Stuck in a Rut

Estimados Señores:
Working on some high-level marketing homework and at the point of desperation. I am fearing inadequacy in the worst way and I know that's the last thing that will help me to finish this thing. I've had about 6 cups of coffee today and it's wearing off...Another cup might just blow a fuse and that would not be good. I have to meet with a colleague tomorrow at noon to exchange and review each other's projects. I have a feeling mine will pale in comparison and I won't get an A on this portion....why the hell wasn't I this anal in undergrad???

P'al carajito me voy, me voy, me vooooyyy....

In other news, my other half just informed me that he will be applying to go to Kuwait to train Iraqi police officers for 6 MONTHS. Just freakin' peachy with créme fraiche. Coñazo del diablo con legiones de demonios...Of course nothing is set in stone, but do I really need this stress? I will have to keep myself VERY busy during that time to keep my mind off of oh I don't know, DESTITUTE SOLITUDE?

More random ramblings...feeling insecure about my writing. I guess I'm not producing the level of quality I used to since people who once read my blog faithfully don't anymore...but I suppose my focus has shifted and I really don't pay much attention to theirs so it works out in the end.

Found a suit for the interview on Wednesday. A grey wool Caslon (Nordstrom brand) pant suit-trouser leg which is currently being altered for perfection. Looking forward to getting this interview over and done with. I will, of course, study and rehearse until my eyes bleed.

As long as the hemorrhaging stops by 4pm on Wednesday I'll nail it.

I probably need to eat something right now, I think the malnutrition is going to my head, or not...OK. Done. Now.

-TT

Quantitative Thinking for Dummies

As I come to the end of the 1st month as an MBA student, I am really starting to understand where I come up short and what I need to work on. I got an OK score on the GMAT- enough to get me into the school of my choice but nothing to brag about. The problem is I was highly skewed on my skill sets. Let's put it this way: on the verbal section I was in the 82nd percentile, on the quantitative I was in the 25th. Now, as I am tackling subjects such as Operations Management, the quantitative skills are sorely lacking and I am scrambling to figure out how to be a math whiz before the final in December. From a conceptual standpoint, math is not that difficult for me. The problem is I don't automatically think in quantitative terms, and it is a huge problem. I found a book online that people have raved about in the reviews, but it is backordered to late November. I need to be smart now. It is totally apparent to me that quantitative thinking is one of if not the most important skill in the business world, I just need to learn how to translate information into those terms.

My passion is marketing. Even though on the outside marketing looks like pretty colors, glossy magazine spreads, and catchy jingles, there are numbers behind each and every one of those components. Research is something I devour, but being able to solve business problems with an equal balance of soft and hard data is a little more challenging to me. I am going to do whatever I need to do to learn the skills I need including reading books outside the assigned class materials just so I can catch up.

I am competitive, but internally more than externally so. I didn't care or try as much as I should have in undergrad so I am making up for it now..... I hate to admit it, but I have a lot to prove to myself and the rest of the world. Will anyone really take that much notice when I accomplish these things? Probably not, but I will tell you that I heard some information yesterday that reminded me of my potential success. The President of U.S. Operations at my company started out in my position (Quasi-Peon). He is also an Italian-American, which if for nothing else makes me proud of my heritage and shows me that even we wops can make a (legitimately) decent life for ourselves.

As far as the job front goes, remember the project I was doing for the dream job I applied for in JUNE? Well, I finally got an interview and it's scheduled for next Wednesday. I will be swinging by Ann Taylor Loft this evening to purchase a new suit and Aldo to get some classy professional shoes. The recruiter said they loved my project, and I am only competing with ONE other candidate who just happens to external. Survey says: odds are in my favor as an internal candidate. Now hold on a minute there, I didn't say I had the interview dialed...but I do have the questions and I will be studying everything I can like a maniac until 4 pm next week. I've said it before and I'll say it again, success is right around the corner and it is going to taste like a cold Malta India on a hot summer day. Keep me in your prayers folks, I need all the love I can get!

Fulanito- ¡Presente!

I know I said I was going to post a picture of the Fulanito concert, and here it is! From left to right: Pickles, La Otra Ajena, Edwin, Me, Dose, and Jay "El Boricua" half-pictured. (That's the quality you get from a drunk Venezuelan photographer/security guard). Had a great time kickin' it backstage with the crew...not an everyday occurrence here on the Oregon Trail! Looking forward to getting them out here for a corporate event next year, we'll see! Well, at least I felt like a movie star for a few hours....let's hope for more of this in the future.

Because I'm a Marketing Nerd....

MIAMI IS THE #1 CITY IN THE US FOR HISPANIC BUYING POWER

• “Between 2000 and 2001, half of all new consumers in America were Hispanic.” 1

• "Miami is quickly becoming the biggest offshore center for private banking and real estate. Historic low interest rates and perceived stock market instability have further pushed high net-worth South Americans, fleeing political strife, to put their money not just in Miami bank accounts, but increasingly in residential and commercial real estate..." 2

• “Dollars spent by advertisers in the Hispanic market may be more profitable than dollars spent in the general market…” 3

• The US Hispanic market is richer than any Spanish-speaking country in the world, with purchasing power of $580 billion. 4

• Hispanics are an attractive marketing audience because they tend to spend more of their disposable income on goods and services than non-Hispanics. 5

• For US Hispanics, advertising in Spanish is five times more persuasive than advertising in English. 6

• Hispanic household income has doubled during the past decade and US Hispanics consume more products per household than non-Hispanics. 7 Top categories include: automotive, telephone, cellular, food & beverage, personal care, and apparel. 8

• Hispanics read magazines at the same rate and for the same amount of time as non-Hispanics (between 66% and 68%). They are the group most likely to read print media. 9

• “Hispanic magazines in the U.S. are gaining ground. In 2003, advertising revenue surged by 23.7% and the number of ad pages increased 6.5%... according to Hispanic Magazine Monitor...” 10 far outpacing growth of general marketpublications. 11

• "The number of Hispanic households earning more than $100,000 a year grew 126 percent between 1991 and 2000,compared to 77 percent for the general American population.” 12

HISPANIC PURCHASING POWER1 Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), “The Right Spend II”2 Charles Davis, Private Banker International, July 2002 US Hispanic Market3 USA Today4 The Selig Center, Terry College of Business, April 20025 Magnet White Paper “Marketing to the U.S. Hispanic Population, Part I: An Overview”6 Roslow Research Group, “Advertising Effectiveness Among Hispanics”7 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Customer Expenditure Survey8 The Hispanic Consumer Market Report, DRI/McGraw-Hill9 Strategy Research Corporation, 2002 US Hispanic Market10 Hispanic Market Weekly, January 19, 200411 Media Economics Group12 HispanicOnline.com, “Affluent Hispanics” Jul 11, 2003
- Subha B arry, Multicultural and Diversified Business Development Group , Merrill Lynch

404 Washington Avenue, Suite 650 • Miami Beach, Florida 33139 • Tel: 305.532.2544 Fax: 305.531.2132
www.oceandriveenespanol.com

Los Angeles' Hip-Hop Summit Tells Young Adults To 'Get Their Money Right'

Tuesday - September 20, 2005By: Jay Casteel

On Saturday (September 17), the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) held their Los Angeles Hip-Hop Summit, where they urged young adults to "Get Your Money Right," via a discussion with a celebrity panel -- the main topic being financial empowerment.Hosted by Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN, the Los Angeles Hip-Hop Summit was free to the public and included the likes of Xzibit, the D.O.C., Jalissa of BET's "106 and Park" and Sheehan from "Def Poetry Jam" to help do away with poverty by educating young adults about managing their finances and the importance of maintaining their assets."We're not only trying to inspire some people today, but hopefully motivate some of our young brothers and sisters on the right financial path," Dr. Benjamin Chavis said to reporters at Saturday's Summit. "If we want to talk about ending poverty, to end poverty, you have to get your finances right, get your money right and get your mind right."A big supporter and title sponsor of the Hip-Hop Summit over the past month has been Chrysler Financial. For the first time, one of the world's leading financial institutions has partnered with the HSAN to help young people build a solid financial future. Russell Simmons, Chairman of HSAN and William F. Jones, Jr., Vice President of Chrysler Financial have pledged to work together to coordinate this national campaign under the theme "Get Your Money Right.""We're Chrysler Financial and when you talk about the theme of Financial Empowerment that's what we're all about," Chrysler Financial Vice President's William F. Jones, Jr. told BallerStatus.net."We want to help people realize their dreams. And it’s so important for young people to understand the importance of starting out right, keeping their money right and taking care of business. That's what's gonna help them realize their dreams down the road."The Los Angeles Hip-Hop Summit was the seventh and final Summit of the tour, and is part of an unprecedented national campaign to raise awareness among millions of young adults 18-35 about the importance of financial literacy.Before any of the celebrity panel could talk about the topic at hand, up-and-coming R&B group, One, performed acapella before an LA crowd, after which, Dr. Chavis took stage to begin the program's agenda: financial literacy, basic banking, repairing and understanding credit scores, asset and wealth management, auto financing, home ownership and entrepreneurship."Money is easy to get, but it's harder to keep," Xzibit said before those in attendance at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater. "It's important to get your economics right because we live in a society that thrives on the money that we make and the taxes that we pay. So, if you can't take care of yourself financially, you can't take care of nobody around you. That's how important it is for your very life to have your money right. Everything that we do revolves around dollars and cents. So, if you don't have that correct, you won't be able to survive in this society."Others such as the D.O.C. and Dro (Russell Simmons' first artist under his Russell Simmons Music Group label) spoke about their own life experiences and how it related to being in control of your financial status.