Fowler College Class of 2021 Career Spotlight: Adrian Armenta, Amazon Advertising Manager at Straight Up Growth
Networking Skills and Desire to Learn Helps Entrepreneurship Graduate Land Role at Straight Up Growth
Adrian Armenta, Class of 2021.
From an early age, Adrian Armenta decided that he wanted to be an innovative entrepreneur after finding inspiration in Steve Jobs and Walt Disney. Armenta's time at SDSY's Fowler College of Business gave him the opportunity to join multiple student organizations, connect with mentors, and build a background in entrepreneurship.
Adrian’s campus involvement and networking skills helped him land a role at Straight Up Growth where he was promoted in May 2021. He is thrilled to continue his career in advertising and reflects on how his SDSU journey prepared him for this new chapter.
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue (insert major here) as an area of study?
I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I could remember. I grew up admiring Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Walt Disney among many others who are all entrepreneurial thought leaders that apply innovation, interdisciplinary studies, and design thinking in order to transform multiple industries! All things I also wanted for myself.
Uniquely, I come from a multi-sport background. I had multiple years of experience and training in sports most notably in football, basketball, wrestling, and lacrosse. I believe those years of sports helped me develop my discipline, competitive personality, and ambition to be better than I was yesterday. When it came to athletics, I went to practice every day and worked my tail off. I also hated losing and always tried to be the best player I could be both physically and mentally for the betterment of the team. I bring those same characteristics into my entrepreneurial journey, and it has got me to where I stand today. This year, I was recognized for my efforts by being awarded scholarships from both San Diego State University’s Prebys Entrepreneurial Scholarship and the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation’s B. Paul Moser Trust-Frank and Katharine Miller Memorial Scholarship. On top of this, I won three pitch competitions in my first year at SDSU which included the VentureStart competition, Hack Our Future Hackathon, and the COVID-19 Pitchfest.
I came in with entrepreneurial ambitions during my transfer process. I sat through a lecture about the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program during orientation and I knew right then that SDSU was for me. The lecturer was Bernhard Schroeder and he epitomized what I wanted to be. He is a successful entrepreneur who could be in many different places and chooses instead to educate the next class of innovators. I followed up with him and I was very impressed with not only what he had to offer in terms of knowledge but also in the program's number of resources for a formal entrepreneurship education. As a first generation student, the academic rigor of my education and access to campus resources played a big part in my decision making process for transferring and deciding on a major.
Armenta and his team after winning the 2020 VentureStart Competition.
Q: Describe the position you will begin after graduation (job functions, key role).
As an Amazon Advertising Manager at Straight Up Growth my job has a few key roles…
- Training – Everyday at Straight Up Growth (SUG) training is prioritized, whether you are running a training for the team in a subject matter you are an expert in or listening to one from one of the many experts we employ!
- Advertising – Each day we manage our clients' Ad Campaigns on the Marketplace – (Ad Type Examples: Amazon Sponsored Product Ads, Amazon Sponsored Brand Ads, Amazon Sponsored Display Ads, and Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads).
- Sales – Every employee has the opportunity to conduct sales outreach and is fairly benefited for any clientele onboarded!!
- Branding – Through audits, client presentations, and events every employee is expected to carry the SUG brand well & proud.
- Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) – The EIR typically leads, or has led, a small, early-stage, emerging company deemed to have high-growth potential, or which has demonstrated high-growth in its number of employees, annual revenue, or both. An institutional fund may provide an entrepreneur in residence, or executive in residence, with the working capital to nurture expansion, new-product development, or restructuring of a company’s operations, management, or ownership.
As a formerly educated entrepreneur this was one of the biggest role offerings I sought out for. A job with the freedom to explore. At Straight Up Growth they have given me the control to help create new products and revenue streams from Amazon review tools to new marketplace offerings here in the near future!
Q: When did you receive your official job offer and what was your reaction when you received the offer?
I started working with Straight Up Growth as a Marketing Operations and Sales Specialist in February of 2021, but then was promoted to an Amazon Advertising Manager right before graduation and at the end of May. I was ecstatic to be joining a team of entrepreneurs and Amazon Advertisers who had over 500M+ in Amazon Sales & $10M+ Spent on Amazon Ads. The team has worked with brands like Quest Nutrition, Lindt Chocolate, and Drunk Elephant Skincare – I loved how they have helped big and small brands accomplish Straight Up Growth! They have been expediting good businesses since 2019 but their experience in entrepreneurship, eCommerce, and Amazon is timeless. I was excited to say the least to learn the science behind the growth!
Armenta at a Lavin Mentor Dinner.
Q: How did you get connected with this company and position?
I connected with Straight Up Growth through their CEO, Evan Kesner. Kesner is a Lavin Entrepreneurship Program Mentor and we had connected at many of our events pre-COVID. When he found out that I was seeking a job in the eCommerce space and wanted to add to my past retail experience to become a subject matter expert – he onboarded me onto his team and we have been training together ever since.
Q: Did you use any other campus resources to help you acquire this position? If so, describe the support.
Yes, the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program and their affiliated Mentorship Program connected me to this company and position.
Q: Are there specific skills you learned at SDSU (in class or otherwise) that helped you with the role’s qualifications?
I believe the power of networking (relationship capital) and bootstrapping in entrepreneurship are some of the biggest skills I learned at SDSU in our many professional events on and off campus. I also attended many workshops and mentor meetings to help improve in these areas.
Q: What advice do you have for fellow students, regardless of their field, looking to jumpstart their career and land their first job post-graduation?
For my fellow students, regardless of their desired field, my advice to jumpstart their careers and land their first job post-graduation would be this…
- Network – learn how to leverage your network, gain relationship capital, and create a LinkedIn page too! All such powerful resources if utilized correctly.
- Be a sponge and learn everything you can from the best you can access.
- Become obsessed with your role and in improving it.
- The only way you are going to create something new is if you think differently than everybody else (think outside the box), and understanding your industry, improving your role, and learning as much as you can goes into all of that!!
Q: What is it that you are most looking forward to as you kick start this next chapter?
I am looking forward to becoming a true part of the San Diego Startup Ecosystem in this next chapter of my life. My days at SDSU consisted of two things: entrepreneurship and sports. I was attending Lavin at 7 am weekly, a participant in the ZIP & VCIC teams, a club member in the Entrepreneurship Society and SDSU Ad Club. I was also a community member of Start Up San Diego and the REC Innovation Lab at San Diego Miramar College.when I had time, I attended SDSU football and basketball games. I want to get back to that busy in person lifestyle in this next chapter of my life now that it is safe to do so again. Sports and Entrepreneurship are my two biggest loves and passions. I am looking forward to learning everything I can so that I can become just like many of my role models and mentors that I have spent my life learning from. Eventually I look forward to passing down my knowledge to future generations.
Armenta and his team after winning the 2020 Hackathon.
Q: What experience at SDSU has changed your life the most?
My conglomerate experience at SDSU has changed me by being a part of the Lavin cohort, the Venture Capital Investment Competition team (VCIC), Entrepreneurship Society, and the ZIP Launchpad, and working with the USD Law Clinic to startup my first company, genesis. Without one of those experiences I don’t feel like I would be the entrepreneur I am today and I am so grateful that at SDSU I was able to experience it all.
Q: What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?
The best advice I received during my time at SDSU came from the Director of the Lavin Center Programs, Bernhard Schroeder, who told us aspiring Lavin Entrepreneurs a few things on the first day of class.
- Cut the ego, many startups die because of it.
- Don’t be a poser… entrepreneurship is a grind.
- 100% of 100k or 20% of millions…It takes a team.
*Group photos were taken before March 2020
