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Purdue University
Jack Heiss
My experience with Students Painters this summer has been an invaluable experience. Not only did I learn how to successfully run a $63,000 business, but I also learned other important lessons I could have never anticipated. The different time and stress management skills I learned will be two of the biggest takeaways I be able to apply to my everyday life. With Student Painters, you can reach your potential in ways I could have never imagined. If you told me a year ago today, I would’ve run the size business I did while also profiting roughly $13,000 you could have never convinced me. Nevertheless, both the opportunity and your business structure, with an executive and vice president who oversees you, made it possible. This support system allowed me to succeed in any situation. If a college student is looking to gain some great life skills and meet a lot of cool and interesting people while also making a lot of money, then Student Painters is this place for them. Looking back on my summer, there’s nothing I would honestly change about my experience and wish every college student could feel the same I did.
Jennifer Guard
As a first semester freshman, Student Painters made an announcement in one of my
lecture halls letting people know about an entrepreneurial internship they were offering
to all students who were highly motivated and looking to make some money in
the summer of 2018. I found the offer intriguing and in just a few short weeks was
hired as a Branch Manager for the Indiana Division. In the three short months of the
summer, I was able to successfully oversee 6 full-time employees and finish out the
year with an $80,000 business. This opportunity pushed me further than I could have
ever imagined, building up my confidence in myself and helping me to grow as an individual. I truly believe that after this summer, I can do anything I put my mind to, and I now have an amazing network of incredibly talented new friends to support me as I do.
Brendon Block
After running my own business this past summer, I genuinely believe there is no better internship for someone who is looking to go into business. When I was hired in September of 2017, I had no experience in sales, marketing, recruiting, or management. After running a $70K business this past summer, I can confidently say that I feel I can handle any challenge in these areas. All of the obstacles I had to overcome are what gives me this confidence. The best part about working through all of these
obstacles is that it I learned something new every time. Going through an early sales slump forced me to learn how to become more personable and better identify needs. Running out of leads forced me to try out multiple marketing tactics and figure out what worked best for people in my area. Having my whole crew quit on me twice forced me to figure out the best recruiting tactics and figure out how to get the best out of what I had. Having to deal with 2 very difficult homeowners/jobs that I lost money on taught me to over-communicate and plan better. Accepting and working through all of these challenges are what ultimately led to me running my business at over 20% profit which is what it’s all about. When it comes down to it, this internship has taught me more about business than what all of my classes have combined. I feel very lucky to have been a part of this company.
Bailey Dargo
Student Painters did so much more than make my resume look great, earn me triple the amount of money I would have made elsewhere, or even help lose a couple pounds from doing all of that walking around marketing. Although those were all great assets to my young career, the most important contribution Student Painters was able to give me was confidence. Although this internship is great for any all majors, it showed me that managing a business is crazy hard, but it is so satisfying at the end of the day. I knew absolutely nothing about painting when I began this internship. Now, I feel like a professional (we technically are professionals now). In the beginning, before I got the hang of things, I was very discouraged. Whether it was doing quotes on houses, painting, or even in the preseason just cold calling, it all did get easier as time went on. Even with discouragement from friends and family, I completed the internship successfully. One of the best things about this opportunity was proving everyone whoever doubted me wrong. I am a 5’2, 115 lb. female, I cannot tell you how many funny looks and comments I got when people found out I owned my painting business. I At my first interview after I completed this internship, the man interviewing me was so amazed that I did all of this. I instantly got the job and was getting paid $2.00 more than my friends were starting at for the same job because of how impressed they were with me. Even though that job was just at Meijer, I know in the future Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. are going to love hearing about my crazy adventure. Do yourself a favor, build your resume, earn some money, get in shape, and most importantly figure out who you are and prove them all wrong.
Robbie Stewart
Each year within Young Entrepreneurs Across America I find myself facing new challenges, steeper goals, and more obstacles than the past. Most individuals would view this as a daunting experience but it's actually quite the opposite to me. The last three years I have learned and accomplished more within this company than all of my other schooling and work experiences combined. I've been able to achieve this success with the help of great leaders, competitive peers, and a learning environment that allows the sky to be the limit. I feel I'm a sufficient example to that as I started my sophomore year as a rookie manager that was over looked to now being the General Manager of a new state in the company, Colorado. Every bit of the journey has been a rewarding experience, as the culture at Young Entrepreneurs Across America has been an amazing fit. I'm excited for the next step, the next new challenge, the next goal that seems too big, the next goal, and most importantly helping new entrepreneurs grow like I did!
Spenser Suski
There is nothing more important on a students resume than the experience bullet points. Becoming a part of this internship with Student Painters truly made me understand why employers look for past experience first. Between selling work, producing it, and everything in between, I have learned more through this company than I will ever learn in the classroom. The company gives you the opportunity to feel what an entrepreneur is like. A true test for someone is seeing if they will be ready for the real world after graduation. There is no better way to test this than running your own business. I am happy to say that YEAA and Student Painters have made this past summer one that is impossible to forget. Within just under four months I produced over 70 jobs and employed over 20 students. I'm only 19 years old! There's no comparison with other internships in the amount of valuable experience I have gained from that. Communication, good time management, and organization were repetitively practiced throughout my summer and made me realize how important they are on a regular basis with any company. Running a business is no doubt a risk and at times very stressful. But, once the summer is over and an updated copy of a resume is done, every second is worth it.
Matt Sumner
This internship is as real-world as it could possibly be. It has taught me how to handle marketing, customer relations, production, time management and much more. I never could have seen myself managing a company at the start of college, let alone a very successful one! After the training seminar, and with some confidence boosting from upper management, I was beyond excited to put my skills to the test. After this internship with YEAA I am completely confident that I will be more than capable to succeed after graduation!
Ryan Teeter
I started this internship the summer after my junior year. I ran a $60,000 business profiting around $10,000. This experience was a huge resume builder and put me ahead of other classmates. Loving what I did that summer I gladly accepted an executive position to be responsible for other first year managers while still running my own business. Taking on this challenge was very unnerving not knowing what to expect and taking on so much responsibility moving into my senior year at Purdue. Having had no previous experience in management, with Student Painters I quickly adopted the necessary skills and leadership to perform in varying situations. This summer I am developing my management and leadership skills and gaining the confidence as I look forward after graduation. Student Painters has provided me the opportunity to broaden my practices related to my major.
Zach Kromkowski
Young Entrepreneurs Across America’s Student Painters Internship has been both rewarding and challenging. I learned very quickly that running one’s own business takes many long hours and dedication to provide the best customer service possible. This experience has taught me essential and valuable skills in marketing, management, communication, and organization. These skills are strategic components of having a successful business. These skills and challenges have built my confidence and goals to push even harder next summer to be more successful as an Executive along with the additional experience providing leadership for rookie managers.
Eric Emerick
From a young age, I've been working toward a career of entrepreneurship and adding value to others’ lives. I accepted this internship with the objective of experiencing firsthand what it takes to be self-employed and create my own circumstance. In the course of one spring and summer, I was able to oversee as many as seventeen employees at one time and help them produce over $110,000 under my guidance. I learned by trial and error how to sell, how to interact with customers and employees, and how to carry out a respectable business venture. There is no comparison to any other internship as far as the rewarding feeling of success as one reaps the direct benefits of his efforts. As the saying goes, “If you don’t work on building your dreams, someone else will hire you to help build theirs." Through this opportunity you have an investor that is willing to assume your risk and give you all the tools you need for success, as well as peers who've been where you’re going and friends that are with you through the whole learning process. Through this internship you will absolutely become more confident, competent, and poised for a lifetime of success.
Pat Lester
Being involved with Young Entrepreneurs Across America has changed my life. The experience alone is rewarding enough. I have made a lot of new friends, learned a great deal about myself, and gained knowledge past the classroom. Making the decision to join Y.E.A.A. has been extremely beneficial and challenging. If you are looking to push yourself and to grow as an individual and in your future career this is the internship for you. I ran a $71,000 business in West Lafayette and Lafayette this summer. I recommend Y.E.A.A. to anyone trying to build their resume or network.
Tim Deters
My summer with Young Entrepreneurs Across America has been one of the most valuable learning experiences that I could have ever imagined at such a young age. I’ve talked with numerous friends and none of their internships have been able to compare to the learning experience I got with Y.E.A.A. I’m only 19 years old and was trusted to run my own business. Through this I was able to develop my marketing, sales, operations management, human resource, and customer interaction skills. I produced over 50 jobs and employed 9 students. This experience helps you understand what it takes to run your own business and the work required to be successful at it, all the while giving you an experience to put on your resume that will make you stand out from all of your peers.
Grant Frick
I chose to attend Purdue, a larger University, because I knew it would allow me access to unlimited opportunities, but never in my imagination did I envision an opportunity as the one I experienced through YEAA. How many people my age, a college freshman, can say they ran their own successful business? Over the past 6 months I have done just that. I learned so much more through this experience, from the people I have met, and from my executives who helped me throughout the entire process, than I could have ever imagined or could have done in a classroom alone. I now have valuable real world experience in areas such as selling, marketing, management, and customer service. These tools have given me confidence and this experience with YEAA will allow me to continue on a successful path for the rest of my life. Thank you Young Entrepreneurs Across America!