Each year Crain’s puts out a list of the top 100 best places to work in New York. This year is no exception and the results are in. Check out: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150918/PROFESSIONAL_SERVICES/309189999/crains-names-2015-best-places-to-work for details of top NY based firms.
On December 4, rankings will be added as well.
Truthfully, with the right smarts and the perfect timing, and perhaps a bit of financial backing, one can make a successful business out of anything. And perhaps that is why Cups is thriving.
Everyone loves coffee, right? That is what Gilead Rotem, co-founder and CMO of the firm, figured when he launched Cups back in September 2012. CUPS is basically a subscription-based coffee app that allows independent coffee shops to compete with the big bucks, aka, Starbucks, etc. to get coffee rewards.
This is particularly good for a city such as New York City. Today New York lovers of coffee are not just restricted to Starbucks for their cuppa joe. No, indeed, thanks to CUPS their cup is overflowing with possibilities as it were. Nitro brews, mochas with artisanal chocolate, pour-overs and matcha lattes to name but a few can be found at a whole array of coffee stores in the city that work with the app so one does not need to break the bank while sipping their drink of choice.
In terms of business, CUPS is actually representative of a valuable marketing platform. As Rotem noted, “it’s a chance to get discovered in the city, and get more customers coming in,” based on experience of CUPS that’s user base has quadrupled over the past three months. Today it has tens of thousands of customers.
CUPS pays the coffee store a percentage of the listed price on every beverage ordered. So while store owners may lose a very small margin on sales, the added amount of customers make up for it…and more.
CUPS is based on a similar model to ClassPass. ClassPass – first called DabbleNYC – originated in New York in 2014. Initially a startup with seed funding of $2m, today it is valued at over $200m.
The Center for Youth Employment was recently launched by Mayor Bill de Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray. It was established in order to set up 100,000 young New Yorkers to summer jobs, internships and mentorships by the year 2020. Financing came from the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
The aim of this organization is “to create a new youth workforce infrastructure – one that works for all our children,” according to McCray. It is hoped that this will ultimately lead to the breaking of the poverty cycle that usually begins with young people in need from the moment they are born. With top jobs or internships they could change their lives and prevent history from repeating itself.
For this to actualize it will require the cooperation of the government and private sector working together. Already in 2015, there was a substantial increase in the number of jobs created from last year – up 1,073, putting a total of 2,073 New York youth to work.
It seems that Uber is destroying the taxi market, especially in New York City. There are tons of abandoned taxis pulling up on Brooklyn streets and lots of drivers moving over from taxi companies to Uber. This is creating a huge loss for taxi companies such as McGuinness Car Service, in Brooklyn. Hossam Yossri, one worker there said that drivers keep quitting to move over to Uber.
But the question is, is Uber really so much better? Watch this video and you can see why it is not all so clear cut and that Uber doesn’t necessarily have all the right answers.
In 1996, New York Celebrity Assistants (NYCA) was established. Since then the organization has come a long away and the assistants who are part of it get a lot of “assistance” themselves in dealing with their celebrities.
Working for a celebrity – while sounding quite glamorous – can often be extremely challenging with demanding clients and high expectations. Thus, grouping together for support and help is rather a good idea.
The assistant of course, is in addition to the agents, managers, publicists and cosmetic unit! There is so much to do and that is where the assistants come in. Their role is to plan meetings, book flights, organize parties and other such things.
With the aid of the NYCA, assistants find their jobs easier. One of the founders, Bonnie Low-Kramen explained: “It’s a win-win situation to help your colleagues with resources.” It makes the job easier, more efficient and better for the client.
It’s a lot of networking. If one assistant needs to get in with a particular florist, another assistant might be able to do them a favor. And then that assistant can call in the favor at a later date. Low-Kramen even has a book about it called Be The Ultimate Assistant, but at the end of the day it is the NYCA to which she turns, calling it her “powerful secret weapon.”
At the end of the day, if one is going to work for celebrities in New York, why not get some assistance, while assisting?
Given how much renovation New York City has encountered in so many different facets of its infrastructure, it is almost unbelievable that the subway system is so far behind. What’s even stranger about this antiquated foundation is that it is still in use by so many thousands of New Yorkers, who travel on it with their most finest tablets and smartphones!
This system causes a lot of delays and even more frustration. In an effort to solve this problem, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is seeking funds to update the system. It has uploaded a YouTube video (attached here) of the old-fashioned signaling system and actions being taken to modify them.
A significant part of the plan is Communications Based Train Control which, given how outdated the system is, is quite “revolutionary.” It’s a great shame that it is so far behind also because some of the stations in the system have undergone a huge renovation. For example, the East 180th Street, West Farms, which in 2012 was privy to a 2-year top-to-bottom overhaul costing $66m, paid for by the New York City Transit Authority. Today travelers can enjoy its stunning terracotta roof a new entrance and forecourt, track beds, new elevator access improving circulation, enhanced plumbing, lighting and electrical equipment and more.
It could be said that one of the biggest problems of living in New York is trying to find a place to park. This soon could be a thing of the past, thanks to Luxe. A start-up invented by Curtis Lee, the company employs a slew of 30 blue-jacket-wearing valets to park your car for you in The Big Apple.
Lee developed the business concept when he and his girlfriend were trying to find parking in San Francisco. It was so bad they almost missed their dinner reservation. It immediately inspired him to develop the concept of the business, then and there.
Today Luxe does the following: before you leave home put the address of your destination into your phone. The app will then track your journey and approximately 10 minutes before arrival, fixes you up with a Luxe valet attendant. You can even check out how he looks on the phone to make sure you are not getting someone who is not connected to Luxe.
You can even tell the guy to fill up your tank or get your car washed at any one of the places Luxe has a deal with. The app is currently available in Williamsburg and Manhattan between 57th Street to 96th Street.
Fashion Week in New York has always focused on women. Now that is changing. A couple of weeks ago witnessed the first ever Men’s Fashion Week, featuring Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and many other big names in the industry.
While there has been menswear on show in the past at the New York Fashion Week, the city has never encountered a show dedicated solely to menswear. Although this has happened in other countries, most notably in Europe. But for the opportunity in New York, men’s fashionwear companies are excited at this unprecedented opportunity. Indeed, it was a phenomenal time for people to the lesser-known companies to get publicity for their clothing.
The reason the event took place is mainly due to the growing number of interest in selling fashion to men, such as the fact that according to NPD Group, clothing sales hit $60 billion plus in 2013 in America.
Small Business Pulse was recently launched by CBS in an effort to “give small businesses a helping hand.” On the platform will be tips on all the attributes associated with business including HR, finance, legal system, marketing, sales and technology. Discussions will take place digitally on how to establish a more efficient work environment, enhancing online branding, the management of mobile payments.
The reason this was set up was, according to Chief Marketing Office of CBS Altitude Group’s Rich Lobel, was because for a long time it was felt that small businesses required more help. This idea was emphasized by President of CBS Local Digital Media, Ezra Kucharz who pointed out: “If small-business owners can see great content from business leaders that have been successful, they’ll learn how to do things they might be struggling with right now.”
The longer term plan for Small Business Pulse is, over the next year to offer “seminars, business breakfasts and social-media summits.”
What is good news as well for small business owners, is that, according to Chris Guillebeau, author of ‘The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future,’ starting a small business has “never been easier.” This is mainly due to the fact that people are very comfortable making purchases online. Rather than having a lot of money initially to start a business, Guillebeau suggests “sweat equity – taking the time to make something meaningful” is more of a necessity.
When Stop & Shop and Giant join up with the Food Lion parent company, a $29 billion grocer will be established. This will give the stores a far greater leverage vis-à-vis competing with food discount retailers like Wal-Mart, since it will become America’s fourth largest grocer.
The hope is that this would make the consumer happy. Which comes at a great time given that Whole Foods supermarkets have been accused of overcharging their customers by selling prepackaged meat, dairy and baked goods. Indeed, according to Julie Menin, Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner, there was a fraudulent mark up of $14.94 on coconut shrimp, with chicken tenders being marked up by $4.85.
So the question is, will this mean that the newly established grocery store will help the consumer’s pocket at the end of the day? In some ways yes, but when it comes to fast-food restaurants, possibly not. Given that there is a strong likelihood that New York will be increasing minimum wage to $15 an hour, a staggering 72 percent of restaurant owners said that they would “very likely” increase food prices to the customer to counter this. A further 18 percent said they would be “somewhat likely” to follow suit.
So with some prices increasing and others decreasing, New Yorkers might ultimately be left in the same boat at the end of the day.