I’ve made a point of being more active in Cornell’s entrepreneurship community, so I like to think that I do a good job of keeping tabs on which other companies have been started by fellow alums. That’s why I was shocked to learn that the #2 online retailer of home furnishings and housewares was not only a company that I’d never heard of before, but a company founded by two Cornell grads. It’s called Wayfair–they’re based in Boston, MA and did $500 million in sales last year. The reason I hadn’t heard of them is that they were known as CSN Stores until last year (they were founded in 2002). CSN Stores was focused on building out 200+ product specific properties with generic domain names like Bedroomfurniture.com, Cookware.com, AirHockeyTables.com, and AllBarstools.com. Last year they decided to get serious about branding and started pulling all of their sites into the Wayfair brand.
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In case you missed our e-mail from last week, Kembrel loved the response from our post about them so they’re offering a free VIP card (usually 20 bucks) to all ODOJ readers and $5 in store credit. Sign up here.
On Monday we took a look at Vertive, a company that builds internet properties to help people save money. Today we’re going to look at a company with a similar model of building and buying websites, but a much broader approach. Internet Brands is based in El Segundo, CA and started as CarsDirect.com in 1998. It was a successful brand for them, but in 2005 they realized that the platform they had built could be applied to other verticals. Now Internet Brands operates more than 100 websites that reach over a billion visitors every year. Amazingly, they’ve been able to generate almost all of this traffic organically (without buying advertising). This is all because of the platform that they’ve developed and the ability to share resources across brands. Internet Brands is a case study of how economies of scale can work on the web.
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Having written profiles on more than 1,500 companies, I start to see the same stories over and over again. Some business models are just better than others, and those are the ones that seem to keep popping up. One of the most effective models these days is based on providing a free online resource to help save people money and using affiliate programs to monetize the traffic. Sites like Slickdeals, Fatwallet, Savings.com, ShopAtHome.com, CouponCabin, and WhaleShark Media have all taken that approach and succeeded. Vertive is another. They’re based in Austin, TX, and they were founded “to provide search engine marketing consulting and affiliate marketing services.” They eventually started building their own web properties, and that turned out to be way more profitable than consulting. Vertive’s biggest property is Offers.com, but other properties include DailyDeals.com, CouponCodes.com, and Subscription.com.
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I last wet my pants in 2nd grade. I knew I had to go, and I was waiting outside the bathroom with my legs squeezed together. I didn’t want to break the rules and use the bathroom down the hall, so I waited… and waited… and waited. Eventually I couldn’t hold it any longer, and I went. I told my teacher, and she did a great job of keeping it discrete so none of the kids in my class found out. But it was still terribly humiliating. Looking back I can laugh about it–and I often do (I love bathroom humor!), but I know there are plenty of people for whom things like this aren’t funny anymore. Incontinence is an extremely common problem, yet it’s not one that many people talk about openly. That’s why HDIS has been able to build such a successful business. The Olivette, MO based company’s full name is Home Delivery Incontinence Supplices, and they’ve “specialized
in providing quality care to those who experience loss of bladder control” since 1986. You’ve probably seen their commercials on tv–especially if you watch shows geared towards an older audience.
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Usually we associate with brands based on our experiences with their products. After a while we know what brands we like and use brand names as a heuristic to make purchasing decisions easier. Occasionally when a brand has an exceptional story, the brand actually becomes the product. That seems to be the case with Holstee, a New York, NY based company that focuses on “lifestyle design with a conscience.” The only reason I had heard about them is that they’re often on Fab.com, yet there are a ton of people who have bought a printed version of the Holstee manifesto to put on their walls (see the manifesto here). The brand has literally become the product. Some may write off Holstee as an online store for “hipsters,” but the “People, Planet, Product” approach has a lot of meaning for a lot of people, and it’s enabled Holstee to grow their business.
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Today is my seven year anniversary with Amy. Now that we’re getting married, we’ll be getting a new anniversary, but for now this is a date worthy of celebration. As a result, I was thinking about presents that I’ve bought her in the past, and I remembered one of the first gifts that I got her. It was an “in vitro orchid”– a tiny orchid plant in a test tube with some sort of nutrient filled gel. I can’t remember how I found it, but I know that I bought it from UncommonGoods, which is a great site for finding “unique gifts and creative design.” They’re based in Brooklyn, NY, and they “believe that creativity and the expression of individuality represent two great human treasures.” UncommonGoods was founded in 1999 and is a registered B Corporation, which means that they “have struck an insightful balance between the realities of business and each of the key components of sustainability – including human resources, environment, community, financial, and governance.”
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Kembrel is members-only, but you can get in using this link. They’ll even give you a VIP Card for free (worth $20) and $5 in store credit to get you started.
There’s a battle going on between traditional retailers and e-commerce companies. The former offers the opportunity to get your hands on the merchandise, but the latter usually offers better prices, better selection, and more convenience. This leads to a lot of people using retailers to check stuff out and then buying online. I want to see companies start merging those two business models, and that’s exactly what Kembrel is doing. They’re a Philadelphia, PA based “online club” that allows “students to access their favorite fashion, food, and fun for a fraction of the retail price.” The online flash sale strategy is being combined with retail stores (they recently opened their first in Philly) to build the brand and offer members the opportunity to actually interact with products.
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It’s probably a little late to be planning a New Year’s Eve party, but I guess for a lot of people all it takes is a trip to the liquor store to prepare. But if you really want to do New Year’s Eve right, you need party hats, noisemakers, those popper thingies, and all kinds of other novelties. One of the best places to get those is Oriental Trading, an Omaha, NE based “direct merchant of value–priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading provider of school supplies and affordable home décor and giftware.” I remember getting their catalogs as a kid and thinking how awesome it would be to have not one stupid plastic toy, but a 1000-count tub of them. Oriental Trading has been around since 1932, and they’ve been able to stay competitive by quickly adapting to the changing ways people buy stuff.
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I know that a lot of people are getting sick of daily deal sites, but I’m a huge Groupon fan (maybe because my fiancée works there); however, I must admit that the daily deal e-mail that I’m most excited for every day comes from AppSumo. They’re an Austin, TX based company that offers amazing bargains on software, online courses, and other tools that are extremely useful for entrepreneurs, web professionals, job seekers, and anyone who wants to use technology to a fuller extent. I’ve used AppSumo to buy things from Udemy (a PHP course), Tout (an e-mail management tool), StickerMule (awesome custom One Day One Job stickers), and a bunch of other cool companies. Each purchase has been valuable for building my business, and they’ve all come at unbelievably low prices.
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If you’ve been reading for very long, you’ve probably seen me mention my girlfriend Amy. She’s awesome. She was the setter on Cornell’s volleyball team, she spent nearly 3 years as a consultant at McKinsey, and now she runs Competitive Intelligence at Groupon. I’m constantly impressed by her, and I’m extremely thankful for how supportive she has been as I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs to build this business. Considering that she’s stuck with me long enough to see One Day One Job achieve meaningful profitability, I figured it was time to put some of those profits towards a ring. I was referred to an amazing custom jeweler who walked me through the entire process and helped me design something that she’d be happy wearing forever. On Wednesday afternoon I got the ring, and on Wednesday night I popped the question. Thankfully, she said yes! While I didn’t use Blue Nile for the ring, I thought it was a fitting company to take a look at today because I was constantly on their site doing research during the process. They’re based in Seattle, WA, and they’ve become “the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry.”
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When I was a kid, I had eyes like a hawk. At my best I had 20/12 vision. Then in high school things started getting blurry, and I eventually had to get contact lenses. Luckily, humans have spent a ton of time and energy in developing technology that helps us see better. Whether you want to see something really small, far away, or in the dark, there’s optical equipment that can help you out. The thing is that microscopes, binoculars, night vision goggles, and even glasses aren’t something that you buy casually–you want to buy from someone who knows his or her stuff. OpticsPlanet is a Northbrook, IL based company that employs a whole bunch of those people. They are “one of the world’s leading online retailers of a wide selection of sport optics, tactical and military gear, scientific products, hunting gear, professional grade products and eyewear.” I get excited when I get a new contact lens prescription, so I bet getting to play with some of OptcisPlanet’s offerings would make me giddy.
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Last night as I was falling asleep, I kept thinking about chopping wood. It’s something that I really enjoy doing because it’s mentally relaxing, yet physically exhausting. Then I started thinking about these awesome axes that I saw on Gilt Groupe and how I wish I had bought one, but I realized that the fact that I live in downtown Chicago means that I’d be more likely to use the ax for home defense than for chopping wood. This morning I decided to look those axes up, and I ended up on the Best Made Company site. They’re a New York, NY based company that “is dedicated to equipping customers with quality tools and dependable information that they can use and pass down for generations.”
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Imagine that it’s 1994 and you’ve just started a CD-ROM production company. You’re doing really well because of all of the excitement about a storage medium that hold 600 times more data than the floppy disk. How much courage would it take to abandon what you were doing and start working on something new? Probably more than I have, but that’s exactly what Gorilla did. The Chicago, IL based company saw what was happening on the web and decided to jump in. Today Gorilla is a “web design, development and marketing firm” that focuses on e-commerce. They’re “striving to be the go-to ecommerce agency for mid-size businesses,” and they’re well on their way with clients including Bonobos, INC., Sub-Zero/Wolf, and lots of other big names.
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A successful job search is all about improving yourself. One of my favorite places for finding tools and courses to make me a better entrepreneur is AppSumo, and they’re offering amazing 50% off Black Friday deals on gift certificates to use for future AppSumo purchases.
As good as Thanksgiving is for coming up with interesting job search ideas, I prefer Black Friday because it’s centered around commerce and leads to more realistic ideas. Seriously, just open up the newspaper and look at all the ads–you’ll find seemingly endless possibilities. Some of the companies that we’ve featured in the past that are extra relevant today include Amazon, Ernst & Young (you know why they call it Black Friday, right?), Visa, Fatwallet, Slickdeals, Savings.com, LivingSocial, and Groupon. Today we’re going to stick with the discount theme and take a look at CouponCabin. They’re a Whiting, IN based company that searches “tens of thousands of consumer emails, online forums, blogs, and merchant sites each week and even the Sunday newspaper to create a true one-stop-shop for savings.” They were formerly based in Chicago, IL, but they had to move across state lines (they’re still close to Chicago) because of an idiotic tax law that the state of Illinois passed.
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So far our survey says that you find the job search frustrating. Tell us more so that we can help.
Back in June we told you about Birchbox, a company that offers a subscription to customized beauty product samples for $10 a month. It’s an interesting model, and it seems to be working out extremely well for them. BeachMint is a “social commerce” startup with a similar subscription model, but a very different approach. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based company with four brands: JewelMint.com, BeautyMint.com, StyleMint.com, and ShoeMint.com. I think you can guess what each offers a subscription to. When you sign up they give you a quiz to get a sense of what you like and what you don’t like, and then they start making new recommendations for you every month. It’s a little weird in that it’s structured like a subscription, but you don’t have to buy every month (but it sounds like it’s more of a monthly opt-out than opt-in). I kind of wish they stayed true to their name and would send me to a different beach every month.
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Keeping up with fashion isn’t a priority for me, but I still like to dress well. That’s why I trust Bonobos and Gilt Groupe to do the curation for me, and then I just buy what I like from them (it also helps that I’ve accrued a lot of credits from both of them). I know that a lot of people are far more active in keeping up with fashion, which is probably why Refinery29 is growing so quickly. The New York, NY based company is aiming to be “the cornerstone of fashion, beauty, and shopping for a new generation” as they offer “the only 360-degree source for shopping, exclusive deals, trends, beauty news, local hot-spots, and at-home sneak-peeks of fashion’s finest.” That’s ridiculously ambitious, but the results so far indicate that they’re pretty much killing it.
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Sponsored Job: Want to learn all about the technology that makes financial markets work? PEAK6 is a Chicago, IL based proprietary trading firm that specializes in inventory and risk management. They’re developing the next generation of automated trading systems and businesses, and they’re looking for a technically minded recent college graduate to join their team as a Junior Project Manager to build and scale a high speed, low latency stock trading business. Learn more and apply here.
I’ve never stepped foot in a pawn shop, but I am hopelessly addicted to watching both Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn. The two shows offer diametrically opposed views of the pawn industry. The former is all about antiques and interesting merchandise, while the latter is more focused on the people who pawn everyday items. In case you didn’t know, pawn is one of the simplest forms of credit. You give a pawn broker an item to hold as collateral, and he or she gives you a loan based on the value of the item. To get the item back you have to pay back the principal plus interest within a certain amount of time, otherwise the pawn broker can keep the item and sell it. Pawn makes credit available to anyone who owns something of value, and that’s generally a good thing. The pawn model has been around for thousands of years, so it’s about time for someone to take it online. That’s what Denver, CO and Chicago, IL based Pawngo is doing, and they’re taking it one step further. Pawngo is solely focused on the high end of pawn, so they only do loans from $250 to $100,000 (though you might be able to convince them to go higher if you have a really awesome item).
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Want to check out Fab.com and get daily design deals up to 70% off? Get your free invite here, and hurry. If you sign up before 11:45 AM EDT on 10/18/2011, you’ll get $10 in your account as soon as you sign up.
If my parents had to pinpoint the time when they hated me the most, it was probably one of the times they took my sister and me furniture shopping. It was always an unmitigated disaster. When I’m in a furniture store, it’s like I’m wearing a Horcrux (Harry Potter reference for those who have no idea what I’m talking about) around my neck. My irritability and immaturity increase at an exponential rate over time. My girlfriend, having had heard the stories, came up with a smart solution when we were buying stuff for our new place. Instead of dragging me along from store to store, she did some pre-shopping and then only showed me the stuff she absolutely loved. It worked perfectly, as I was in and out of the stores before I even had the chance to start acting like a hungry, tired three-year old. Now we’ve come up with an even better solution–she just sends me links to Fab.com. It’s a New York, NY based site and company that offers “daily design for everyone.” They’re relatively new on the scene, but they’ve been getting a ton of positive attention by offering amazing deals of up to 70% on all kinds of cool stuff for your home.
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It’s moving day for me. I’m staying in the same neighborhood, but I still had to pack up my entire apartment and load it into a moving truck. It was kind of a pain, but hiring good movers is one of the best investments you can make. If only I had a travel vest from SCOTTEVEST–I could have stuffed everything in there, walked down the street, and done it all myself. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you really can fit a ton of stuff in SCOTTEVEST products. The company is based in Ketchum, ID and was started by Scott Jordan to create gadget-holding alternatives for man-purses–or even worse, fanny packs. It all started with vests, but now SCOTTEVEST offers a wide line of clothing that makes traveling with lots of stuff easy.
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It’s not often that you see 25-year old companies on the Inc. 5000, but that’s exactly what ShopAtHome.com is. They got their start as a husband and wife team, and they’ve growing consistently since 1986. It seems that the growth has accelerated over the past few years, as ShopAtHome.com, which is based in Greenwood Village, CO, has a 442% three-year growth rate and generated $35.4 million in revenue last year. Now, ShopAtHome.com isn’t really what it sounds like. It’s not an online version of QVC. It’s a coupons site; in fact, it’s “one of the largest websites offering free online coupons, grocery coupons, cash back rewards, free samples, restaurant coupons and contests.” Their site had 37 million visits last year, which is a staggering number. What’s even more staggering is that they appear to have generated about $1 in revenue for every visitor.
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The thing that I love most about the Inc. 5000 is the diversity of the companies. While there are definitely some strong themes throughout the list, there are companies doing all kinds of things in all kinds of places–and succeeding. One of the biggest themes on the list is that online marketing is offering massive opportunity to new companies. One Click Ventures is a Greenwood, IN based company that is big on Internet marketing. Unlike many of the other companies on the list, they do the marketing for themselves, not for clients. One Click Ventures runs a number of e-commerce properties including ABC Neckties, Affordable Scarves, Handbag Heaven, Inexpensive Watches, Reading Glasses Shopper, TravelProducts.com, Socks4Life, and Sunglass Warehouse. Each of these sites is in a very competitive niche, so it should be no surprise that One Click Ventures claims to have a distinct competitive advantage with their “marketing engine” that “consists of a diverse team of subject matter experts, including SEO, PPC, email marketing, social media, affiliate marketing, conversion optimization and content development.”
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I can’t tell you how much money I’ve saved by being a savvy shopper. Doing something as simple as Googling for coupon codes or looking up discount programs has saved me money time after time. I’m by no means fanatical about this stuff (and I try to avoid buying stuff just because it’s on sale), but there are a ton of people who get really excited about finding deals. Many of them flock to online communities for deal sharing like Fatwallet, Slickdeals, and Savings.com. Whether you’re looking for a specific deal or just want to see what bargains are available right now, Los Angeles, CA based Savings.com offers that kind of information. You may wonder how a site that is focused on serving people who self-identify as being cheap makes money, but there’s no question that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Savings.com considering that they made the Inc. 5000 with 2,077% three-year growth to $19.9 million in revenue.
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Baseball is considered a tough sport because even the greatest players fail about 60% of the time (taking a walk is never a failure!). I think that means if e-commerce were a sport, nobody would play it. Failing 97% of the time on average doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? (I guess that’s why a lot of people hate the job search.) If most e-commerce companies could get to even a 96% failure rate, they’d be thrilled. MyBuys is a company that aims to help online businesses sell to the 97% of people who don’t buy (they call them “Group97″). They’re headquartered in Redwood City, CA, and they also have a large presence in Ann Arbor, MI. MyBuys’ focus is on personalization. They believe that by learning more about customers every time that they don’t buy something, you can craft a personalized message or offer that is more likely to convince them to become buyers. What’s really cool is that MyBuys has developed technology to automate this.
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Yesterday we looked at a company that helps online publishers make more money from their content. Today we’re going to look at a company that helps businesses capture user-generated content and use it to drive sales of their products. It may not seem obvious, but quality content is the key to driving online product sales. Not only do you need to convince people to buy your product, but you need to show search engines that your page is the place to go for information on a given product. That’s why PowerReviews exists. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has “built innovative social solutions at every stage of the social commerce journey to help you connect with your customers, learn from them, and sell more.” In other words, they provide software that powers customer review sections on e-commerce websites.
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Marketing used to be simple. You buy a few ads, maybe offer a coupon or two, and people would buy your product (ok, it wasn’t that simple, but it was close). The company that provided the audience–the tv station, newspaper, magazine, or billboard owner–earned most of the marketing spend. That model is changing, and consumers are getting an increasing share of the pie. Groupon really revolutionized the model by convincing tons of business owners to spend their advertising dollars on subsidizing a customer’s (hopefully first) purchase. TrialPay is a Mountain View, CA based company that is using a similar philosophy, but with a very different implementation (Groupon is actually one of their customers). As they put it, they offer “the leading transactional advertising platform that serves thousands of name-brand companies.” They’re kind of like the impulse buy aisle at the supermarket. They already know that you’re going to make one transaction, so they offer you another while your credit card is already out.
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Have an interview you’re worried about? Want the inside scoop on an industry or a company? Thinking of grad school? Get the advice you need from Evisors. Hundreds of former employees and interviewers with experience at 500+ companies and top schools to help you land your dream job! You can even get free advice sessions here.
When I was growing up, getting glasses was a death sentence–a one way ticket to nerd-dom. Every kid dreaded the day that the school nurse conducted eye tests. Luckily, my eyes didn’t go bad until my Junior year of high school, so I pretty much went straight to contact lenses. Now it seems that people want eyeglasses, even if they have perfect eyesight. Instead of trying to downplay the fact that they’re wearing glasses, people are buying stylish frames that make a statement. The problem is that glasses are expensive and kind of a pain in the butt to buy. Warby Parker is a New York, NY based company that is trying to change that. As they put it, “by circumventing traditional channels and engaging with our customers directly through our website, Warby Parker is able to provide higher-quality, better looking prescription eyewear for under $100.”
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I haven’t purchased a lot of jewelry, but when I have (never for myself), I’ve found the process to be extremely intimidating. Jewelry stores are scary places–at least for men who are buying for someone special. There are thousands of options, all of them are expensive, and the staff can be snooty. I remember walking into one store and waiting 15 minutes for someone to acknowledge my presence. It was the one time that I actually knew what I wanted to buy, so I walked out and bought the same thing elsewhere. The experience made me never want to step foot in a jewelry store again. Maybe Gemvara is the answer. They’re a Lexington, MA based company that sells jewelry through the web, but there’s a really interesting twist.
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Being a fly fisherman, I sometimes get frustrated with living in Chicago. Not only are there few opportunities to go fishing without a decent drive, but the winters are way too long (it’s supposed to be spring now, and it’s not). To get through the winter I’ll often visit fishing stores, look at websites, and read through catalogs. It’s not much, but it’s all I have. And Cabela’s provides all three options. The company is based in Sidney, NE, and they’re the “largest mail-order, retail and Internet outdoor outfitter in the world.” It all started in 1961 with a tiny classified ad that Dick Cabela placed in a newspaper because he wanted to sell some fishing flies that he purchased while visiting Chicago for a furniture show (since Nebraska is even less of a fly fishing destination than Chicago is). Despite a lackluster response to the original ad, Dick Cabela kept trying. The company grew organically, and now Cabela’s is dominating three major retail channels. The truly amazing part of the story is that Cabela’s has been able to maintain their commitment to customer service throughout all of the growth. I’m not a big customer (I try to support local shops), but I have quite a few friends who are extremely loyal Cabela’s customers because of the quality of products and service.
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Tagged as:
administrative,
advocacy,
all employers,
apparel,
banking,
brand management,
conservation,
customer service,
development,
e-commerce,
fraud prevention,
human resources,
inventory control,
merchandising,
Nebraska,
outdoors,
planning,
product development,
product management,
retail,
sports,
West Virginia
Want to sign up for One Kings Lane? Here’s an invite.
I was way ahead of the game when I told you about Gilt Groupe three years ago (it’s still where I get most of my non Bonobos clothes). Back then it was still unclear whether online sample sales would be successful–now there’s no question. Daily deals are as hot as can be, and One Kings Lane was founded in 2009 to offer the “world’s top home decor brands and designers at up to 70% off retail.” They’re headquartered in San Francisco, CA, but they also have large presences in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA. One Kings Lane has found an extremely lucrative niche, and now they’re focused on growing their user base and continuing to deliver amazing deals on high-end products. The business model is proven, but One Kings Lane is facing stiff competition–especially from Gilt Home.
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Tagged as:
all employers,
buyer,
California,
customer service,
design,
e-commerce,
events,
fashion,
interior design,
logistics,
merchandising,
New York,
operations,
quality assurance,
quality engineer,
software development,
user experience,
web development
MATCH Public Charter School has been sponsoring One Day, One Job for the past week. They offer amazing entry level opportunities for new grads in Boston, MA, and you should check them out now.
Fast Company’s list of The 2011 Most Innovative Companies has a great mix of familiar and unfamiliar names. One of the companies on the list that I’m only recently familiar with is Opening Ceremony. They call themselves “a multifaceted retail environment comprised of shops, showroom, and private label collection that establishes a new, international creative forum in downtown Manhattan.” I first heard about Opening Ceremony because they’ve been collaborating on a line with Pendleton (a brand that I love). As I’d put it, Opening Ceremony is a New York, NY based fashion retailer/designer/curator. They’re all about bringing together things that are different—new and old, exotic and local. It’s based on the premise behind the original Olympics in 1896—”creatively merging sports, business, and global participation.” But it’s fashion instead of sports.
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Tagged as:
all employers,
apparel,
blogging,
buyer,
California,
copywriting,
design,
e-commerce,
fashion,
graph,
graphic design,
international,
Japan,
New York,
online marketing,
production,
retail,
sales,
social media,
writing
