Step into our dynamic Entrepreneurial Summer Internship (ESI) Program, where ten remarkable student teams are granted a transformative summer job opportunity. During the season, they will have the opportunity to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit, crafting businesses from scratch, and accessing top-tier mentors, educational workshops, and a generous stipend. Meet our entrepreneurs and discover what inspires them and fuels their journey.
Meet Miles Leslie of High-Performing Students
What does your company do?
My company is an online business that helps solve the pain points of high-performing student leaders through various self-improvement strategies and creating actionable systems to propel their success. These pain points can range from lack of discipline, productivity, academic concerns and more. I aim to create digital tools to educate my clients on how to succeed throughout their post-secondary education.
What drew you to entrepreneurship?
Since I could remember, I have always been entrepreneurial. My earliest memory was at the age of 8 when I aspired to go to the movies and purchase whatever I wanted on my own, instead of asking my parents. I decided to sell all my Halloween candy during recess and soon brought my friends into the operation having them split the profits with me. I made $56 off selling free Halloween candy and thought I hit the jackpot! The business was soon shut down after I learned that selling items on school property was not permitted. However, from that moment I have always been intrigued by entrepreneurship and hoped to learn more about everything it entails.
Elaborate on your business venture. What problem are you solving, and what is your unique approach?
It is quite common for students to face challenges such as lack of discipline, confusion about their life path, constantly feeling unproductive and academic concerns to name a few. In fact, research has shown that 77% of post-secondary students experience psychological distress and have concerns about these same feelings. I can also resonate with those feelings and after reading countless books, trying numerous strategies and educating myself deeply on the topic, I am confident that I know how to improve student's post-secondary experience. I set out a mission to teach these same principles which I call “high-performance techniques” to allow individuals to regain self-confidence while accomplishing their personal and professional goals. I am creating a digital tool to help post-secondary students thrive throughout their time at University. This tool will range from teaching students how to learn effectively, developing the right mindset or even creating systems to achieve their goals. For the past 4 years, I have been documenting my journey as a student on social platforms like YouTube where I share my personal story and teach others the strategies I use to win. However, through the creation of my digital tool, I will look to simplify these processes and teach others the same. My unique approach is that as a student, I understand the current landscape of the education system. This allows me to speak firsthand to the experiences and concerns many of my clients have. Furthermore, through my own personal successes and learning from my past failures, I am looking to educate students on how to implement concrete strategies, resources and systems to help many students across the world succeed.
What are you hoping to accomplish over the summer at ESI?
This summer I plan to complete the digital tool I am designing while growing my audience across social media platforms. I also hope to create better systems for my business that will allow me to grow while in school. Finally, I am hoping to develop new monetization strategies to better serve my customers.
If your business had a theme song, what would it be?
DeJ Loaf Changes
Who is your biggest entrepreneurial inspiration?
I receive inspiration from many entrepreneurs for various reasons and it would be hard to categorize them all here. However, someone who has built an empire of sustainable businesses and practices a lot of the same principles I teach is Bedros Keuilian. Bedros built a franchise of gyms (Fit Body Boot Camp) and now uses his personal brand to build and promote other businesses. He also mentors and educates high-level entrepreneurs who are looking to scale their businesses even further. This is something I aspire to do in the near future.