Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz, CEO of JJR Marketing in Naperville, Illinois, is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, international speaker, philanthropist and author of ten books. She is founder of The Fig Factor Foundation focused on unleashing the amazing in young Latinas and the creator of the Today’s Inspired Latina book series and international movement. She hosts a national TV show segment on Estrella TV and an international radio show on Spanish Public Radio. As a two-time cancer survivor, Jacqueline possesses wisdom about life well beyond her years. She is one of the few Latina small airplane pilots in the US.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I was inspired by the passion to serve others and help them achieve their dreams. I loved and still love the magic of marketing and I wanted to bring that to as many businesses as possible.
Tell us about your business.
JJR Marketing has been around for 11 years as a full service marketing and public relations agency located in Chicago. We work with manufacturing, professional services and technology B2B.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Yes, my Kickstarter campaign bit.ly/TheAmazingBook for my new book. It is live until 8/31.
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
- Woman of Distinction Award by Kane County Magazine
- Best under 40 by Suburban Life
- Unsung Hero Award by City of Aurora
- Influential Women in Business Award by The Daily Herald Business Ledger
- EL (Emerging Leader) Award by Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (CADM)
- Entrepreneurial Excellence Award (EEA) by Daily Herald Business Ledger
- Latina Entrepreneur of the Year finalist by Chicago Latino Network
- Recognition for Outstanding Contribution Award by the Sheilah A Doyle Foundation
- Highest Human Relations Award by Dale Carnegie
- 3 B2B Integrated Marketing Awards by Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (CADM)
- 2 Golden Trumpet Awards by the Publicity Club of Chicago
Where is your business based?
Naperville, IL.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
Set up the programs in my first laptop given to me as a gift by my fiancée (now husband) and bought a bunch of business books to understand how to start a business in Illinois.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Referrals. Doing a really good job for my customers and organically receiving many testimonials and recommendations.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Hiring the right people and creating the right processes to scale the business.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Still overcoming them on the process side. It is an ongoing struggle to figure out the best way to scale the company.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I do yoga, gratitude journaling, meditation, and talk to people that I trust.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
Through our reputation, offerings, unique integration of services, our ability to conduct multicultural campaigns, my personal story as a two-time cancer survivor, pilot, and author of 10 books – all at the age of 34.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
Let it flow.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Don’t give up. Ever.
What are your favorite business tools/resources and why?
Trello.com is an amazing online project management tool that we have been using for years and I run my two companies on, along with all my books and even some personal projects.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
7 Money Secrets by Tony Robbins.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
Scaling, scaling, scaling. How do I scale this business?
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
Figuring out a process to scale the business. I am doing a lot of research and implementation. I am getting feedback from my team and interviewing my clients as well.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @jackiecamachoruiz
Twitter @JackieAmazing
Facebook www.facebook.com/JacquelineAuthor
Website www.jackiecamacho.com
Email jackie@jjrmarketing.com
Hashtags #unleashyouramazing #pilotina