We recently connected with Jorge Cruz and have shared our conversation below.

Jorge, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Having a business is a high risk decision. You must be born to become an entrepreneur to be willing for extreme sacrifices. I have had multiple up and downs, but here I will share some of the most challenging ones.

1- The transition from traditional marketing to online marketing was my first crash. After fighting for few years against the Internet, finally the Internet won me and have to fill bankruptcy. I had an established and successful 24-7 large format printing company, and the wave of the Internet plus the recession after 911 force me to start over.
I overcome this lesson by studying deeply my enemy, until at some point the Internet become my best friend until today.

I felt very frustrated of missing my old traditional business after leaving all my skin and life building it for over 10 years, however, once I understood the potential of the Internet to help my clients I just apply all the university of knowledge that I receive building my first business.

I learned that you never can get stuck on what works today. You must always evolve and innovate your business every day.

2- When COVID hits the world, I was on a good position again, but now with my Online Marketing Agency. I was doing ok and growing. I was very happy with the progress helping doctors, but specifically dentists and oral surgeons. In few weeks, all of them start closing practices and my agency now have no income. It was very hard because of the uncertainty of what will happen next.

I learned that when you own a business, you can not focus on just providing one service or product. You must have multiple streams of income, so you can survive when any of this sources fail.

3- In November 2020, when the world was starting to come back to normal, I was ready to start the new year with an amazing plan to launch my revamped agency and in person seminars to start my new program of mentoring and coaching.

On January 2nd celebrating new year with my family, I had a fatal accident where I almost die.
It took me almost a year to recover after 4 big surgeries, and weekly therapies to be able to be back to normal,
walk again and continue my journey.

At this time I was not any more frustrated, I was grateful for all the learning experiences and the blessing to be alive.
I live and saw how God was in control of my life and how much he provided me and my family of 6 to keep going even in the worst circumstances.

Jorge, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I studied to become an aircraft technician. After working for 5 years in this industry, even when I love troubleshooting and fixing turbines and airplanes, I noticed that most of my colleagues were divorced. I noticed that they don’t have time with their families and finished with good money but broken families.

For me was a dream to have a stable family.

I was born with the entrepreneurial heart, so I decided to start learning something new.

Furthermore, I had an opportunity one day to but from one neighbor a machine to cut vinyl stickers that he was not using. For me, this machine was very interesting, so I bought it and start making stickers to all my neighbors.

Then one guy asked me if I can make him a banner for a birthday and I said yes. And I did it. They like it, and from there I start making more banners.
Few months later a guy asked me to do the signs for his company truck, I say yes, I did it and from there I start getting truck every single day.
From there someone asked me for a sign for his business and I say yes, I did, and after that I got to do new signs every single week.

The progression continued from people asking me for more advanced signage and I always say yes, until a point that a 27 years old kid was one of the biggest 3 large format printing companies in Puerto Rico.

After 10 years of multiple business lessons and I felt extremely stable, I had to make the strong and frustrating decision to close and close doing bankruptcy. The Internet trend and recession that occur after 911 forced me to stop.

Then I switch all my efforts to learn, understand and dominate my biggest enemy, The Internet.
Now, after 11 years working online, I had built a strong reputation and have being blessed of helping dozens of doctors and Hispanic entrepreneurs maximize all their time and effort online.

All this entrepreneurial journey had helped me learn several things. Customer support, quality of work, problem-solving, deal with different people attitudes, organization, handling teams, valuing my work and many, many others.

What I understand that sets me apart from others is that I come from traditional marketing and I know how to help anybody with any kind of marketing issue. This journey taught me to know a little bit of all the elements that any business needs to become successful.

I feel proud of helping entrepreneurs achieve their Goals and dreams.
I also feel proud of the positive reputation that I have built, the awesome relationships that I have established and the strong confidence I have created on myself, troubleshooting any business marketing problem.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The most impacting resource that changed my business to where I am, and I am going, was breaking the ice and investing in good mentors.

The first time I make the decision to invest on one, I saw a drastic change on my business and my mindset, then I hired a second one to learn other skills, then I hire another one and then another one and now, at this point I don’t even measure how expensive could sound a mentor for me.
If the mentor helps me shortcut the process and help me innovate my business and my client’s business, I just do it.

It’s being worth every penny.
Of course, I also hire some fake or bad mentors, but it’s part of the learning curve.

Now I am connected with the right network of experts that help me be where I am.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The commitment to help others.

When you put your heart on helping others more than the money that you will make, people value that, you give them your best and the end result becomes the best.

It’s about not providing good service, instead focusing on providing excellence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jorgeacruz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorgecruzmarketingcoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JorgeACruzMarketingCoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgecruzmarketingcoach/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JorgeCruzMCoach
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JorgeCruzTv
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marketing-innovations-group-orlando-2
• Other: Google Business Profile: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=marketing+innovations+group#ip=1