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’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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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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I never pictured myself doing yoga, but one day my back started hurting. My mom told me to see her trainer and do a yoga session with her. It wasn’t some magical cure-all like some people might claim, but it definitely helped. I ended up really liking the physical part (stretching and bodyweight exercise), but the rest just isn’t for me; however, it is for a lot of people. Yoga has exploded in popularity, and now pretty much anyone who wants to can claim to be a yoga instructor. Yoga Alliance is an Arlington, VA non-profit that exists “to sustain and support the field of yoga.” They do this by “by providing the public with a registry of teachers and schools whose training meets our standards, and by supporting yoga teachers, schools and studios in their work as yoga professionals.”
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Transportation is all about turning energy into movement. The problem is that almost every single mode of transportation results in some sort of environmental impact. Even when you’re walking down the street, you’re constantly expelling carbon dioxide. After thinking about it for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that floating down a river might be the cleanest form of transportation. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic for most of us (even if it is my favorite way to travel). Luckily, we have the International Council on Clean Transportation to help us all move towards cleaner transportation. They are a Washington, DC based non-profit that aims “to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation sectors and fuels, in order to benefit public health and mitigate climate change.”
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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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Everybody hates bills, but people especially hate bills that take extra work to pay. Writing a check, filling out a form, addressing an envelope, and affixing a stamp is almost worse than the financial hit from paying the bill (at least it is in my book). Convenient bill paying not only helps consumers, but it also helps companies collect on bills faster. Billtrust is a Hamilton, NJ based company that has “developed state-of-the-art products and services designed to simplify the billing process.” Whether it’s business to business billing or business to consumer billing, Billtrust offers solutions that save all parties time and money.
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Yesterday was a day to celebrate our freedoms. Being able to speak and express ourselves freely is the most important in my book. Even though we have that right, there is no guarantee that anyone will listen or pay attention to us. If you want to be heard, you have to promote your voice. That’s what See.Me is all about. They are a New York, NY based company that has built a platform that allows artists of all kinds to “share the best of what [they] do and gain recognition and support within [a] vibrant international community.” It’s a place to get exposure, meet other artists, and even earn financial contributions from those who want to support your work.
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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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When I think about the environment, I usually think about water quality. That’s because I’m a fisherman, and the ecosystems that I practice my sport in are particularly sensitive. Air quality issues are much easier to ignore because they’re usually not as immediately apparent (until you run into a 100 degree day with an air quality advisory and can’t breathe). Yet the fight for clean air may be the environmental cause that is most important during our lifetime. That’s certainly what the people at the Center for Clean Air Policy think. The CCAP is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “a recognized world leader in climate and air quality policy and is the only independent, nonprofit think tank working exclusively on those issues at the local, U.S. national and international levels.”
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While I’ve been getting much better about making healthy food choices, sometimes it’s impossible to resist a burger, fries, and a milkshake. It’s hard to find a more efficient, yet enjoyable way to consume calories. If you’re going to do it, you need to do it right–and that means going to Shake Shack (we’re getting one in Chicago soon!). It may sound like a dive, but it’s actually run by the same restaurant group that runs one of New York City’s best restaurants (Gramercy Tavern) and used to run one of the world’s best restaurants (Eleven Madison Park). The company is called Union Square Hospitality Group, and they’re based in New York, NY. They have restaurants that fill every niche, and they’re all excellent. I’ve been to a couple of them (with multiple visits to Shake Shack), and I’ve always enjoyed my meal.
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I spend as much time as I possibly can enjoying nature, and I’m convinced that nothing can rival its beauty. From rock formations to the spots on trout to mushrooms and wild flowers, it’s incredible how much enjoyment I can get from simple stuff. While people often try to create their own beauty, the most successful attempts take some hints from nature. That’s exactly what Kevia does with their jewelry. They are a Portland, OR based company that offers “handcrafted sustainable jewelry” that is inspired by the natural world.
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My parents still have some of my childhood art around the house, though they probably have 10 pieces of my sister’s art for every one of mine. It’s not that they love her more (I keep telling myself that), it’s just that she’s actually an artist. Not only has she produced way more art than I have, but hers is also much better. As much as most artists would hate to admit it, the art world is largely a meritocracy. Art House Co-op is a Brooklyn, NY based company that is democratizing art by organizing “global, collaborative art projects.” Their projects are open to everyone, so even I could participate if I wanted to.
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If you’re taking your job search seriously, you’ve probably read at least one article that advised you to start monitoring your personal brand online. Most people who spend time doing this face the sad reality that nobody is talking about them. Still, it’s nice to get a notification when your name does pop up. For many brands this kind of tracking is a necessity. The tools that you or I might use can’t keep up with the volume, and that’s why Brandwatch has grown so quickly. They’re a Brighton, UK based company with a growing New York, NY office that is “all about monitoring what people say about your brand, products, competitors, industry or any related topics.” If someone is saying it on a publicly accessible website, they’ll find it.
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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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When social media marketing first started getting serious attention, I was all about it. SEO had been huge in helping me grow this site, so I thought that social would be the next big thing. But as I started working on using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites to drive traffic, I realized how ineffective they were. I’ve recently decided to give social another shot because I see a lot of companies making it work for them (though I fear that the Careers space will never be as social as it should be). Most companies that take social seriously use a platform “to measure, engage and advertise across social media.” Unified is a New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Chicago, IL based company that offers exactly such a platform. Unified’s software is especially focused on “activating social audiences and impacting consumer actions.”
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The quickest way to convince your friends that you’re a nerd is to start talking about safety. There’s nothing cool about smoke detectors, security systems, or locks on your doors, but they’re all extremely important. It’s easy to take your personal security in your home for granted until your house gets broken into (happened to me in college) or your smoke alarm starts chirping in the middle of the night and you can’t turn it off (this is more frustrating than scary). There has to be a better way of protecting ourselves without having to be a total freak. Canary is a New York, NY based startup that is working on that exact problem. They have developed “patent pending technology to bridge the physical world and the mobile world” and keep your home secure.
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I’ve been working for myself for the past six years, so the only perk that I get is flexibility. But when I interned at Orvis, I got a 50% employee discount. It was a big part of the reason that I went back for another summer (and spent most of the money I made from the internship). While many companies have unique perks that only they can offer, there are all kinds of perks that are available to pretty much any company that wants to make them available to their employees. AnyPerk is a San Francisco, CA based company that puts all of these perks into a single package that employers can get access to for $5 per employee per month. AnyPerk’s goal is “to help businesses attract and retain top talent while providing a rewarding work environment,” and they’ve found that perks are a great way to do that.
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Cupcakes are supposed to be a miniature version of cake–a more reasonable and practical dessert. Yet as they moved from grade school birthday celebrations to being a culinary trend, they seemed to get bigger and more unhealthy–with some even pushing towards 1,000 calories. Tons of businesses popped up and seemed to offer more and more decadent cupcakes, and then the bubble burst. So how did one cupcake company continue to grow despite tons of competition and fading interest from consumers? By offering mini cupcakes that won’t instantly make your pants feel tighter. Baked By Melissa is a New York, NY based company that was started with “the idea that people should be able to taste more flavors without that post-dessert guilt trip.” Three cupcakes from Baked By Melissa add up to 140 calories. It’s still not health food, but it’s a reminder of what cupcakes were originally meant to be.
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I’ve mentioned a few times that I’ve been working hard to get in shape for my wedding. So far I’ve lost about 35 pounds while adding muscle. All of my success has come from the Paleo diet and a personal trainer. I like sticking to the basics when it comes to health, but some people are looking for an answer in a bottle. NutraClick provides such answers. They are a Boston, MA based natural products company that builds “brands by developing winning products and leveraging the power of online marketing to drive offline demand.” So far they have products in Sports Nutrition, Natural Health, Age-Specific Skincare, and Beauty (with a side of social selling), and I’m sure more are on the way.
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While I really enjoy reading about entrepreneurs’ personal journeys, I don’t take much interest in their personal lives unless it’s especially relevant to the business’ story. A divorce would typically be completely irrelevant in one of these posts, but today’s it worth talking about. You’ve probably heard of Tory Burch, an extremely successful fashion brand named after its founder (who is now a billionaire). Tory Burch, the person, got divorced from J. Christopher Burch in 2006. After the divorce, Chris Burch decided to start a chain of retail stores called C. Wonder. His ex-wife obviously left a lasting impression, since it’s widely cited that New York, NY based C. Wonder has taken a lot of inspiration from Tory Burch’s designs, while selling the “preppy” goods at a much lower price. There were a few lawsuits and some bad blood, but all seems to be settled now.
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College students have a reputation for being broke, yet they always find a way to buy the essentials (most often that seems to be beer). In fact, most students borrow money to pay for their education, so it seems a bit odd to consider them a lending source. Yet that’s exactly what Lend for America is doing. They’re a New Brunswick, NJ based non-profit that believes that “with the right tools, college students can change the lives of their communities’ low-income families and gain a broader social perspective.” The tools they are talking about are centered around microfinance–a way that people even on college student budgets can make a meaningful investment.
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It’s extremely important to surround yourself with ambitious people. Unfortunately, that much easier said than done. Where do you find people who can challenge you? Even if you go to a great college or have impressive parents, it can be hard to find the right kind of people to push you. It gets even harder if you come from a low-income community. That’s why iMentor “builds mentoring relationships that empower students in low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.” They’re a New York, NY based non-profit that was founded in 1999 and has connected well over 10,000 students with mentors.
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It seems that geek culture has finally become mainstream. Maybe it’s the fact that engineers are in high demand at companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google. Or maybe it’s the upsurge in popularity of sites like Reddit. Or maybe it’s shows like The Big Bang Theory. I don’t really know, but for the first time in my lifetime, it’s good to be a geek. So good, in fact, that many of the “popular” kids are now claiming geek status. Whether you’re a true geek or a poser geek, you need geek gear, and ThinkGeek is the place to go for that. They’re a Fairfax, VA based company that started with the “simple idea to create and sell stuff that would appeal to the thousands of people out there who were on the front line and in the trenches as the Internet was forged.”
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Some of you (though probably not most of you) should quit your internship search and start a business. It’s what I did, and I can’t imagine having done anything else. That’s why I’ve spent hundreds of hours talking with and helping aspiring entrepreneurs. Yesterday I came across a Quora answer by Noah Kagan that I wish they had all read before I talked to them. It explains why most people who hold off on pursuing their dream of starting a business are doing so for the wrong reasons. There’s a movement called The Lean Startup that preaches a similar philosophy–starting a company doesn’t need to be expensive and you don’t even need a brilliant idea. Lean Startup Machine is a New York, NY based company that is spreading the philosophy not only to new entrepreneurs but also to people working in more corporate positions.
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I used to watch a show called BattleBots. It was a competition between teams that built robots designed to kill each other. I particularly enjoyed the robotic violence, but I could still enjoy watching friendlier robotic competition. That’s what FIRST promotes. They’re a Manchester, NH based non-profit that uses robotics and other forms of technology to “to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.” FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” and it was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen–the guy who invented the Segway along with quite a few other amazing things.
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There’s a bar in Chicago that is filled with board games. It’s a really good time, if you can get a table. While more and more gaming is moving on to mobile devices, there is still a huge group of people that prefer to sit around a table with friends or family and enjoy a game the old fashioned way. That’s good news for Blue Orange Games, a San Francisco, CA based board game company that was founded in 2001. They now have a catalog of more than 40 games, and they’ve won more than 200 awards. While most of their games aren’t explicitly educational, they are the kinds of games that make you think (they still call them educational). That’s why they’re great for schools, families, and anyone else who is sick of the mindlessness of many of today’s gaming options.
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I’m always looking for an adventure… as long as it includes fly fishing. Having a hobby that takes me to all kinds of interesting places is awesome, but I realize that many people get their excitement from trying something new. If that sounds like you, take a look at ZOZI. They’re based in San Francisco, CA, and they want “to make everyone’s passions accessible, and most importantly, help you discover new ones.” Whether you’re looking for a better way to spend a weekend without leaving town or you want to travel across the world to get an adrenaline rush, ZOZI offers a ton of options at amazing prices. And if that’s enough, they’ll also give you a deal on some of the gear that you might need for your experience.
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My first bike was red and had a banana seat. My second bike was a black and grey Huffy that was far cooler in the eyes of a 7 year old boy. After that I won a green “mud slinger” in a raffle. It was even cooler, but it still wasn’t a real bike because it only had one speed. I got my first real bike in 5th grade. It was a green Trek Antelope 800 with 18 speeds. I loved it and rode it all the time for the first few years I owned it. I eventually stopped riding and haven’t owned a bike since, but I still have a strong positive association with Trek. The company is based in Waterloo, WI and has been pursuing a mission to “build the best bikes in the world” since they were founded in 1976.
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