At this time last year, Amy and I were in the thick of wedding planning. Part of me is relieved that it’s in the past (because the wedding was awesome), but I also kind of miss it. We were lucky to have an amazing wedding planner who proposed great ideas and narrowed down the early decisions for us to make them manageable. Before we got to that point, though, we had to do our “homework.” That meant looking through all kinds of books and magazines to mark what we liked and what we didn’t like. It was a bit old fashioned, but it worked. Loverly is a New York, NY based company that brings that process online. It’s “a one-stop-shop for wedding planning where brides and grooms find ideas, people to hire and things to buy.”
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Now that we’re all walking around with HD video cameras in our pockets, it’s hard not to amass a huge collections of digital media. We might share some of the highlights on our favorite social media sites, but most of it just sits idle and waits for us to take another look when we’re stuck in a place with no cell service and no Wi-Fi. We can do more with our media, and that’s what Animoto is all about. They’re a New York, NY based company that helps regular people make and share extraordinary videos of anything imaginable.
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Remember when the only way to interact with a brand was to call the 1-800 number on the side of their packaging? If you complained they might send you some free product or a coupon, but it would probably take 8-72 weeks to arrive. Technology is bringing brands and their audiences closer and closer together. This is generally a good thing, but only if the brands do it right. Mass Relevance aims “to inspire brands to involve their audience.” The Austin, TX based company does this by offering a platform and products that “help your brand become an integrated part of your customers’ lives, anywhere they are.”
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I pretty much shut down if I have to deal with paper documents. Luckily, in my line of business, almost everything happens online. While at one time I thought it might be a good idea for me to pursue law as a career option, I’m really glad I didn’t. Dealing with all of those documents–even if they were digitized–would drive me nuts. The good news for lawyers that kCura makes things a little more manageable. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that “develops web-based e-discovery applications for managing large volumes of electronic evidence during litigation or investigations.” The software is called Relativity, and it’s a web-based app that makes managing evidence way easier.
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Non-profits typically exist to make the world a better place. What that means varies by organization, but our government recognizes that a wide variety of causes should be supported with tax-exempt status. By definition a non-profit’s goals are non-financial, but that doesn’t mean that finances don’t matter. GuideStar is a Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC based organization that aims to “revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.” Unlike Charity Navigator, they don’t rate or rank non-profits. Instead, GuideStar “collects, organizes, and presents the information you want in an easy-to-understand format while remaining neutral.”
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When I was kid, I’d go with my church to bring Easter baskets to people at a local nursing home. I always started the visit a little scared–a nursing home can be an intimidating place for a little kid–but by the end I was usually happy to be putting smiles on so many faces. While DOROT probably isn’t delivering Easter baskets considering that it’s a Jewish organization (though they describe themselves nonsectarian), they are doing similar work. The New York, NY based non-profit works to enable “seniors to live with dignity, independence and improved health in the community.” They do this by “mobilizing volunteers of all ages to improve the lives and health of the elderly, addressing the challenges of an aging society.”
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On my last day of vacation I got blasted in the face with a volleyball. It didn’t break my sunglasses, but it really hurt. My nose is still sore, but it only left a tiny red mark across the bridge of my nose. I wouldn’t have minded a black eye, but I know some people care a bit more about how their faces look. They’re more likely than I am to purchase products from Benefit Cosmetics, a company that got its start when twin sisters moved to San Francisco, CA and opened a beauty boutique. One of their first products, Benetint, was developed to help an exotic dancer “enhance her nipples.” That’s certainly one of the more interesting stories I’ve heard about how a company got its start.
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Until today I’d never looked up the meaning of my last name. I always knew that Franzen was Swedish because my dad’s dad’s parents were both Swedes, but I never knew that it actually means French man. Other than owning a French breed of dog, parlaying a tiny bit of Français, and enjoying French food, I haven’t really lived up to the name. Todd Snyder has lived up to his surname. It means “one who makes outer garments” in Dutch. His eponymous Todd Snyder brand is a New York, NY based men’s fashion line that is inspired “by Savile Row craftsmanship, military tailoring, and a distinct New York sensibility.” I’ll guess that Todd Snyder’s Iowa roots have also had an influence on the company.
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I ran into a few issues in pre-school. The first was when a kid bit me, and then I started biting other kids. They almost kicked me out. Then I got into an argument with a teacher because I insisted that a square was rectangle, my parents got called in… and they had to correct the teacher on her geometry. I don’t remember learning much in those years, but I’m sure it was an important time for my educational development. Parents seem to take early childhood education much more seriously these days. That probably explains the growth of The Learning Experience. They are a Boca Raton, FL based company that aims “to provide the tools and the environment that will give every child the opportunity to develop to their greatest potential.” They don’t use the term “day care” much on the corporate site, but I that’s what their local centers (locations in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia) seem to call it.
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I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to experience the coldest weather of my life last night, but it’s pretty good to be “stranded” on a tropical island. Since I work from home, I used to get through cold snaps by not leaving the house for extended periods of time. Now that I have a dog and no yard, that would be… messy. Shockingly, if you were more and better clothing, you can stay pretty warm in even the coldest temperatures. Less shockingly, quite a few of the companies that make awesome cold weather gear are based in Canada. We don’t usually cover opportunities outside the U.S., but we’re making an exception for Arc’teryx. They are based in Vancouver, BC, and they merge their “unrivaled designs with the best quality, highest performing materials and assemble them in the most innovative and most durable manner for the intended use.” In other words, they make high performance for extreme situations–whether it’s climbing a mountain or walking your dog on the coldest day of your life.
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Yesterday I was telling you about all of the wildlife that I’ve seen during my vacation in Aruba. While there have many interesting fish, birds, and reptiles near the beach, I haven’t seen any marine mammals. Luckily, I have a few more days to watch for dolphins and whales since United canceled my flight and might have left me “stuck” here until Wednesday, but I doubt I’ll see any because they’re not very common here. Marine mammals are far more common in places like California’s Bay Area. That is why The Marine Mammal Center is located in Sausalito, CA. They are a non-profit “veterinary research hospital and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals – primarily elephant seals, harbor seals, and California sea lions.” They’ve been at in for nearly 40 years and have rescued or treated close to 20,000 animals.
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I’ve been on vacation in Aruba for the past 10 days or so, and I’ve gone fishing every day. The fishing has been decent, but I’ve also see all kinds of wildlife from pelicans and sea turtles to eels and frigate birds. It’s amazing how much life a marine environment can support and what you can learn just from experiencing the ecosystem. This need not be formal education, but it can be. The Chincoteague Bay Field Station is a Wallops Island, VA based non-profit that makes a marine environment academic by providing “outstanding multi-disciplinary, educational and research opportunities that celebrate the rich natural, cultural, economic, and technological resources of the mid-Atlantic Coastal region through field-based and hands-on learning, often in affiliation with multiple public and private partners.”
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There are a lot of advertising and marketing agencies out there. Some are huge and part of even huger conglomerates, and others are small and independent. They all have different strengths, weaknesses, and specialities, but in the end they all share a common goal: to drive attention towards brands with the hope of getting them to take a specific action (usually buying something). Hiebing is on the smaller side. They are a Madison, WI based integrated marketing and advertising agency “with a keen focus on the target market and the cartwheeling curiosity of a bright-eyed first grader.” Hiebing has been around for 30 years, is employee owned (~50 employees), and does about $50 million in billings annually.
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Job seekers see way more terrible stock photos than the average person. Whether you’re on a corporate careers site or a career advice blog, you’ve probably seen way too many images of perfectly “diverse” groups of people in ugly suits shaking hands and looking all business-like. I have no idea why people think it’s a good idea to use these photographs, but they do. Real brands need real photographs for their marketing materials, and that requires hiring professionals like Industrial Color. They are a Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, and Miami, FL based company that offers “digital still and video capture, post-production, color and video editing services, high-speed file transfer, online image management, archive and file storage.” It’s everything that big-time clients need to get the perfect image or video for delivering a specific message.
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Happy 2014! While New Year’s resolutions are probably one of the worst ways to make a positive change in your life, people continue to set themselves up for failure by assuming that a change of calendar will give them all of the motivation that they need to accomplish a goal. The first few weeks are pretty easy, but how do you keep it up when the new year isn’t all that new anymore? You need other sources of motivation. If your resolutions are fitness based Fitocracy might be the answer. They’re a New York, NY based company that aims “to make fitness a more fun, more addictive experience.” They do this with the power of social networks and gamification.
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Weather matters. We make all kinds of decisions based on what’s happening outside, and they often affect how we spend money. I’m in Aruba right now, so it’s pretty much guaranteed to be mid 80s, partly cloudy, and windy. My New Year’s plans are set, but if I was back in Chicago, the 15-degree high might keep me from doing something that I’d do if it was 20 degrees warmer. Skymosity realizes this, which is why the San Rafael, CA based company has developed a weather marketing platform that “transforms big weather data into actionable wins for marketers.” While many marketers use seasonal weather changes as part of their campaigns, very few are reacting to the weather as it happens.
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There’s no question that social media is important for businesses of all kinds, but it’s a relatively new channel that offers an uncertain return on investment. Most of my investment in social media marketing has been a flop, but I know that plenty of other brands have had major success. Companies that are investing in social need to do so wisely, and that often means getting professional help. Optimal “is the leading social advertising and analytics platform, with offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Chicago, and London.” They started in 2008 when social really began to take off, and since then “have managed and optimized over 100 billion impressions for advertisers and agencies.”
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I heard on tv that the formal definition of a “White Christmas” is having at least one inch of snow fall on Christmas. Others say a single flake can make a White Christmas. While I’m not sure that we got an inch, I’m definitely calling it a White Christmas here in Connecticut. Last night we got just enough to cover everything, though it may not be enough for a sleigh ride. It probably takes a little more snow to be able to use the products from Vermont Sleigh Company–though I think their finely crafted products are mostly for show. The Mendon, VT based company aims “to bring exceptional skill and tradition – qualities of a bygone age – to contemporary country home décor.” In reality the Vermont Sleigh Company probably doesn’t offer many internship opportunities (if any), but use this White Christmas to inspire other internship ideas while I open my presents. Merry Christmas!
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Merry Christmas Eve! Tonight my family will go to the candlelight service at the church I grew up in. It’s the only church that has ever felt like home to me. I’m not exactly sure how my parents started going there, but I’ll guess that it had something to do with the fact that it was about 150 yards from our house. Finding a great place of worship isn’t always so easy. I church-hopped in college, and never really found one that felt right for me. FaithStreet might have helped. Whether you’re looking for a local Christmas Eve service or a place to worship for the rest of your life, the New York, NY based company can help you find the right faith community. The founders asked, “Why is it so hard to find a church?” And instead of admitting defeat, they decided to do something about it.
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I got my wife an Airport Express for Christmas. I’m not the typical male idiot portrayed on many American sitcoms–it was a good gift idea. The whole point was that I could hook up our wireless network to the fifteen-year-old wired speaker system that came with our apartment. The speakers were working when I started (I had the radio playing in all of the rooms), but after three hours of frustration, I ended up with the music from my iPhone playing in one room, and no music whatsoever in any of the other rooms. I’m going to have to find a way to fix this, and I think Sonos might be the answer. They are a Santa Barbara, CA and Cambridge, MA based company that set out in 2002 “to reinvent home audio for the digital age.” Their products certainly look a lot better than the circa 1997 sound system that my landlord left behind.
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One cool thing about living in a major city after you graduate college is that it’s easy to get involved with groups of people with similar interests. This is obviously great for your social life, but it can also help your career. Meeting people who are in the places that you want to be is always good. The Council of Urban Professionals is not only a way to do that–it’s also a way to do good in your community. They are a New York, NY based non-profit that “molds diverse business and civic leaders, and empowers them to exert influence, achieve their individual goals and create collective impact through a range of programs and initiatives.” It started in a living room with 62 young urban professionals (that’s a big living room!), and now the organization has well over 5,000 members.
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Personalized shopping used to mean that you were buying something with a monogram, but today that word is being used more and more often to mean buying items that are recommended specifically for you. I love Amazon’s recommendations engine, but I think that it could be a lot better (and I’d like to see other merchants adopt similar technology). Lela must be paying attention. They’re a New York, NY based company with a mission “to improve consumers’ online experience by helping businesses deliver a new level of personalized engagement.” From what I can tell, Lela is using their technology on their own property (Lela.com) while also offering it to other publishers and merchants.
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Despite moving in 5 months ago, I still haven’t put up most of the framed pictures and art that we have in our apartment. It’s a ridiculously easy task, but for some reason it’s always the last thing that I want to do. In other words, don’t give us art for Christmas! However, if you have friends or family who know exactly where to put every new piece on their walls, then you may want to buy them a gift from Art.com. The company is based in Emeryville, CA, and it “is a leading authority in wall décor and the world’s largest online retailer of posters, prints, and framed art.” Every single person has his or her own taste in art, and Art.com allows each of them to find the kinds of pieces that appeal to them.
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Yesterday I received close to ten packages. It’s that time of year! I can barely look out the window without seeing a UPS, FedEx, or USPS truck on my street. The only problem is that it’s getting to the point where Amazon is the only company I trust to still ship me stuff on time. So many online merchants have terrible shipping experiences, and there’s no way I’ll trust them to get me what I ordered when they say they will. Hopefully that will soon change with the help of EasyPost. They’re a San Francisco, CA based startup that “is changing the way shipping works and helping a lot of people” at the same time. By “tying together disparate data sources and APIs” they’ve been able to create “a scalable shipping API for developers everywhere.”
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When Amy and I were looking for a new place, we had a lot of trouble sifting through real estate listings. Between the junk, spam, and properties that were of no interest to us, it was really hard to zero in on the kind of places that appealed to us. Working with a real estate agent helped us narrow things down, but the software that they used to show us listings was pretty terrible. One trick that I figured out for searching mainstream sites like Zillow and Redfin was to use very specific, high-end keywords (I bet you could adapt this to job searching). It’s almost as if the people who built RealScout had my exact experience. They’re a Sunnyvale, CA based company that “leverages over 500 datapoints to make home search more personal for clients and more efficient for Realtors.” By focusing on the little things, they help people look at the right kind of properties.
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If you want to see me act like a child, take me furniture shopping on an empty stomach. It’s weird. I really appreciate what good furniture does for a space–whether it’s home or office–I think I just get freaked out by all the fake setups in a furniture store or something. I much prefer looking in a catalog and seeing a really cool office setup or a cozy living room. Even though they’re still staged, it feels more authentic. Haworth is a Holland, MI based company that “can make your environments work harder for you.” In other words, they make and sell furniture that is stylish yet functional (and they sell a lot of it–more than $1 billion a year).
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I don’t remember what methods my teachers used to teach me how to read, but I do remember that it all came together on while my family was traveling to Florida on a train for vacation. For me it felt like a binary thing–one minute I couldn’t read, and the next minute I could. I’ll assume that’s the desired outcome, even though we all known that literacy is much more of a progression. The progression happens more quickly with the right methods, and that’s what the Children’s Literacy Initiative is about. They are a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit “that works with teachers to transform instruction so that children can become powerful readers, writers and thinkers.” While most literacy focused non-profits work directly with children who are learning to read, CLI ensures that the people working with those children are properly prepared for such an important job.
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Our government spends a lot of money. $10 billion is essentially a rounding error in the Federal budget. The problem with that is that even the tiniest amount of government spending can have a huge impact on people’s lives. It’s important that our elected officials do a better job of spending our money on the right things. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a Washington, DC based non-profit that “conducts research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that policymakers consider the needs of low-income families and individuals in these debates.” This is an organization that sees the people in the rounding errors.
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Washington DC
Do you know what I do when I’m bored at a holiday party? I eat Christmas cookies. Luckily, I haven’t been to many holiday parties this year. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is a really easy time to let yourself go. You’re going to get back on the wagon at the beginning of the New Year, so why not enjoy life a little more than usual? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the holidays, but letting go of important things like health (or your job search) is only going to make it harder for you to succeed when you decide it’s time to get serious. Why not enjoy life in a healthy, productive way? That’s what Well+Good is about. They’re a New York, NY based company/website that was started by two journalist “to answer all the questions [their] friends, friends of friends, and perfect strangers wanted to know about health, beauty, fitness, and well-being, as soon as they found out what [they] did for a living.” Their content is about enjoying life without letting go.
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Have you ever heard the saying “You don’t know shit from Shinola!”? I haven’t heard it since I was a kid, and back then I had no idea what it meant. Today I learned that Shinola was a brand of shoe wax. The company went out of business more than 50 years ago, but a group of people still saw value in the brand. They bought it and turned Shinola into a company that is all about bringing back the strength of American manufacturing. Right now the Detroit, MI based “startup with the resources of a well-established corporation” is producing watches, bicycles, leather, and journals. By taking an iconic but defunct brand and turning it into something new and thriving in a city like Detroit, Shinola is making a huge statement about what they think American Made should mean.
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