I have a platonic man crush on Ramit Sethi. I’ve pretty much been stalking him since 2007 (when I started ODOJ) by subscribing to his blog, signing up for his e-mail list, reading his book, poring over his Delicious links, and buying one of his courses. We even met in person once. It was in the lobby of a trendy W hotel waiting for him, and when he walked up I played it cool by slamming my head into some stupid lamp that was hanging over the lounge chair that I was sitting on. Why am I so obsessed with some random Indian dude who is only a couple years older than me? Because he has built an amazing business that helps people achieve their career and financial dreams. I tend to gag at most of the advice that I hear from “career experts,” yet when I see something come from I Will Teach You To Be Rich (Ramit’s company–he used to have to reiterate that it’s not a scam because the name sounds so questionable), my eyes get all dreamy and I just start nodding in agreement. I occasionally even yell “YES!” at my computer.
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Yesterday we looked at Yoga Alliance and how they’re helping the field of yoga grow from a cultural curiosity to a mainstream activity that millions of Americans participate in. Yoga is a perfect example of how we can take traditions from other cultures and integrate them into our lives to improve our health. The problem is that for every tradition that will actually make you healthier, there are probably a few that have little or no benefit (or even a negative effect). ALOHA is a New York, NY based startup that “combines traditional wisdom from diverse cultures across the globe with the latest scientific research and collaborates with the world’s most esteemed experts and health gurus to develop innovative products and inspiring content.” They’ll help you discover new ways to live a healthier, more enjoyable life–and you won’t have to worry that you’re wasting time with something that is scientifically unproven.
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The last time that I picked up a hard copy newspaper was because I was in it. I consume almost all of my news online, and I don’t even have much loyalty to a particular source. I guess it’s people like me who have ruined the news business, but I’m not going to change. The news businesses that adapt and innovate are the ones that have the best shot of being around in a decade. Digital First Media might be one of them. They are a New York, NY based group of companies that has more than “800 multi-platform products” that reach “61 million Americans each month across 18 states.” They’re still all about the news, but they realize that an outlet can only continue to put out quality content when it is backed by a solid business.
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I’m getting married tomorrow! Amy and I are extremely excited to share such a special event with so many friends and family, but we’re both a little nervous… about the weather. There are thunderstorms in the forecast, and I have a bad history with lightning. Whether it rains or not, the wedding will go on, it will be great, and people will take lots of pictures. We have a great photographer who will capture many of the special moments, but our friends and family will do their best to supplement him and his crew. We decided against using an app to collect photos from friends, but we definitely considered it. Wedding Party is a Palo Alto, CA based company that offers an app that allows you to “capture all the amazing photos from your wedding.”
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Lately it seems like we’ve looking at companies with previously trendy business models. We did the subscription gift box (Glossybox), the flash sale site (Rue La La), and now we’re doing the daily e-mail (obviously my favorite model). What usually happens when a business model gets hot is that a ton of copycats come along and quickly oversaturate the market. Most of them eventually fail, and people see that as evidence that the original business model was unsustainable. It’s really just that most people who copy other business aren’t very good at running businesses. PureWow is a lot like DailyCandy or even Thrillist (they even have the same backers), but they’ve chosen a distinctly different market. The New York, NY based company realized that most women-focused online content was made for the under 30 crowd, so they decided to change that.
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Reading should be part of your career search, but it needs to be part of an active pursuit to learn new things and become more employable, not a passive way to make yourself think that you’re doing something productive. That’s not to say that everything you read should be a how-to guide, but you need to choose books, articles, and publications with a purpose. If you do that, you’ll probably run into a lot of stuff published by Wiley, a Hoboken, NJ based “global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly fields.” They’re a billion dollar business, so they’re publishing a lot of books on a lot of topics.
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I used to be on top of all of the latest web technologies. When a new social network or tool came out, I’d figure out how to use it and add it to my repertoire. I can’t keep up any more–there are just too many cloud-based services out there. While you’ll never be able to master all of these technologies, you can get up to speed in about a minute thanks to Grovo. They’re a New York, NY based company that “produces one-minute video lessons covering every change to the world’s most popular websites, mobile apps and online tools.” Grovo’s content is updated in real-time, so when Facebook announces a new feature or a long awaited new iPhone app is released, they’re on it almost immediately. So far they already have more than 3,000 videos covering more than 100 web products.
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I wonder how many great books were never published because major publishing houses didn’t think they would sell enough. Even Harry Potter may have never been published if it weren’t for an 8 year old nagging her dad to get her another chapter. But it’s not always about shortsightedness. Some books are extremely important, but don’t have mass market appeal. That’s why publishers like The New Press exist. They’re a non-profit that “publishes books that promote and enrich public discussion and understanding of the issues vital to our democracy and to a more equitable world.” The New Press is based in New York, NY and has been publishing important books since 1992.
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Yesterday was a big news day with the State of the Union address and the culmination of the Dormer drama. For online news outlets that means pageviews, and pageviews equal revenue. Unfortunately for journalists, they aren’t supposed to create the news (except through investigative journalism), but they’re still pushed to drive more ad revenue without jumping the “Chinese wall” between advertising and editorial. To do that, you need to know what readers are most likely to respond to. Visual Revenue is a New York, NY based company that helps editorial teams figure out what that is and react to it in real time. They do this through a “predictive analytics platform that makes human editors the most powerful force in today’s data-driven newsrooms.”
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This morning I read an article called Lawmakers Gone Wild in Chicago magazine. It’s about how many Illinois politicians are using their campaign funds as a tax free slush fund for personal expenses. The abuses are rampant, but only the most egregious offenders are prosecuted (and it’s often by the federal government). Much of the research for the article came from the Better Government Association, a Chicago, IL based non-profit that “works for integrity, transparency, and accountability in government by exposing corruption and inefficiency; identifying and advocating effective public policy; and engaging and mobilizing the electorate to achieve authentic and responsible reform.” Considering that the BGA has been around since 1923, you really have to wonder how bad things would be if they never existed.
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Yesterday I heard that Y Combinator is funding its first non-profit. It’s pretty cool to see a for-profit incubator dipping its toes into the non-profit world, but there have been non-profit incubators around for a long time. One of them is Earth Island Institute. They’re a Berkeley, CA based organization that acts as a “hub for grassroots campaigns dedicated to conserving, preserving, and restoring the ecosystems on which our civilization depends.” So far they have incubated over 100 startup environmental projects and helped them get off the ground by providing administrative and financial resources that are essential for early stage non-profits.
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Over the course of your life there will be a few financial decisions that will have an oversized impact on your personal wealth. Not buying coffee from Starbucks or turning the thermostat down two degrees will have a small fraction of the impact. You absolutely have to get the big decisions right. But how do you know what the right decisions are? SmartAsset is a New York, NY based company that provides “all the information and analysis you need to make the best possible financial decisions.” In my opinion, they’re not quite there yet, as they’re still in beta. But they have started with home buying which is definitely a high impact decision.
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While the Holiday Season is a time that many of us offer help to the less fortunate, it’s usually in the form of gifts or donations. This kind of help is great, but it’s typically temporary. Homelessness and poverty are both societal and individual problems, so bringing about real change is going to take a lot more than a few weeks of giving. Real Change is a Seattle, WA based non-profit that “exists to provide opportunity and a voice for low-income and homeless people while taking action for economic justice.” By focusing on helping the individuals while at the same time pushing for societal change, Real Change is able to make a meaningful difference.
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You’ve probably noticed that more and more celebrities are using their fame to launch businesses. This makes a ton of sense. Getting exposure for a new business is extremely difficult for regular people, but celebrities have a built-in PR machine. If what kind of shoes you wore is newsworthy, then the fact that you started a business (or even just lent your name to it) is going to get attention. Even a non-A-lister like Giuliana Rancic (E! News host, reality star and author) can have a distinct advantage whether she’s opening a restaurant in my neighborhood (RPM Italian) or launching a media site called FabFitFun (the name sounds like someone’s New Year’s Resolution). Today we’re going to focus on the latter, which is a Los Angeles, CA based company that offers “free daily emails filled with the latest and greatest in beauty, fitness, diet and wellness.”
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I used to get excited about Black Friday, but never to the point that I’d actually join the crowds at the retail stores. I’d much rather search for deals online (though I barely do that anymore). While Cyber Monday used to be when e-commerce sites slashed their prices, it now seems that most of them have jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon. The nice thing about shopping online is that it’s really easy to see how good of a deal you’re actually getting. Shopzilla is a Los Angeles, CA based company that helps online shoppers do exactly that. They run a number of destination websites that “help shoppers shop and sellers sell.” Their network of sites reaches more than 40 million shoppers every month and helps them learn about more than 100 million products from thousands of retailers.
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I grew up in a house next to a post office. This was the ultimate location for a lemonade stand. From 11 AM to about 1:30 PM people would take their lunch breaks and stop by to pick up their mail. They couldn’t resist my cute face and amazing pitch for a nice, cold glass of lemonade. I raked it in, and I hoarded my earnings (and never paid my parents for ingredients). My intent wasn’t nearly as noble as Alex Scott, a 4-year-old who “announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer” in 2000. At the time she was in the middle of a fight against neuroblastoma, and she wanted to do everything that she could to help other kids facing a similar struggle. That lemonade stand grew into a movement called Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which is now a Wynnewood, PA based non-profit. Alex passed away in 2004 at the age of 8 having raised over $1 million to cure pediatric cancers. That’s an amazing accomplishment that becomes even more amazing when you see what her lemonade stand has grown into.
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One mistake that most college students make is that they focus too much on sexy industries and companies during their internship search. There’s no doubt that following your interests can lead to really good things, but there are so many “boring” industries and businesses that can provide amazing learning opportunities while being surprisingly interesting. Advantage Business Media certainly falls into this category. They’re a Rockaway, NJ based “digital business-to-business information company” that “has successfully transitioned itself from a print-centric publishing company into digital-centric media organization.” B2B is a space that many young people are barely aware of, but it’s absolutely massive.
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There are some websites that I never intentionally visit, but I always end up visiting anyway. Links to their articles just pop up all over the place–Facebook, Twitter, Google, and even e-mails from friends. Business Insider is one of those sites. I’m not typically a huge fan of their content (maybe because they published an “article” that was derived completely from comments on our post about Bridgewater Associates), but they’re certainly prolific. They cover a wide range of verticals, which makes them a good source for students who want to stay current on news and events in a particular industry. Business Insider is based in New York, NY and was founded in 2007, and since then they’ve been able to drive a ton of traffic. That traffic has helped put Business Insider at #354 on the Inc. 500 with 1,055% three-year growth and $7.7 million in revenue.
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When I’m looking for “the most beautiful things on earth,” I usually go fly fishing for trout. Even if I don’t catch anything, I’m likely to find what I’m looking for. For other people a search for “the most beautiful things on earth” means that they’re going shopping. If antiques, vintage furniture and design, fine art, estate jewelry, vintage couture, and more are what you consider beautiful, then you’ll love 1stdibs. They’re a New York, NY based company that runs an online marketplace for unique and beautiful things. They bring “together more than 1,600 of the most prestigious international dealers” to offer a quality of merchandise that you don’t typically find online. There’s some really cool stuff on their site, so I highly recommend browsing for a bit to get a sense of what they typically sell.
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When you hear the word media, you usually think about exciting markets like sports, entertainment, and technology, but there are media businesses in nearly every niche that you can imagine. Business-to-business isn’t something that most college students and recent grads think about, but it’s an area with a ton of opportunity. 1105 Media is a company that “provides integrated business-to-business information and media” with a “focus on technology, products, policy, regulation, and news delivered through an assortment of media including print and online magazines, journals, and newsletters; seminars, conferences, executive summits, and trade shows; training and courseware; and web-based services.” It’s not the kind of content that you consume in your free time, but there are people who do, and they’re extremely valuable to reach. That’s why Chatsworth, CA based 1105 Media has a business that seems to be growing.
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Sometimes a company knows that they’re on to something, but they can’t quite get it right at first. They have an idea, they build some technology, they hire some people, but the business doesn’t come together. That seems to have been the story with NewsCred for their first two iterations. Now it sounds like the New York, NY based company may have it figured out. After scrapping publisher ranking and a custom online newspaper engine, they’ve moved on to “sourcing and licensing trusted content across a broad range of subjects and perspectives.” Generating quality content is extremely hard. NewsCred allows the brands who need it to get it from the publishers who are experts at creating it.
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Yesterday I touted the fact that WWF directs 85% of their expenses towards programming. If you’re like me, you probably wondered where the rest goes. 11% of it goes to Fundraising/Development. That’s a pretty big chunk, but it’s by no means uncommon in the non-profit world. Organizations need money to keep running, and it takes money to raise money (this makes getting a non-profit started a huge task). Many non-profits end up spending their money by hiring Sanky Communications, which is a New York, NY based company that “has launched or expanded successful marketing programs for more than 100 nonprofit organizations.” They do this through two businesses: SankyDirect and SankyNet. The former “offers a wide range of direct mail fundraising services” while the latter is “an online marketing agency made up of dedicated Web specialists, developers, and strategists with decades of combined experience advancing nonprofit work.”
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In case you haven’t noticed, content marketing is where it’s at. Whether you’re trying to reach new customers or increase engagement with current customers, your best bet is to offer them quality content that includes your messaging. Sounds easy. But creating content that people will actually consume isn’t easy. Most companies aren’t very good at it. Sometimes they hire advertising or marketing agencies to do that, but many of them aren’t very good at it either. If they want to get serious, they should go to a “custom content agency ” like Imagination Publishing in Chicago, IL. They “work with Fortune 500 brands, associations and non-profit organizations to help create and strengthen relationships with their customers using quality, targeted content.”
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Guys. If you’re going to land a job, you need pants. And shoes. And shirts. And maybe even a jacket and tie. Looking good is important, which is why you should outfit yourself in Bonobos like I do. Here’s $50 off your first order.
One of my favorite parts about doing what I do is the online marketing side. It’s equal parts arts and science, and it’s a constant challenge to reach new people. More and more businesses are moving their marketing online, and most of them have no idea what they’re doing. This is where local online marketing agencies like C-4 Analytics step in. C-4 is based in Saugus, MA and they offer services ranging from social media strategy to SEO to advertising analytics. C-4 Analytics works in a variety of industries including Automotive, Higher Education, Politics, Real Estate, and Retail. Unfortunately, they don’t name any specific clients or offer any case studies.
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If you asked me if I like pop culture, I’d say yes without hesitation. I’m pretty good with trivia from the 90s and 2000s, but I’m not sure if I like pop culture anymore. Either I’m a little bit smarter, or our society is a lot dumber. I say that, but then I go and watch reality tv… and I literally just clicked a link to a NY Daily News article about a Dutch artist who turned a stuffed cat into a remote control helicopter (I refuse to link to it). Pop culture is like a drug, and BUZZMEDIA is a dealer. They are based in Hollywood, CA, and they’re “the web’s fastest growing entertainment publisher reaching more than 100MM monthly pop culture, music and celebrity enthusiasts worldwide.”
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I’ve been off the market for almost 7 1/2 years, so I have no experience with online dating. But I do have a lot of friends who use the web to find dates, and I even have a few who are working on projects in the space. One of the sites I’ve been hearing a lot about lately is HowAboutWe, which is based in New York, NY. It’s a site that is more about getting people out on dates than finding them a perfect match. They don’t want you obsessing over profiles, sending lots of messages, and spending some of your best years in front of a computer screen. They want you to get out and do stuff with people who might end up being people you want to spend more time with.
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I’m a big fan of magazine lists. They can be a great tool for your internship search, and I’m not just talking about the “Best Place to Work” lists. One list that you may not think to use but you should is the Forbes list of The World’s Billionaires. Take a look at what the world’s most successful people have done to get where they are today–it might just lead you in some interesting directions. Forbes is a company that is best known for its lists. The New York, NY based publisher goes by the motto “The Capitalist Tool,” though that sounds like something a NATO protester called me this weekend (just kidding). But seriously, when you hear the name Forbes, you think money, right?
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Yesterday I almost got highlighted. I was in a boat, on a river, fishing with my Dad and a guide. A thunderstorm came up behind us, and we decided to tuck the boat in a cove under a bunch of trees and take cover. It wasn’t the best spot, but there wasn’t anywhere else for us to go. When it started hailing, I got a little nervous. And then BANG! A bolt of lightning hit the water about three feet to my right. You and I are both lucky that you’re reading this today. This story has nothing to do with today’s company except for the fact that yesterday’s near death experience made me want to regress back to being a little kid–the kind that reads Highlights. If you’re not familiar, Highlights is a Columbus, OH company that develops products for children with a common theme: “Fun with a Purpose.” It’s all about “wholesome fun” that “is dedicated to helping children grow in basic skills and knowledge, in creativeness, in ability to think and reason, in sensitivity to others, in high ideals and worthy ways of living.”
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Many of the best businesses are built by targeting a smaller niche and then taking the lessons learned from serving that niche to expand into new markets. It’s also how many great careers are built. Metia is a digital marketing agency that got its start serving technology companies exclusively. This put them ahead of the curve and force them to take on digital while most marketing agencies were dragging their collective feet. Now digital is what it’s all about, and Metia has 20 years of industry experience. Not bad. While they’re based in London, they have U.S. offices in Kirkland, WA and New York, NY. This allows them to serve clients like Microsoft, Microsoft, and Microsoft. But seriously, while Microsoft is all over their portfolio, you’ll also see names like Dell, EA, Rough Guides, and SEAT.
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I hate stock photography–especially the kind that you find on many career related sites. It’s usually a group of moderately attractive, racially diverse people who are smiling while dressed in business suits and holding folios. It’s not real. These photos create an unrealistic view of what a work environment looks like. In the world of home design, the analog is the fruit bowl. Whether you’re looking through real estate listings or a home decor magazine, chances are that you’ll see lots of fruit bowls–and they’ll be in odd places like bathrooms and bedrooms. Dwell is a magazine that defines itself by focusing on real life, something that “has been conspicuous by its absence in most design and architecture magazines.” Fruit bowls are ok, but only if the owners eat fruit. And so are other things you may not see in similar magazines–things that “demonstrate that a home is truly livable” by showing “it as it is lived in.” Dwell is based in New York, NY and San Francisco, CA, and although they consider themselves Modernists, they’re “nice Modernists.”
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