Some days, a speaker does not just visit a classroom. They leave a mark.

Ian Hutchinson did exactly that for our students.

Ian stood in front of our class and told the truth. High school was hard for him. He made choices he is not proud of. He struggled. He got himself into trouble at times. After graduating from Mascoutah High School in 2011, he enrolled at SWIC. After only a few classes, he dropped out. There was no clear plan and no polished path forward.

He was hired as a stockboy at Supplement Superstores when the company had just four employees, never imagining what that small decision would turn into.

What changed everything was not luck. It was growth and intentional choices.

Ian found someone way ahead of him and asked them to mentor him, and then he listened. He began reading books when he had not enjoyed reading in years. He listened to podcasts. He became an “Intrepreneur” within his company. One step at a time, he grew from stockboy to store manager, then to regional manager, and eventually to president of the company.

Success did not stop his hunger to learn. It deepened it.

He surrounded himself with like minded friends who wanted more out of life. He learned how to manage and leverage money, how to lead people well, and how to sell with integrity. He began investing in multi family real estate and continued to build a vision bigger than his current circumstances.

Ian shared three keys to his success that deeply resonated with our students:

1. Find someone way ahead of you and allow them to mentor you.
2. Surround yourself with like minded friends.
3. Find a younger generation below you and help lift them up.

That third key is exactly why Ian was in our classroom.

He did not sugarcoat anything. Because of that, the students leaned in. They connected with him. He encouraged them to start building credit now and gave them practical ways to do it. He reminded them to chase passion, not money, and to always have a vision.

Today, in his early 30s, Ian owns six Supplement Superstores franchises from Columbia, Missouri to Peoria, Illinois and owns 77 rental properties. He now lives in Columbia and generously made the early morning stop in our classroom at Wisper while traveling from his Central Missouri home to his Central Illinois stores.

Yes, the students were impressed when they walked outside and saw his McLaren. But what truly stayed with them was something much deeper. They saw proof that a difficult past does not define a future.

We are incredibly grateful, Ian. Thank you for your honesty, your time, and your willingness to invest in the next generation. Their stories are still being written, and because of you, they can see what is possible.