By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz When you have a passion and a mission to take a message to the world, you can’t do it alone. You must build a community! Building a community happens intentionally or even on accident. A well-placed, catchy hashtag, meme, or funny video can launch a movement and build a community of like-minded thinkers across cyberspace. An event, like a rally or protest, unites people in a mission to produce change or maintain the status quo. But […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz JJR is entering its 13th year in business and I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without building vendor relationships that truly work. A s an agency owner, I work with a vast number of vendors daily, including creatives videographers, photographers and animators as well as fulfillment vendors such as printers and mailers. The majority have been with me for many years and this has not happened by accident. I choose […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz As you may know, I’m a licensed sports plane pilot. My insides are doing happy loop-dee-loops as I wait excitedly on the runway to take off. As I start to taxi slowly, then pick up speed at an exhilarating rate, the wind begins to lift me slowly and I rise higher and higher. My destiny is in my hands as I suddenly burst into the beautifully vacant field of blue I have come to know and […]
Many businesses wonder how they can land media opportunities, feeling as though they are not worthy of “feel-good” stories that can be shared with others. There is always an opportunity to share valuable content that activates the audience- through clever, strategic PR Stunts…but what, exactly, are PR Stunts? PR Stunts are either events or initiatives that connect two or more organizations (typically a local business to a nonprofit) with a clear intention to benefit both. The receiving organization (i.e. nonprofit) […]
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 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 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 Jackie Camacho-Ruiz Every morning, I wake up hoping that I will help at least one person that day; that I may be of value to others. I head to work and spend most of my time interacting with people—family, new and current clients, team members, strategic partners and members of the media. Everybody is trying to get something done, and everyone believes that what they are doing is important. But how do we bring the very best of […]