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Central Michigan University
Brian Thompson
When I first heard about Student Painters, I thought it was too good to be true. They said run your own business and keep the profits. I was immediately hooked. After going through the process, everything started to make sense and I was well on my way to selling $30,000 in the preseason. I hired a crew of my best friends from high school and work didn’t feel like work. As the summer progressed we ended up getting bored of painting and sales came to a halt, but my branch still finished at just over $68,000. I would recommend this internship to anyone who wants to better themselves and make money to pay off school. By joining this company, I am well on my way to graduating debt free with endless business skills and a unique story. The mentors are very helpful, and the structure of the company creates a warm environment. I truly enjoyed my experience as a branch manager and will be an executive for the 2018-2019 season.
Chet Sadowski
My name is Chet Sadowski and I have just completed my first summer with student painters. I ran a $65,000 business and profited near $9,000. It's been one of the best professional experiences of my life. There isn't another internship out there that can compare to this. You learn so much about owning and operating your own business, from marketing, sales and production to being able to hire and fire your own employees. It was by far one of they most stressful things I've done, but all the experience makes it well worth it in the end. It will help tremendously with whichever field you choose to move forward to in the future. I'd recommend this to anyone who is willing the put in the time and has a great work ethic.
Scott Postl
My name is Scott Postl and this was my first summer with the student painters organization. I gained a lot of business experience as a Branch Manager that I would have never gained in the classroom. With the support and positive atmosphere, I felt confident to run a small business. I gained managing, cost control, marketing, recruiting, sales and problem solving skills in as little as 5 months. I look forward to putting this on my resume and highly recommend student painters to college students. I not only received internship credit, but also earned money at the same time; over $9,000 in profit for the summer. This is a very unique internship and if you are looking for an edge on your resume, this is the perfect opportunity.
Raechel Kaiser
This past summer with Student Painters has been an experience that has shaped my future like no other experience I could possibly imagine. I have learned more in the past couple of months than I could learn in four years in a classroom at any university. During my spring semester I began a journey that would either end in extreme success or failure and the only person who had any influence on how it would turn out was me. That responsibility alone forced me to grow up and mature very early in this experience. I had no idea how much more would change after that. I ended the preseason with $43,000 worth of commitments to paint these customer's homes. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to turn those commitments into production that would help pay for my next year at CMU. When the summer began, I took all of the knowledge I had gained from listening to past managers and gave it my best shot. This was the most stressful experience of my entire life, but it was absolutely worth it. I have learned that even though things never go as planned, organization is key to getting tasks done. I have also learned that dwelling on failure will not help you be successful. By staying organized and keeping on, I have been able to grow into a successful entrepreneur. Although I have been busier than I ever thought I would be over a summer vacation, I have learned so many life lessons that will help me not only obtain any job I want, but also be a better leader and overall person in my future. I am now more than a college student with a degree, I am a candidate who has sold $94,000 worth of business and sourced/oversaw crews to produce it; not many college graduates can say that.
Jared Martella
My experience with Student Painters has taught me so many things about the business world that would’ve taken me years to learn by other means. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned came to me throughout the months of May and June. At the start of the summer I was inches away from being cut from the program. I had a measly $11,000 in sales days before the cut-off point of $20,000. It was in this week I realized that nothing in the professional world is simply handed to you; things will only happen for you if you take a conscious effort to make it happen. I turned things around and generated around $50,000 in sales in the next four weeks, fine-tuned my paint crew, and by the end of the summer I was making more money in a two week period than I had during the entire previous summer. Student Painters taught me a lot about myself as well. I had never before knew that I could organize so much simultaneously. I also further developed my personal leadership style, realizing that one style of leading isn’t sufficient for every situation you come across. I had also realized that everyone you talk to needs to be handled in their own way. Putting my best efforts into Student Painters is turning out to be one of my best decisions. Even though it was beyond hard, and I hated it at times, the experiences I’ve had because of it are priceless and I will only ever say good things about this program.
Matt Buhl
After a summer of running my own business I have learned, experienced and grown as a person more than I would have in any other class room. Student painters provided me with the smarts, trust and motivation that I needed to run a $74,000 business and profit $9,000 in just one summer. Now even though all you are reading is just numbers and money signs, behind these money signs is countless hours of hard work, gallons of sweat and a new level of determination that I would have never thought I had. From "flyering" in the cold winter, to hiring and firing employees, to dealing with customers, I have truly begun to understand what it takes to run a business and what it actually takes. Now that my first summer with student painters is done I couldn’t be any more thankful for the opportunity that they gave me and lessons I have learned through them. The fact that I am only 19 and can now put on my resume that I ran a $74,000 business is worth every single drop of sweat, every mile driven, every drip of paint on my clothes, and most importantly every grey hair that I grew along the summer.
Danny Robinson
Through my experience with Student Painters I have made more changes in my life and matured tremendously. As an 18 year old Freshman at Central Michigan University, I had the opportunity to run my own small business. Developing and strengthening my leadership, sales, marketing, and management skills. I found myself facing problems and adversity with a different mindset. I was growing up. Looking back to the informational classes was what kept me working hard. I knew that the system they have provided us works, and with the choices we make, our businesses would be successful. By August, I was on the cruise with a business that has a revenue of $60,000 and profited just over $7,500. Not only was it a fantastic Summer with my crew and new coworkers, but it was an experience that will set my resumé apart from almost all of my peers.
Brian Mitchell
Student Painters has equipped me with the tools and skills needed to work in the real world, which cannot be learned in any type of classroom environment. This program forces you to learn first-hand the struggles of starting a business. As an Entrepreneurship Major, I could not have asked for a better opportunity. I have developed and advanced my skills in marketing, sales, employee management and most of all time prioritizing and management. The best part of this program is that it is 100% reliant on how much effort you put in. I worked hard and achieved over $81,000 in revenue and over $17,000 in profit. I could never forget the valuable lessons that Student Painters has taught me or helped me learn on my own. I highly recommend this internship to any and every college student that is thinking about starting their own business or trying to get a job at any stage of a company.
Kaylee Bert
Before Student Painters, I had very little experience with management, marketing, sales, and leadership. Now that I have graduated from a successful summer from this internship program, I am fully equipped with each of these skills. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to me along the way because this has been one of the greatest adventures so far. I was able to grow both personally and professionally throughout the summer and would not change a thing about my experiences. I truly believe that I learned more during this past summer than I have in my business classes. Every single aspect of Student Painters has taught me more than I ever could learn in a classroom. This internship wasn’t easy but I always had support from my executive manager and my other Student Painter peers. I highly recommend this summer internship because it has taught me the most valuable business skills and has completely bumped up my confidence in everything I do. I am so thankful that I chose to run a painting business for my internship, rather than sit in a cubical all day. Being your own boss is awesome!
“Nothing good is easy and nothing easy is good”
Kami Kimball
Young Entrepreneurs Across America is an incredible internship program that I am honored to say I could be apart of this past summer. YEAA gives college students a chance to stand out above their peers. Before this year I only had dreams of running my own business; now I can confidently say I successfully have. In only 6 short months I ran over a 70K business profiting 11K. I learned more in these past few months than I ever had in any of my entrepreneurship classes because lets face it, you can’t beat a real life experience. You’ll never find a better internship program than this one right here!
Jillian Walker
Joining Student Painters was one of the best decisions I have ever made! I learned so much about the real business world over the past couple months. As my peers were completing their summer internships in offices, I was busy running a $70,000 business in my hometown. I gained experience in marketing, sales, management, customer relationships, and so much more. In addition, I also profited around $9,000 from all of my hard work. This was such a rewarding journey and I recommend this internship to everyone- no matter their grade or major! Student Painters is a great organization and I am proud to be a part of the “Stu Paint” family.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.”
Kassi Inch
My name is Kassi Inch and I joined Student Painters as a Junior at Central Michigan University. Transferring to Central I had one mission I was determined to accomplish, that was to take advantage of what was offered at CMU and to not let anything keep me from new experiences. Studying business, there were many different internships and opportunities that came my way along with YEAA. Though there were many different organizations and internships, I know the experience I had through student painters is one I couldn't have had anywhere else. By running my own business I was able to experience first hand every aspect that comes in the business field. It is a fun and challenging way of learning how to handle everyday situations outside of a textbook. Fall of last year I had no idea what I wanted to do with a business degree, now because of student painters I am confident on what my focus will be. Fall of last year I was a Junior looking for an opportunity, this coming Fall I am a Senior who ran a 70k business in a summer looking forward to my next mission continuing with YEAA. If you are looking for your next mission don't let this opportunity pass you up! Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone you may be impressed but what you can accomplish.
Alejandra Flores
Starting out, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself in to and I’m glad that I took on the Student Painters Internship. I can definitely say that I’ve learned a lot over the summer and really how much I was able accomplish for myself and all the valuable business skills I learned too. I have marketing, sales, management and many other traits on my resume that not many other teens my age can say they have! Even though its been the hardest summer of my life, all of it has been worth the rewards at the end. Running a $70k business and profiting over $10k has been my biggest accomplishment thus far and I’m glad I gave Student Painters a chance. I’ve gained so much more confidence as a person. I know the importance of work ethic and perseverance - that is what made my small business successful. Student Painters has given me the opportunity to set myself apart from others, while still preparing me for a rewarding future.
Dillian Chall
When I first joined Student Painters I knew nothing about running my own business and I was extremely shy. This company pushed me out of my comfort zone and it allowed me to better myself as an individual. Going through this summer I learned to be more confident, not only in myself but in what I was doing no matter what it was. As well as bettering myself, I gained more knowledge in business. I learned how to do estimates, conduct interviews, manage a crew, handle homeowners and have great time management. This internship was the best decision I could have ever made my freshman year at Central Michigan. I would recommend doing this internship over anything else because what you learn in this company is worth more than any degree you could ever get.
Lilly Parcha
Before the summer even started I knew that no matter how the summer would go I would be a completely different person. Developing the skills and strategies in the pre-season classes prepares you for the upcoming summer but the summer is nothing like the classes. This is real life experience. The best way to explain this summer is probably equivalent to a rollercoaster ride. There are many ups and downs and when you get off the ride you get to look back and say “Wow that actually wasn’t that bad”. This rollercoaster was the best one I have been on so far. Student Painters has prepared me for my future interviews, careers, and has rounded me into a better person.
Monica Messerly
When I started painting for my friend in the summer of 2016, I never thought that less than a year later I would be running my own branch. Student Painters has given me the tools to successfully manage a $60,000+ business. The experience is unlike anything you can learn inside of a classroom. I can confidentially say that I am smarter, stronger, and more mature than I was a year ago, and for that I thank Student Painters. The amount of support and knowledge they provided was extremely helpful not only to run a business, but in simple things such as business communication. One of the most important things I’ve learned during my journey through Student Painters is that, nothing is impossible. If you want something bad enough, you will work for it, and you will achieve it. Needless to say, this internship is hard work but with the help of the amazing mentors and employees, it was completely do-able. If you have ever wanted to challenge yourself, do this internship. I have done things that I didn’t know I was capable of, and that I am now proud of. At the end of the day, I know that Student Painters has molded the successful business woman I am today.