Leaders Across America With Steve Acorn

Latest Episodes:

101 | Tyler Wagner | Building Authors Unite To Over 15 Million Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Tyler Wagner, one of our alumni who was a branch manager down in Columbia, South Carolina back in 2012.

Today, Tyler lives in Miami and has started a few companies, one of the main ones being Authors Unite, a company that focuses on publishing books for people that currently has about $15 million a year in sales.

In this episode, Tyler is going to talk about some of the biggest takeaways he took away from YEAA and how it almost gave him superpowers.

You will find out more about what Tyler does today both personally and professionally. Tyler will talk about how he founded Authors Unite and what this company does

You will learn how Tyler heard about the YEAA program and what made him decide to join.

Tyler will share some of the biggest st lessons he learned from our program and how he is still applying them today in his businesses.

He will reveal the biggest superpower he got from our program and will talk about how Student Painters forced accountability upon him and helped shape who he is today.

You will find out how YEAA helped Tyler build his confidence, he will talk about the importance of having a good process in place for any type of business, will share some of the struggles he had early on as an entrepreneur and how he managed to overcome them and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

What Authors Unite does and how Tyler founded the company
How Tyler heard about the YEAA program and what made him decide to join
About Tyler's first year in the program: results and takeaways
Some of the biggest lessons Tyler learned from our program and how he is still applying them today in his business
There's a lot of failure along the way to success
The importance of having a good process in place for any type of business
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Tyler's LinkedIn

Authorsunite.com

The Tyler Wagner Show

100 | CEO Steve Acorn Tells His Story Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

It is the 100th episode of the Leaders Across America podcast and we wanted it to be something really unique and special.

So this time, Steve Acorn is going to turn the microphone around and will tell his own story and his experience with Young Entrepreneurs Across America.

Steve is going to be interviewed by Chris Thomson, the Head Coach of the Student Work Management Program, a similar organization from Canada and the host of the Leaders Of Tomorrow podcast.

You will find out how Steve heard about Student Painters and what made him decide to join the program in the first place.

You will also learn who Steve Acorn was before joining Student Painters and what was his parents' opinion about him joining the program.

Steve will share some of his favourite memories about the program early on and will talk about how technology changed over time and how it helped Student Painters evolve.

You will also learn what was Student Painters' culture when Steve joined the program and how it changed over time.

Steve will also talk about the structure of Student Painters and how it changed over the years, will share the most important lessons he took from his experience with Student Painters, will talk about some of the challenges he has to deal with now, will reveal some plans for the future and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

How Steve heard about Student Painters and what made him decide to join
Some of Steve's favorite memories about the program early on
What was Student Painters' culture like back then and how did it change?
A little bit about the structure of Student Painters and how it changed over the years
The most important lessons Steve took from his experience with Student Painters
What is coming in the future for Student Painters and Steve Acorn
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Student Works

99 | Cate Latting | How I Earned $18,000 Over the Summer In My Sophomore Year Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

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
And so much more...

Resources:

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

98 | Miles Drum | Setting an All-Time Business Record Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

On today's show, we interview Miles Drum, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, who has completed his first year of the YEAA program and set an all-time business record in selling over $226,000 and profiting over $60,000 this past summer.

In this episode, Miles is going to share with you what he had to do to become number one of all time, his real-life experiences with YEAA as a freshman in college, and the benefits that he got out of the program.

Miles will talk about how it feels for him to be an all-time leader and the importance of understanding the "why" behind the process.

You will find out what Miles did to differentiate himself from the other interns and why it is important to take ownership of your own business.

Miles will also talk about some of the activities he did in the summer and the estimates he was able to accomplish.

You will find out more about how to overcome the fear of knocking on doors and the importance of keeping your team motivated and feeling like a team.

Miles will share his thoughts about the YEAA culture, the most valuable things he has earned through the program, his plans and goals for the future and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

How Miles differentiated himself from the other interns
Some of the activities Miles did in the summer and the estimates he was able to accomplish
The importance of keeping your team motivated and feeling like a team
The most valuable things Miles earned through the program
What is next for Miles Drum? Plans and goals for the future
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

97 | Alexa Moore | Great Life Changing Experience Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Alexa Moore, one of our successful alumni.

Alexa was a branch manager at YEAA between 2015-2016 and she did over $ 100,000 in business with about $ 22,000 in profits. She developed as a top performer in sales, recruiting, interviewing, marketing, management and leadership. In 2017 she was promoted to General Manager of the Michigan and New England Division.

After leaving YEAA, Alexa continued to grow and develop personally and professionally working as an account executive at Qualtrics, and after that as a Customer Success Manager at Riverside Insights.

In this episode, Alexa is going to talk about limits that people put on themselves, and how if you believe in those limits, your achievability is much less. She will explain how how approaching this internship with no limits was the key to her success.

You will learn a little bit about Alexa's background and how she decided to join Young Entrepreneurship Across America.

She will talk about her results in the program and the important lessons she learned from it.

You will find out why it is important to have a manager who believes in you and why having your own drive and desire to succeed is crucial.

Alexa will also talk about her experiences of working at Qualtrics and Riverside Insights, and will explain how a being part of the YEAA alumni network helped her in her career.

She will also reveal some of the biggest challenges she had as a branch manager at YEAA and how she managed to overcome them, she will share how the program impacted and inspired her whole family and so much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

The importance of having a manager who believes in you
How the Young Entrepreneurship Across America program has changed so many students' lives
Alexa's experience working as an Account Executive at Qualtrics after she left YEAA·
About Alexa's experience as a customer success manager at Riverside Insights
The most important key to being successful
How the YEAA program impacted and inspired Alexa's family
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

96 | Jacob Melvin | Running a $177,000 with Profits Exceeding $30,000 Last Summer Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Jacob Melvin, a finance student at Michigan State University who has just completed year one of the YEAA program.

Running a $177,000 business this past summer, and earning over $30,000 in income, Jacob managed to break the all-time rookie record for sales along with the all-time Michigan sales record for a branch manager.

In this episode, he is going to talk about his experience at Young Entrepreneurs as a freshman in college and the benefits he got from the program

You will find out more about Jacob, his background story and what made him join our program.

You will discover how 18 to 22-year-olds can actually achieve success with the program and what it takes to win.

Jacob will talk about some of his highs and lows while going through the internship and he will share how he managed to overcome the challenges he had to face.

He will also talk about the importance of continuous recruiting and finding more people for the team, the role of mentors in setting you up for success, his plans and goals for 2023 and so much more.

Enjoy this incredible conversation with the number one sales leader ever in the state of Michigan!

What You Will Learn In This Show

Jacob's experience at Young Entrepreneurs as a freshman in college and the benefits he got from the program
How 18 to 22-year-olds can actually achieve success with the program and what it does take to win
The role of mentors in setting you up for success
Plans and goals for Jacob's business in 2023
And so much more…

95 | Chris Goldman | Leveling the Playing Field Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Chris Goldman, one of our successful alumni.

Chris was a branch manager in Spartanburg, South Carolina for two years, 2016 and 2017 and won the Manager of the Year each time.

Today Chris is the owner of Dahlia Homes, a real estate investment company, specializing in property management, acquisitions and construction management in South Carolina.

In this episode, Chris is going to talk about his most important takeaways from the program and his journey to becoming an entrepreneur in the real estate space.

You will learn more about how Chris found out about our program and what made him decide to join.

Chris will share his unique story of coming from a less privileged background and how he sees Student Painters as a great opportunity, particularly for people coming from a similar background.

He will share why he believes that our program is a level playing field, where all you have to do is outwork everybody else to succeed.

Chris will also talk about how our process and coaching enabled him to compete on an equal footing with everyone within the organization.

You will discover what are the main reasons why Student Painters actually works and how to find the metrics that help you get the best results.

Chris will share how the YEAA experience helped him in starting and running his real estate business and will reveal the main things he learned during the Student Painters program that he still uses today.

He will also share more details about his business and how he started Dahlia Homes and much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

The main reasons why Student Painters actually works
How did our process and coaching enable Chris to compete on an equal footing with everyone within the organization?
How did the YEAA experience help Chris in starting and running his real estate business later
About Chris' results in the program and the big lessons he took from the experience later on
What is Dahlia Homes and how did Chris start it?
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Dahliahomes.com

94 Eric Emerick | Student Painter Turned Actor Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Eric Emerick one of our successful alumni who ran a $100,000 plus business back in 2013-2014. What is unique about him is the path he chose after leaving our program and graduating from Purdue University in 2017: he moved to New York where he went to an acting school to perfect his acting skills.

Today he is an actor, a model, a sailing instructor, and also a project manager for his sets. Although his professional path seems different from other alumni of our program, Eric is actually an entrepreneur in many different ways.

He believes that entrepreneurship is more like a way of thinking and that you can bring that toolbox and that skill set to anything you set your mind to

In this episode, Erick is going to talk about how his Student Painters experience taught him invaluable lessons that h applies in his career today.

You will learn more about how Eric found out about our program and what made him decide to join it.

You will also find out more details about Eric's results in our program.

He will share with you the reasons that make him decide to become an actor and he will reveal how you can make a business out of an acting career.

Eric will talk about his career, the movies he was in and his goals for the next five years, and much more.

Listen now and enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show

More details about Eric's results in our program
When and why did Eric decide he wants to follow an acting career?
How you can make a business out of an acting career
How his Student Painters' experience helped Eric become the person he is today
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Ericemerick.com

Eric's Instagram

Erick's Linkedin

93 | Xavier Cole | Make Excuses or Make It Happen Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Xavier Cole, one of our alumni, a graduate of UConn, who is today a visionary real estate consultant with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Commonwealth Real Estate.

He was a branch manager in our program in 2020 and he believes that this experience had a huge impact on his professional life and set the foundation for who he is today.

He is also the host of "Make Excuses or Make it Happen", a new podcast that takes in the first-hand experiences' of premier global and regional entrepreneurs focused on real estate, finance, and education and offers free content and consultations for those looking to eliminate all excuses and make it happen.

You will find out How Xavier heard about the program and what made him decide to join YEAA.

He will share some of the main things he learned from our program and how those lessons helped him in his career later on.

Xavier and Steve will also talk about the amazing power of the YEAA network.

You will find out more about Xavier's passion for real estate and his journey in this space and he will share a little bit of what he does as a visionary real estate consultant at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Commonwealth Real Estate.

You will learn more about Xavier's new podcast, what he plans to discuss there, what the concept of "Make Excuses or Make it Happen" really means and so much more.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

Some of the main things Xavier learned from our program and how those lessons helped him in his career later on
The power of the YEAA network
What does Xavier do as a visionary real estate consultant at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Commonwealth Real Estate?
What does Xavier plan to discuss on his new podcast?
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

Xavier's Instagram

Xavier's Facebook

Berkshire Hathaway Commonwealth Real Estate

Make Excuses or Make it Happen

92 | Joe Delia | Blueprint for Landing An Elite Job After College Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

On today's special show, we interview Joe Delia, Operating Principal at Keller Williams Paint Creek, and owner of the Delia Group. He is also one of our alumni and he talked about his experience with Student Painters in a previous episode.

This time we invited Joe to talk about what students need to do in order to be able to apply to elite companies like Keller Williams after college

With more than 800 franchises. Keller Williams is the largest residential and commercial Real Estate company in North America, and the second-largest in the world.

You will first find out what Keller Williams specializes in, what is their business model and why it would be a great opportunity to work for them when you graduate college,

Joe will share the hiring process he goes through in his company and what you could expect if you apply at Keller Williams.

You will find out what kind of student Joe looks for when conducting interviews with someone who just graduated college.

Jope will share the exact processes a candidate goes through when applying for a job at Keller Williams.

He will reveal what is the Keller Personality Assessment and how it is used in the recruitment process

For all these and much more, tune in to this very informative episode and get a blueprint of exactly what you need to do while in college so that you can apply for a great job at an elite company.

What You Will Learn In This Show

What does Keller Williams specialize in and what is the theory business model?
The hiring process Joe goes through in his company and what you could expect if you apply at Keller Williams
What does it mean to have on your resume something like the YEAA?
The Keller personality assessment and how it is used in the recruitment process
What do the first six months of working for Keller Williams look like?
And so much more…

Resources:

YEAA Website

Leaders Across America

68 | Joe Delia | Amazing Business Successes

Thedeliagroup.com