From Leavey to Launch: Steve and Melissa Murillo Build a Business - and a Family
More than two decades after first meeting as marketing majors at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, Steve Murillo (BS Commerce ’04) and Melissa Murillo (BS Commerce ’04, MBA ’24) are still building together. Today, they lead their San Francisco–based company, All Things Branded, while raising their two sons.
What began in Leavey classrooms - and in the corridors of Swig Residence Hall - has evolved into a business partnership grounded in shared values, complementary strengths, and an entrepreneurial mindset shaped early in their careers.
A Foundation at Leavey
As an undergraduate marketing major, Steve says his time at Leavey helped him understand how the pieces of business fit together.
“The classes I took at Leavey helped me get a good understanding of the different divisions of business and how each plays into the overall bigger picture,” he says. “Being surrounded by fellow Leavey undergrads who were as driven and eager to learn as me was really beneficial and pushed me to do my best.”
After graduating in 2004, Steve joined Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s management training program - an experience that would prove formative.
“While I didn’t have a passion for renting cars, their management training program was instrumental to my career,” he says.
The role provided unusually early ownership experience. “They treat each branch as a separate business, so the employees of each branch (sometimes as few as two people) are in charge of running their own business,” Steve explains. “It was fascinating to get that level of access and insight into running a business at 22 years old.”
A Bronco Connection
Steve and Melissa first met as undergraduates in Leavey marketing classes and soon discovered they were living in the same residence hall - just steps from Kenna Hall, then home to the business school.
Looking back, Melissa says the uncertainty of that time makes their journey together even more meaningful.
“What stands out to me about that time, looking back, is how many unknowns about our future there were,” she says. “We had no idea that our paths would lead us together not only as a couple who would later build a family, but also as business owners together that would extend beyond a decade.”
Even then, she says, there was a sense of readiness shaped by their Leavey experience.
“You just have a feeling when you attend Santa Clara that wherever your life takes you, you’re ready for it.”
An Unexpected Entrepreneurial Path
Before launching his own company, Steve spent six years at a promotional products distributor in San Jose, where he built industry knowledge and relationships.
“It was here where I learned about the industry, developed a lot of clients and made relationships with many suppliers that I still work with today,” he says.
After he and Melissa married and relocated to the Los Angeles area in 2011, Steve began pursuing his MBA with plans to join a larger company after graduation. An unexpected phone call changed that trajectory.
“One day that all changed when I got a call from an old co-worker saying the company I had worked for just closed,” he says.
Recognizing the opportunity, Steve reached out to former clients.
“After multiple ‘yes’ responses, I started All Things Branded with the thought that it would keep me busy and help pay for grad school, but that it wouldn’t be my full time job after graduation,” he says.
Momentum quickly shifted that plan.
“Business took off and I quickly realized that this was more than just a side project. I love being my own boss and getting to make the big decisions that help shape the future of the company.”
Founded in 2012, All Things Branded creates meaningful branded merchandise for organizations across industries.
Complementary Strengths
Melissa officially joined All Things Branded in 2015, bringing a background in the apparel industry and later deepening her expertise by earning her MBA from the Leavey School of Business in 2024. She says their shared Leavey foundation - paired with distinct working styles - has been central to the company’s success.
“Since we were both marketing majors, we both have the same foundation we need for this business,” she says, noting that their similar academic backgrounds are balanced by different perspectives. “While we have the same shared Santa Clara background, we come from opposite parts of the country - New York and California - which makes us inherently different people.”
Those differences shape how they divide responsibilities. “I am the more creative one, with a career in the apparel industry before joining All Things Branded,” Melissa explains, while Steve remains “the more analytical one, focusing on the numbers.”
Today, the couple balances running the business while raising their two sons in San Francisco. Despite their different approaches, she says a shared foundation keeps them aligned.
“Santa Clara is what brought us together, but it’s our shared values that keep everything moving forward. Those values help us navigate disagreements in both our personal lives and the business.”