Jesse Villanueva
- Co-Founder & CEO
- VitaRx
School Information
School: San Diego State University
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2007 to 2008
Career Information
Working For: VitaRx
Title: Co-Founder & CEO
Industry: Health and Fitness
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
We are a health and supplement company specializing in direct to consumer, personalized vitamin packs.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?Graduating SDSU, Beating out all the top Ivy League business schools at business plan competitions, & having way more fun than them doing it.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting was the ultimate Sales Experience, Confidence to go out there & get something done, always thought owning a business was something far more complicated. First real experience with the business world, nothing like the feeling of convincing someone to hand you over a check.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
Well I did the program my freshman year, but immediately after excelled in my next position selling advertising for a newspaper where I quickly ranked up to running that show, & while there identified 2 opportunities which were being under served so started two companies Fourth Estate Mobile & SDBlackbook( aka SodokuSaver, & AztecDeals). Gave me a skill which is far more valuable than a piece of paper.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
2008, Nancy I think, Older lady, massive house out in Solana Beach. Although it took about two weeks to paint that wooly mammoth of a house & cycled through 3 paint crews experienced everything on that job from painters quitting to having no idea how I was going to get out of a jam, to up-selling, to finally getting the job done & getting a nice tip. Very nice & welcoming yet down to business lady she owned her own lobbying company. I know now that no matter how big of a problem it might be everything will be okay.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Running a business isn’t that complicated. Everything will work out in the end, just be persistent, be positive, don’t dwell on things & find solutions. Opportunity to make money is out there, just have to bust your ass to grab your share.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
Still know a few of the guys & girls & always a pleasure running into them when I do, great people to know all doing big things with their lives, just establishing relationships with successful people, can’t go wrong.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
More than an internship, an experience.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Opportunity to make money is out there, just have to bust your ass to grab your share, & ask for help from your DM’s they’ve done this once or twice. Don’t be lazy, get out there & get it done. Frat party on a Friday night & wake up late for marketing, or suite party in Vegas once you get that first summer check? Your choice.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
College Works Painting while it may seem like your signing up to paint houses, is so much more than that, the sales experience (which is invaluable in any field/industry) & the business management & marketing skills you will learn can be replicated & used across any field. There is no place you can get experience like this any where else, plus that industry specific internship will be there next year & you’ll be way more of an all star at that position after having been through the College Works Painting experience.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Closing that first sale, being handed that first check for $4500 on a promise I’d come back & paint their home, knowing a good 20-30% of that was going into my pocket in the summer. Then again when I got that first paycheck in summer, madness. None of my broke-ass friends had much to say after I was buying their drinks.
Last words of wisdom?
If your going to do this, do this for you & no one else. Figure out what you want to do in life, your ideal job & start doing things that will get you there, teach your self a skill or two on the way because that piece of paper you’re over paying for doesn’t mean much these days. Sales alone will land you plenty of $100k+ jobs & College Works Painting will provide with more than enough training and experience in that department. Who you know not what you know, connect yourself, read techcrunch & the likes figure out what industries are growing & landing VC money go work in a growing industry lot more room for advancement & money making.