Meet Jose Ibarra
We had the good fortune of connecting with Jose Ibarra and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jose, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balance is a hard word to digest when you’re a creative. Usually you learn about balance with experience and nobody teach you this. When i was living in Guatemala i learned to delegate and to release time by making a team capable with the abilities that i developed, in the US i found out that people are more individual and something that’s very hard is to find people that want to do the hard work.
Although there are always talented people that help you to balance work and make your work a lifestyle and see it as an auto realization project and happy customers.
With balance comes also knowledge, how to balance good discipline, good interpersonal relations, food habits and even party habits.
I work with liquor brands and part of my job is to be out and usually people confuse my work with a party animal, but everything is just about perspective and how good can you balance your social life with your work life.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’d say that my business is more than just an agency. What defines my business is the ability to gather the best teams to develop exactly what my clients expect. What I’m most proud of is the journey and the ability to reinvent not only my personal brand but also my businesses.
I realize that even though I don’t have the magazine anymore, I wouldn’t have been able to create the marketing agency without it because both projects were complementary. Also, when things fall apart, listen to your intuition—it can save you from failure. I’m someone who is always pushing for bigger goals, so I used to feel unmotivated when I didn’t reach the goals I set for myself.
Bringing people together and making money is important, and I see that more clearly now that I’ve migrated. If I had saved all the money I spent over the years, I’d be able to afford a better start somewhere else. But it’s not a regret—it’s a lesson in planning. Discipline is key.
Today, I can say that I’m not just a magazine editor, a marketing agency owner, or a PR professional. I’m rebuilding and rebranding my company once again, aligning my vision with my clientele’s needs. It’s the “Hannah Montana” of businesses: I bring work opportunities to content creators, create experiences that transcend for brands, introduce innovation to different cities, and bring capital to new entrepreneurs or artists launching their own personal brands—and much more.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m the best person to answer this question because im always trying the hottest spots, making plans for me and my friends and know what to do and where to find what visitors are looking for according to their budgets and needs.
Let’s say they’re coming from Thursday to Monday, I’d totally recommend them to stay in Miami Beach or Brickell just for them to have the Beach close or the City Vibes that Miami Brings. On the first night I’d recommend to go to Perro Negro in Wynwood to get the Latino vibes of Miami (with free cover on Thursdays), on Friday morning I’d recommend the brunch of Little Hen in Midtown for aesthetic vibes and then go to target to shop stuff that they cannot find in their countries and feel Miami Design District stores & vibes, for coffee I’d recommend Pura Vida to get a Matcha or Vegan Cookie and then book a nice restaurant dinner experience like: Gekko, Marion or Cantina la Veinte. Great places to dine in, get Miami’s vibe and loose it a bit, and if they want to not sleep at all would recommend MYNT at the beach or Twist that goes til 5am.
When people visit Miami they don’t expect historic places but i always recommend tu visit a museum, my personal favorite is Rubbel Museum in Allapatah or also Perez Art Museum is a great plan, also eat something quick or visit Julia & Henrys – food hall with great food and aesthetics in downtown – and after that maybe book a concert or a Miami Heat game.
Sundays are my favorite day to go out in Miami because you can see more locals and usually people work in hospitality so they are off on Mondays. R House Brunch is great for Drag Show, Bottomless Mimosas and food or Zuma Brunch is my favorite, after that you can book a yacht with friends and watch the sunset by the ocean watching Miami Skyline and then for dinner I’d recommend Seaspice to get a great dinner experience with music and after that 1-800 Lucky in wynwood for electronic music.
Miami is seasonal and there’s a lot going on every week on high season, always investigate because your favorite artist could be on tour, your favorite DJ in Space or even your favorite liquor brand could have an activation.
Hope you guys like it and can see more of my Miami Life and recommendations via instagram @joseibarraspecher
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In my story there are a lot of angels and people who pushed me towards where I am today. Sometimes we rely on best friends or family and expect much about them, But in my life I could tell that talking to a stranger saved my life. Not only for recommending my work, for following my steps through the years, but also for being loyal when the road got difficult.
My mom deserves a recognition because she always encourage me to be the best version of myself and validated my steps in the best way she could and also pushed me to finish studying, be an independent being and excellent in everything.
Instagram: Instagram.com/joseibarraspecher
Facebook: Jose Ibarra
Other: Instagram or Linked In is the best way to reach out
Image Credits
Events Photography & Personal Images
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
