Sharing His Experience

“I learned a lot from Cody and I’m interested to see what other alumni are doing. I think we can learn a lot from each other because our experiences are all different.”

At age 30 and less than a decade removed from his days as president of San Diego State University Associated Students, Cody Barbo already has substantial experience as an entrepreneur. He shared that experience with more than 60 participants during a July 1 webinar hosted by SDSU Alumni.

Barbo is co-founder and CEO of Trust & Will, a company that aims to modernize estate planning. In his presentation, "Entrepreneurship in a Pandemic," he offered stories of the successes and failures he encountered along his path of starting three businesses over the course of eight years.

Barbo’s advice is timely during a pandemic that is exacting a heavy toll both healthwise and economically. The crisis is no time to pull back in the face of job loss or curtailment, he said, but rather an opportunity to examine potential career moves.

“There has never been a better time to do so,” Barbo said during an interview about his presentation. As someone who has experienced the effects of losing a job, he offered encouragement to those who may have recently suffered professional setbacks.

“You can be sad, angry, anxious — all of these emotions can take over — or you can do something about it. My call to action if you are thinking about your next move is to step up your game. Set the 10-year vision for yourself: your career, your family, and your health.”

Learning from each other

Dylan Aste (’06) works as an assistant U.S. attorney. Although he currently has no plans to start a business, he was curious to learn more about entrepreneurship and attended the webinar to learn from Barbo’s experience.

“I thought it was a very interesting,” Aste said of Barbo’s presentation. “Hearing about his experience and even about how his failures have helped him in his career, you were able to connect with who he is.

“I learned a lot from Cody and I’m interested to see what other alumni are doing. I think we can learn a lot from each other because our experiences are all different.”

An Aztec version of Netflix

As a member of the SDSU Alumni Board of Advisors, Barbo sees positives for the organization during the pandemic. One is a “forcing function” with alumni and others becoming more tech-enabled in order to work from home or to keep in touch with friends and relatives. 

“My 88-year-old grandmother is a whiz on video calls now and I think the same could be said for so many people,” Barbo said. 

Like the more than 30,000 participants in May’s virtual commencement celebration, the potential for engaging alumni remotely is vast.

Beyond live events, SDSU Alumni plans to create a library of webinars like Barbo’s that alumni may view anytime. “You have created a medium to provide best-in-class content for every Aztec around the world,” Barbo said, “and that’s a pretty exciting opportunity.”

Like the successful entrepreneur he is, Barbo envisions a collection eventually including a diversity of content reflecting the very best of what SDSU has to offer. He likens it to “an Aztec version of Netflix” containing contributions from alumni, faculty, staff, students and others producing all varieties of university-related content beyond being asked to present a webinar. This content, he imagined, will create “the ultimate Aztec library — a sort of Love Library for the 21st century.”

Programming like Barbo’s webinar is part of an enhanced emphasis by SDSU Alumni to connect alumni and other members of the SDSU community with career advancement and professional development resources. The organization has also joined forces with SDSU Career Services to provide career counseling and other opportunities to alumni.

Check out Career Services for Alumni for more information including career advising and career development support. View Cody Barbo's webinar "Entrepreneurship in a Pandemic."