Francisco Lee (IMC21)

Co-Founder of Soom Shower

Consumer insights, startups, and cult/fandom have always been areas that sparked my interest, guiding me to companies that aligned with these passions. I've had the luck to find myself in roles at massive companies like Disney and NBCUniversal, but I also embraced opportunities to be a part of smaller, rapidly growing ventures such as Loot Crate and hello82. In making career choices, my guiding light has been a mix of personal happiness and learning potential, especially with the goal of eventually starting my own company. The IMC program at Northwestern exposed me to successful entrepreneurs during a San Francisco immersion trip, a pivotal experience that pushed me to take my entrepreneurial ambitions seriously. Now, I'm bringing that dream to life with Soom, a startup I co-founded with my childhood best friends and fellow Northwestern students, Daniel and Ethan, both of whom are pursuing their JD/MBA degrees.

What are your main responsibilities in your current role?
My current role really boils down to two key elements. First and foremost, I'm always asking, "How can we make our brand's message truly click with our customers?" The other part involves the nitty-gritty daily operations: getting our products shipped out, spearheading email marketing campaigns, networking with influencers, and coordinating with our Korean team about production. Plus, there's the crucial task of charting out the next moves for our brand. I was lucky enough to visit Korea, really immersing myself in the culture. This helped us ensure we're offering an authentic experience to our customers.

The IMC program gave me a comprehensive set of skills in both qualitative and quantitative analysis, which are essential in understanding consumer behavior. Before the program, I wasn't aware of the practical usage of certain mathematical functions, like logarithms, in understanding consumers. Now, I can directly use these functions when evaluating statistics from survey data. The entire curriculum gave me a deeper insight into business and marketing. For instance, classes like Design Thinking taught me how to break down larger problems into manageable parts to find solutions. The ability to use different types of analysis helped me become a better marketer.

What did you do during Immersion Quarter?
During my Immersion Quarter, I had the opportunity to collaborate with four amazing classmates on a project for Kraft Heinz. The focus was to understand the changing landscape of cultural cuisine preferences in the U.S and adapt their global portfolio accordingly. We specifically examined their hot sauce and cheese products, identifying under-indexed areas and potential opportunities in regional U.S. markets. The increasing demand for authentic and ethnic cuisines guided us, keeping us mindful of factors such as genuine taste, national sentiments, and emerging media trends. It was challenging, but definitely a fantastic learning experience!

The San Francisco Program, led by Professor Anya Cheng, really hit home for me. Before, I'd always thought my career path was set - working at a company and climbing the corporate ladder. But getting to chat with successful entrepreneurs completely shifted my perspective. I began to see there were more possibilities out there. The IMC program also highlighted the importance of value creation. It made me realize that if you bring value to the table, you can carve out your own path.

Another aspect of my experience at Northwestern that really stood out was the incredible support from faculty. When job search season rolled around, I found myself needing to brush up on certain concepts. I didn't hesitate to book extra office hours with professors to deepen my understanding. I recall one instance where I had to tackle a case study involving conjoints during an interview. Professor Emily Ko went above and beyond, taking the time to re-explain the concept to me and help me feel more prepared. It's this level of dedication from the faculty that really made a difference.

How have your identities influenced the way you navigate your professional career?
As a first-generation college graduate and an immigrant, I approach each opportunity with a deep sense of gratitude. The scholarships I received from Medill were particularly instrumental in shaping my journey, and for that, I remain immensely thankful. This gratitude not only inspires me but also reinforces my commitment to giving back to the community whenever I can. So, if anyone is curious about the program or my personal journey, I'm always available and eager to share my experiences!

What advice would you give to someone considering the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications Full-Time program?
If you're interested in consumer marketing, there's no better place to study than IMC Medill. The program offers strong foundational courses in marketing while allowing you the freedom to delve into specific areas of interest. Some courses can be intellectually challenging, but it will help you become a better marketer!