Aaron Scott Young

CEO, LAUGHLIN ASSOCIATES

A Chief Strategy Officer for entrepreneurs and business owners, with the expertise to quickly get to the heart of complex issues, seeing solutions and helping to illuminate a path to forward progress.

Aaron Scott Young is a lifelong entrepreneur, trusted advisor to CEOs and business owners, and creator of  The Unshackled Owner — a proven framework for entrepreneurs who want to build a real business, not just a glorified job.

Aaron is Chairman/CEO of Laughlin Associates, a 44-year-old company that has helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs start, grow and profit from their business. This has given Aaron an ideal vantage point to observe common mistakes and successes in businesses from Main Street to America’s largest yacht broker from medical professionals to manufacturers to investors. For over 34 years, his experience founding, acquiring and directing multi-million dollar businesses as well as working as an officer for a publicly traded, multi-national, sets him apart from the crowd as a voice of real world knowledge and authority.

Aaron has made it his life’s work to arm other business owners with success formulas that immediately provide exponential growth and protection. Below are some of his career highlights:

Small Business Consultant and Advocate

As Chairman and CEO of Laughlin Associates — one of America’s longest-standing corporate formation and compliance firms, with more than 50 years in business — Aaron has served as a strategic partner to over 200,000 entrepreneurs across virtually every industry. From Main Street startups to the largest yacht broker in the United States, from medical professionals to multi-location franchisees, his vantage point is genuinely unmatched.

Clients call on Aaron for his opinion and help brainstorming every aspect of business operations, including:

  • Corporate structuring
  • Asset management and protection
  • Growth strategies
  • Partnership issues
  • Leadership
  • Corporate compliance

Laughlin Associates

Laughlin Associates helps entrepreneurs start, grow, and protect their businesses. Aaron has made that mission personal.

Laughlin Associates

Aaron discovered his passion for entrepreneurship at age 18, when he founded a recycling company in Portland, Oregon — before recycling was fashionable. He grew it to 5,000 customers, sold it, and used the proceeds to become one of Portland’s first cellular phone dealers, eventually building a three-store operation with a large service center.

After selling his stake in the cell business, Aaron became Vice President of Sales for ITEX, a publicly traded NASDAQ company with 350 offices worldwide. He left after three years to return to entrepreneurship — ultimately acquiring Laughlin Associates and building it into the institution it is today.

Published Author, Columnist, Blogger, and Media Guest

Aaron is co-author of Unshackled: The 7 Levels of Business Excellence, written with business strategist Robert Indries. The book distills decades of real-world entrepreneurial experience into a practical roadmap for building a business that creates lasting wealth and freedom.

Keynote and Breakout Speaker

Aaron has addressed entrepreneurial and executive audiences on four continents, speaking to more than 100,000 people over the course of his career. He is known for his signature keynote, Building Your Corporate Fortress, and is consistently rated among the highest-impact speakers at every event he addresses.

  • The Gold Show
  • The Money Show
  • Shorex
  • CEO Space
  • Author 101 University
  • Live Out Loud
  • California Women’s Conference
  • Power Team International
  • Women of Global Change
  • Digital Footprint
  • Brian Tracy International
  • The Les Brown Show
  • Distressed Mortgage Expo
  • Morison International
  • ITEX International Convention

Media & Press

Aaron has been featured in and quoted by Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine, ABC News, Money, and Success Magazine, among others. He has appeared on C-Suite Network and Entrepreneur on Fire, and has been a recurring expert resource for business publications nationwide.

Board Member

Aaron has served on the board or advisory board of several organizations, including the California Women’s Conference, SMART Women International, the International Crowdfunding Association, Portland Center Stage, and Integrative Medical Arts Center.

Aaron has been married to Michelle since 1987. They have four children — Adam, Zoe, Max, and Scout — and ten grandchildren. As a side pursuit over the years, Aaron has built and sold ten homes.

As a fun side project, Aaron has built and sold 10 houses and is an avid horseman.

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