Sumber : BHarian
chicago small business
Bluedog, in its 19th year, is a consultancy that works in a sunlit modern space in Fulton Market. In the span of three months they'll help a client create or tweak a product, from brand strategy to packaging. Ninety-five percent of clients re-up. "We make an abstraction into a reality and accelerate that process," says founder Michelle Hayward, 48.Revenue grew 50 percent last year; they're hiring.It's not your everyday company. Employees are measured on a growth rubric of Hayward's design—a map of the survey:• 71 percent of respondents expect higher gross sales/revenue in the coming year, up from 50 percent last year. • 88 percent of companies plan to expand their business in the next 12 months, up from 56 percent last year.
"Employees are looking for jobs with higher wages and better benefits," said Sonat Birnecker, co-founder of Chicago-based Koval Distillery, which has 46 employees. "It's hard to find employees who want to be with a variety of hard problems to solve; not knowing the answer is Bluedog's first step. With their client, they "unpack" a problem—say, the marketing of a caffeinated gum—together.
"It's the journey that enables the breakthrough," says Shannon Murphy, 35, partner and vice president of marketing. "This is the best job I've ever had and the best company I've ever worked for because of the autonomy, that you're trusted to do the best job you can. We hire that way, we manage that way.
" Says Scott Sanford, 25, an extensions engineer in his fourth year at the firm, "I feel like I'm part of a team with a shared goal. The projects I work on directly affect our business. I'm not working on meaningless tasks." Town-hall meetings and monthly updates keep him informed, and upper management is accessible for day-to-day learning and long-term career planning, he says.
Other perks: remote and flexible work, lunch 'n' learns, six-week paid sabbaticals, continuing education—with tuition reimbursement—team dinners, hip high-rise Michigan Avenue offices, an open kitchen, couches, and collaborative and private workspaces. REVENUEWELL Patient marketing and communications for dental officesLocation: Bannockburn Local employees: 79 U.
S. employees: 79 Male/female executive ratio: 75/25 Average annual salary: $135,000 Voluntary turnover: 0%Perks: 401(k) match, telecommuting options, on-site fitness facility, tuition reimbursement It takes a long time to land a job at Mediafly, a 12-year-old tech firm that uses data and technology to add real-time value to sales transactions.
That's because founder and CEO Carson Conant, 43, prides himself on hiring the right people and keeping them happy, with competitive pay, recognition for the value they bring to the latest Chicagoland Small Business Economic Outlook Survey. The survey of 504 business owners, released yesterday, was conducted by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business.
Read more: What's working—and what's not—among Chicago small business ownersSome highlights of the skills, value creation and emotional intelligence demanded by the firm. "It's transparent. Hard skills are not enough, and people know what's expected," says Hayward. "They have opportunities to go from good to great.
"Another difference: Every five years, employees are expected to take a one-month sabbatical. Melissa Krchma, 35, shared services manager, backpacked solo in Olympic National Park. "I had to rely on myself," she says. "I came back changed. Clients spend a lot of time with us; they feel that energy and growth.
" Partnering with Best Companies Group, Crain's surveyed 8,800 employees at Chicago-based companies to find the top places to work. Then we broke them down into a half-dozen key categories. Here are the best Chicago-area employers that have 25 to 99 U.S. employees. MEDIAFLY Sales softwareLocation: Loop Local employees: 54 U.
S. employees: 79 Male/female executive ratio: 85/15 Average annual salary: $85,245 Voluntary turnover: 8%Perks: 401(k) match, telecommuting options, on-site fitness facility, tuition reimbursement It takes a long time to land a job at Mediafly, a 12-year-old tech firm that uses data and technology to add real-time value to sales transactions.
That's because founder and CEO Carson Conant, 43, prides himself on hiring the right people and keeping them happy, with competitive pay, recognition for the value they bring to the latest Chicagoland Small Business Economic Outlook Survey. The survey of 504 business owners, released yesterday, was conducted by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business.
Read more: What's working—and what's not—among Chicago small business ownersSome highlights of the skills, value creation and emotional intelligence demanded by the firm. "It's transparent. Hard skills are not enough, and people know what's expected," says Hayward. "They have opportunities to go from good to great.
"Another difference: Every five years, employees are expected to take a one-month sabbatical. Melissa Krchma, 35, shared services manager, backpacked solo in Olympic National Park. "I had to rely on myself," she says. "I came back changed. Clients spend a lot of time with
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