Where do I see myself in five years? Well, out of school, I hope. In my five-year fantasyland, I am happily and successfully working at a job that I absolutely love.
Twenty-four-year-old Kris Ruby is living my fantasy. Ruby is the CEO and founder of Ruby Media Group, a social media marketing, personal branding and public relations agency that helps businesses expand their PR efforts into the world of social media. As a New York native, Ruby attended Boston University’s College of Communications where she majored in public relations. After graduating in 2009, Ruby started RMG to help people craft their messages.
Kris Ruby, CEO and founder of Ruby Media Group
Two years later, Ruby is busier then ever. She has begun to realize that she cannot do everything on her own and is currently looking to expand her company, a somewhat unnerving decision if you are a Type-A personality like me. Ruby’s days are spent preparing tweets and creating Facebook content for clients, managing client accounts, researching relevant information for social network posts, meeting clients and managing her staff. Instead of heading home at 5 p.m., Ruby is often found running to a networking event or to the filming of her web TV show “Nightfly” for Westchester Magazine (Midwesterners: Westchester is a suburban county of NYC).
As a future Journalism School applicant, Ruby’s story is incredibly inspiring to me. At an age when many college graduates are still living with their parents, Ruby is at the top of her game. She was chosen by the Business Council of Westchester as the youngest “40 under 40” Rising Stars for 2010 and is a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, YEC, along with Her Campus’ founder, Windsor Hanger.
So, future journalists, publicists and all other graduates, Ruby’s biggest piece of advice is to intern. By the time Ruby graduated, she had 13 internships under her belt. Although getting coffee and making copies may not be glamorous, Ruby insists that real world experiences are crucial, and internships are the perfect opportunity to learn about an industry.
“It is best to work in a smaller company where you can get real world experience. Don’t just go for the big names,” Ruby said.
Ruby takes empowering women and her interns seriously.
“It is my mission to empower other females to become entrepreneurs straight out of school. I don’t look at someone’s age, I look at their ability. This summer, I had two outstanding interns (both from Westchester) who I put a lot of time into training because I believed in them, and I think they will go far. I hope they can look back and never forget their summer experience with me and apply what they have learned to their PR and journalism classes,” Ruby said.
Former intern Abbe Kramer, a communications student at the University of Miami, will never forget “the life-changing experience” of interning with Ruby this past summer.
“I feel well beyond prepared for my course load this year due to my advanced internship in writing and public relations. Who needs college when you can learn just about everything you need to know at a small business like RMG?” Kramer said.
Well collegiette™, whether you have just begun your freshmen year, or will be graduating this spring, it is never too late (or early) to follow your dreams. So long, Kim Kardashian, there’s a new role model for go getting “femmepreneuers” straight out of college! Kris Ruby is leading the social media and entrepreneurship revolution of today’s generation one tweet at a time!