AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTHWESTERN STUDENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
It is an honor to welcome you to the Southwestern Student Management Program. By joining this team, you are stepping into a tradition shared by some of the world’s leading business, political, legal, and medical professionals. The journey ahead will take you to places and experiences you may never have imagined. It will not be easy—but we know you welcome challenges, or you would not have come this far.
While many young people are uncertain about their future, one thing is certain: you will be working with people. Next summer, you will have the opportunity to lead a team—an experience that will reveal your ability to inspire, coach, and guide others toward a common goal. You’ll discover that different people are motivated in different ways, and you will learn the art of helping individuals grow—first by solving problems with them, and eventually by empowering them to solve challenges on their own. Developing these skills at such a young age will give you a powerful advantage when you enter the job market.
As part of next year’s management team, you will gain invaluable leadership experience. You will learn to set goals, encourage others to face fears of rejection and success, and push people to achieve more than they thought possible. Leading a team to another continent and helping them build a successful business is, in itself, an extraordinary accomplishment.
Throughout this process, you will also be building your own confidence. As the saying goes, “The teacher learns the most.” You will find yourself growing just as much—if not more—than those you lead. By setting the pace for your team, attending leadership seminars, and returning to sales school, you will be prepared to face any challenge with confidence and resilience.
Will the summer be easy? Absolutely not. Will it be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life? Without question. And when the time comes to step into career interviews, you will not only bring your Southwestern sales experience but also the proven leadership and management skills that set you apart.
So once again, congratulations! Together, let’s build a thriving organization that we can all take pride in. Thank you in advance for the role you will play in making this next year the best one yet. We are truly proud of you!
Vasil Chakardakov
Senior District Sales Leader
Emil Tsvetkov
Senior District Sales Leader
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A STUDENT LEADER
FRIENDS AND RELATIONSHIPS: SPEND TIME WITH THE BEST
Our mission is to be the best organization in the world at helping young people develop the skills and the character they need to achieve their goals in life. It’s why we are here. What we do is immensely challenging, but that’s what makes it important.
Alumni talk about this importance endlessly. As a student leader, you will work with great mentors, have great peers to travel with, learn from, and compete with, and also have the chance to watch others learn and grow as you lead them. You’ll form life-changing relationships, many of which will truly last a lifetime.
PERSONAL GROWTH
For most people, summers in the field of education don’t necessarily get easier – it’s you who gets stronger. Growth happens in those moments when you feel like you can’t go on, but you choose not to quit.
You’ll always have the tools you need to set bigger goals and reach higher. Each summer brings new challenges. Whether this is your second summer or your twenty-second, you’ll be stretched and pushed to grow.
BUILDING PEOPLE, BUILDING A BUSINESS
Spencer Hays (1936–2017), our late Executive Chairman, often reminded us: “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build a business.”
Here, you’ll gain hands-on experience in working with all kinds of people, in all kinds of circumstances. You’ll learn how to grow relationships, develop resilience, and sharpen the skills that drive both personal and professional success.
Best of all, you’ll get the chance to build your own business—without the burden of creating products, services, or infrastructure from scratch. And whether or not you see yourself as a future entrepreneur, one thing remains true: you will always be the CEO of the business called your life.
MENTORSHIP
Socrates mentored Plato; Plato mentored Aristotle; Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great—and Alexander went on to change the world.
Oprah, who overcame a difficult and abusive childhood, once told Barbara Walters, “Had there not been you, there never would have been me.”
Michael Jordan—who didn’t even make his high school basketball team on his first try—credited his legendary coach, Dean Smith, for shaping him into the player he became.
Mentors are guides on life’s journey, drawing out the best in us. When you commit to becoming a leader with Southwestern Advantage, you’ll receive hands-on mentorship from someone who has already “been there and done that.” Every District Sales Leader—what Mort Utley once called “the most important role in the most important company in the world”—has mastered the art of building people while building business. More than that, they’ve dedicated their careers to helping young people like you succeed.
Each one is chosen not only for proven expertise, but for a deeper reason: their commitment to helping others develop the skills, habits, and character needed to achieve their goals in life.
SEE THE WORLD, SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
Many young people dream of traveling—seeing their country, exploring the world—but often lack one thing: the means to make it happen.
The Southwestern Advantage summer sales program is a cultural experience all its own. By traveling across the United States, you’ll live and work in new communities, connect with thousands of people from all walks of life, and gain perspectives you simply can’t get in a classroom. Every summer becomes not just a job, but an adventure that broadens your horizons.
As a leader, you’ll not only earn money that can take you there, but you’ll also have the chance to win unforgettable trips. From sun-soaked Sizzlers, to VIP getaways at top resorts, to BBC in a major European capital, GRS in Nashville, or GRG with elite leaders in some of the world’s most exciting destinations—you’ll experience places and moments that most people only dream about.
And as a Sales Leader, the opportunities expand even further, with additional expense-paid travel to reward your leadership and success.
FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY
According to The Institute for College Access & Success, the average graduate of the class of 2019 carried $28,950 in student loan debt. U.S. News & World Report found that, on average, it takes over 21 years to pay that off. Imagine being well into your 40s and still not “out of college.”
Money isn’t everything—but living in debt isn’t either. And the reality is, most “normal” summer jobs and pay scales won’t even scratch the surface.
The good news? By staying coachable, preparing thoroughly, and working hard—mentally, physically, and emotionally—you can make a serious dent in your student loan debt and set yourself on a stronger financial path. See more details below.
DISCLOSURE
Since 1868, the Southwestern Advantage sales and leadership program has given college and university students the opportunity to develop valuable skills, build character, and offset educational expenses by running their own business selling educational resources to families.
From the start, we are upfront about the challenges and expectations of the program, ensuring that every participant—and their parents—understands them fully before formal training begins.
Each independent student dealer’s results will vary based on their individual sales success, which is ultimately determined by their level of commitment, effort, and perseverance.
TRAVEL, EXPLORE, EXPERIENCE
We have had
seminars in:
Nashville (USA)
Hungary, Cyprus
Slovakia, Malta
Bulgaria, Greece
Portugal, Turkey
Spain, Estonia
Italy
We have had
Sizzler Trips in:
Mexico
Egypt
Gran Canaria
Morocco
Cabo Verde
The Gambia
Turkey
We have had
GRG Trips in:
The Azores, Hawaii, Panama, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, Brazil
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras
Jamaica.
We have had
DSM Trips in:
South Africa, Bora Bora, Colombia, Kenya,
and New Orleans for the Super Bowl!
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A STUDENT LEADER
FALL (Oct-Nov)
BUSINESS BUILDING SEMINAR
An unforgetable gatherings following the summer program in a European capital designed to take the knowledge & transferable skills students’ learn on the bookfield and teach them how to apply it to recruiting and leadership. the event is concluded by the FREDDIES.
FALL (Oct-Nov)
RECRUITING & WORKING WITH YOUR STUDENT MANAGER
Learn to build your own team by following your Student Manager or Student Leader, organize FY/SM meetings, and boost your public speaking, presentation skills, motivation, and idea-sharing with other leaders.
WINTER (DEC/JAN)
THE AWARDS BANQUET
Probably the best event of the year. The group will gather locally to celebrate each dealer’s success with their parents, family, and friends. Dress up and enjoy the limelight as you receive the prizes you worked hard for this summer. A great time to introduce your SM to your parents and have fun!
WINTER (DEC/JAN)
GREAT RECRUITERS GETAWAY
GRG is a bonus option for the Management Team to qualify to the trip through the achievement of set requirements is a luxury location (Panama, Azores Island, Cuba, Columbia, Jamaica) with the attendance of the CEO or president of the company.
WINTER (DEC/JAN)
GREAT RECRUITERS SEMINAR & FREDDIES
Upon qualification (check with your SM or SL), you can attend the Nashville seminar with top company leaders. It’s a great chance to share and learn about leadership and management, ending with the companywide FREDDIES.
SPRING (FEB)
THE SIZZLER TRIP
At the Southwestern Advantage, our top student reps have the opportunity to qualify for a fun trip with friends from their summer (former trips include Mexico, Egypt, Morocco, Canary Islands) also known as Sizzler. Sun, fun, and a lot of cool students! All-inclusive! Need we say more?
SPRING (APRIL)
THE PRE-SUMMER PREP MEETING
Upon qualification (check with your SM or SL), join the summer prep meeting with the SL and summer OLs to cover topics like strong recruiting and boosting summer production—and hang out with Highlanders’ top superstars!”
SPRING (APR/MAY)
LEADERSHIP MEETING & PRODUCTION SEMINAR
Learn about leadership by sharing team-building experiences with your leaders and peers—and have fun! Get ready for an explosive next summer. Need technical tips, emotional prep advice, or just want to hang out with Top Producers? This is it!
EARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT LEADERS
PERSONAL SALES PROFIT
As a dealer of Southwestern Advantage products, you are both an entrepreneur and a business owner. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share two fundamental truths:
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There is no limit to the income they can earn.
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That income is directly tied to the results they achieve.
Whether you hit nearly all your goals this year or fell short of your expectations, it doesn’t define your long-term potential. By dedicating yourself to learning and mastering the process, you can grow your income significantly year over year. This requires staying coachable and remembering Bookslinger’s Law:
"If you’re truly working – physically, mentally, and emotionally – success will follow."
Winning the Growth Award—achieving a 1,000-unit increase during the summer—can boost your profit by more than $9,060 each summer. Beyond that, by becoming an expert in helping families subscribe to and maintain their memberships in the Southwestern Advantage Online suite of resources, as well as LEAD, you can continue to generate thousands of dollars in profit even after the summer ends.
TEAM DEALER DISCOUNT
The ability to lead others is invaluable, and many people spend thousands of dollars attending leadership courses. With Southwestern Advantage, you gain leadership experience at an incredibly young age—and you also benefit financially.
By helping new students succeed, you are not only contributing to their growth but also helping the Company thrive. In recognition of your success in recruiting, developing, and leading first-year students, the Company rewards you with a 15% discount on the wholesale price of products delivered and paid for by students on your personal team.
This equates to approximately $2.04 per unit delivered and paid for by your team members. Build a team producing 5,000 units and receive $10,200 in Dealer Discounts!
Additionally, you will continue to earn dealer discounts on the residual revenue from your team’s sales through at least the following June—and potentially longer, as you continue to grow your team and build your leadership skills.
ORGANIZATIONAL INCOME
The greatest learning opportunity in this business lies in leadership. By inspiring members of your team to return and become leaders themselves, you become eligible to earn a percentage of the total delivered sales and residual revenue generated by your organization.
The percentage you earn increases as your organization’s total business volume grows. When members of your team develop their own organizations, the amounts they earn are deducted from the gross total your organization qualifies for. This makes it especially important to continually add new people to your team.
In short, the key to long-term success is to build your business both deep and wide—develop strong leaders while expanding your reach.
OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD LONG-TERM BUSINESS
Over a period of years, your personal sales profit, team dealer discount, and organizational profit can enable you to:
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Graduate with less debt
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Pay for many great travel and other experiences
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Make a down payment on your own property
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Donate significantly to causes you believe in
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Establish savings for your futur
Doing well, by doing good. It’s an awesome opportunity!
FIVE-YEAR PATH TO SALES LEADER
5 YEAR PLAN: WHAT’S POSSIBLE
(Note: actual incomes will depend upon actual results you attain)
FIRST YEAR
Deliver 1,400 units. Learn a lot about schedule, and make a ton of mistakes as well. Finish what you started, and make a decision to return, and a commitment to grow!
SECOND YEAR
You actively recruit, attend campus and other meetings, and apply yourself to preparing physically, mentally, and emotionally. You bring a team of 3-to-5 people, and you increase in sales! You win the Bronze Growth Award. (Growth Award automatically qualifies you for Level 1 of the Sizzler)
THIRD YEAR
You’ve become much better at managing yourself to use time, and you’ve increased your skill level so you bring a team of 6. One of the members of your first-team returns as well, and you teach her to bring 4 people on her team. You learn a lot! You lead by example, and win the Silver Growth Award. You help your team succeed, and lead your leader as she helps her team. You again hit Growth Award. (By the way, in-school leaders who bring at least five people come to the President’s Dinner during Sales School, and 5,000 units by an in-school team puts you in contention to possibly win the Great Recruiters Getaway – an expense-paid trip in December/January to an amazing destination!)
There’s more. By building and leading people well enough to grow an organization of at least 15,000 units, you attain the title Organizational Field Leader (OFL), and qualify to begin buying your first 2,000 shares of stock, as you become an owner in the Southwestern Family of Companies. We are a collection of diverse businesses in several different industries, are privately owned, and all own-ers work actively within the business. There are no outside shareholders.
Owning stock in the company gives you an opportunity to build significant personal wealth for the long term. Since 1982, when the stock ownership plan was established, the value of a share of stock has increased at an average rate of 12.1% per year.
FOURTH YEAR
You’ve won the Gold Growth Award (it’s becoming a habit), a 7-person team, 3 effective leaders– you’ve now got 18 people in a $500,000+ business! Because you exceeded 25,000 units, you have now become an Associate Sales Leader (ASL). You’ve been awarded another 2,000 shares. Good job, you!
FIFTH YEAR
You just keep getting better. You increase your sales again, winning the Diamond Growth Award. As you lead by example, you teach and guide those who are also growing their own businesses within yours. You are now a Field Sales Leader (FSL), and have qualified for an additional 6,000 shares of stock. You are beginning to see what’s possible. You are living out Zig Ziglar’s observation, “You can get whatever you want out of life as long as you help enough other people get what they want.”
DISCLOSURE
Since 1868, the Southwestern Advantage sales and leadership program has given college and university students the opportunity to develop valuable skills, build character, and offset educational expenses by running their own business selling educational resources to families.
From the start, we are upfront about the challenges and expectations of the program, ensuring that every participant—and their parents—understands them fully before formal training begins.
Each independent student dealer’s results will vary based on their individual sales success, which is ultimately determined by their level of commitment, effort, and perseverance.
SALES LEADER
THE BEST CAREER OPPORTUNITY AT SOUTHWESTERN
A career where you can make a positive difference in people’s lives… where you can grow professionally, financially, and personally… and where the greatest reward comes from watching others mature and make their own contributions to the world—that is what a career as a Sales Leader at Southwestern Advantage is all about.
In today’s era of global economic uncertainty, managers are often criticized for being out of touch, unmotivated, or disconnected from their teams. At Southwestern Advantage, it’s different. Every Organizational Field Leader (OFL), Associate Sales Leader (ASL), Field Sales Leader (FSL), and District Sales Leader (DSL) has earned their position by successfully selling books and recruiting teams—often for multiple summers. Leadership here is not based on “potential” but on a proven track record of accomplishment.
The path to becoming a Sales Leader is not easy. It demands ability, discipline, self-motivation, and a vision to see young people not only as they are but as they can become.
The rewards, however, are exceptional. Every Sales Leader has the opportunity for company ownership, a steadily growing profit-sharing investment account (fully funded by the Company), and an outstanding income potential.
It is more than a career.
It is an opportunity to experience firsthand the truth so clearly enunciated by Sir Winston Churchill:
“What you get enables you to make a living. But what you give–that’s what makes a life.”
WHAT DOES A DISTRICT SALES LEADER DO?
Think of roles such as counselor, teacher, coach, motivator, and results-driver—all of these describe the work of a District Sales Leader.
By working closely with university students, District Sales Leaders have the unique opportunity to make a lasting difference during some of the most formative and challenging years of their lives. Through mentorship and guidance, they help students develop and internalize universal success habits—skills that go far beyond sales.
As a result, these students graduate prepared to make meaningful, positive contributions in their careers and communities, no matter what field or path they choose.
BUILDING A BUSINESS AT SOUTHWESTERN
You can’t build a business.
You build people, and those people build the business.
SPENCER HAYS (1936-2017)
Bookman, Executive Chairman of the Board
At its core, Southwestern is not just in the book business—we are in the people business. Yes, we sell books, but our true purpose is developing people. If you’ve ever dreamed of building a business of your own, there’s no greater way than by building people—and doing it right here.
The reality is, a shockingly high number of business start-ups don’t make it. Some fail from lack of capital, others from weak team-building, selfish leadership, or too much trial-and-error and not enough intentional success. Southwestern offers a better way.
As you progress through the levels of leadership, you’ll sharpen your personal sales ability, learn how to attract and lead great teams, and ultimately master one of the rarest skills in business—how to truly scale by inspiring and teaching others to build teams of their own.
When you become a District Sales Leader, you are running your own business—but never alone. You set the goals, create the plans, and develop your team. You earn promotions and revenue increases based on performance. You profit as your business profits. At the same time, you have a mutual investment from the Company and the support of a highly experienced leadership team—including mentors who have walked the same path successfully. And unlike most entrepreneurs, you don’t have to worry about product, accounting, financing, IT, or marketing—all the headaches of starting a business are handled for you.
As you grow, you also earn the right to become an ever-greater shareholder in the Southwestern Family of Companies. Your financial future is built on the foundation of well-diversified, fast-growing companies—like a carefully selected mutual fund, but one where every business is led by people who share your values, your work ethic, and your vision.
Most importantly, this career allows you to make a lasting difference. By helping others grow into leaders, you increase your own ability to change the world for the better—one person at a time.
Global Headquarter
2451 Atrium Way- Nashville TN 37214 USA
International Offices
10 Akademik Stefan Mladenov str, 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria
Veveri 9, Brno, 60200 Czech Republic
