From Zero to Results: How Henry Earned Real Client Wins Through High Rise Academy

Dennis Yu on October 9, 2025

Most young adults aren’t taught how to get meaningful work experience, let alone how to build systems that bring long-term value. That’s exactly why we started the High Rise Academy inside High Rise Influence.

We launched this program to help young people get real results for real clients, using a process that blends content creation, AI tools, and repeatable systems. And Henry Holm’s story is one of the best early examples of how it works.

Why Henry’s Client Wins Came From Doing Not Just Learning

Unlike traditional internships or online courses filled with busywork, this apprenticeship is rooted in action. Every apprentice works on real projects and meets weekly with the team to share wins, tackle challenges, and report results using MAA (Metrics, Analysis, Action).

Henry was one of the first people we brought on. At the time, he had no client experience and no marketing background. But in just a few weeks, he was creating content that helped a real dental practice in Atlanta grow its online presence.

“There’s a lot of freedom in this role. I work from my cabin, my house—wherever I have Wi-Fi. But there’s still accountability. That’s what helped me grow fast,” Henry told me.

From Setup to Strategy

During onboarding, Henry gained access to our systems, tools, and SOPs. He jumped in right away by doing real client work:

  • Writing blog posts from raw video footage
  • Creating short-form clips for YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram
  • Running Dollar-A-Day Ads on top performing content

“We don’t just get tasks and do them. We actually talk to the client, figure out what they need, and deliver based on that,” Henry said.

He also contributed to weekly MAA reports, which have evolved over time to include full SEO audits, performance tracking, and recommendations.

“Those reports started small,” he said. “But now we include way more—like SEO data and what we’re going to fix next.”

Building Systems, Not Just Skills

Henry quickly saw how one system could be applied across multiple clients. What we did for a dentist could just as easily work for a plumber, real estate agent, or gym.

  • Learn the framework
  • Document everything
  • Improve with each cycle

“A lot of the stuff we do is transferable. We build a model once and use it again,” Henry said.

Managing Time Like a Pro

Time commitment is flexible by design. Apprentices pick the projects they want and are expected to own results, instead of focusing on working a set amount of hours.

“Some weeks I have more time than others. If I’m too busy, I can pass something off, to another team member” Henry said.

He estimates that someone working on a single business, they could do great work with just an hour a day.

Confidence Without Experience

The biggest change Henry experienced was in how he thought about learning and ownership.

“When I started, I didn’t feel confident. I had no experience. But everything is documented. And there’s always someone to help,” he told me.

Whether it’s using our SOPs, Googling our public articles, or getting help on a team call, apprentices aren’t left guessing.

Want to Start Your Journey?

High Rise Academy isn’t about watching videos. It’s about doing real work with real clients—and building proof of your results as you go.

If you’re interested in joining or know someone who should, check out what we’re building and start your path toward meaningful work that actually grows with you.

A Practical Path for Young Adults to Learn, Earn, and Build: High Rise Academy

Dennis Yu on October 9, 2025

A Real Alternative to College or Low-Wage Jobs

Most young adults face three common choices after high school: go into debt for college, work minimum-wage jobs, or drift without direction. High Rise Academy offers a fourth option—one that’s skill-based, paid, and directly tied to real-world work.

This program, built by High Rise Influence with Jack Wendt and Dennis Yu, trains young people to become digital marketing practitioners by doing real work for actual clients.

What Apprentices Actually Do

Apprentices:

  • Work with local businesses to improve their digital presence
  • Turn raw content (videos, FAQs, photos) into posts and ads
  • Use the MAA framework—Metrics, Analysis, Action—to track progress
  • Attend live office hours every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. PT for direct feedback from mentors like Dennis Yu, Jack Wendt, and others

The work is tracked weekly, with feedback loops baked into the structure.

What Skills They Build

Participants learn by doing. They:

  • Manage real business accounts
  • Publish content on websites and social media
  • Edit video clips for campaigns
  • Set up and run local ad campaigns with measurable goals

They finish the program with published client work and proven, transferable skills.

Why This Works for Young People

Young adults already understand how attention works online. They’re consuming content daily. What they need is structure, mentorship, and real clients. The apprenticeship gives them that.

Instead of passively consuming AI tools, they use them to plan, write, and execute faster. This approach makes them efficient operators in a content economy.

What Sets This Program Apart

As Jack Wendt put it:

“Most jobs extract value from you. This one builds it.”

Apprentices often earn income while building long-term assets—client relationships, published content, and measurable campaign results.

If You’re Already Creating, You’re Closer Than You Think

If you’re already posting videos, testing AI tools, or managing your own page—you’re ready. You don’t need a degree. You need the right environment and accountability to grow.

High Rise Academy gives you that.

What It’s Like to Be in High Rise Academy: Henry’s Story

Jack Wendt Jack Wendt on October 6, 2025

Featured Image: Henry on a video call sharing his first week in High Rise Academy (placeholder)

When Dylan and I started High Rise Academy, our goal was simple: give young adults the tools, mentorship, and confidence to do real work for real businesses. Henry is one of the first apprentices to join, and his journey shows exactly how this program works in practice.

This story comes from a Youtube interview we did with Henry, reflecting on his early months in the program. What he shared provides a clear picture of what new apprentices can expect.

Flexibility From Day One

When we asked Henry what he loved most about the program, his answer was immediate: freedom and versatility.

He explained: “I can basically work from wherever I want as long as I have internet access and Wi-Fi.”

That flexibility meant Henry could work from his family’s cabin or his home without missing deadlines. For him, work-life balance wasn’t theory — it was lived experience.

This is the same principle Dennis Yu, Dylan, and I experienced when we spent a month traveling to eight countries and five U.S. states while speaking at conferences. Our output didn’t dip, because we follow documented processes like the Content Factory model.

Starting With No Experience

Henry admitted he had “little to no experience” before joining. His only teamwork experience came from school projects.

Within weeks, he built professional habits:

  • Communicating directly with clients.
  • Finishing projects on time.
  • Following through on commitments.

As Henry put it: “It’s greatly helped me to communicate with others, get work done on time, and finish what you said you would finish.”

Henry proves that even with no experience, the system works.

Building Transferable Skills

Henry quickly realized that the methods we used for a dentist could apply to almost any local service business — landscapers, plumbers, roofers, and more.

He learned to:

  • Build repeatable workflows for repurposing.
  • Adapt formats to each platform’s audience.
  • Use tools like Descript and Underlord to speed up editing.

Henry discovered that while tools help, real skill lies in understanding client goals and target audiences. That’s why we built documented processes like the Content Factory model: they create scalable systems anyone can learn and apply.

Weekly Reports and SEO Growth

Every Friday, Henry contributed to our MAA End-of-Week Reports. In week one, the reports simply listed content produced.

As weeks progressed, Henry learned how to:

  • Add SEO tracking.
  • Summarize keyword performance.
  • Include engagement numbers from social posts.

These reports became the backbone of client communication. Henry moved from never having written a report to producing one that guided business decisions. To see exactly how to structure these reports, check out our full guide on how to write Weekly MAA reports for local service businesses.

Support From the Team

Henry didn’t navigate this alone. He had access to mentors like Dennis Yu, Dylan, and myself, along with a full library of playbooks and processes.

As he explained: “Everything is documented. Everything that Dennis and BlitzMetrics has done is out there. You can literally just search whatever you’re saying.”

When apprentices run into obstacles, they’re never stuck. They can:

  • Reference documented checklists.
  • Ask team members who’ve executed these tasks thousands of times.
  • Follow guides to avoid the #1 VA mistake.

Time Commitment and Balance

Henry is clear about the time investment. He doesn’t log hours for the sake of it. He focuses on getting projects done.

For apprentices managing one client, Henry estimated “probably no more than an hour a day” is sufficient. That makes High Rise Academy accessible for students, part-time workers, and young adults balancing other commitments.

Advice to Future Apprentices

When we asked Henry what advice he’d give someone just starting, he said: “At the beginning, I didn’t really know much. But there are so many resources. And even if you end up getting stuck, there are team members who’ve done this thousands of times you can fall back on.”

That mindset is exactly what makes High Rise Academy work: you don’t need to start as an expert. You need to start willing to learn.

Closing Thoughts

Henry’s journey represents what High Rise Academy is about: taking motivated young adults, giving them real-world work with real clients, and surrounding them with mentorship and repeatable processes that lead to success.

Key takeaways from Henry’s story:

  • Flexibility to work from anywhere.
  • Transferable skills that apply to any local business.
  • Step-by-step guidance through reporting, SEO, and content creation.
  • Supportive mentors and documented playbooks.
  • Realistic time commitment that fits into everyday life.

Want to build these skills while helping real businesses? Start by applying what Henry did — commit to doing the work, ask questions, and follow the process.

Learn more about High Rise Academy and apply today.

Learn more about the Content Factory framework — the 6-stage system behind everything we do at High Rise Influence.