UP-START: SOCIALIZING YOUR BUSINESS

Within the next few weeks or so, approximately 300,000 students will migrate back to Boston for the fall. Essentially, Boston is a college town at heart; it gave rise to some of the most prolific minds in the country. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are products of Boston, names that bring as much pride to Boston as Ted Williams and Bobby Orr. Whether or not you attend a university or have a B.A. in basket weaving, Boston’s youth is driving an entrepreneurial movement that is exciting and promising.

Got any top 40 entrepreneurs under 40? We do. She’s only 23 and she’s wise beyond her years.

Kristen Ruby, founder of Ruby Media Group—an agency that specializes in Social Media Marketing, Public Relations and Personal Branding—is another product of her environment: Boston. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Communications and patented RMG (Ruby Media Group LLC) right after graduation. While RMG is well on its way to climbing Forbes’ lists in years to come, Kristen’s goal is paving the way for other young-minded thinkers to drink the Kool-Aid and start their own company.

So instead of sending out hundreds of resumes, deforesting ponderosa pine trees with your printed CVs, try creating your own job stability. Yes, you still need to put food on the table, and yes, you will have to motivate yourself to turn off Springer’s paternity test specials and take charge! But, there’s nothing like being your own boss— ask anyone, especially Kristen.

In Short, Kristen came to a lot of realizations that if left untreated, clash together in a not-so-pretty midlife crisis. Kristen interned for a company that later gave her a “trial run” as a social media specialist, which would eventually turn into a full-time regular job. During her internship, she was lucky enough to discover her passion for social media, albeit she also became weary of answering to a higher power— the boss. Kristen jettisoned big corporate America, taking what she learned and delivering a product businesses thrive on. She interned, she saw, and she conquered.

Tired of working for a 9-5 job? Fancy yourself an entrepreneur? Intern. You’ll need to discover what your passionate about and what the job actually calls for, something that delves deeper than just chapters from Entrepreneurship For Dummies. Looking for an internship? Do a Google search or send Ruby Media Group a friendly inquiry.

“Interning! I had 13 internships by the time I graduated. Try to intern at smaller companies as well, or do apprenticeships where you really work one on one with someone. We [RMG] are always working with and training new interns, especially from BU COM PR!” Kristen says.

TIME magazine online recently did a piece on Kristen Ruby entitled How I started a Web 2.0 Social Media Site. While I maintain I am somewhat Internet savvy; this is only true for Ebay and Spotify— social media-wise, I’m a deer in headlights.  My first question for Ruby, “In Laymen’s terms, what does Web 2.0 mean?” She kindly explains, “Web 2.0 is a new form of communication— it is the opening up of 1-way to 2-way communication.” Gone are the days when a business transaction was just a handshake, and signing the papers was just a formality. We’ve evolved. Information uploaded in one region of the globe can be downloaded and instantly accessed by prospective clients at a moments notice. Reputations are always at stake. With countless modes of communication— Twitter, Facebook, and other social media channels— it is almost impossible to keep track of the do’s and don’ts to reach a broader audience.

“For example, if a company has liked your business page, have you liked theirs back? Have you blocked a co-worker from seeing your private wall, when they haven’t blocked you? Do you post too much and lose fans as a result of this? Are you tarnishing or growing your company’s reputation based on what you’re posting? This is extremely important when considering a companies business growth today,” Kristen elucidates on social media “snubbing.”

Kristen impromptu RMG start-up came shortly after discovering a lack of communication between three vital corporate outlets.

“The void was the gap between public relations, marketing and social media. Companies were hiring separate firms to do all three. I wanted to bridge the gap between social media and PR, which we believe we have done effectively. We love to also work with PR agencies and create a synergy between content creation and content distribution,” says Kristen.

RMG continues to grow under Kristen Ruby’s watchful eye, two years in the making. For more information about RMG, or tips on forming your brands identity, check out Kristen’s blog.