Eric Janssen is wisdom personified.

As a Sales Professor at the prestigious Ivey Business School at Western University, he spends his days empowering young leaders with the skills required to navigate an entrepreneurial life.

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Eric provided a peek inside his entrepreneurial toolkit. Here are two of his standout strategies for success:

Cultivate Resilience

Every successful entrepreneur understands that resilience is a key differentiating factor between those that lead the pack and those who follow behind.

“You need to be able to pick yourself back up after getting a bunch of no’s. So how do you teach that? Well, I could lecture you on it. I could give you the research. I could tell you a story. But the best thing is you just gotta have students do it. You just have to have them go out and do it, fail, fall on their face and realize it’s not actually that bad.” Eric shared.

Cue: The Rejection Olympics, an exercise in cultivating resilience that Eric has all his students participate in. Each student receives a bingo card of resilience exercises that they’re challenged to complete, ranging from ordering a pizza at Tim Hortons, to reconnecting with friends they haven’t spoken to in five years.

“Ultimately, what I want them to experience is that these are super uncomfortable situations, but after you do them you realize that nobody friggin cares. You know? Really, nobody cares. It’s a little bit uncomfortable the first time but it’s really not that bad. For some of them it’s addicting. They want to keep doing them.” he told Chris.

Learn to Unplug

In order to give others his undivided attention, Eric has a surefire trick to minimize distractions: Turning his phone off.

“Research actually shows that if you have your phone on your desk, even if you have your phone in your bag or flipped over on your desk [and you think that’s polite], your attention span, your cognitive abilities, your focus decreases substantially,” he explained.

Regardless of whether he’s conducting an important work meeting, or sitting down with us for an exciting interview, Eric puts his phone in what he charmingly calls, “Cell Phone Jail.”

“Boom, I can be fully dialed in and focused. It’s funny that being the person that listens more, just by potentially leaving your phone in your car while you’re doing your sales calls, can actually be a competitive differentiator nowadays.” he shared.

Thanks for the look inside your toolbelt, Eric!

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

The trajectory of a Student Works operator can take many twists and turns. Mackenzie Mercier knows this all too well.

His rookie year, in his own words, didn’t “start very powerfully.” However, Mackenzie flipped the script quickly, accessing a reservoir of determination within himself that empowered him to bill $603k in his final year.

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Mackenzie shared the advice that inspired him to turn things around:

Find your Unique Ability

What sets you apart from everyone else? While it took some trial and error, Mackenzie’s business took off once he learned to play to his strengths.

“Look at what could be your unique ability. For me it was definitely sales. I thrived at sales. I was good at sales, but it’s not for everybody.” he told Chris.

However, it’s important to note that what you’re best at, and what you love to do, aren’t always aligned.

“There’s an extreme difference between the two. Somebody could be great at running production but absolutely hate it and I don’t think there’s any room for improvement there. If you really don’t like it you could be at that good stage for so long and never really have the motivation to gain the skills to be great. I think you really need to love it.” he explained.

Make it Work for you

After discovering that his unique ability was sales, Mackenzie put pedal to the metal and kickstarted powerful marketing initiatives.

“People just knew we were around. We were the main painting company to go to for a quote. Anything in your house that needed painting, people at least thought of us. Whether or not they booked with us, we were in their head. We had a Facebook group for the neighbourhood, so every Friday, you’re able to advertise on that page. Every Friday we’d be posting. Sometimes we’d even ask the client for permission to put in their address, so I would even say ‘We’re working at this address tomorrow, on Saturday. Drive-by. Check it out.’” he shared.

Congratulations on your fantastic final year Mackenzie! 

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

While all entrepreneurs are not the same, they do have one thing in common: bravery.

Student Works alumni, Victoria Landreville, took bravery to new heights with the creation of her YouTube channel project, “A Year of Fear.”

Throughout the year-long project, Victoria confronted and overcame her 52 fears – on camera! In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Victoria shared the lessons she learned on her journey to becoming a Youtuber after Student Works:

Look Inward

After giving her all to Student Works for six years, Victoria was inspired to take some time to reflect on who she was as a person and where she wanted to go.

“My bubble was running the business and hitting goals, but I hadn’t yet explored the idea of looking inwards as a person and getting to know myself a little bit more. I ended up going abroad for six months. I went to Africa for four months, did some backpacking, took a group travel trip from Kenya all the way down to South Africa, overloading and camping every night on the way down. Then I went over to Asia where I got my professional diving license. That was really cool. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, really,” she explained.

It was during her time trekking through the wilderness that she had a deeper realization, one that many entrepreneurs can relate to. 

“We say at Student Works, ‘work hard, play hard.’ I think I’d worked very hard and although I played hard, I never really took that time for myself to really slow down and look inwards.” she shared with Chris.

Challenge Yourself, Even More

When Victoria began looking inward, everything changed for the better. Every entrepreneur understands that growth isn’t comfortable. But, as Victoria is keenly aware of, every once in a while we might need a kick in the pants to remind us to keep our eyes on the prize.

“I wanted a challenge so I decided to get this Business Coach. I was putting it out there that I wanted to start something on the creative side, and YouTube came to mind. I’m an extrovert and I have a lot of energy. I wanted to showcase what I was doing and I ultimately decided to focus on YouTube,” she said.

So Victoria got to work. 

“It started off, believe it or not, as a business YouTube channel. I decided there was way too much competition, [and it would be better if I did] something unique. Then this idea of exploring my fears came to me. I decided to launch this YouTube Channel. I ended up calling it “A Year of Fear” and decided to commit to a year of making a YouTube video every single week. Every week, I would go out in public and do something that scared me. I would record the whole thing and I’d share what I learned from going out and doing something that scared me. The first video was about quitting my job. It was just getting out of my comfort zone on a whole other level,” she shared.

Now that’s what we call fearlessness! 

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

Before joining us, Justin Georgopoulos wasn’t sure Student Works was the right fit for him.

After attending an info session, he decided that operating a painting business didn’t possess the glamour he was searching for in his career. 

For one thing, he’d always envisioned himself being an online entrepreneur. But for some reason, that he now believes were moments of synchronicity, Justin couldn’t get away from us.

Whether he was getting a haircut from his barber brother who raved about how punctual and professional all his Student Works clients were, or going to work at a hotel that was hosting our recruitment training, we were always there waiting for him to come around.

Come around, he did. In fact, in his first year, he doubled the all-time rookie record, doing over $450k in business. 

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Justin shared the secret that got him to where he is today.

The Power of Intention

Justin is a firm believer in setting lofty goals. In fact, he thinks that if a goal doesn’t scare you, it isn’t challenging enough.

“Top performers are putting their attention on what they want. They’re really mapping out and creating a vision for themselves. They’re understanding where they want to go. I think that’s such a key thing. They’re creating ‘why’s’ of what they want to do and how they want to do it. So having that launchpad, that basis, of why you want to go and operate at a high-level, knowing who’s going to be impacted … you feel a pull [toward your goal] rather than [feeling like you’re pushing towards it].” he explained.

When it came to his goal of breaking the rookie record, Justin refused to believe that it might not happen.  

“My purpose and my desire was to run a hundred thousand dollar business, break the London record and the rookie record. My passwords, they’re changed now, but they were “isetthelondonrecord.” On my ceiling, I have my goals tacked, so that every time I wake up I see my big hairy goals right in front of my face. On my vision board, I see things that I’m going to achieve in my near future. I also changed my language. As you just heard, I said things like ‘I’m going to achieve’, not ‘things I hope to achieve’ or ‘things I might achieve’. Plus, instead of music, I listened to podcasts and audiobooks that are about success and achieving things in a really cultivated environment. Your mind is a soil so before you plant the seeds, make sure the soil is healthy,” he told Chris.

You’re taking notes, right?

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

As we begin to approach the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns in Canada, we have an incredible opportunity to reflect on how the pandemic altered the world of business.

In 2020, Matt Young began his rookie year as an operator with us. In trial by fire, he maintained a positive mindset, adapting to everything thrown his way and selling over $350,000 worth of business that year.

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Matt shed light on his transformation from a lost university student to a successful rookie operator who defied the odds in the midst of a global pandemic.

Here is what he had to share:

Ride out the Limbo

University can be a tough transition for many teenagers, and Matt Young was no exception. Fortunately, he found Student Works when he needed us most.

“Before the program, I was a pretty lost university student looking to do more with my time but I just couldn’t put my finger on what I was really looking for. When I was in high school I was definitely someone who was a part of as much as possible and filled my time with a lot of extracurricular activities … But once I got into university that was kind of left behind and I was just leveled right back down to the bottom of the totem pole,” he detailed.

It was then that he entered what he described as a “limbo”, unsure where he would cultivate his self-esteem and competitive nature moving forward. 

“It’s very difficult when you get to university because you can’t just show up on the first day of school and say I want to try out for these teams like you could in high school … A lot of my validation and my focus as a teenager was completely channeled into being an athlete and taking that as far as I could. But every dog has its day and you have to realize when it’s time to hang ’em up… this hit me pretty hard because my competitive drive made me who I was at that point, and didn’t have an avenue to expose itself anymore. So while I was in this rut of figuring out what to do with my time as a student who was still motivated, I set myself up for success. It was just a weird limbo that I hadn’t encountered before in my life,” he told Chris.

Cultivate Adaptability

2020 was a challenging time for business owners, period. But starting a company during it? Even tougher. 

However, even though Matt had never even booked a job until February of that year, he refused to throw in the towel in the face of uncertainty.

“We couldn’t grow through comfort, and we somehow grew through a massive pandemic. I think our marketing mix, online marketing, Facebook marketing, really changed the game for a lot of operators in being able to reach out and conjure [business] up. The online platforms have been fantastic to us, [they are] where the world has moved their shopping cart to. We were able to deliver our marketing scheme into their shopping cart, which is on their laptop, on their computer, on their phone. So I think marketing plays such a big role and I value it so much. I think the best businesses, certainly in our program, have the best marketing,” he explained.

There’s nothing like observing a leader develop through adversity. Kudos to Matt and his team for a fantastic effort!

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

Ed Buset dreams big.

Over the course of his career, this Student Works alum went from being a student painter to running a $40 million construction company.

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Ed revealed how his billionaire mindset helped set the pace for his inspiring career.

Looking to emulate a career like Eds? Here are two strategies he shared on how to get ahead:

Go Bigger

Just because you reach a professional milestone doesn’t mean you welcome complacency into your career. 

“Start big. Go higher. When I was in Student Works Painting somebody told me ‘Wow, one day you’ll do a million dollars in business a year’, I now want to do billions of dollars. Right? That’s our audacious goal and I think it’s important to set them. You will get this confidence if you continuously try to improve.” he told Chris. 

Plus, most people aren’t leaders. Ed believes that if you’re a born leader, you have to embrace that and constantly strive for more.

“If you decide to go into business, you’re already taking the path less travelled and it’s a big sense of responsibility. It really is. So if you’re gonna have all that responsibility and you’re taking the path less travelled, have it all. Make the biggest goal that you can and keep pushing towards it. You have a lifetime to achieve it. I’ve seen it all and studied lots of entrepreneurs in the tech world and they seem to be able to run multiple businesses and have multiple careers … I think that if you take on this mindset of continuous improvement, you understand the responsibility with your decisions and you dream big, you can really have an extraordinary life doing it,” he explained.

Delegate

Ed understands that in every business, there are distinct individuals who help the company shine by bringing their unique skills to the table.

“It’s a funny story. I learned that I could have really good team members and I had to trust them. Entrepreneurs can’t do everything. I learned this at a very young age when I was in the choir. Our music teacher kept saying there was somebody singing off key and [she asked us to] try it again and take it from the top, So you know, after two or three times of this, she [said it wasn’t] getting any better. I just somehow decided to stop singing. So the next time we tried it she [said] that’s perfect, you guys got it! So you know, we find the people who are good at doing certain things and we give them the space to do it, we encourage them, and we celebrate our successes together,” Ed said.

Three cheers for teamwork!

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

Josh Walker isn’t in the business of burning bridges.

The esteemed accountant has worked with several reputable organizations throughout his career. Interestingly, he’s even returned to old workplaces after time away! 

While previous generations placed immense value on working for one company over the course of a career, tides have changed. In fact, some business models are not set up for workers to stay forever, and that’s okay. 

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Josh makes the case that loyalty isn’t defined by how long you stay at a company, and that there are many ways to climb the corporate ladder while exploring different opportunities in your field. 

Here are Josh’s tips for getting ahead in your career, no matter where you end up:

Raise the Benchmark

Josh is a firm believer that there’s no better way to showcase your value to your employer than by raising the benchmark on your responsibilities. 

“One thing I always did from a young age was that I always put myself in the other person’s position. I’d put myself [in my bosses] shoes [and ask], what would he expect? If you do that you can really start thinking about what they want to see from you and you can just use that to your advantage and you can just raise the bar and do it better than anyone would expect. If you keep doing that, it gives them no choice but to bring you on their team and to use you, because you’re obviously out-performing everyone else and you can then jump in and be the star of the show from such a young age,” he told Chris.

Foster Strong Relationships

It’s a long life, and career! There will be times when another opportunity presents itself that’s too good to ignore. But when it comes to leaving your job, Josh highly advises against burning bridges on your way out the door. 

The fact of the matter is, just because you’re leaving an organization doesn’t mean you abandon all the connections you built during your tenure there. 

“One thing that I’ve always valued is making sure that whenever you leave a company you give them ample time as a heads up to let them know you’re moving on. The last thing you want to do is burn a bridge and as you’ll see, I ended up back at the same company a couple times. That shows a little bit of a testament to making sure that you’re having that open communication, those open conversations, and that people understand why you’re leaving. There’s no hard feelings, it’s just that at that point in your career you need something different,” he explained. 

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

Louis Sabourin thrives under pressure.

Growing up timid, it would’ve been easy for Louis to fade into the background of his life. Instead, he flipped the script. Throughout his adolescence, he was always eager to advance at whatever endeavour he was taking on. 

That level of commitment and determination shows. As the Student Works “Rookie Coach of the Year”, Louis not only helped his own business evolve to greater heights, but he also succeeded in mentoring rookie operators in helping their ventures grow as well.

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Louis shared why he thinks the magic happens outside of your comfort zone:

Take the Leap

Louis never shies away from the hard parts of life. In fact, he believes that you can’t let the fear of failure stop you from reaching your full potential.

“All I have to say is just get after [your goals]. Whatever you want to achieve, whether it’s starting a business, becoming a dentist, traveling the world, having that hard conversation with a loved one or special person in your life, because you should just plan it and execute it. You most likely don’t have anything to lose, or have very little to lose. Get out of your comfort zone, it’ll feel weird at the beginning but in the end you’ll get rewarded and it’ll feel really good afterwards,” he told Chris.

Adapt and React

When Covid-19 first hit, it was a turbulent time for many businesses. Instead of letting his anxieties about the pandemic send him back into his shell, Louis adapted and reacted accordingly.

“I was actually one of the first operators in the business who kept selling when everything shut down through just changing the sales process. [I was] asking clients what they were comfortable with, doing zoom estimates, going to see walk arounds when clients were there but I would talk to them through the screen door from 10 meters away because everything was just all over the place. In the end, I had a great year. I’m really happy with how my business went, I have some great people working for me and really happy clients … it was a period of adaptation at the start but in the end, nothing is impossible, you get through it,” he explained.

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

In 1987, when Deb Crowe was supposed to be experiencing her free and easy university years, she dropped out of school to care for her ailing father.

While she grew up quickly, she insists she’s not a victim. In fact, it was during that challenging period that Deb tapped into an internal reservoir of resilience that has led her to where she is today.

An executive coach for C-Suite leaders, Deb knows a thing or two about running a business. 

In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Deb shared powerful words of wisdom for entrepreneurs of all levels of experience:

Fail Forward

While most of the population equates failure with embarrassment, Deb believes that it’s a valuable opportunity for growth.

“Don’t be afraid to fail! Fail forward, because at least you tried,” she said.

Yes, we’ve all heard it before, but when was the last time you did something totally outside of your comfort zone? The fact is, while we know we should embrace failure as a learning experience, in practice, most of us avoid it at all costs. 

For those still struggling to embrace the “fail forward” mindset, especially within the workplace, Deb offered more words of encouragement:

“We all make mistakes, we all say the wrong things, we’ve all put our foot in our mouth at some point. The workplace doesn’t make it any different,” she said. 

Put yourself out there! You might be surprised at what you can achieve and learn along the way.

Design your Life

In her quest for a meaningful life, Deb has many non-negotiable boxes that must remain checked at all times. 

“My biggest success as a business owner, I think, is creating a life by design. I’m there for my kids when they need me. Been married to the same guy for over 30 years. I never let my work [take over] my life or define my being. So I really feel that work-life integration, that life by design equation … [My schedule is booked] to the point of fulfillment and enjoyment and that makes me feel successful,” she shared.

So what exactly does success feel like to Deb?

“I don’t measure it by tangible extrinsic things. I measure it by keeping myself intrinsically focused and keeping my eye on the prize of being the best version of myself. Whether that’s being a wife, mom, or an entrepreneur,” she told Chris.

Lead with your Heart

Heart-centred leadership is a major key in the Deb Crowe playbook for success. 

“Heart-centred leadership: It’s listening. It’s asking questions. It’s being vulnerable. If you don’t know something about someone’s culture or ethnicity, don’t try to be that leader. Do some research, but more importantly, just have a conversation and be willing and open to learn,” she advised.

Historically, this type of leadership has been the exception, not the rule. But Deb believes that tides are changing.

“A lot of C-suite leaders were trained that heart-centred, or the word love, shouldn’t be in the same sentence as leader or leadership. At the end of a day, if a leader can own their character flaws and model self-care …. that’s fostering a healthy [company] culture. When [I speak to clients] about [heart-centred leadership], I always encourage them to take off the armour they learned academically that fits on their chest, and lower their wall of resistance [so that they can] have a beautiful experience and conversation with their executive team. When they model that, their executive team sees space and allowance to do the same,” she said.

Deb leaves future leaders with one thought-starting question: 

“How can you lead if you haven’t connected?” 

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!

In his first year with Student Works, Broder Currie doubled our rookie operator record and did over 200k in business.

This year, his second we might add, he’s set his sights on doing half a million. In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Broder shared just how he plans to scale his business to such heights:

See the Opportunity

For entrepreneurs, cultivating a positive mindset is one of the most powerful ways to avoid scarcity mentality and thrive. When he started with Student Works, Broder did just that.

“Every single house, every single building you see needs their windows cleaned, they need their gutters cleaned, they need some sort of pressure washing done and you’re just there to fill that need. When I had that mindset it shifted so much and I thought, okay maybe I can [market my business effectively]! I didn’t think about breaking records, I just thought maybe I can run a successful business,” he shared.

He thought right.

Be a Team Player

Inexperienced entrepreneurs often come out the gates firing on all cylinders, propelled by the belief that they themselves will be the reason their company succeeds. What they often learn, and usually the hard way, is that other people can pick up the slack on their weaknesses and be instrumental in their growth. 

“If I’m just one person, I can only do so much. I can be the best ever at selling, but I can’t be in three places at once. I can only be in one spot selling to one client. So hey, if I build a fantastic team, who can not only sell more, can not only go out and produce more, can not only go out and market more, then we can really grow this business! That was my goal right from the get go,” he told Chris. 

For such a successful operator, Broder shared that he didn’t even consider himself a great window cleaner. Thankfully, he’s a team player. 

“The best part about it was that I just found people who were better than me at certain things. I’ll be honest Chris, I’m a window cleaning operator and I’m not the best at cleaning windows. I leave little streaks and I miss them. But I found a team that is so efficient and so hardworking and they filled that need. I might be good at sales, but I found a sales rep who might be better than me! Two months in I was learning from him,” he shared.

Best of luck on smashing your impressive record, Broder!

Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!