It’s never been easier to start a business with no capital at all. It’s also never been easier to raise millions of dollars for an idea. But what about the businesses that fall somewhere in-between? Whether you’re opening a restaurant, salon, dental office, or auto shop, you’re probably going to need outside financing. There are plenty of options, but a lot of them are very unfriendly to the business owner. The Business Backer is a Cincinnati, OH based company that “is helping small business owners flourish and grow by re-inventing relationship-based lending for the 21st century.” The company is built on the idea of True Relationship Financing, which a unique underwriting process that evaluates risk and customizes a deal in a way that is very different from most other financial institutions.
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I am a fisherman. I love to eat fish, catch fish, watch fish, read about fish, and talk about fish. Obviously I’m extremely worried about the state of our fisheries–both commercial and recreational. While we would all probably be healthier if we ate more fish, we have to be sure to make decisions that allows us to keep eating lots of fish well into the future. That’s why Future of Fish was started. They’re a Seattle, WA based non-profit that “envision a global seafood supply chain that produces legal, traceable, trustworthy fish; that rewards responsible fishing with better prices; and that fosters resource conservation.” They’re trying to revolutionize a very old industry, so they certainly have their work cut out for them.
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We’ve all heard someone joke about “their OCD,” but chances are that person was just referring to one of their idiosyncrasies–it’s not really something to joke about. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a disorder of the brain and behavior that “involves both obsessions and compulsions that take a lot of time and get in the way of important activities the person values.” There’s nothing funny about it as it often causes severe anxiety. The International OCD Foundation is a Boston, MA based non-profit that aims “to help individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders to live full and productive lives.”
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Hiring the first few employees is one of the most exciting parts of starting a business. It means that you’re taking off, but it’s also a very scary responsibility. Every week or two you’re going to have to pay people who are depending on you for their livelihoods. What makes it even harder is that managing a payroll distracts from important activities that will actually help grow the business. That’s where ZenPayroll comes in. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has created “the easiest way to pay your employees.” It’s software-as-a-service that removes the need for “unnecessary layers of complexity, manual tasks and numerous fees.”
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You can do almost anything with someone else’s money–build a house, buy a car, go to school, shop ’til you drop, start a business, etc. Sometimes it’s a good idea, and sometimes it’s a really bad idea. One of the smartest times to borrow money is for upfront business expenses that will pay back over time. This is the kind of lending that Balboa Capital does. They’re an Irvine, CA based company that “has been providing equipment leasing and working capital loans to US businesses for over two decades.” They are in the business of keeping other businesses in business.
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I often find that the best ad agencies have websites with very few words on them. Instead of telling you how great they are, they show you. That’s what they do for their clients, so they should be doing it for themselves as well. A perfect example is Innerspin. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based agency that “is focused on growing global brands through effective brand building and digital capabilities” (those are about half of the words on their site right there). Apparently they won Season 2 of The Pitch on AMC, so they must be pretty good.
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From what I’ve seen, the non-profits that work at the community level often have the most impact. They may be smaller, but they’re in touch with the most pressing needs and able to react quickly to them. A great model for big non-profits might be to work through smaller non-profits. In fact, that’s exactly what Local Initiatives Support Corporation does. They are a New York, NY based organization that “has connected local organizations and community leaders with resources to revitalize neighborhoods and improve quality of life” over the last three and a half decades. They do this by bringing together public and private resources and making it easy for partners to access them.
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Becoming a new parent is hard no matter what your situation (at least that’s what I hear), but it’s typically much harder for someone living in poverty. While finances are a big part of it, there are all kinds of factors that make having a new baby especially daunting for low-income parents. Room to Grow is a New York, NY based non-profit that aims “to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development.” They start their work before the baby is born and continue through the first three years with the hope that a solid foundation will prevent the child from facing many of the challenges that typically affect a kid growing up in poverty.
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I always enjoy when two people with moderately funny last names decide to get married. There’s always the question of will they combine their names with a hyphen? The best potential that I’ve ever heard of was Weiner-Butt, but the couple sadly did not decide to hyphenate. These funny combos can also be created by business partners. Imagine that a guy with a not very funny last name of Wong and a guy with a pretty funny last name of Doody decided to start an ad agency. They could try to invent some random brand name that doesn’t say much about who they are, or they could smash their identities together and start WONGDOODY (the company logo is equally smashed together). The agency is based in Seattle, WA and “is the most awarded independent advertising agency on the West Coast.” They’re relatively small, but they’re doing some serious work.
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Chances are that you’ve been to a few McDonald’s restaurants in your life. You’ve probably noticed that most are generally the same, but occasionally you visit one that is exceptionally nice or exceptionally dumpy. A big reason for the variance is that 80% of the locations are franchises. Franchising is a great business model when it works, but it can present some pretty tough business problems. Square Root is an Austin, TX based company that solves many of these problems. They have developed “a single platform to improve operations and performance throughout franchise networks.” It’s designed to give employees and managers “the insight, focus, and confidence to work on the right things and drive your business forward.”
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If you’ve ever had a job that involved working on a computer, you’ve probably done something that you weren’t supposed to on the computer at some point. Maybe it was as simple as checking Facebook or printing a personal document. Chances are that your boss wouldn’t have cared even if he or she was looking over your shoulder; however, there are some times where a company needs to look back and see exactly what an employee (or former employee) was doing on a computer or network. That’s where Forensicon can help. They’re a Chicago, IL based “firm specializing in computer forensics analysis and consulting within the areas of Internal Investigations, Trade Secrets Misappropriation, Employment Litigation and Hacker Investigations.”
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Have you ever thought that you accidentally liked something on Facebook because a post suddenly showed up in your feed from a site that you recently visited? It’s creepy, right? It’s called retargeting, and it’s amazingly effective. For at least the last few years, advertisers have been tracking your movement around the web and showing you ads based on where you’ve visited. Taking to Facebook was the obvious next step, and that’s the specialty of Triggit. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that “enables advertisers and agencies to build, run, measure, and optimize retargeting-driven display campaigns from a single platform.”
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Travel decisions are almost always open to outside influence. If you know where you’re going, you may need help figuring out how to get there or what to do once you get there. If you don’t know where you want to go, the possibilities are truly endless. That’s why marketers love the travel market (it helps that travelers are often exceedingly willing to spend money to travel). Just like in every other industry, marketers in the travel space are getting much more sophisticated. Sojern is a San Francisco, CA based company that is leading that trend. They have developed a “robust audience engagement platform [that] is powered by machine-learning technology, enhanced programmatic buying (real-time bidding), and data insights.” The goal is to engage travelers and affect their decision-making process, and it seems to be working.
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There’s something primally satisfying about cooking over an open fire. Maybe I enjoy it so much because I don’t get to do it very often. For a lot of people across the world, it’s an everyday occurrence–and that’s not a good thing. Did you know that “the most dangerous activity a woman can undertake in the developing world is cooking for her family?” StoveTeam International is a Eugene, OR based non-profit that is trying to make cooking safer by helping to start “self-sustaining businesses [that] produce safe, affordable, fuel-efficient cookstoves to replace dangerous open cooking fires.”
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If you’ve watched as much Seinfeld as I have, you’re familiar with Lloyd Braun. He’s the guy who George Costanza’s mother wants George to be more like. Anyway, the real Lloyd Braun was Larry David’s lawyer and manager. I’m not sure how similar he is to the tv character, but let’s hope it’s not very. Anyway, the real Lloyd Braun moved away from the legal side and started a company called BermanBraun. The company recently rebranded as Whalerock Industries, but it’s still “a media company for the 21st century, one where the best and brightest minds come together to create world-class content, spanning all mediums and screens.” They’re based in Santa Monica, CA, and they’re behind some brand that you may be familiar with–for instance they’re managing Moviefone for AOL.
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When I think about real estate, I don’t usually think about art. And when I think about art, I don’t usually think about real estate. However, some of the most interesting companies and organizations that I’ve come across have been born out of seemingly odd combinations. Chashama is a perfect example. They are a New York, NY based non-profit that “nurtures artists by transforming unused property into work and presentation space.” It makes so much sense. Artists get much needed space to work and show their work, while an empty space is brought to life.
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There’s an episode of Saved by the Bell where Zack Morris convinces Mr. Tuttle (the head of the teacher’s union) that Mr. Belding called him a “spineless jellyfish.” That’s a pretty big insult to someone who is in charge of negotiating against you. Our spines are both metaphorically and anatomically an essential part of our being. That’s why the thought of a spinal injury is absolutely terrifying for most people. Luckily, we as a society have made a ton of progress treating spinal issues. Whether it’s an injury, disease, or deformity, K2M is one of the companies leading the innovation. They are based in Leesburg, VA, and they “deliver and develop technological innovations which enable surgeons to more effectively treat the world’s most complex spinal disorders.”
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Virginia
When a group of people or businesses have a shared interest, they often form an association. Even in extremely competitive markets, it can make sense to come together and work towards common goals. As a result, there’s an association for nearly every possible interest. The problem with associations is that they can be hard to manage–administration can drain a lot of resources. Why should every association build its own management structure when that can be outsourced? Kellen Company is “an employee-owned professional services company serving associations, companies and foundations” with offices in Atlanta, GA; New York, NY; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; and Washington, D.C. They provide essential services so that associations can focus on the important stuff.
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You can buy clothes in a lot of places. Where you buy typically depends on whether you’re looking for a good price, convenience, or your favorite brands. Then you have to decide whether you’d rather shop online or in person. If you’re brand focused and like shopping online, you may want to check out REVOLVE. The company is based in Cerritos, CA and is the “virtual home for an unrivaled collection of the world’s most coveted brands.” REVOLVE offers both men’s and women’s clothing, though the focus definitely seems to be on women’s lines.
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When I was a little kid, I’d visit construction sites with my dad, the architect. I absolutely loved it, but at some point I lost interest in the construction industry. For me building things online seemed more interesting than building homes and offices. If you disagree, you might want to check out Hanley Wood. They are based in Washington, DC, and they are “the premier media, event, information and strategic marketing services company serving the residential and commercial design and construction industries.” For nearly 40 years they have been the go to source for “builders, remodelers, residential and commercial architects, multifamily and public-works executives, and materials dealers and distributors.”
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A few weeks ago in my post about the Doorways to Dreams Fund, I said that state run lotteries are probably one of the worst things that our governments have done to us (and I actually won $2,000 on a scratch off ticket once). Whether I’m right or wrong, people like to play–it brings excitement to their lives. If you’re going to play, you might as well do it right. Shoutz can help you do that. They’re an Austin, TX and Kansas City, KS based “technology company dedicated to making lotteries more convenient, engaging and rewarding.” They can’t put the odds in your favor, but I guess they can help you get more out of every ticket that you buy.
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The health and wellness industry is massive, and it just seems to keep growing. There are a lot of really smart business people who are playing a big part in the growth, but there are also a ton of people in the industry who would rather not concern themselves with businessy stuff. The kind of people who open yoga studios, salons, and spas usually aren’t in it for the money–they just want to make a living pursuing their passions. Unfortunately, running a business usually requires… running a business. MINDBODY is a San Luis Obispo, CA based company that believes that “small business owners deserve the time to do what they love.” Pursuing that belief has made them “the largest cloud-based software provider in the health, wellness and beauty industries.”
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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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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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Skin is the barrier between you and the rest of the world–it’s extremely important both cosmetically and medically. We all have skin issues at some point. It may be as simple as a pimple or as serious as cancer, but more than 100 million Americans are afflicted with some sort of skin disorder. The American Skin Association is a New York, NY based non-profit that brings “patients, families, advocates, physicians and scientists” together to “to defeat melanoma, skin cancer and disease.” If it has to do with the body’s largest organ, the American Skin Association is on top of it.
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When my sister and I were kids, our parents would sometimes take us to a toy store and let us pick out something that we wanted (often after doctor and dentist visits–bribery works). I would almost always pick out action figures (G.I. Joes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), while my sister would almost always pick some sort of art kit. Even though I never really liked art, I was always a little jealous that she had some sort of cool project to work on. I don’t remember which specific products she bought, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were from ArtSkills. They are an Easton, PA based company “with a commitment to bringing quality and innovative poster making and art materials to [their] customers.”
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When you get engaged, everybody tells you how much fun registry shopping is. I’m still waiting for the fun part. Just kidding. The fun part was doing our Amazon Registry, which had all of the cool kitchen gadgets that I wanted. When someone bought us something on that, I got really excited. I was a little bit less excited about our registries at Simon Pearce, Bloomingdale’s, and Restoration Hardware. I’m very grateful to everyone who bought us a gift from those registries, but a blowtorch is way better than a water pitcher in my book. Now let’s go back to that last place we registered: Restoration Hardware. That ended up being our least popular registry (in terms of % completed), which is surprising when you consider that the Corte Madera, CA “home furnishings retailer” made the Inc. 5000 with 91% three-year growth to $1.2 billion in revenue. While that growth rate is lower than what we’re accustomed to, we can make an excuse for a company that passed the billion dollar mark (and is no longer eligible for the list now that they have IPOed).
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On Tuesday we talked about DataXu and how they’re helping advertisers make the most of their advertising budgets by crunching tons of data. Unsurprisingly, publishers want in on the optimization action too. I’ve seen firsthand how a few tweaks to an advertising setup can have momentous impact overnight. While Altitude Digital doesn’t take a big data approach like DataXu, the Denver, CO based company does “empower publishers to effectively monetize and optimize their online display, video and mobile inventory.” Doing that well has landed them at #54 on the Inc. 5000 with 5,162% three-year growth to $11.4 million in annual revenue.
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This is my favorite part of the year when it comes to One Day One Job because all of those annoying kids finally go back to school. Just kidding. I actually love late August for a completely different reason: the Inc. 5000 is released. In case you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a ranking of the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. The metric that they use is three-year revenue growth, and that makes the list an amazing tool for finding up and coming companies with great career opportunities. This year Fuhu came in at #1 on the list with 42,148% three-year growth to $117.9 million in revenue. The El Segundo, CA based company that aims to be “the leading designer, seller and innovator of ‘thoughtful’ consumer products and services for children.” When you make stuff that kids like, parents empty their pockets.
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People are completely irrational when it comes to travel deals. Sometimes it means wasting an entire day of a five day trip in some random airport (in the opposite direction of where you’re headed) to save a hundred bucks. Other times it means spending hours looking for the best fare only to end up paying more than if you had booked right away. It’s almost become a sport–even really rich people do this–and that’s why travel websites are such a great business. You can get a ton of attention for only saving people a few bucks. Smarter Travel Media is a Boston, MA based company that has developed “a unique group of online travel planning brands” that cater to the massive number of people who gain immense pleasure from getting the best fare or rate. The brands include Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy, Tingo, OneTime, Smarter Travel, and SniqueAway.
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