Young Entrepreneurs Across America Reports & Reviews

Young Entrepreneurs Across America Reports & Reviews (7)

Cult of Personality - How YEAA Indoctrinates Students

To begin, I have firsthand experience on how this organization works, as I have done the "internship" and went through the process. And let me say this, yes, it did give me a lot of experience that is invaluable to me and taught me so much about how to manage people ect, ect, ect. However, this should not be the reason for joining this organization. There are a lot of other real internships that won't exploit your labor and aren't a pyramid scheme, all you have to do is just go out and look for them.

Let me begin by saying that all the reviews that are likely to be posted above or below in favor or YEAA are managers that have a financial incentive to make people believe that this isn't some type of pyramid scheme. When I was a part of the program, they reassured us countless times that they weren't, and that if we had any doubts, that we should go to them for guidance. In reality, what they are trying to do here is make sure that the people in their organization don't leave, by assuring them by whatever means they have that they aren't a pyramid scheme. In truth, they are more similar to a Cult then a pyramid scheme, because most of the things they do aren't illegal, however sketchy and forces you to do free labor without reimbursing you for said work. I remember going home and doing so many phone calls to clients, of which all that labor was unaccounted for and unpaid.

That's what a Cult makes people do. Makes you believe that you have to go above and beyond what is expected of you, (or in this case, legally required of you) and devalue your time and labor and efforts.

The sad part is, is that most of the people in this organization are so far into it, that they whole-heartedly believe that what they are doing is right. Let me put it this way. If the success of the student-run business is reliant on the students unpaid labor, and without said labor that business would have otherwise failed, then the organization shouldn't have been hiring vulnerable students in the first place. Keep in mind that some of these businesses do work, but these people are outliers not the average.

Another thing that they do is that they try to make the students feel good about themselves. I remember joining, and some of the things that they would say to us is, "We picked you from over 1000s of other applicants. You are the best of the best. You wouldn't be here if you weren't."...Yes... This really did make me feel special at one point. This of course, has an alternative tactic, and I wish I had listened to that part of me back then that thought it was too good to be true. They want you to feel good, so that you don't quit. If they make students believe that they are the best, and that they shouldn't be the ones to fail, what do you think is going to happen with their bottom-line. Well, for starters, those said students don't quit, because quitting implies that they aren't the best, that they didn't survive this trail in life. You are made to feel lesser than you are if you give up, when honestly giving up is the correct choice.

They might promise you a ton of money, and they might say that all the reviews online are BS and from some vengeful employee who has had a bad experience. I have to admit, I was one of the people who thought that might have been the case, that the organization wouldn't be lying and it really was just a prior employee with a bad experience. But I promise you, implore you actually, to not take these words lightly. That they are a type of Pyramid Scheme that employs Cult of Personality tactics into their training, and they will make you believe that everyone else in the world is wrong about them.

Don't believe them, but believe that you are amazing. Believe that you aren't a quitter, because sometimes quitters are winners. Believe in yourself, and understand that there are better opportunities out there, even if the future does seem hopeless right now. I wish someone had said that to me when I was in college in this program.

Farewell, and Godspeed!

Useful

This initial 'report' is so uninformed it hurts. I'm a few years out from going through YEAA and calling this a pyramid scheme is far from the truth. The genuine and tightly knit entrepreneurial community and mentors they offer paired with high-level coaching and willingness to help you through the process of starting a business is priceless. I would recommend to everyone I know and its changed my life for the better in so many ways, and for one knucklehead who may have struggled with this program to try to shut down the organization as whole is ill-minded, shortsighted, and ignorant to what the organization really is.

Useful

I worked for YEAA in the summer of 2019 and I made over $12,000. All of the above statements in this post are false. The skills I learned through YEAA helped me get the job I have today and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity.

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Victim Location 43210
Type of a scam Employment

"Young Entrepreneurs Across America" is a pyramid-scheme like "business" that traditionally targets students on college campuses who may be interested in an "internship" opportunity. I was contacted by a recruiter from YEAA and it sounded like a scam, so I did some research. YEAA markets itself as a company that provides leadership training to college students, but in reality it forces them to sign a contract that mandates they buy tremendous amounts of proprietary YEAA products in order to "market" their painting business. The vast majority of students get tricked into this because they advertise testimonials on their websites of students who make tens of thousands of dollars over a summer. But, most students end up losing money because there is a limited market for house painting and they are required to purchase so much product up front. This is a pretty typical pyramid scheme that preys on college students.

This is the email I received from a recruiter, on the campus of Ohio State University:

OSU Student,

Are you currently looking for a challenging internship for the upcoming 2019 summer that will truly test yourself? Are you looking for an organization that encourages learning and development from its interns as opposed to the low-end tasks the full time employees don’t want to take on. Are you seeking an opportunity that is unique and outside the box that could help set you apart in that future job interview? Are you looking for something outside of just sitting at a desk next summer while refining your leadership and management skills?

If any or all of the above apply to you then Young Entrepreneurs may have the right internship opportunity for you. Established in 1987, Young Entrepreneurs have been hiring OSU students for over 25 years and putting them through their summer management internship program.

We are seeking motivated, driven, high-energy individuals that truly believe that it is the opportunities that they take on during their collegiate career that will set them apart upon graduation. This is also a paid summer internship with last year’s managers earning an average of $10,000 in income.

We will be holding information meetings on main campus next Thursday, November 15th in the Ohio Union during the afternoon. This is the first opportunity for students to get all of the information on our program, ask questions, and to be considered for employment. Due to the overwhelming response that we typically have at this time of the year these information sessions are appointment based.

Simply reply to this email with your name, phone number, and the city you will be living in this summer. We will contact you Wednesday evening to set you up with a recruiter for Thursday afternoon. Info sessions are casual in nature, conducted in a group setting, and typically last about 30 minutes based on the amount of questions asked per session.

In the meantime feel free to check out our company website at www.yeaainternship.com. You can search both alumni and current students of OSU and other Ohio universities to see their testimonials and where they are at today.

Regards,

Matthew Amheiser

Student

Max M. Fisher College of Business

Regional Manager

Young Entrepreneurs Across America

[email protected]

I did not lose money from this as I know it's a scam, but I'm worried that other college students will fall prey to these dishonest tactics.

Useful

I am a 3rd year Senior Executive at the YEAA and I am sad that anyone would put this type of innacurate information out there about it being a scam. I am in my 5th year at UMass Amherst studying Applied Mathematics and Engineering and after only 2 summers at this internship I have experienced insane personal growth, gotten an awesome network from the company and some of my closest friends are interns that had this amazing experience alongside myself the past 2 summers. My first year I ran a $90,000 business and made around $16,000. This past summer returning as an executive to mentor the next class of incoming branch managers I ran a $161,000 business and profited over $47,000 dollars. Choosing to be an intern with YEAA has completely changed my life and is the best decision I have made in my life so far.
I didn't make any financial investment in order to become an intern with the company. The only investment I made was to trust their process and put in time and effort, as any business does to market my business and sell work before actually launching it. An amazing thing about YEAA is the support system that you have around you, you are given an executive who is your mentor throughout the entire process who you can call 24/7 whenever you want to either just talk or get advice on something. On my most challenging day my first summer I called my executive 21 times in one day.
This internship is for people who want to experience personal growth, get out of their comfort zone, and learn what it takes to actually run and scale a business and become a leader.
The great thing is, say you take a little longer to learn how to be a good leader than the rest of your peers. Then the floor of what you earn through the company is minimum wage for the summer.
Once again, I hope you understand how ridiculous this claim is about YEAA being a pyramid scheme.

Useful

I interned with YEAA last summer and had an incredible experience. I enjoyed my experience so much that I decided to come back for a second year. The company did not require us to pay for any of our marketing materials or make any up front investment like this post says. I gained an invaluable experience through this internship opportunity and grew immensely from it. The company supports its managers with everything and provides a risk-free opportunity to learn how to run a business. I have made some incredible new connections, developed an understanding of what goes into running a business, gained experience in marketing, sales, management, and more, as well as earned myself a significant amount of income for the summer which I am using to pay for school.

Useful

YEAA has been in business since 1987. Last summer, it employed nearly 1,500 college students in 10 states across America. None of our Managers are at financial risk and we guarantee that all Managers hired will make at least minimum wage over the course of the summer. YEAA also never mandates any managers to buy tremendous amounts of proprietary YEAA products in order to ‘market’ their business. We provide all marketing materials, training, and tools to make a successful business over the summer. All of the testimonials on our website are actual Alumni and people that went through the program. Again no students are at financial risk as they are never asked to give us any money, or pay any money to be a apart of the program. I hope this helped clear up your misunderstanding about our company.

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