September's Member Highlight is Matt Starrett of TRU Venture Marketing!

University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center-Powered By Switch member Matt Starrett is CEO of the performance marketing agency TRU Venture Marketing specializing in advertising, analytics and web development.

Starrett has been an entrepreneur and member of the Innevation Center since February of 2016. During his time, he has learned firsthand the challenges entrepreneurs face from solving real customer problems to what it means to close a business. Starrett founded TRU Venture Marketing in September 2017 after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2017 with a degree in Finance and has since grown his team to 3 full-time employees, himself included, supplemented by small network of contractors. Starrett has made a reputation for TRU Venture Marketing as an exceptional agency, and customer referrals have shifted their greatest challenge from cash flow to capacity. Starrett says that “as an entrepreneur, the greatest skill to combat these changing challenges is adaptability.”

After working as an entrepreneur through college and leveraging the resources in Reno, Starrett says he “wouldn’t leave the ecosystem here, there is so much support. People literally gather downstairs [at the Innevation Center] every week for 1 Million Cups to support entrepreneurs, which speaks a lot of the community.”

TRU Venture Marketing has worked with a number of local agencies and start-ups including the InNEVator, Staff Fox, and EDAWN. Starrett says that what he’s learned from growing his company is that “for many start-ups, especially service companies, it makes more sense to seek sustainability before rapid growth.” In the long run, Starrett wants TRU Venture Marketing to be a frontrunner it the regional digital marketing space. He wants to build an agency that companies are excited to work with. In house, he wants his employees to look forward to coming into the office to work on the next exciting customer project.

To learn more about TRU Venture Marketing and Matt Starrett, visit their website and read Matt’s blog post on “30 Lessons I’ve Learned in Three Years as an Entrepreneur.”