Marisa Sourges; MCM Worldwide
Welcome to our VIMspiration Weekly Blogs!
We will be sharing helpful career tips, Q&As with industry professionals and career advice from past MSU and VIM Alumni!
This week we will be hearing from Marisa Sourges, Men’s & Women’s Account Executive at MCM WORLDWIDE. Marisa is an MSU and VIM alumni with great advice to share! Head to Marisa’s LinkedIn to learn more.
Q: When were you a VIM member/what roles did you hold
A: I joined VIM as a first-semester freshman in 2011. I immediately got involved due in part to a senior in my sorority who was a founding member of the magazine. Throughout college I held the below positions:
Freshman Year [2011-2012]: Assistant Creative Director
Sophomore Year [2012-2013]: Creative Director
Junior Year [2013-2014]: Creative Director
Senior Year [2014-2015]: Editor-in-Chief
Q: What drew you to work at MCM? What part of your job have you enjoyed the most?
A: I spent my first three years out of school at Theory climbing the ladder within the Wholesale division, being promoted twice during my tenure. After time developing my skillset in RTW [ready-to-wear] managing the largest department store business [Bloomingdales], I felt it was in my best interest for personal and professional growth to garner experience in other divisions of the business. I then transitioned to MCM in July 2018 where I began managing Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue Women’s business across handbags, small leather goods and accessories. I then acquired the Men’s business in April 2019, expanding my scope to RTW, shoes and men’s accessories. As of September 2019, I have additionally taken on the responsibility of opening a new department store for the company! What I enjoy most about my job is the ability to work autonomously—the company has only been in the US for the last 10 years which gives us the ability to test new thoughts and ways to work, experiences for the customer and no idea is ever diminished. We’re tasked to think outside the box and work by the mantra-its better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
Q: Could you describe what a typical day at work looks like for you?
A: No two days at MCM look the same, which is what makes the company such a positive place to be! My division is a small team of 4, so we’re responsible for a lot of moving parts to our business—sales, PR, marketing, visual merchandising, store training. The first part of each week is predominantly spent in the office, analyzing department store sales, promotional activity and maximizing selling opportunities—excel is my BEST friend and WORST enemy. It’s a skill set that should be given due attention! Other days are spent either traveling to local northeast territory doors visual merchandising department stores and training associates on new products and collections or traveling the US to do the same. I travel a least one week out of the month.
Q: Do you feel that your experiences with VIM have helped you in your current job?
A: Unequivocally yes! The biggest takeaways and skillsets that VIM taught me are; time management, multi-tasking, accountability, and transparency. Work ethic is something I’m extremely proud of in my career, and VIM gave me that initial platform to propel from. Working at the magazine you’re exposed to a wide breadth of departments within the organization as well as vendors, students, faculty. It’s imperative to manage everyone’s expectations, all with a smile and a can-do attitude. You will never be able to make everyone happy 100% of the time, but how you present yourself, your company and your work will allow for better lines of communication and success!
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges when transitioning from college to the workforce? Do you have any tips for students that are about to graduate?
A: The biggest challenge when transitioning from college to the workforce was none other than….graduating WITHOUT a job! I had worked part-time all through college in retail, held internships in NY at Valentino and Missoni, been an Editorial Stylist for Jovani Couture and Miss Michigan USA and still hadn’t solidified my “dream job” post-grad. I spent 4 months after graduating freelancing for metro-Detroit boutiques running their social and still styling on the side. I was sending dozens of resumes and job applications out daily, even putting together individual portfolios and sending them to major designers via ‘snail mail’. One day I simply decided to take a leap of faith, set a date and move to NYC. That was the best decision I could have made. Within two weeks of living in New York, I had acquired an internship at Theory as their Fashion Market Week intern. I was interviewing for full-time positions during this time, but 4 days into the internship they offered me a full-time role—all due to my work ethic, positive energy and willingness to learn. The rest is history! The biggest tip I can give to students about to graduate is to let go of whatever preconceived notion you have about what your first job out of college will be. It’s never going to be your ‘Dream Job’. You’re there to learn, be a sponge to all new experiences and then take those skills to either the next level within your organization or leverage them somewhere else!
Q: What/who has motivated you to keep pursuing your dreams and to become successful?
A: To this day what keeps me pursuing my dreams to become more successful is the appetite for knowing there’s always MORE that can be done! Living in NYC you’re exposed to some of the most creative and Entrepreneurial people in the world. That energy and desire to do more, be better and hopefully help others along the way always keeps me on my toes!
Alaina Warburton