Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus Lizama.
Jesus, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Mexico and emigrated to the US with my mother and sister when I was 1 year old. We came undocumented and grew up in extreme poverty for most of our life. I went through all my schooling here in Los Angeles. As a young adult, I focused mainly in college due to the fact that I could not work legally. Luckily in 2012, Obama created DACA which allowed me to work legally in the states.
During this time and soon after receiving my work permit, I was hired by my college district as a mathematics mentor and tutor. Not long after that, I decided to start looking for work opportunities within my major; computer science.
I landed a developer role at a small company of 9 or 10 employees. Fast forward 4 years, I’m still at Studio 3 Marketing but now the company has almost 40 full-time employees and I hold the title of Chief Technology Officer and oversee a team of 7 developers. This year we made it into the Inc5000 list of fastest growing companies in the United States!
From humble beginnings, I was given a chance that allowed me to flourish into an executive of a multi-million-dollar company.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Quite the opposite! Growing up in poverty came with so many downs.
My biggest obstacle in life was when I was 16 and in high school. Many of my friends suddenly began getting driver’s licenses, summer jobs, or traveling to another state on a plane. I wondered and asked my mom why I wasn’t allowed the same experiences; this is when I found out I was undocumented.
This discovery about myself led to so many difficulties. On the other hand, this was also the defining moment in my life that led to my passion and drive for success. I had to overcome poverty and prove to my family that our sacrifice of coming to the United States was not in vain.
Please tell us about Studio 3 Marketing.
We are a full-service marketing company that specializes (but not limited to) the medical industry. We work with world-renowned plastic surgeons, dentists, lawyers, real estate groups, and so many others.
I’m most proud of the team and culture that we’ve created. From a small 10-person company to a 40-person team, we’ve managed to keep the group tight and have a creative office environment.
When we ask our clients why they chose us over any of our competitors, the answer is pretty consistent: Quality.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
My only regret is being a horrible high student. It wasn’t until college that I fell in love with academia and I wish I would have started sooner!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1800 S Brand Blvd Suite 301
- Website: https://www.studio3marketing.com
- Phone: (310) 734-4964
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studioiiimarketing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studio3marketing
Image Credit:
Raquel Natalicchio
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