An Interview With Eden Gold
Entrepreneurship and financial independence. Young people are starting businesses at an alarming rate, more and more turn up every day. The slogans of “escaping the 9–5” and “being your own boss” have risen to popularity. I partially agree and disagree with the narratives being pushed, but the biggest takeaway is that young people are more willing to take risks and engage in entrepreneurship and investing. I work for one of those companies. Andrew, the CEO of EcoWash, isn’t much older than me and has built a successful company off of young people’s ambitions and entrepreneurial minds.
In a world rapidly changing through technology, societal norms, and global challenges, a new generation of leaders is emerging. Ambitious young adults are not just aiming for traditional markers of success; they are redefining what it means to be successful. Beyond the corporate ladder and financial milestones, they prioritize impact, sustainability, and personal fulfillment. They are entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, and artists who are shaping the future with innovative ideas and actions. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Peyton Garcia.
Peyton Garcia is a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Finance, Investment, and Banking, graduating in May 2026. He worked at EcoWash, a Midwest-based exterior home maintenance company, this past summer as a Division Manager in the Green Bay Area generating over $100,000 in maintenance project revenue for the company. He is now a Regional Manager overseeing all Minnesota and northern/central Wisconsin markets. Peyton plans to obtain his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation and work as a personal financial planner in the Green Bay area upon graduation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about Future Leaders, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Yes! I have always expressed an interest in money since I was young, I always saved money for something I wanted, whether it be an Xbox at nine years old or my first cell phone. I also always had a strength in talking to people, presenting myself and my ideas, and conversing with adults, even as a young child. I never lacked confidence in myself, despite my age, I felt I could have a conversation with anyone. Once I got older and started looking into careers, it was only right that I tied my deep passion for finance and investing with my strengths in communication and sales.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
At 19 years old, I don’t have much of a career yet, but during my freshman year, I knew I had to get a jump start on internships, given that I was planning to graduate a year early. I stumbled across EcoWash, and I was immediately hooked by the position. I completed the interview process, had a very successful summer, and now sit here in an executive management position. Something that wasn’t easy, but I hope it will set me up for a strong future in my career.
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The very first one that comes to mind is confidence. I’ve always been an advocate that if you don’t have confidence in yourself, why should anyone else? I think, especially in a sales position, you need to have confidence in yourself in what you’re selling and demonstrate that to clients to earn their business. In my very first meeting with Andrew (EcoWash’s Owner and CEO), I told him that I was going to break the company record and sell $100k. After a long and difficult summer, I did just that. I will always remember the last sale I made to get me over the mark and break six figures in revenue.
Another big one that I like to say, and I think is often overlooked, is your willingness and ability to learn. I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts or watching videos from successful people, trying to model that in my life to some extent. Especially when it comes to the field of finance, I find myself taking in every bit of content and information I can get. This trait especially helped me in my position at EcoWash; I spent a lot of time early on mastering the services so I could provide a better product to clients and sell more work.
Finally, I would have to say my grit has had a large impact on my success. I set very high goals for myself in my personal & professional life. I prioritize the things that are important to me today so I can give myself a better future tomorrow. I make a lot of sacrifices and do some things I may not want to do, but I know it will be better for me in the long run. Everyone knows sales is a grind, and a lot of times, it can suck. But I put in brutal amounts of effort this past spring specifically to set up my summer. While finishing my spring semester and preparing for finals, I worked 30 hours a week while being the president of an organization during peak season. It sucked, I will not lie to anyone when I talk about that, but it was so worth it.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about how ambitious young adults are redefining success. How would you define success?
Success is something that can be defined in many ways for different people. Some people want to live a fulfilled life with their families, some want to chase their dreams, and some want to make the most money possible. I would describe success as living a life as close to your perfect but realistic situation as possible. I believe I am living that and working towards that now. I have a family I love and care about; I have a job I enjoy that compensates me fairly, I enjoy my personal time and hobbies. I am very busy and work very hard to achieve that, but it is so rewarding to live a balanced and successful life.
How do you incorporate social responsibility and sustainability into your definition of success?
Being successful is being happy, in my opinion. With that comes spending time with your friends and family, enjoying your hobbies, and sustaining that over time. Being able to sustain that means having a career that supports your current lifestyle and being able to continue that into the future as well.
Can you describe a moment or decision that significantly redirected your path toward leadership?
Despite my current position at EcoWash or my presidency of an on-campus organization, my most important leadership role is being an older brother. I had a conversation with my parents recently about my two younger brothers looking up to me and wanting to follow in my footsteps, which is a huge honor. I believe I must work as hard as I can and pave the way for them to be more successful and better than myself. Everyone fights with their siblings growing up, but it wasn’t until I had that conversation that I realized how much my actions could shape their future. For that reason, I want to be the best older brother and leader I can be for them.
What role do mentorship and community play in shaping your approach to leadership and success?
As the eldest child in my family, I didn’t find myself having a “mentor” until recently. Being around my boss, Andrew, and my coworker, Tanner, who are only a few years older than me, has been a huge help to me. They are both successful and like-minded individuals, and I find myself going to them for advice professionally, academically, and personally often. They have made me better at my job and setting myself up for a better future.
In what ways do you think your generation’s view of success differs from previous generations?
My generation views success more in a self-fulfillment role than a career and caretaker position. To some extent, I agree with that. Being a millionaire with no friends or a poor relationship with family members is not successful. But where my generation gets it wrong, in my opinion, is that you can’t have the freedom to do whatever you want until you have your bases covered in terms of your career and finances.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success?”
1 . Getting started earlier. Love or hate, social media can be a tool to obtain information earlier and easier. Whether it be business, academic, professional, or personal advice, parts of the knowledge in college degrees are in our pockets. I took advantage of this to turn a hobby of mine, roundnet (commonly referred to as Spikeball), into a business to connect players around Wisconsin to people all over the nation. I started at a small scale in 7th grade, hosting tournaments for my friends, which turned into 130+ people on the news my senior year. Now, I took the top players in Wisconsin to the biggest tournament in the world last February and am bringing even more this upcoming February.
2 . Innovating using modern technology. In days filled with YouTubers and TikTokers, kids my age make a living making content about the things they’re passionate about. Older generations might laugh and say it isn’t a real job and that it won’t last. For some, it might not last, but it might and can be life-changing for a short time. It can create connections that can turn into future business endeavors. I tried it out for a short while in 8th grade with sports talk. If you know me personally, you know there is nothing I love more than talking sports, specifically my Texas Longhorns. I live-streamed to talk sports and created YouTube videos around popular news. It might not have taken off like others, but it continued to develop my ability to talk to anyone, be confident, and start to understand the foundations of business.
3 . Not viewing age as a restriction. For ages, young people were seen as the bottom tier in the business world due to a lack of experience. Now, we see young business leaders all over the world. We have a different perspective on the world and, once educated, can be useful weapons to businesses. I came into EcoWash as a freshman in college and one of, if not the youngest, division managers in company history and ended up as one of the most impactful. I like to think I am a very valuable asset to the company and know that whatever company, maybe my own, will be very lucky to have my level of ambition, knowledge, and work ethic despite my young age.
4 . Entrepreneurship and financial independence. Young people are starting businesses at an alarming rate, more and more turn up every day. The slogans of “escaping the 9–5” and “being your own boss” have risen to popularity. I partially agree and disagree with the narratives being pushed, but the biggest takeaway is that young people are more willing to take risks and engage in entrepreneurship and investing. I work for one of those companies. Andrew, the CEO of EcoWash, isn’t much older than me and has built a successful company off of young people’s ambitions and entrepreneurial minds.
5 . Having a killer instinct. America is the king of capitalism and the principle that you determine how successful you can become. The idea is that if you want a better future, you can work your butt off to achieve that. I stand by this a lot, and it helps me make decisions on a day-to-day basis. I’m willing to work extraordinarily hard while I’m young and have time to make sacrifices and take risks so that in the future, I can reap the benefits. I work hard in my school to learn and my career to make money. I forgo small opportunities that I deem to be a waste to give me the chance to experience big opportunities. A recent example of this is not eating out every week like most college students and instead taking that money and bringing my grandfather and myself to a massive Texas football game for a memory that neither of us will ever forget or regret.
How do you navigate the challenges of innovation and change while staying true to your values and vision for success?
Take the time to write down and think about what are the most important things in your life. Whether it be people, things, values, goals, or hobbies, figure out what those are because life is more unpredictable than even I understand at this point, and life-altering decisions will be made in the next decade. No matter when those things strike, you need a fallback to turn to with your roots in the most important things in your life. They’re different for everyone, and a job, location, college, or whatever shouldn’t change the things that are important to you in the long run.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
My long-term career is in financial planning, and I have a deep passion for helping people increase their financial literacy knowledge and improve their financial future. At some point, I would like to get into the content creation field and give financial advice primarily to young college and high school students who have the most time to make a difference in their futures. But also just for everyone in general because I think people of all ages can benefit from this style of content.
How can our readers further follow you online?
LinkedIn is a great place to stay in contact with me and my professional life! I will be sharing my journey through this upcoming season at EcoWash and be prepared to receive a full-time post-grad job in the next 12 months or so. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peytonjgarcia
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
Future Leaders: Peyton Garcia Of EcoWash On How Ambitious Young Adults Are Redefining Success was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.