Meet Cameka “Ruth” Taylor | Authorpreneur & Publishing Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cameka “Ruth” Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cameka “Ruth”, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
It came out of a tragedy that was transformed into triumph. After my second broken engagement, I needed a change of career. After praying about it, it came to me that writing would be therapeutic and also a good way to use my gifts to help others. I wanted a business that would help me to go the extra mile and sustain me financially. So, I wrote my first book. After discovering that selling that book was not enough to make a full-time living, I started building book-based initiatives and guiding others through the publishing process. This gave birth to Extra MILE Innovators Limited, later rebranded as BambuSparks, my Authorpreneur Secret$ Academy membership group and other coaching initiatives.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I have changed careers multiple times. I began at 20 years old as a secondary school teacher of science and Spanish. Then, I transitioned into teaching at the undergraduate level and into administration, becoming the registrar of a seminary. After that, I became a full-time missionary with Operation Mobilization, leading a non-profit in Jamaica. I helped to send over 200 people overseas to do short-term missions. Later, I became a career coach and served as a career development officer at a vocational school. Finally, I transitioned to being an author, entrepreneur, and publishing consultant. It has not been easy.

In 2018, I resigned my job to become my own boss, and it was not easy. Although I have a master’s degree (now pursuing my doctoral studies) and had traveled to 13 different countries, I eventually became so broke that I could not find US$5. I was ashamed. I also became indebted on my writing and publishing journey. Family had to help me out for a while until I gained proper footing in the last 3 years to support myself fully.

The strangest thing is that in the pandemic, I thrived working from home, which I started in 2018. I learned along the way that endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing but to turn it into glory (William Barclay). When God gives you a vision, He will make provision. I learned that what’s worth having is worth waiting for. I want the world to know that painful journeys can lead to beautiful destinations when you find purpose in them, with God’s help. Your strategies in overcoming challenges can help others and can even lead to business ventures and transformative initiatives to change the lives of many.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting, the schedule would be like this:

Sunday – Church
Monday – Theatre to watch a play – Oliver Samuels Comedy
Tuesday – restaurant and catch up with other friends – Sonia’s Homestyle restaurant or Gloria’s seafood by Port Royal
Wednesday – Trip to one of our tourist attractions like Dunn’s River Falls
Thursday – Devon House Ice cream – get some souvenirs
Friday – relax at home
Saturday – she returns home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out Joanna Penn of the Creative Penn Podcast. She has mentored me in the writing and publishing business through her books and podcast. I’ll shout out my mom, who has been the biggest investor and support of my business. If it had not been for her support, I would not have an author career today and a publishing business. Shout out to all my coaches and mentors, especially Heneka Watkis Porter, whose coaching gave me the courage to go deeper and stay the course.

Website: www.extramileja.com

Instagram: Cruthtaylor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameka-ruth-taylor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CamekaRuthTaylor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@authorpreneursecrets

Image Credits
Photos by taken by Tasharae Nicholson