
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Are you an ambitious young entrepreneur? Do you consider yourself a role model and leader of tomorrow? If so, this is going to be the show for you. Leaders Of Tomorrow is a show dedicated young and ambitious entrepreneurs looking to forge their own path in this world. Each week, we will bring you an inspiring interview and share with you behind the scenes some of the values and beliefs of our 8-figure business; Student Works Management Program. From interviews with young millionaires and personal anecdotes from our head coach; Chris Thomson, this show will give you everything you need to know to become a Leader Of Tomorrow.
Episodes

Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
In today's episode of Leaders of Tomorrow, Chris Thomson chats with Ian Shears, a young leader who started working for our business as a window cleaner at the age of 16 and has since worked his way up to becoming a production manager and a top rookie operator.
In today’s show, Ian shares his experiences working with different personalities in the business, emphasizing the importance of accountability and support for team members. He also talks about the critical steps of the sales process that his program follows to ensure clients are excited and informed about working with them.
Ian discusses the sacrifices he had to make to achieve success in his business and shares his tips for running a successful enterprise. One of his key tips is being organized and using a calendar to plan and manage tasks effectively. Ian also talks about the importance of client satisfaction and getting feedback to improve service delivery.
Chris and Ian discuss the transition Ian made from window cleaning to painting and how he adapted to the change. Ian talks about the importance of remarketing and making sure that the business name is known in the preseason. He also talks about the document they use in his program called a "max launch" to ensure that the business is launched successfully.
Also, Ian shares his experiences of working in the window cleaning and painting industry and the key lessons he has learned as a young leader, he emphasizes the importance of accountability, support, and organization in running a successful enterprise and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- The importance of accountability and support for team members in a business.
- 8 Critical steps of the sales process to ensure satisfaction.
- Sacrifices necessary to achieve success in business and tips for running a successful enterprise.
- The transition from window cleaning to painting and adapting to changes.
- Importance of remarketing and getting feedback to improve service delivery.
- And so much more…
Resources:

Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
323 | President’s Club Call | Organization and Business Structures
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
When it comes to the world of business, our minds tend to gravitate towards sales, marketing, and maximizing revenue - all essential components of any successful enterprise. It's also crucial to consider how to best serve our customers or clients. Yet, there is an often-overlooked area that can make all the difference in the success of a business: organization, consistent input, and a strong business infrastructure. These factors can have a significant impact on the overall performance and longevity of a company.
In today’s episode of Leaders of Tomorrow, we are going to share another President's Club call where Chris Thomson and some of our best operators will discuss these essential factors and their impact on business performance.
They will talk about the importance of setting expectations with clients and how effective tools can be used to manage time. They also explore ways to set expectations before hiring people and why having an organized Google Drive is crucial for workflow optimization.
You will find out what the video walkthroughs are and how they can make a significant difference in the business.
They will also discuss the challenge of preventing business systems from breaking down over time due to entropy, will talk about structures that promote accountability among team members, will share some effective tools they use to manage their time and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- How to prepare for production throughout the Student Works sales process.
- How to set expectations before hiring people.
- The importance of having an organized Google Drive.
- How to keep your systems from breaking down due to entropy.
- Structures to use with team members to keep them accountable.
- And so much more...
Resources:

Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
322 | Dan Sharp | Building a Great Place to Work
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
In today's show, we are going to rebroadcast our interview with Dan Sharp, one of our alumni who is today the President and CEO of Infoware Canada Inc, a successful technology company that is helping law firms recover time to enhance productivity & increase profitability.
Dan was a guest on our show in October 2019 when he talked about how joining Student Works changed his life forever and helped him gain transferable skillsets that formed the foundation for a successful professional life.
Dan also shared his journey after he left Student Works from working at Canon, rising to National Director, to becoming an entrepreneur and running Infoware.
Before rebroadcasting the interview with Dan, we are also going to play a recent follow-up to Dan’s interview, a conversation in which he will discuss how his company coped with the recession, identified an opportunity to improve company culture and became certified as a great place to work.
He'll emphasize the importance of employee satisfaction and the challenges he faced to achieve his current success. He will also talk about his future plans for continued growth and improvement for his staff, clients, and the company, he will discuss the importance of a growth mindset and a continuous learning approach in business, will talk about the benefits of using technology to increase productivity and profitability and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show
- The value of transferable skills gained from Student Works and how they can form the foundation for a successful professional life.
- The importance of employee satisfaction and company culture
- How to identify opportunities for improving company culture and employee satisfaction
- The benefits of using technology to increase productivity and profitability in the legal industry
- The importance of a growth mindset and a continuous learning approach in business
- The strategies Dan uses to keep his company moving forward.
- And so much more…
Resources

Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
321 | Hailey McCoubrey | Running a Student Works Business in a Cottage Turf
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
In today's episode of Leaders of Tomorrow, Chris Thomson talks to Hailey McCoubrey, one of our top veterans. She is a third-year student at Western University and a second-year operator in our program.
She operates in Honey Harbour and surrounding areas and runs her business from her cottage on an island. It is a unique territory where finding customers and stuff to recruit can be a challenge. But Hailey managed to lead her business to success. Last year she was one of our top rookie operators (she did $230,000) and her goal is to double her business.
During today's show, Hailey is going to talk about her amazing journey with Student Works, what she did to achieve success in her first year, her plans for the future and the lessons she is taking from our program.
You will find out more about who Hailey was before Student Works, how she heard about our program and what made her decide to join it.
Hailey will first talk about her experience during her first summer in our program and the unexpected lesson she learned from it.
She will also share the challenges she had to overcome to achieve success with her business, will talk about the importance of accepting criticism and asking for feedback, will reveal what you need to do to get your business in the local papers and how to use Facebook marketing to promote your business and so much more.
Listen now and enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Some of the unexpected lessons Hailey took from her first year in our program
- How to work hard, play hard and have fun at the same time
- What you need to do to get your business in the local papers
- How will the skills Hailey learned in our program are going to impact her career
- How to set yourself up for success
- And so much more…
Resources:

Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
320 | Dave Hanley | How to Become the Best Podcast Advertising Company
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
In today's show, we are going to rebroadcast our interview with Dave Hanley, a successful entrepreneur and seasoned sales practitioner. He had a big part in building two bootstrapped software companies and became a profitable industry leader. Currently, he is the Chief Revenue Officer at AdvertiseCast, a podcast advertising platform connecting brands with highly-engaged podcast audiences.
Dave was a guest on our show four years ago when he talked about his experiences with the Student Works Program. He shares how it helped him decide to be an entrepreneur and how the exposure to management and leadership with Student Works helps him pass through the sleepless nights when he loses a client.
He also gave some valuable advice that will inspire you to go out into the marketplace, take bold actions and create the results that you truly want.
Before rebroadcasting the interview with Dave, we are also going to play a recent follow-up to Dave’s interview, a conversation in which he will talk about how his business grew enormously and how it was acquired by Libsyn, one of the long-standing players in the podcast industry.
Chris and Dave will have a fantastic talk about selling your business and leadership at a higher level.
You will learn more about AdvertiseCast, the concept and the story behind the business.
Dave will share a core skill that he learned at Student Works and he is still using today in his business, will reveal the story behind how AdvertiseCast was purchased by Libsyn and will also talk about what he is working on right now and some of the challenges he is facing
You will also find out that building a great product is not enough to achieve success in your business. What else do you need? Listen until the end to find out!
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show
- The story behind how AdvertiseCast was purchased by Libsyn
- What is Dave working on right now and some of the challenges he is facing
- What made Dave decide to become an entrepreneur
- How Dave switched from the insurance space to the podcast industry
- The biggest challenge when you are a leader
- The reason why a lot of people are scared to start their own business
- And so much more…
Resources

Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
319 | Noah Propp | The Importance of Assuming Responsibility in Your Business
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
In today's episode of Leaders of Tomorrow, Chris Thomson talks to Noah Propp, one of our top operators managing in the Montreal area, who did over $100,000 for the business last year and is aiming for $300,000 this year.
During today's show, Noah is going to discuss the success he had last year, how he overcame some challenges, the biggest lessons he learned and the importance of assuming responsibility for everything that happens in your business
You will find out who Noah was before joining the program and how this experience changed his life.
Noah will talk about the challenges around recruiting he had in his first year and how he overcame them, and he will also reveal the best way to induce confidence in your team.
He will share some of the unexpected lessons he learned in his first year in our program, and will talk about what shifted in his business and what are his goals for this year.
You will find out what makes the difference between a midsize operator and a top operator, how the Student Works experience can have a huge impact on your career in the long run and so much more.
Listen now and enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- The challenges around recruiting Noah had in his first year and how he overcame them
- The best way to induce confidence in your team
- What makes the difference between a midsize operator and a top operator
- The power of resiliency when it comes to running your business and being a full-time student
- Some key habits you should “steal” from Noah
- And so much more...
Resources:

Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
318 | Top Rookie Conversation | Alexander Rutenberg and Wil Brawn
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
In today's episode of Leaders of Tomorrow, Chris Thomson is going to start a series of conversations with some of our successful rookies, people who are off to a great start and who are going to talk about their impressions and the lessons they learned after their first months into our program.
In today’s show, Chris is going to talk to Alexander Rutenberg, a third-year student at Queens and a top rookie operator on the window cleaning side of our business, managing in the West Island Beaconsfield, and Wil Brawn who is in his final year at Queen's University and is a top painting operator in Central Toronto, in Leaside.
They are going to have a fantastic conversation about their first impressions in our program and the unexpected lessons they already learned from this experience.
They will talk about the results they got so far in the program and the transferable skills they got the chance to develop at Student Works.
They will also discuss how these skills are going to help them in their future careers, they will highlight the importance of the network you can be a part of after joining our program, they will share some of the habits that help them be successful and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- A little bit about Wil and Alex and their results in the program
- Some unexpected lessons and skills Wil and Alex learned in the program so far
- Transferable skills that Alex and Wil developed in our program
- The three key things that make a successful entrepreneur
- Key habits to “steal” from Alex and Wil
- The importance of the network you can be a part of after joining our program
- And so much more...
Resources:
207 | Patrick Lalonde | Shedding the Victim Mindset and Taking Charge of Your Life
Books:
Principles: Your Guided Journal (Create Your Own Principles to Get the Work and Life You Want)
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
317 | Paul Flick | How I Created a Multi-Million Multi-Service Franchise Company
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
Tuesday Mar 07, 2023
In today's show, we are going to re-broadcast our interview with Paul Flick, one of our successful alumni, who has 20 years of leadership and management experience in the franchising industry.
Paul is the CEO and Founder of Premium Service Brands (a company that offers multiple services in the home services space) and 360 Degree Painting (a painting franchise company whereas Premium).
Paul was a guest on our show in the fall of 2020 when he talked about his experience with Student Painter back in the 1980s when he helped open up a new division in Michigan and Ohio, he shared details about his job at Coca-Cola after leaving our program and he discussed his successful career as an entrepreneur and what he does in the present.
At the beginning of today's show we are also going to play a recent follow-up to Paul’s interview, a conversation in which he will talk about what happened to his businesses from 2020 since today, how he has acquired a number of new brands and grown his business from a $100 million to $400 million in just 2 years and a half.
You will also find out how Paul engaged with private equity back in 2021 and what that process has been like.
He will talk about how his experience with knocking on doors at Student Painters still helps him today and he will share his plans for the next five years and how he is planning to grow his business into a billion-dollar one.
You will also learn more about how to survive massive economic downturns, how business structures allow you to work with greater freedom, how to run a successful franchise operation and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show
- How Paul went from a $100 million business to $400 million in just 2 years and a half?
- Paul’s goals for his business for the next five years
- How to survive massive economic downturns
- How business structures allow you to work with greater freedom
- How to run a successful franchise operation
- And so much more…
Resources
193 | Paul Flick | How I Created a Multi-Million Multi-Service Franchise Company

Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
316 | President’s Club Call
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Today's episode of Leaders of Tomorrow is going to be a special one as we are going to share our latest President's Club call, where we selected 10 of our best operators to share best practices and tips on how to run a successful business within our program.
You are going to learn what are some of the amazing things that we're doing at the Student Works Management Program to create the incredible success that we have year after year.
Chris Thomson and his guests are going to have an incredible conversation about preseason marketing best practices, developing marketing teams, how we enrol people, how we hold them accountable, and how we support and train them.
They will reveal the best practice for training someone and getting them up to speed really quickly.
You will learn how you can help your team build up their resistance to potentially uncomfortable situations.
They will also talk about the importance of getting your team to know each other better and how you can do that through fun activities.
You will learn more about the importance of focusing on the awareness of the brand and you will also discover the secret to keeping your employees accountable.
They will also talk about how to promote your business through Facebook community groups and through local newspaper articles and so much more.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- How to develop great marketing teams and why is this so important
- The best practice for training someone and getting them up to speed really quick
- The importance of focusing on the awareness of the brand
- The secret to keeping your employees accountable
- How to help your team build up their resistance to potentially uncomfortable situations
Resources:

Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
In today’s show, Chris interviews William Chyz, Managing Director at Traynor Ridge Capital Inc. William, a former student painter, currently helps HNI’s with their alternative investments.
We start this show with William sharing his backstory.
As a high school student, William did not have much idea about what he was going to do with his life. So, after working some odd jobs, when he joined Student Works, admittedly, he was quite naïve. But he learned the different nuances of managing a painting business in a very short time.
Specifically, as a student painter, William shares how he got a chance to hone his cold-calling skills. Going forward, this sales experience proved to be invaluable as William developed a thick skin and evolved into a more confident individual.
William graduated in 2009, at the height of the economic crisis. Despite all odds, he managed to get a job working at a trading desk at Scotiabank. In this segment of the show, William reminds listeners that while your first job may not always be glamorous, you have to go the extra mile to develop critical skill sets that can propel you ahead.
His next employment was with BNN (Business News Network). Working in media was an interesting experience for William, and this is where he met his boss, the CEO of Westcourt Capital Corporation.
After working in extremely large organizations, William realized that in order to grow faster, he had to work in small and fast-growing organizations.
When William joined Westcourt, he was just the fifth employee on the roster. He made the decision to get back into the financial industry as he got an opportunity to work in the unique field of alternative investments.
In this next segment of the show, William gives us a peek into his professional life. William and his Westcourt team conduct due diligence for alternative investments and help HNI’s generate greater returns while mitigating risk. Here, William also shares how their investment portfolio has fared in the wake of COVID.
We hope you enjoy this show!
What You Will Learn In This Show
- How a Student Works experience can equip you with critical and transferable skillsets
- How alternative investments can mitigate risk and add value to your portfolio
- Impact of COVID on alternative investments
- And so much more…
Resources