Small Business Labs

Highland Capital's CareerNet

I'm often asked how to go about getting a job with a venture backed start-up.  The tradtional answer is via networking with both employees of start-ups and search firms that specialize in start-ups.  Neither approach is efficient and because of this, recruiting is expensive and time consuming for venture backed start-ups and many qualified candidates never hear about potential jobs. 

HIghland Capital Partners, an A list venture captial firm that invests in seed, early stage and high growth companies, recently sent me an email describing an online recruiting service they provide for their portfolio companies.  It's called CareerNet and it is a "a centralized listing of hundreds of job openings across Highland-backed companies."  A potential employee simply searches their database and then submits a resume. 

Online resources like CareerNet provides added value to Highland's portfolio companies, and exposes more job candidates to opportunities at start-ups.  It is also another example of an inexpensive online application partially replacing a higher cost service - in this case search firms - and providing small businesses with another channel for hiring employees. 

The Butler Boom

The Week Magazine has an article called "Inside the Butler Boom" which is adapted from the book "Richistan".  The article, which is not available online, talks about the swelling ranks of the rich and the growing number of services pampering them.

The article focuses on the growing demand for butlers - now called "household managers" - and the Starkey International Institute for Household Management, which trains butlers.  Key quote:

"They learn how to clip a 1926 Pardona cigar, how to dust a de-Kooning canvas, and how to pair an oaky Chardoneey with the roasted free-range game hen ..... and that Bentley's should never, ever be run through the car wash."

While only the ultra rich can afford butlers, personal services for the not so rich appear to be growing rapidly.  Time pressed people from all income levels are increasingly willing to outsource daily tasks, and small businesses are often best positioned to provide these services.

Over the next few months we are going to look at the growth of personal services in more detail.  If you know of data or information sources on personal services please let us know.