By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz Inspirations motivate and encourage your passions. They’re much more than just ideas and they evoke feelings you may not know you had. An inspiration is life’s way of giving you an outlet to cultivate your passion. The only way to thank life is following through with that inspiration. It took me some time, but I’ve detailed the anatomy of an inspiration, the journey that takes it from inspiration to realization. While this exact journey isn’t always […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz I was in Belgium and it was my first time in Europe. Here I was, making my way up the escalator to a room full of women waiting to hear my keynote address. It was amazing to think I was halfway across the world to address a group of high-powered professional women from not just a different country, but a different continent. Suddenly, I was filled with doubt. What if what I had to say wasn’t […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz When it comes to excitement, corporate event planning has it all! It’s amazing to conceive the big vision of an event, then make sure all the details are in place for the big moment when things begin to unfold. I have planned so many events, from small retreats and workshops of a dozen or so, to large events like the Today’s Inspired Latina book launch, attended by nearly 500 people. While the size, time and place […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz Here’s a truth that may come as news to you — every 2 days the amount of content we create is equivalent to that of which was produced between the beginning of time and 2013. Yes. That much content. Whether you’re creating the content on your own personal blog or creating it on behalf of larger corporations, the truth is that we get stuck in mental cycles that we need to break if what we want […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz I was recently asked to participate as a contributor to the book Design Strengths: Applying Design Thinking to Individual and Team Strengths by John K Coyle, an Olympic silver medalist, and innovation professor at Stanford and Kellogg Graduate Schools who is known for his thought leadership. As I was becoming familiar with the book, one of the chapters really resonated with me as I analyze my own journey in marketing over the last 15 years. You […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz It was August 2006 when I decided to start my first business in communications as a young Latina that had only been in the United States for 8 years. A lot of people thought I was crazy to start a communications company in a different language that my native one. A big learning curve was ahead of me for sure, not only in the language, bur primarily in the process of running a business. No one […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz After 11 years as head of JJR Marketing, a Chicagoland marketing firm serving start-ups to Fortune 500s, I still delight in helping companies find the “right recipe” for their marketing. Like a chef experienced with different ingredients, I’ve found that not all marketing is the same, or designed for the same results. For some businesses, preparation of their marketing is the challenge while for others, it’s how to serve it up, or even, how to invite […]
1. How to Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie You can go after the job you want—and get it! You can take the job you have—and improve it! You can take any situation—and make it work for you! Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking and timeless bestsellers of all time, How to Win Friends & Influence People will teach […]
By Gabriela Rodil, Guest Bloger The good news is that everything is up for negotiation. The bad news is that everything is up for negotiation. Welcome to a world where some people “negotiate” even facts. So how do you deal with it? Your best friend in any negotiation is knowledge. Knowledge of data, requirements, conditions, factors, etc. It doesn’t matter if the negotiation is with a supplier, employee, partner or spouse. Here is what you need to know: Your […]
By Michele Kelly, Senior Content Specialist Hold on . . . I’ve . . . got to catch . . . breath. Sprinted . . . last mile . . . Lana Del Rey and Beyoncé . . . yeah, they with me . . . and all those ideas. The ideas are the reason I tie the pink laces on my black Nike shoes, luxuriate in music nirvana and run as far as possible without looking like I’m […]