What actually changes between a good first year and a breakout one?
Chris Thomson sits down with three of the program’s most improved operators, Josh Shafter, Lizzy Lavalley, and Josh Burke. Each one cleared six figures in their first season, then came back and roughly doubled it.
They get honest about what was really holding them back the first time, complacency, a reactive grind, and a victim mindset, and how habits, recruiting, expectation setting, gratitude, and the right environment turned those weak spots into a breakout year.
If you have ever wondered why some people plateau after a strong start while others surge ahead, this conversation is the playbook. Listen now.
Timestamped Highlights
- 01:42 – Josh Shafter admits the real bottleneck in his first year was himself
- 03:05 – Why sales came easy for Lizzy, and why production nearly broke her
- 04:56 – Josh Burke on the “if it ain’t broke” trap that quietly capped his year
- 08:30 – The mindset and environment silently draining Lizzy’s results
- 10:02 – The good-week, bad-week pattern that burned Josh Shafter out at $99K
- 13:34 – The moment Lizzy realized her weakness was a skill, not a personality
- 19:17 – What finally made Lizzy decide to come back and go all in
- 23:01 – The onboarding talk that made Josh Burke lock his own phone
- 25:04 – The daily practice Josh Shafter credits for pushing the envelope
- 27:44 – Why Josh Shafter was his team’s least profitable rookie, and how he fixed it
- 32:24 – The “now or never” bet all three are making on Facebook this season
- 41:11 – Josh Burke on why your 20s are not the time to coast
About the Guests
Josh Shafter is a second-year Student Works Management Program operator and a sociology graduate of Concordia University. He grew his window cleaning business from roughly $100K in his rookie year to $170K as of late June, with a goal of $300K. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, he is known for trading a reactive, lone-wolf approach for data-driven systems, a built-out sales team, and a daily gratitude practice.
🔗 LinkedIn
Lizzy Lavalley is a third-year Student Works Management Program operator based in eastern Toronto and a kinesiology graduate of the University of Western Ontario. After seasons of $107K and $122K, she reached $260K and earned top vet of the week. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, she is known for rebuilding her confidence through strong habits, accountability, and a growth mindset.
🔗 LinkedIn
Josh Burke is a third-year Student Works Management Program operator in the Cobourg and Port Hope area and a student at Ontario Tech University. He grew his business from $125K in his first year to $220K. Recognized as one of the program’s most improved operators, he is known for replacing complacency with sharper expectation setting, better recruiting, and disciplined habits.
🔗 LinkedIn
Resources and Links Mentioned
Important Links
The Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast is an original production by Chris Thomson. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
