For most of us social media is a time waster. It’s mindless entertainment that fills in gaps in our days. But for some people it’s a job. For them the mobile app just won’t do. They need power tools to manage all of their social media accounts, and that’s exactly what Sprout Social offers. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that offers “a management and egnagement platform for social business.” Sprout Social’s software offers all of the tools that one might need to engage with customers, publish content, and analyze the effectiveness of social marketing. This kind of platform is a must have for any company that takes social seriously.
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Chances are that most of your communications with employers at this point are your submitting applications and their not responding. If you’re lucky, you may get a rejection letter… or even an invitation for an interview. Eventually it will get better and your communications will lead to the acceptance of a job offer. From there it will get boring–stuff like health insurance enrollment and reminders to clean up after yourself in the communal kitchen. While employee communications are often mundane, they’re an extremely important part of running a business. GuideSpark is a Menlo Park, CA based company that has built a “robust employee communications platform” that “allows HR executives to toss out the stacks of pamphlets and eliminate time-consuming seminars, and offers a new way to educate employees on complex HR topics like benefits, health care reform, and compensation programs.”
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When my wife gets sick, I swear that she takes her temperature every 15 minutes (she also considers 98.6 a fever because her temperature is normally lower than that). I don’t even bother taking my temperature unless I’m worried that I’m very sick. Thermometers can be important tools for tracking health, but most of us don’t use them to our full potential. Kinsa is a New York, NY based company that is changing the way that people take their temperatures and monitor their health. They’ve developed a smartphone compatible thermometer that combines with an app to provide a completely new type of health tracking technology solution.
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It’s hard to feel any sympathy for software developers. They’re one of the most employable groups of people on Earth, and they can apply their skills to almost anything they want. However, they’re working in the technology industry which is defined by constant change. A piece of software that used to need to run on a single platform is now expected to work on all kinds of devices. Xamarin is the answer for developers who want their software to work for as many people as possible. The San Francisco, CA based company allows developers to write “apps entirely in C#, sharing the same code on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac.” Why do something four different ways when you can do it once?
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You’ve probably looked at thousands of ads already today, but chances are that you haven’t thought about how they got in front of you. Behind all of those ads is a group of people who made a complicated set of decisions to get that specific message to you in a specific place at a specific time. Managing those kinds of decisions at scale is really hard. Centro makes it easier. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that works “to improve the lives of those working in the advertising industry by building media management software that helps marketers engage with audiences across all digital channels in the most successful manner possible.” The goal is put all of the options in one place so that advertisers can make the best decisions for themselves or for clients.
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We’ve all had a time when we wanted to break our computers, tablets, or phones. In reality we’re often directing our anger in the wrong place. It’s usually the software, not the hardware, that is causing the problem. Even though the quality of software seem to continue to get better, we keep spending a bigger percentage of our time interacting with electronic devices. Every developer can aspire to make better software, and SmartBear is a company that helps them do that. They’re based in Beverly, MA, and they make “tools to help you manage the quality of your desktop, web, mobile, and api-based applications.” It may seem a little meta but SmartBear develops software for software developers–and I’ll bet that they use their software to develop software for software developers.
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Health is all about information. There was a time when we didn’t know how unhealthy smoking was. Now we do. Many people will live longer, healthier lives because of this knowledge. Any tool that can help both doctors and patients make more informed decisions is immensely valuable. Healthline is a San Francisco, CA based company that has built “the largest, most clinically accurate classification of health information available on the web.” They offer this resource both to consumers in the form of Healthline.com and to brands in a variety of solutions.
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It used to be that most websites were the same for everybody, but today almost everything seems to be personalized. Whether I log into Facebook, search on Google, or visit a jobs website, there’s a very good chance that my experience is being altered based on data that they’ve collected about me. Sites with this customization based on who is logged in used to be referred to (and maybe still are) as portals. Liferay Portal is free and open source software that allows anyone to build this kind of web experience. Liferay is a Diamond Bar, CA based company that was started in 2004 and “houses a professional services group that provides training, consulting and enterprise support services” focused on the Liferay Portal software.
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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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If you haven’t been a victim of hacking yet, you will be. Even if you do everything in your power to protect your data, another party that you’ve trusted will have a breach at some point. Hopefully the companies that you trust are doing everything in their power to keep your data as secure as possible. That means being aware of the latest threats and detecting breaches immediately when they happen. Those two things are the specialty of Boulder, CO based LogRhythm, “the largest and fastest growing independent security intelligence company in the world.” This space is only going to keep growing in importance, and LogRhythm is leading the way.
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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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The original idea behind employer funded health insurance was that it was supposed to improve productivity by keeping employees healthy. That’s still generally the point, but today it seems that health insurance is mostly about fixing problems after they happen instead of prevention. Corporate wellness programs are the answer for employers who want to keep employees healthy (and lower insurance costs). Limeade is a Bellevue, WA based company that is aiming to “measurably improve well-being in the world through happy, healthy, high-performing workforces.” How do they do this? By offering software that makes rolling out a wellness program a snap for employers.
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Chocolate and Valentine’s Day are the perfect couple. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your sweetheart or a way to stop feeling lonely, chocolate is the answer. And if we’re talking about chocolate and romance, it’s hard to think of a more romantic chocolatier than Godiva–I mean their logo is a naked lady on a horse. While the company originated in Belgium nearly 90 years ago, it is now headquartered in New York, NY and does all of its U.S. production in Reading, PA. They’ve also opened close to 300 retail locations across the country.
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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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Have you ever sat around and waited for a phone call? It sucks. Believe it or not, there are a lot of businesses in which you sit around and wait for customers to call you. A plumber is a great example, but there are much more sophisticated businesses that have the same problem. They can invest in marketing that drives more calls, but why do that when you can invest online and track every step of the conversion/sales process? Because people who pick up the phone are often much better leads than people who inquire online. That’s why Invoca is bringing online analytics to phone calls. They are based in Santa Barbara, CA, and their “inbound call marketing tools empower you to generate better leads, higher conversions, smarter spends and greater revenue.”
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When I think about my personal impact on the environment, I think about driving, flying, heating my home, what I eat, and other similar things. Clothing doesn’t typically come to mind, but the production and transportation of clothing can have significant negative impacts on the environment. Reformation is trying to reduce the impact. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based “environmentally sustainable fashion brand that repurposes vintage and surplus
materials to create a chic, limited edition collection.” The way that they operate is completely different from most other fashion brands, but it’s working.
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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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So far Amy and I have yet to receive a single Christmas/Holiday card. I’d like to blame it on the fact that we moved a few months ago, but I fear that we may not be as popular as I had previously thought. The reason that I can’t blame the move is that we made sure to update our address with the USPS. The most shocking thing about forwarding your mail is how easy it is to do. That’s why it’s interesting that Updater uses USPS change of address as the free part of their freemium model. It’s smart. The New York, NY based company offers a slightly slicker way to do something that you can do quite easily on your own, and then they use that as an opportunity to sell you a product that helps you will all kinds of other change of address issues.
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Have you ever caught someone talking about you behind your back? Whether they’re saying something nice or something mean, it can be pretty awkward. Still, it’s nice to know where you stand with people. For brands it’s a bit different. The awkwardness isn’t as much of a worry, and the information gained from hearing what people have to say can have tremendous business value. The problem is that overhearing a conversation isn’t a reasonable way to compile actionable information. That’s why newBrandAnalytics has developed “a social media monitoring and online reputation management tool that transforms online reviews into operational social intelligence.” The company is based in Washington, DC, and it helps companies pinpoint ways that they “can excel in customer experience management.”
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I wonder if one day the entire world will speak a single language. We’re certainly headed in that direction, but we have a very long way to go (I’m not saying that a monolingual world is a desirable outcome, just that it seems plausible). Until then language barriers will get in the way of business. And that means that translation will continue to be an extremely valuable tool. The best translation services are fast, accurate, cost-effective, and secure. That’s exactly what VerbalizeIt offers. They’re a New York, NY based startup that “enables better universal communication for businesses and individuals.” It may not be a new idea, but they have new technology to do the job better.
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Some people can flat out sell. Give them any product, and they’ll convince people to hand over money for it. When these kinds of people are paired with great products in a market that they’re familiar with, the magic really happens. Think Billy Mays. He had a formula for finding, developing, and marketing household products that you’d never buy without his influence. Stroll is a Philadelphia, PA based company with a similar ability to sell and market; however, they’re solely focused on consumer education products. The company’s mission is “to transform lives by discovering the world’s best educational products and turning them into best-sellers.” Apparently they’re succeeding–Stroll made the Inc. 5000 with 424% thee-year growth to $84.9 million in revenue.
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Today is Opening Day of the NFL season! I’m probably less excited about that than the average American male (I’m a baseball guy), but it’s still a really big deal. Sports generate tons of economic activity. I know people who go to ridiculous lengths to get an edge for their fantasy teams, so you can just imagine how far actual teams and players will go (cough… PEDs). Some of the biggest advancements outside of biotechnology have come on the video side. Hudl is a Lincoln, NE based company behind many of those innovations. As they put it, they “help coaches and athletes win with video.” The technology must be working because Hudl just landed at #149 on the Inc. 5000 with 2,535% three-year growth to $14.1 million in revenue.
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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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It used to be that airlines were the only businesses that I could earn rewards with, but as many markets have become more competitive, companies from all kinds of industries have jumped on the bandwagon. While offering great products and services at reasonable prices should be enough to keep customers, many companies aren’t able to do that–so they offer rewards instead. The problem is that managing a rewards program has nothing to do with running most business. That’s where Destination Rewards steps in. They’re a Boca Raton, FL (and Plymouth, MI) based company that creates and manages “web-based customized rewards programs.” Destination Rewards does all of the heavy lifting, and their clients can just plug and play.
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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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I hate cheese. I’m not sure when it started, but almost any cheese other than mozzarella completely grosses me out. Although it may be partly psychological now, it’s mostly a smell/taste thing. I swear everybody except me loves cheese–though people start to see my side of things when the stinkier varieties come out. As a result of my peculiarity, it’s a bit uncomfortable for me to write about Sartori, a Plymouth, WI based “fourth-generation family owned and operated” cheese company. How can I encourage you to go work for a company that produces products that I find so offensive? I guess it just shows how committed I am to helping you start a great career.
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I downloaded my first MP3 from an AOL chat room. I was an extremely early adopter when it came to “file sharing,” but after the lawsuits started and some of my favorite services were shut down, I gave up. Torrenting became all of the rage, and I missed the boat. I’ve heard a lot about BitTorrent, but I never realized that they are a real company with more than 100 employees. They’re based in San Francisco, CA, and they are “passionate about building a better, smarter Internet through distributed computing.” That may sound like an unattainable mission for such a small company, but it’s not. BitTorrent’s protocols account for 20-40% of the Internet’s traffic, which means that the company has a ton of influence..
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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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There used to be three places that you could buy video advertisements: ABC, NBC, and CBS. Now there are millions. Nearly every website has the capability to sell video advertising, though very few have a team to sell the ads the way a tv station would (and that’s not even the best way to do it necessarily). SpotXchange is a Westminster, CO based company that makes buying and selling video advertising easy. In fact, they claim to have “the largest global marketplace of video ad inventory, reaching 110 million unique visitors each month in more than 35 countries.” It allows publishers and brands to link up that might never have connected without SpotXchange.
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In my day… Macs and PCs used completely different file formats. Writing a paper on my Mac (I was one of the few back then) and printing it on one of my school’s PCs was always a risky proposition. If I didn’t convert the file properly, I might end up with no homework and a really lame excuse for my teacher. We’re well past those days, yet many people still struggle with PDFs and other files. A simple request to sign a form and send it back can lead me down a half hour process of trying to find any way possible to avoid buying a new ink cartridge for my printer. Next time I’m going to try Nitro. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that builds “easy-to-use products that help people work smarter with digital documents.” Whether it’s for personal use or for a corporation with thousands of employees, Nitro offers a simple, affordable solution.
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