Targeting advertising used to be pretty simple–all you had to do was buy ads in the places that your target market frequented. Whether it was a billboard, commercial, or print ad, your first concern was where the ad would be placed. While the basic principles of advertising haven’t changed, the way that we target ads has. There are now far better ways to reach someone than to assume that they’re part of some large group. Today’s advertisers have access to massive amounts of data, but they need to know what to do with it. It may seem like overkill, but there are actually NASA and MIT scientists working on this stuff. Some of them are DataXu, a Boston, MA based company whose “platform enables [their] clients to manage and optimize marketing investments across all digital channels, realizing significant performance and cost benefits.” DataXu came in at #5 on the Inc. 5000 with 21,337% three-year growth to $87 million in 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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My wife’s first job was as a management consultant. It came with lots of travel and a serious expense account. When you’re running thousands of dollars in expenses through your credit card on a weekly basis, you need to be savvy about how you do it. Not only will it help you keep your credit clean, but you can earn all kinds of rewards and perks, so opening a business bank account and a personal one will help you with your finance. Luckily for Amy, she worked with a bunch of huge nerds. They had already put in the hours to figure out the optimal decisions for a typical consultant, and they put together documents detailing the pros and cons of every possible option (which credit cards to get, which loyalty programs to use, where to stay, and much more). While your situation probably won’t be as extreme, it’s still important to make the right personal finance decisions. If you don’t have nerdy co-workers, you can go to NerdWallet. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that “empowers consumers to make better decisions about their personal finances, travel plans, health bills, or higher education.” NerdWallet does all of the research, and you just have to make the choices that best fit your lifestyle
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Amy and I have been in our new place for just over a month now. We love it, mostly because our landlord allowed us to get a puppy (but the neighborhood, deck, and everything else are pretty awesome too). We did a lot of looking on Zillow, Redfin, and other sites, but they all offered pretty disappointing experiences (lots of junk listings and hard to use interfaces). We eventually ended up using a real estate agent, and she found the rental for us. I was the first person to say that real estate agents were being made obsolete by websites, but my recent experience proved me wrong. Still, the web keeps becoming a better and better tool to find a place to live. Lovely is a San Francisco, CA based startup that is playing a role in the progress. They know “how painful it can be to rent an apartment and think it should be faster, easier, and more transparent.”
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I love meat. I even got an A+ in the Meat Science course that I took in college (it wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounds). In my opinion, animal protein gets an unfairly bad rap for being unhealthy. I went on a diet of mostly high-fat meat and vegetables before my wedding, and lost forty pounds–there’s no way that I’m not healthier because of that. However, there are plenty of people who feel that animal-based diets have significantly negative health and environmental repercussions. Many of them would like to be able to enjoy meat, but can’t because of what they know, think, or feel. Beyond Meat is going to change that… kind of. They are a Manhattan Beach, CA (headquarters) and Columbia, MO (plant) based company that is “focused on perfectly replacing animal protein with plant protein where doing so creates nutritional value at lower cost.” I’d rather just eat a nice steak, but all the veggie burgers and seitan ribs are proof enough that there’s a market for this kind of stuff.
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When I was growing up, I was anything but a youth against establishment. My school had a dress code, and I’m not sure that I ever violated it (ok, I may have forgotten to wear a belt once or twice). Even outside of school, I wore the same khaki pants that I had to wear at school (but with sneakers and a t-shirt of course)–I think I outgrew my last pair of jeans in 7th grade. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I’ve never owned anything from Volcom. In case you’re not familiar with the brand, they’re a San Clemente, CA based “designer, marketer and distributor of premium quality young men’s and young women’s clothing, accessories and related products.” The company was founded in 1991, and came out of Orange County boardsports culture.
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When I proposed to Amy, I had no doubt that she was going to say yes–even if I did it with a Ring Pop. Still, I thought it was only right to follow tradition and plunk down a bunch of money on a diamond. While some people see such an expenditure as wasteful, others just don’t like what a diamond means. They want a more socially conscious option. The good new for those people is that ethically produced diamonds do exist, and Brilliant Earth is a company that is hoping to make them the norm. Brilliant Earth is based in San Francisco, CA, and they are “the leading supplier of conflict free diamond jewelry.” It all started with two Stanford students, one of whom was about to get engaged. She wanted a ring that represented her values but was still something that she wanted to wear for the rest of her life. She and her fiancé struggled to find what they were looking for, and as a result Brilliant Earth was started to make the process easier for other couples looking for the same thing.
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I remember when social media was a great way for upstarts to get a lot of attention. It wasn’t that long ago, and it’s still possible, but we’re already at the point where big brands dominate social. Why did this happen so quickly? Because brands can afford to throw big bucks at expensive agencies to do social for them. One of these agencies is BLITZ, a Santa Monica, CA based company that makes “brands Favorites by building digital ecosystems that result in durable connections between brands and consumers.” And when they say brands, they mean BRANDS. We’re talking Nike, Dell, Adobe, Starbucks, Red Bull, Disney, Microsoft, and lots more.
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Every business has to make a decision about what kind of payments they’ll accept. Some take cash only, many accept credit cards, and some even accept local currencies like Ithaca Hours. Typically, making it easy for customers to pay you is a good business decision (unless you’re one of those scummy companies that loves to tack on late fees). Unfortunately for some businesses, accepting payments isn’t always easy. This is especially true for certain industries like online gaming, dating, and rewards. Paymentwall is a San Francisco, CA based company that offers “the leading digital payments platform for globally monetizing digital goods and services.” They offer payment options for over 100 locations in more than 25 languages (and offices in Berlin, Kiev, Istanbul, and Manila) with options including “credit card, debit card, mobile payments, land-line payments, prepaid cards, ATM, terminal transactions, bank transfers, direct bills” and more.
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If you want to change something, you need to be able to measure it. Whether you’re talking about weight, revenue, or toxic emissions, establishing a yardstick for success is the first step in accomplishing a goal. The problem is that some of the most important things that we want to change are the hardest to measure. The environment is a perfect example, and that’s exactly what Global Footprint Network is focused on. They are an Oakland, CA based non-profit that was “established to enable a sustainable future where all people have the opportunity to live satisfying lives within the means of one planet.” As a result, Global Footprint Network is focused on “measuring human impact on the Earth so we can make more informed choices.”
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I don’t think that I’ve ever cared as much about how I look as I did on my wedding day. I was still pretty relaxed about it, but I made sure that I had a decent tan, a good haircut, the right amount of facial hair, and a great outfit. It’s not something that I usually care much about, but it’s nice to know that I can do what it takes to make myself look good with a little bit of effort For people with chronic and terminal illnesses, beauty often becomes an afterthought. It’s great to focus on what’s important (like health), but sometimes focusing on your appearance can improve your overall wellbeing. That’s the premise that Beauty Bus Foundation was founded with. They are a Santa Monica, CA based non-profit that “delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.”
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I’ve suffered through many meals where I’ve convinced myself that I could run the restaurant better than the current management–even if I was blindfolded and had my arms tied behind my back. There are probably a few cases where that’s true, but for the most part regular people with no industry experience have no business running restaurants (just watch Kitchen Nightmares if you’re not convinced). The truth is that running a profitable restaurant is a huge accomplishment. The Culinary Edge is a San Francisco, CA based consulting firm that specializes in helping restaurants and other food-related businesses strengthen their brands, extend their reach, and increase their profitability. While it would be nice if they did work for small mom and pop type restaurants, the reality is that this kind of consulting is geared towards much bigger clients.
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I helped my grandparents move out of their house and into an assisted living center. They were in their 80s, and my grandmother was doing great, but my grandfather was suffering from Alzheimer’s/Dementia. She couldn’t take care of him on her own anymore, but she didn’t want to be separated. As a result, we found a place that gave her the freedom and homey feel that she wanted, but also gave her a ton of help caring for my grandfather. It was totally the right decision, but there’s always something sad about seeing people leave their homes for what will likely be the rest of their lives (it was for my grandparents). San Francisco Village is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit that aims to keep people who are aging in their homes. They believe that increasing “the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual well-being of adults who choose to live in their own homes” will result in their members’ being able to “remain independent, active, and engaged in the San Francisco community.”
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I’ve been working at eating healthier for a while now. I have a huge appetite–and it gets bigger when I work out, so it’s not easy. I’ve made a lot of progress by shopping only around the perimeter at the grocery store and avoiding snacking, but I know that the latter is hard for people. If you’re going to snack, you might as well try to be healthy. NatureBox is a company that wants to make that easier for everyone. They’re a San Carlos, CA based ” high-growth e-commerce company that is reinventing the way people purchase healthy foods and groceries.” While I’ll assume that they have bigger plans, they’ve started by offering a monthly subscription that helps you discover “healthy, hand-picked snacks.”
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Yesterday we looked at SocialCode, an agency that specializes in social media marketing for huge brands. Today’s company does similar kinds of work, but at a higher level. We’re talking about things ranging “from media relations and corporate communications strategies to flawless event execution.” The company is called HL Group, and they’re based in New York, NY. It was “founded in 2001 by Hamilton South and Lynn Tesoro,” two industry professionals who decided to out on their own. HL Group has seen exceptional growth since, and they now work across a wide array of industries including fashion, retail, beauty, consumer products, technology, home design, travel and more.
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I’ve been dabbling in social media marketing since social media became a buzzword. I’ve typically been disappointed by the results. I’ve learned that it’s harder than it looks (and that most people don’t want to be social about their job search–which is why we built GIF Me a Job). The prospect of having millions of people telling their friends how awesome you are is pretty tempting, but it’s just not going to happen for most businesses. There are certainly exceptions, and many of them are major brands. When you already have millions of customers, it’s a lot easier (but still really hard) to truly engage them through social channels. SocialCode is a Washington, DC based “social marketing solutions provider” that “builds targeted communities, engages those audiences and converts them to customers and evangelists for leading global brands.”
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Washington DC
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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virtual,
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Yesterday we took a look at View The Space and how they’re changing the commercial real estate business. Today we’re going to talk about the kind of real estate that you’re more familiar with: residential real estate. While I was looking for a new apartment, I did most of my searching online (though walking around the neighborhood that you want to live and looking for For Rent signs is an underrated tactic). While Zillow was my preferred searching tool, I ended up on Trulia a lot. In case you’ve never used it, Trulia is a site that “displays more than 4.5 million real estate and rental listings nationwide.” The company is based in San Francisco, CA and also has offices in New York, NY and Denver, CO. They’re only about 9 years old, but they’ve grown to nearly 500 employees and are already publicly traded.
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Finding office space is easy for me. It’s anywhere that I can put my laptop, get an Internet connection (which is especially easy with a mobile hotspot), and occasionally find enough quiet to talk on the phone. Most companies need something a bit more formal, and that means leasing space. Finding an appropriate office space can be a grueling process, which is why View The Space is aiming to simplify and expedite it. They are a New York, NY based startup that is “built around streamlining the leasing process through HD video tours, targeted distribution and analytics.” The company’s customers are broker and landlords, but the software saves lessors a lot of time too.
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When I was a kid, a magazine subscription was one of the best gifts that you could get me (especially to Beckett Baseball Card Monthly). I loved the excitement of receiving mail, and I loved the magazine format. Today the only magazines that I receive in the mail are the ones that come free with memberships. Almost all of my content consumption is digital now, but that doesn’t mean that the magazine is dead. Issuu is “the world’s fastest growing digital publishing platform.” The company is based in Palo Alto, CA, but they also have a significant presence in Copenhagen, Denmark (focused mostly on design and engineering). Issuu’s goal is to change the publishing industry by “making it a more democratic, colorful and free place to be.”
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Yesterday we looked at Institute for Educational Leadership, one of a seemingly endless number of non-profits devoted to improving educational outcomes. Education seems to be one of the most worthy and, as a result, pursued causes, but I think poverty reduction has to come in number one. Project Concern International is a San Diego, CA based international development non-profit that works to “prevent disease, improve community health and promote sustainable development worldwide.” The core idea behind PCI is that they identify areas with the greatest need and then deliver help in a way that can have lasting community impact.
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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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Being “domestic” isn’t something that a lot of young people aim for these days. The word often denotes a negative connotation, which is why you might find it odd that a career-minded woman who used to work at Google has made a made a name for herself by embracing domesticity. Brit Morin is often called “Silicon Valley’s Martha Stewart,” and she just raised more than $6 million live up to that comparison. Brit is the founder of Brit + Co., a San Francisco, CA based “online platform and e-commerce company that inspires and enables the digital generation to make.” Domestic skills are important, and Brit + Co. is bringing them back in style with the power of the web.
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There are certain “brands” that I follow on Facebook that could be in my feed constantly, and I wouldn’t get annoyed. There’s my dog breeder, my favorite fishing lodge, and Bonobos. They don’t really need to advertise to me–they just need to keep posting content. But most brands are going to have to be smart about how they reach me; otherwise, I’ll ignore them. How can they be smart? By using the data they have on me to deliver perfectly targeted ads. GraphScience is a company that helps brands do this. They are based in Palo Alto, CA, and they “leverage the social graph to generate revenue and optimize marketing spend on Facebook.” I will never get as excited about an ad as I will about a video of my soon to be puppy, but I know that brands can do better than what they’re doing now.
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You’ve probably noticed that most of the small businesses that you interact with aren’t all that tech savvy. Whether you’ve visited their websites or tried to make a purchase, it’s often glaringly obvious that the owner shouldn’t be anywhere within 50 feet of a computer. The problem is that being online and tech savvy is becoming more and more important to running any kind of business. Merchants who can’t keep up will have a hard time. MOpro makes it easy for business owners to do all of the technical and marketing things that they might not be able to do on their own. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based company that expands “the digital possibilities for small businesses.”
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For me Father’s Day is all about wildlife. I’ve spent every one for the past 20 years in woods of Michigan on a fishing trip with my Dad. It used to mark the end of the trip, but this year it’s the beginning. Every year we get to reap the benefits of the work done by conservation organizations. Up there a lot of the work is done by non-profits with a sporting focus, but I’ve come to realize that there quite a few organizations that protect wildlife just because it’s something that should be done. One of these is Defenders of Wildlife. They’re based in Washington, DC, and they aim to “protect and restore imperiled species throughout North America by transforming policies and institutions and promoting innovative solutions.” The organization was founded in 1947 and operates at both a national and local level.
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You’ve been scolded to “get tested” by television advertisements, health teachers, random people on your college campus, and maybe even your doctor. While they’re all making assumptions about your personal life that may not necessarily be true, it’s sound advice for the large majority of people. Unfortunately, getting tested for STDs isn’t something that the average person looks forward to, and the whole thing only gets more awkward when the results come in. What is one supposed to do with the results? I’m pretty sure I knew a guy in college who posted his test results on his bedroom door, but most people aren’t quite that forward. Qpid.me is a Los Angeles, CA based company that “makes having ‘the conversation’ about STD status easier.” They do this by giving people easy online access to their verified STD test results with the option of sharing them privately. You can see what that looks like by visiting the company’s founder’s test results.
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Most of you are probably too young to remember when travel agents were a thing. Before the Internet, booking and planning a trip was much easier with the help of a professional. Today, having someone book your travel is often an unnecessary complication for most travelers. But if you’re the kind of person who travels all the time for work or wants everything to go perfectly, then you might appreciate something higher touch than booking online. That’s what FROSCH offers. They’re a New York, NY and Houston, TX headquartered company (with 30 offices across the country) that provides “high-touch leisure and corporate travel to individuals and companies.” While most travel agencies have been made obsolete by the Internet, FROSCH has continued to grow by offering a superior level of service.
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I have a simple personal investment strategy. The majority of my time, attention, and money goes back into this business. Most people think that investing is about buying financial instruments like stocks, bonds, and options. That can be a part of it, but it’s really about putting your resources to work for you. At this stage in your life, you should be investing in yourself as much as possible (since you’ll be reaping the returns for the next 70 years). Once you get a bit older, you can take a more traditional approach. That’s what Bailard specializes in. They’re a Foster City, CA based “employee-owned investment firm that has served institutions and private investors for over forty years.”
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A week in the desert has reminded me just how live-giving water is. Even a tiny trickle of a river can completely change the landscape out there. Seeing that reminds me how vital our oceans are to our planet’s health. While 12% of the earth’s land is protected in one way or another, only 1% of its oceans are protected. Marine Conservation Institute is a Seattle, WA based non-profit that is trying to change that. They “use the latest science to identify important marine ecosystems around the world, and then advocate for their protection, for us and future generations.” Because of the nature of oceans and the fact that they cover more than two thirds of the earth’s surface, it’s easy to overlook how fragile and important they are. Marine Conservation Institute exists to remind us.
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