Cypress Woods High School senior James Darden III was invited to view a session at the Texas A&M University Mays Business School’s Transformational Leadership Academy (MTLA). Aquiles Chulluncuy, a Peruvian entrepreneur who owns a multi-million dollar marketing company, spoke at the session and Darden was eager to get involved.
“Mr. Chulluncuy, would you be interested in hiring an intern? I would love to work with you,” Darden said.
The crowd froze and turned to Darden wide-eyed.
“I was very fascinated with [Chulluncuy’s] business because he has the same business that I am working on,” Darden said. “So, I went ahead and asked him in front of everybody if I could be his intern.”
Chulluncy respected Darden’s bravery and was instantly interested in awarding him an internship.
“Ever since then we have been in communication,” Darden said. “We meet twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays where he gives me tasks to do and teaches me how to run a business and market.”
Darden created his own business, Trimark Creatives, where he does social media advertising, content creation, graphic design and website development.
“It is a consultant type marketing company where we go and meet with businesses who are not having the best sales,” Darden said. “I make a plan for them to get more customers so they can get more sales.”
Chulluncy plans to partner with Darden to help him get more clients and jump-start his business.
“He said he would like to do a partnership with me, and I would outsource to him and give him client info,” Darden said. “Then, he would give me a product for cheap, so I could upsell the product.”
Darden is thankful for the chance to work with Chulluncy and knows his advice will help further his career in marketing.
“I’m really excited to see where this opportunity can take me,” Darden said. “It has opened a lot of doors for me at Texas A&M.”
Darden has big plans for the future and wants to grow his business so he can retire at a young age.
“My goal is to be able to retire by 30 because I want to travel and go to places like Greece, Japan and China,” Darden said. “I want to be financially independent and be set for life.”
Darden’s bold request has changed his life for the better and he advises others to never be scared of taking risks.
“You only live once you know, we are here for a good time, not a long time,” Darden said. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure I succeed in my life.”