The Next Generation:
Susie Rios

Whether it's a new grad just starting out, a dedicated mid-career-er changing paths or leaders looking to advance, we are committed to helping the next generation of talent reach their goals. Many of our team members have created unique career paths at Jonathan Louis, and in this series, we celebrate their stories and growth. Interested in a similar opportunity? We always have our door open for future talent—check out our Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor for availabilities.

This week, we talk to Susie Rios who started working with us in May 2014. She came to us during her time as a student in college. This is her experience so far:

What are your next career steps—in the next year? Or in 3 years?

I was just having a conversation with someone about this, and for the first time, I admitted to myself that my ultimate dream is to be a business owner. Deep down, I’ve always known that I wanted to start something of my own, and although I don’t yet know what that looks like exactly, I can definitely do my part to learn more about creating and launching a successful business. I plan on looking into a course that can teach me more about the fundamentals of launching a business and combine it with my knowledge of marketing. At some point in my life, I’ll launch a business of my own…maybe an 8-10 year plan!

What are you doing outside of JL to move forward on your career path?

If there’s anything I've learned, it’s that digital marketing is quite literally a machine. It’s a quickly-evolving world that’s changing by the day, and if you’re not doing your part to remain well-versed in the field, you will be left behind because your knowledge becomes limited and dated. There is no time to be complacent, so I read, watch, and ask questions.

Rapid Fire

If you were a sea animal, which one would you be and why?

Does Sandy from Spongebob count?

If you had a time machine, which part of history would you revisit and why?

1930-1940s because of the music and how alive and embraced the culture of jazz and swing music were

What song can you listen to on repeat?

"Tadow" by Masego

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Pasta, give me all the carbs!

Describe yourself in one word.

Bright

Who’s your role model?

My parents, each for specific and different reasons, but both share a tenacity that is unmatched...maybe that's why I'm so hard-headed

What's your biggest pet peeve?

Chewing with your mouth open

3 things you can't live without.

Internet, family, AC

Favorite time of the year?

Spooooky season

What did you want to do when you grew up?

Growing up I was (and still am) obsessed with fashion and beauty. I always knew I wanted to do something in either of those industries, but never knew in what capacity. When I was very young, I’d spend HOURS on the computer playing fashion design games, and at that time, I wanted to be a fashion designer. My dad was and still is a patternmaker for GUESS? jeans, and he’d encourage me to explore that creative side of myself–he said he wanted at least one of his daughters to work in fashion, and I was sure it was going to be me.

As a teen and super young adult, I became a product junkie. I realized I was a sucker for good marketing, and that’s how I ended up with so much stuff, haha. That was when I realized that I was more into “the story,” than the product itself.

How did you come to work in JL?

I worked at Forever 21...well, more like trained, for literally a week (until I was ghosted!). Shortly after starting college, I started working at JL in 2014 as a temporary Customer Service Representative when the main CSR, Daisy, was out on maternity leave. When she returned, I was moved over to data entry, and shortly after, I was hired as a permanent Customer Service Representative when Daisy left the company. I reported to Brandee (Reyes, Customer Service Manager) at that time.

Throwback moments!

What did you expect when you first came to work at JL in the first year? In 5 years?

I was 18 when I started here, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was going to community college at the same time, and I was mainly focused on school. The plan was to go to community college and work at JL part-time, then transfer over to a university within 2-3 years. Admittedly though, I put school on the backburner because I fell in love with the idea of having a steady, stable income at such a young age, and my priorities were all wrong. Although my priorities were wrong, the end goal never changed: I wanted to graduate college with a degree in either communications or marketing. I finally transferred to Cal State Fullerton in 2019 where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations in 2020 (right at the start of the pandemic).

Once I graduated, I had the opportunity to transfer over to the Marketing department at JL where I now work as a Digital Marketing Specialist.

We love High Point Market!

What does a typical day look like for you?

My days can vary–which I’m so thankful for because it’s not a repetitive cycle. Most of the time, you’ll catch me working on our company blog (which you’re currently reading, haha), behind an iPhone shooting content for social media or for the blog, or checking and reporting on the performance of our social media platforms.

I divide my job into three different buckets which makes it easier for me to manage my time: website content management (this includes the current website, the upcoming B2B site, and the blog), social media management, and content marketing management.

Did you have a mentor (at JL or elsewhere)?

Funny enough, she’s the person editing the very copy you’re reading—a full circle moment! Vicky Law (Director of Digital Marketing), has been my mentor for over a year now. I have NEVER been challenged by anyone in such a way—she taught me the importance of asking “Why are we doing this? What is the big picture goal?” instead of just doing what I was told to do. The thing about Vicky is that she gives me the grace to make mistakes and teaches me in a real-world environment. She gives me immediate feedback, both positive and negative, so I can quickly readjust where needed. She gave me the reins while still guiding me, so I very quickly gained a strong sense of independence.

She likes to keep things moving at pace that’s quicker than I was used to, and although I may have looked like a hot mess express, I think she would agree that I've managed to keep up and pull my own weight in our department–even if I do heavily rely upon a Celsius to get me through the day, haha! (Editor’s note: I do agree, and yes, we single-handedly keep Celsius in business.)

What have you accomplished here that you're most proud of?

Yet another full circle moment, the JL Blog, Get Inspired! It’s the company's first blog and although there are posts that I'd go back and change (my layout skills have come a LONG way), I'm immensely proud of it. Vicky and I have somehow managed to post once a week for over a year now with no breaks in between, yay us!

The second accomplishment would be that we overhauled our social media platforms and strategically rebuilt them using strategies that best-served each platform and their intended use. We set and identified KPIs (something that was new), and I regularly report on them to ensure we’re meeting our goals or speak up if we need to make a shift.