
Effective time management is critical—you only have so much time in a day, so make the most of it
Hard work and dedication can lead to extraordinary results
Being coachable and learning from those who've walked the path before is essential to growth
Having fun, learning, and embracing personal development are key to making the most of the internship experience
And much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

108 | Ashland Stansbury | How to Sell Over $165,000 in Our Program May 03, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Ashland Stansbury, one of our successful alumni who was part of the Young Entrepreneurs Program back in 2015. She was a freshman at Babson College when she joined our program and she sold over $165,000 that summer, winning the Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Today, Ashland is the CEO of Because, a B2B software platform that she founded four years ago upon graduation.

In this episode, Ashland is going to talk about the important lessons she learned at YEAA and how this experience helped her in the business she runs today.

Ashland is also going to talk about the vision she has for her company and the goal of becoming a billion-dollar organization.

She'll discuss challenges she experiences not only during our program but ones that she's faced today as a CEO at Because.

She will also talk about how she got funds and fundraising to be able to have a business, will share a very inspirational and detailed story on how she started her business, the mistakes she made along the way and the lessons she took from them and so much more.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

A little bit about Ashland's story and how she got involved into our program.
The difference between Student Painters and a regular internship.
The most important keys to success in Ashland's preseason.
The best mindset to have in order to achieve success in our program.
About Ashland's production schedule that we still use today.
How NOT to manage your employees.
About Ashland's business: how she started it, the challenges she had along the way and her goals for the future.
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

107 | Joe Tedesco | Going from Underdog to the Top Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Joe Tedesco, one of our successful alumni who joined our program back in 2016 and completed an $81,000 business with a profit of $15,000.

What is unique about Joe's story is that he was the very last intern hired that year (it was early to mid-April) and he had to figure out very quickly how to get started in this business. But he had a very strong mindset that helped him become one of our top managers that year.

For Joe, failure was not an option. He was driven and motivated, even though no one had ever done this before, starting late in mid to late April and running a successful business that was one of the tops in the country.

Today, Joe is a sales manager at Skyline Solar and he is also the owner of Tedesco Painting, an interior restoration company

In this episode, Joe is going to talk about this incredible journey and the lifelong impact this experience had on him.

He will also share how our internship motivated him to stay in college, will talk about how being an underdog was a very powerful motivational tool for him, will share some of the most important lessons he took away from YEAA, will reveal the key secret to becoming the best leader you can be, and so much more.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

Joe's experience as an underdog and how he overcame this intimidation.
The importance of having a strong mindset in order to succeed.
Some of the most important lessons Joe took away from YEAA.
The importance of finding the right mentors to help you on your journey to success.
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

105 | Ben Steenkamp | The Power of Controlling Your Own Destiny Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Ben Steenkamp from the University of Connecticut. He was one of our successful branch managers back in 2017 and 2018 running a $75,000 business and making about $16,000 in his first year in our program and about $25,000 in his second year. Today, Ben works as an account executive at Oracle NetSuite.

In this episode, Ben is going to talk about the importance and the power of taking control of your own destiny and how being part of YEAA helped him get a full-time position at a successful company like Oracle.

You will find out a little bit about Ben's background and origin story, how he heard about our program and what made him decide to join it.

Ben will talk about his results in the program and some of the most important key takeaways he got out of this experience.

He will share some of the challenges he had to overcome and how those helped him grow and he will also reveal the most important key to his success at Student Painters.

You will find out what the Oracle job interview process was like for Ben and how he related it back to Student Painters.

Ben will also talk about what he does at Oracle and how he applies some of the lessons he learned in our program. He will also share his plans for the future and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy another insightful conversation with one of our successful young leaders!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

How Ben heard about our program and what made him decide to join
Some of the key takeaways that Ben got out of his experience in our program
Some of the challenges Ben had to overcome and how those helped him grow
The most important key to Ben's success
How the Oracle job interview process was like for Ben and how he related it back to Student Painters?
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

104 | Michael Acorn | How To Ensure a Successful Preseason Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Michael Acorn, one of our successful interns. Since joining our program in 2019, he sold over $1.8 million and earn personally over 160,000, he has recruited, coached, and mentored 18 college students who've earned an average of 22,000 hours a summer. He is also the number one branch manager of all time with single sales of $366,000 over three summers.

In this episode, Michael is going to talk about his incredible story and share in great detail his coaching secrets on how to be a top performer at YEAA

You will learn a little bit about Michael's background and the unique history he has with YEAA.

Michael will talk about the importance of having a goal-crushing attitude and the right mindset in order to succeed.

He will share some micros on how he coached top performers in this program.

He will also talk about how to ensure a successful preseason and will share some of the most important lessons hel took from his experience with YEAA.

Michael will discuss the importance of dedication, perseverance and believing in your dream, he will talk about why surrounding yourself with top performers can help you succeed as an entrepreneur, will reveal how being organized can lower your stress levels and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

The importance of having a goal-crushing attitude and the right mindset in order to succeed
The flip between employer and employee mindsets
Some micros on how Michael coached top performers in this program
How to ensure a successful preseason
Some of the most important lessons Michael took from his experience with YEAA
The importance of having a coach or a mentor
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

103 | AJ Rodriguez | Growing the Sports Clip Franchise to Over $15 Million Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview AJ Rodriguez, another one of our successful alumni. He was an intern with us back in 2012 and did a $70,000 plus business.

After finishing school, AJ entered his family business. Today he owns 34 Sport Clips Haircuts locations, 1 Gigi's Cupcakes Bakery, Beyond Parallel Fitness 24/7 & CrossFit gym, and is a landlord/property manager for real estate investment properties.

In this episode, AJ is going to get into some micros of how he got in the franchise business, how to go about buying a franchise if you're interested and how his experience with Student painters helped him become who he is today.

You will learn more about who AJ Rodriguez is and a little bit about his background and origin story.

AJ will talk about how he heard about our program and what made him decide to join, will share more about this experience, his results in the program and some of the most important takeaways he got from it, important lessons he still uses today in his businesses.

You will find out more about how to start and what it takes to become a franchisee.

AJ will share more about how he got involved in real estate investing and how many rental properties he has today.

He will also reveal some key characteristics and habits a successful entrepreneur should have, will talk about why you should cut out the people that aren't positively attributing to your life, the value of the network and the connections you gain through the program, will share his plans for the future and so much more…

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

Who is AJ Rodriguez: a little bit about his background and origin story
How AJ heard about our program and what made him decide to join
Some of the most important takeaways AJ got from our program and still uses today in his businesses
How do you start and what does it take to become a franchisee?
AJ's challenges during Covid and how he overcame them
How AJ got involved in real estate investing and how many rental properties he has
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

AJ's LinkedIn

102 | Mike Morrill | How I Earned Over $120,000 My First 3 Years at College Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview another one of our amazing recent alumni. His name is Mike Morrill, he was an intern with us for three years, from 2019 to 2022 and sold over $1.5 million during this period.

Mike not only ran his own business successfully but also coached many interns and watched them grow with our program, both professionally and financially.

In this episode, Mike is going to talk about the impact that this program had on him, and how much he's grown and learned through the way program.

You will discover how Mike found out about YEAA and what drew him into the program.

He will talk a little bit about the small business he had while in high school and why he always wanted to become an entrepreneur.

Mike will share what he did to maximize his three summers at YEAA and will talk about his experience coaching other managers.

You will learn more about the importance of having a good process in place and why dedication and perseverance are key to success in business.

Mile will talk about his challenge during Covid and how he managed to overcome them and he will also share some other trials and tribulations he had during the program and the lessons he took away from them.

He will also share a blueprint of what you need to do to ensure your success in this program, will talk about the most important takeaways he got from his experience at YEAA, will reveal some of his plans for the future and much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

What Mike did to maximize his three summers at YEAA
About Mike's experience coaching other managers
A blueprint of what you need to do to ensure your success in this program
The most important takeaways Mike got from our program
Some of the trials and tribulations Mike had during the program and the lessons he took away from them
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Leaders Across America With Steve Acorn

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected