September 9, 2024 • 9 mins
What if you could turn your college years into the launchpad for your entrepreneurial dreams? Join me, Seth Mills, on this episode of the AstroCraft: Grow, Influence, Invest podcast as I share my compelling journey from a college student juggling classes to owning three successful exterior service-based businesses in Houston. I'll reveal how leveraging the support systems available to you, whether it's family assistance or mentorship, can be the game-changer in your academic and professional life.
Listen as I recount the pivotal moments that shaped my path, including the bold decision to quit my part-time job at Best Buy and fully commit to my business ventures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn from my experiences on finding your niche, balancing school with entrepreneurship, and understanding the significance of having robust systems in place to keep your operations running smoothly—even when you're taking some well-deserved time off. This episode is your guide to making the most of your college years while setting the foundation for a promising future.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the AstroCraft Grow Influence
podcast.
I am your host, seth Mills, andtoday I'd like to just reach
out to the college students outthere, because there's not a
whole lot of us who are doingthe things that we should be
doing and the things we could bedoing to set us up ahead.
I've already recorded this once, but I had some issues, so I'm
(00:24):
rerecording it.
And so my number one thing, mynumber one piece of advice for
college students, would be if,if you have some sort of support
system, which I'd say I don'tknow the exact statistic, but 40
to 60% of college students, Iwould assume have help getting
(00:45):
through school from family,parents, grants, etc.
Now I'm a full-time collegestudent.
I'm also a three-times businessowner here in the Houston area.
I own three of Houston's moresuccessful I'm not going to say
most successful, but moresuccessful exterior
(01:05):
service-based businesses, and Ialso do 12 to 15 hours each
credit semester or each semesterof credits.
So I think that I'm fairlyqualified to speak on this.
I am fortunate to have helpgoing through school.
My parents are paying for mycollege.
(01:26):
They're not paying for any ofmy other bills, just because if,
to be quite honest, if theywere not paying for college.
I don't know if I'd be doing it, and that's not a push on them
or a push on myself, it's just Idon't know how things would
have happened had I had to payfor my own way including I don't
know if I would have had thetime to start the three
(01:48):
companies that I now own.
I think that if you do have theassistance of others, it is
very beneficial for you to startdoing your own thing, and by
that I mean figure out yourniche, figure out what you are
passionate about, figure outwhat you can do to set yourself
(02:11):
up in the future.
Right, I'm 23.
I had help coming into theindustries that I'm in via a 22
year old entrepreneur who ownsone of Houston's most successful
exterior cleaning businessesand he does very well for
himself and he was very, verygenerous enough to help me get
started.
(02:31):
Again.
I don't know where I'd bewithout a few people that helped
me get to where I am.
However, it was just me.
It wasn't free handouts In asense it was, but in another
sense, it was not.
I reached out to a communitygroup that I am in and I have
been in since 2021 or 2020, Ibelieve asking for assistance on
a project, I believe threemonths after I opened my company
(02:54):
maybe sooner than that and hereached out.
He said, hey, I can help you.
And I was like, okay, cool, andthe rest is history.
He's helped me build severaldifferent things, mainly
whenever I first started.
We don't talk nearly as much asI wish we would.
However, I think that as acollege student, if you're just
(03:17):
working on school and you go outand you party and you drink and
by all means, I have my fairshare of fun too I travel at
least once a year, if not two,three, four times a year and
enjoy myself.
For instance, I just got backfrom Vegas I believe it was the
first week of August, so alittle over a month ago, or
right at a month ago, and I'llbe going right back to Vegas on
(03:39):
the first week of November,during the middle of my busy
season.
But I'll have systems in placeto where I do have clients being
serviced while I am out of town.
Uh, but enough about that.
I just wanted to touch on thebase of college students.
If you are in college, you don'thave a job or you have a part
(04:00):
time job and you don't reallyneed it that you're only
spending that money on partyingand going out with friends.
Figure out your niche, figureout what you love, what you're
passionate about, and go afterit.
Quit that part-time job, hell.
I quit my job on the spot atBest Buy when I first started
opening this company, in themiddle of COVID, because they
(04:21):
were forcing me to go get aCOVID test and I said no, I'm
good, sorry, I don't believe inCOVID, don't believe in COVID
tests.
It's just another flu.
But anyway and I do understand,some people get it worse than
others.
However, with that being said,I quit my job on the spot and I
had no source of income comingin.
(04:41):
That's when I started pressurewashing driveways and I've now
built it into not just pressurewashing but window cleaning,
christmas lights, and I'm nowgetting into permanent lighting
as well.
Um and so, quitting my job onthe spot and pursuing what I
wanted to do has propelled meand it's far exceeded my
expectations of what it wouldbecome, and I will no longer.
(05:05):
I have no intention.
Obviously, life will alwaystake its turn, but I have no
intention of ever working forsomebody else in my life, in my
life, and I guess that's whatI'm trying to portray onto you
guys is while you're in school.
You have anywhere from one tofour years to figure things out,
whether you're a sophomore,freshman or senior junior, you
(05:28):
have time, and if you don't needthe extra money to pay your own
way through college,essentially Take that money, use
it to build something.
Whether you're into YouTube,make the best YouTube videos you
can make, be the best YouTuberin the world.
It may not happen overnight, itmay not happen in three months
or a year.
It will happen.
(05:49):
Eventually, though, you willstart catching the recognition
that you deserve and that you'reso passionate about, and if
it's not YouTube, it could bepressure washing, for example.
Like me, I wouldn't say I'mpassionate about it, but I enjoy
it.
It's relaxing, it's satisfying.
So, in a sense, I am passionateabout it, and I just focus on
(06:10):
becoming the best pressurewashing window cleaner,
christmas light installer in theHouston market, and my
customers have been sograciously helpful to assist me
in building my dream andbuilding the company that I run.
Now I've got two part-time guys.
I'm working on making one ofthem full-time, and the rest is
(06:31):
history.
I mean, you just have to wantthat, you have to have the
ambition.
You just have to want that.
You have to have the ambition.
And let me tell you, I will bethe first one.
There are going to be bad days.
You are going to want to quit.
You're going to want to tearthat company to shreds, throw it
in the trash and throw it inthe garbage truck.
You just can't do it.
(06:51):
You got to push through.
So I guess what I'm saying isgo after it.
It is 2024.
If you're a college student, goafter it.
If you're not a college student, or recently graduated, or
you're in high school, you canstill go after it too.
You have so much time on yourhands.
Again, it's 2024.
I don't care if you're 23, likeme, or 20 or 18 or 50.
(07:17):
You have time to chase thethings you're passionate about.
You may have to take a littlebit of a life adjustment in your
living style, but it's worth it.
It's worth missing the partiesand again I'm targeting mainly
the college crowd here and theseniors graduating high school
but it's worth skipping out onthe parties.
(07:37):
It's worth skipping out on thedrinking and the quote unquote
what people call fun, if you'rebuilding something that will
propel you in your future and Imean I'll be the first to tell
you I'm making.
It takes, it took me about fouryears to build it, but I'm
making more than most collegegraduates are.
I'm making probably more than alot of 27 to 32 year olds are
(08:04):
too, and it's because I have anambition, it's because I'm
focused on growing my companyand I'm focused on enjoying life
in my future years here and Idon't want to retire and when
I'm 58 to 65, I want to retirewhen I'm 40 and I can enjoy life
with my family and my kids.
Should I have kids?
Hopefully I should.
(08:25):
Hopefully I do.
But again, life works how it isgoing to work.
So I just I'm trying to buildme and my family a great future,
and if you're in college orgraduating high school, you
definitely can.
If you've already graduated, orif you're older, you can build
a good life for yourself too, ora good retirement fund anyway,
(08:46):
and so I just I guess what I'msaying is it's 2024.
Push yourself, go for it, haveambition, and I appreciate you
listening to my little TED talk.
I do plan on releasing more ofthese episodes here very soon.
It's been quite a long timesince I've published something I
(09:06):
believe March, and I know Isaid it in that video, or that
podcast too, that I'd bereleasing more often.
I'm going to try and do thesemini episodes anywhere from 5 to
15 minutes an episode, at leastweekly.
I don't know if Buzzsprout willallow me to publish such short
videos, so in the event they donot, then I will host the
(09:28):
podcast over on YouTube fulltime, but we will see once I try
and post this video.
But again, thank you forlistening.
This is AstroCraft Grow,influence, invest podcast with
your host, seth Mills, and Ihope you guys have a wonderful
week ahead.
It is currently Monday,september 9th, and I will see
(09:48):
you guys next week.
Welcome to the AstroCraft Grow Influence
podcast.
I am your host, seth Mills, andtoday I'd like to just reach
out to the college students outthere, because there's not a
whole lot of us who are doingthe things that we should be
doing and the things we could bedoing to set us up ahead.
I've already recorded this once, but I had some issues, so I'm
(00:24):
rerecording it.
And so my number one thing, mynumber one piece of advice for
college students, would be if,if you have some sort of support
system, which I'd say I don'tknow the exact statistic, but 40
to 60% of college students, Iwould assume have help getting
(00:45):
through school from family,parents, grants, etc.
Now I'm a full-time collegestudent.
I'm also a three-times businessowner here in the Houston area.
I own three of Houston's moresuccessful I'm not going to say
most successful, but moresuccessful exterior
(01:05):
service-based businesses, and Ialso do 12 to 15 hours each
credit semester or each semesterof credits.
So I think that I'm fairlyqualified to speak on this.
I am fortunate to have helpgoing through school.
My parents are paying for mycollege.
(01:26):
They're not paying for any ofmy other bills, just because if,
to be quite honest, if theywere not paying for college.
I don't know if I'd be doing it, and that's not a push on them
or a push on myself, it's just Idon't know how things would
have happened had I had to payfor my own way including I don't
know if I would have had thetime to start the three
(01:48):
companies that I now own.
I think that if you do have theassistance of others, it is
very beneficial for you to startdoing your own thing, and by
that I mean figure out yourniche, figure out what you are
passionate about, figure outwhat you can do to set yourself
(02:11):
up in the future.
Right, I'm 23.
I had help coming into theindustries that I'm in via a 22
year old entrepreneur who ownsone of Houston's most successful
exterior cleaning businessesand he does very well for
himself and he was very, verygenerous enough to help me get
started.
(02:31):
Again.
I don't know where I'd bewithout a few people that helped
me get to where I am.
However, it was just me.
It wasn't free handouts In asense it was, but in another
sense, it was not.
I reached out to a communitygroup that I am in and I have
been in since 2021 or 2020, Ibelieve asking for assistance on
a project, I believe threemonths after I opened my company
(02:54):
maybe sooner than that and hereached out.
He said, hey, I can help you.
And I was like, okay, cool, andthe rest is history.
He's helped me build severaldifferent things, mainly
whenever I first started.
We don't talk nearly as much asI wish we would.
However, I think that as acollege student, if you're just
(03:17):
working on school and you go outand you party and you drink and
by all means, I have my fairshare of fun too I travel at
least once a year, if not two,three, four times a year and
enjoy myself.
For instance, I just got backfrom Vegas I believe it was the
first week of August, so alittle over a month ago, or
right at a month ago, and I'llbe going right back to Vegas on
(03:39):
the first week of November,during the middle of my busy
season.
But I'll have systems in placeto where I do have clients being
serviced while I am out of town.
Uh, but enough about that.
I just wanted to touch on thebase of college students.
If you are in college, you don'thave a job or you have a part
(04:00):
time job and you don't reallyneed it that you're only
spending that money on partyingand going out with friends.
Figure out your niche, figureout what you love, what you're
passionate about, and go afterit.
Quit that part-time job, hell.
I quit my job on the spot atBest Buy when I first started
opening this company, in themiddle of COVID, because they
(04:21):
were forcing me to go get aCOVID test and I said no, I'm
good, sorry, I don't believe inCOVID, don't believe in COVID
tests.
It's just another flu.
But anyway and I do understand,some people get it worse than
others.
However, with that being said,I quit my job on the spot and I
had no source of income comingin.
(04:41):
That's when I started pressurewashing driveways and I've now
built it into not just pressurewashing but window cleaning,
christmas lights, and I'm nowgetting into permanent lighting
as well.
Um and so, quitting my job onthe spot and pursuing what I
wanted to do has propelled meand it's far exceeded my
expectations of what it wouldbecome, and I will no longer.
(05:05):
I have no intention.
Obviously, life will alwaystake its turn, but I have no
intention of ever working forsomebody else in my life, in my
life, and I guess that's whatI'm trying to portray onto you
guys is while you're in school.
You have anywhere from one tofour years to figure things out,
whether you're a sophomore,freshman or senior junior, you
(05:28):
have time, and if you don't needthe extra money to pay your own
way through college,essentially Take that money, use
it to build something.
Whether you're into YouTube,make the best YouTube videos you
can make, be the best YouTuberin the world.
It may not happen overnight, itmay not happen in three months
or a year.
It will happen.
(05:49):
Eventually, though, you willstart catching the recognition
that you deserve and that you'reso passionate about, and if
it's not YouTube, it could bepressure washing, for example.
Like me, I wouldn't say I'mpassionate about it, but I enjoy
it.
It's relaxing, it's satisfying.
So, in a sense, I am passionateabout it, and I just focus on
(06:10):
becoming the best pressurewashing window cleaner,
christmas light installer in theHouston market, and my
customers have been sograciously helpful to assist me
in building my dream andbuilding the company that I run.
Now I've got two part-time guys.
I'm working on making one ofthem full-time, and the rest is
(06:31):
history.
I mean, you just have to wantthat, you have to have the
ambition.
You just have to want that.
You have to have the ambition.
And let me tell you, I will bethe first one.
There are going to be bad days.
You are going to want to quit.
You're going to want to tearthat company to shreds, throw it
in the trash and throw it inthe garbage truck.
You just can't do it.
(06:51):
You got to push through.
So I guess what I'm saying isgo after it.
It is 2024.
If you're a college student, goafter it.
If you're not a college student, or recently graduated, or
you're in high school, you canstill go after it too.
You have so much time on yourhands.
Again, it's 2024.
I don't care if you're 23, likeme, or 20 or 18 or 50.
(07:17):
You have time to chase thethings you're passionate about.
You may have to take a littlebit of a life adjustment in your
living style, but it's worth it.
It's worth missing the partiesand again I'm targeting mainly
the college crowd here and theseniors graduating high school
but it's worth skipping out onthe parties.
(07:37):
It's worth skipping out on thedrinking and the quote unquote
what people call fun, if you'rebuilding something that will
propel you in your future and Imean I'll be the first to tell
you I'm making.
It takes, it took me about fouryears to build it, but I'm
making more than most collegegraduates are.
I'm making probably more than alot of 27 to 32 year olds are
(08:04):
too, and it's because I have anambition, it's because I'm
focused on growing my companyand I'm focused on enjoying life
in my future years here and Idon't want to retire and when
I'm 58 to 65, I want to retirewhen I'm 40 and I can enjoy life
with my family and my kids.
Should I have kids?
Hopefully I should.
(08:25):
Hopefully I do.
But again, life works how it isgoing to work.
So I just I'm trying to buildme and my family a great future,
and if you're in college orgraduating high school, you
definitely can.
If you've already graduated, orif you're older, you can build
a good life for yourself too, ora good retirement fund anyway,
(08:46):
and so I just I guess what I'msaying is it's 2024.
Push yourself, go for it, haveambition, and I appreciate you
listening to my little TED talk.
I do plan on releasing more ofthese episodes here very soon.
It's been quite a long timesince I've published something I
(09:06):
believe March, and I know Isaid it in that video, or that
podcast too, that I'd bereleasing more often.
I'm going to try and do thesemini episodes anywhere from 5 to
15 minutes an episode, at leastweekly.
I don't know if Buzzsprout willallow me to publish such short
videos, so in the event they donot, then I will host the
(09:28):
podcast over on YouTube fulltime, but we will see once I try
and post this video.
But again, thank you forlistening.
This is AstroCraft Grow,influence, invest podcast with
your host, seth Mills, and Ihope you guys have a wonderful
week ahead.
It is currently Monday,september 9th, and I will see
(09:48):
you guys next week.
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