I have composed my top 10 favorite companies/businesses/organizations I have grown fond of in the past few years. These are not solely based on sales figures , but real world service, company vision and philosophy. By Anthony Bonacci
1. Apple - http://www.apple.com/
Any company that can develop a recognizable, "iconic" product, has a huge advantage. All you have to see are those little white cords and ear buds, and you know, iPod.
Apple up until 1995 was doing very well. They had a considerable market share in the PC field, with substantial numbers in corporate America and education facilities. In 95-96 a series of unsuccessful computers, OS problems, and misguided management almost put them under. Gil Amelio and Steve Jobs saved the name with some corporate restructuring and the roll out of new, cutting edge reliable products and software. Mac OS 8, the iMac and following iBook were hugely successful. The first iPod rolled out on October 23, 2001 and over the next few years, the iPod changed Apple, the music industry, and the world. Apple stores came to a mall near you, hardware and software was built and an image was born. Mac now is a "cult" brand that has STRONG loyalty that is very rare in today's markets. I don't soon foresee a shortage of those little white ear buds in your local coffee shop anytime soon.
2. Dell http://www.dell.com/
1984 - Your 19, you are a freshman in college and studying to be a physician. In your spare time you build personal computers and sell them to make extra cash. Light bulb. You drop out, start a company.
Flash-Forward to 2004. Your company has worldwide sales $49 BILLION this year. Good decision. Michael Dell and his company is VERY good at what they do. They get you the best PC, tailored to your needs and budget. End of story. My one suggestion, order over the computer, unless you are good at interpreting Indian accents if ordering over the phone. Isn't outsourcing great??
3. Chipotle http://www.chipotle.com/
You can't eat out and get a decent meal anymore for $5 . You could go to any big-box chain hamburger joint, get half a pizza, or a pile of "who knows what it really is" Chinese food. There are countless places to get good, quality food, but get out your wallet. A steakhouse, and good Italian restaurant, or likewise will cost you $10-$30 a pop.
Chipotle is different. Sean Sweany said it best.
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The choices are simple. Fajita or burrito? Black beans or pinto? Chicken, steak or carnitas? Hot, medium or mild salsa? Sour cream, cheese or lettuce? Perhaps a splash of guacamole for extra flavor?The result is delicious. A personalized, mouthwatering Chipotle creation made from fresh ingredients right in front of your eyes. For those who have enjoyed Chipotle food before, a description and thoughts of such a meal may cause a rumbling in the stomach. For others who have not experienced the joy of a Chipotle meal, this may sound like unnecessary hype and praise for such a seemingly simple thing as a burrito.
The secret to Chipotle's success, however, is quite simple. As soon as diners walk in the door, they know that they will receive fresh, quality food with no frills, obnoxious advertising or grotesque pictures of clowns or other cartoon characters everywhere. Rather, the setting is trendy and varied, eclectic music tracks set a mood conducive to relaxation and peaceful dining.The food itself is the true gem of the restaurant and the one-pound burritos make a perfect meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
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Every time I limp out of Chipotle I'm not sure weather I'm in Heaven or Hell. I'm about to explode all over the parking lot because I just ate a burrito as big as my head in 10 minutes, but I'm so happy I didn't buy another crappy burger around the corner.
4. American Apparel http://www.americanapparel.net/
The name says it all.
Downtown LA - Everything from concept, manufacturing, and marketing happens under one roof. They employ mostly immigrant (100% legal) workers paid the highest wages in the garment industry worldwide. They have many benefits over and above the average, and the productivity of the company shows this. They make high quality, simple, NO BRAND (no logos) clothing at competitive prices. The marketing does not hide the leftist LA lifestyle that might some bother parents between the coasts, but its definitely nothing worse then modern PG13 movies or mall windows.
5. IKEA http://www.ikea.com/
This is quite possibly one of the most simple success stories out there. Simplisticy modern, quality furniture at moderate price. Often fucky in design and color, the items from ikea could be picked out of a lineup. They are recognizable. They are ....... cool, to put it simply. Only one major drawback to this great company, locations. There are only currently 29 in the lower 48. And 8 are in California. So thats 21 stores over 47 states, so the chance that there is an Ikea in your area is pretty slim. If you locate the nearest store to you, a weekend trip with a truck, a shopping list and a sense of adventure might be fun. Check out the site, and thank me later.
6. Google http://www.google.com/
Simplest, fastest, most accurate, comprehensive search engine ever. I use nothing else. Only suggestion: never type in a search for your own personal info (ie ss number, cc number etc..) Every search is saved and analyzed. Big brother is watching.
I wish I had bought their stock.
7. YouTube http://www.youtube.com/
Well, chances are if you have a computer with a high speed internet connection, you already know about youtube. It is the leader in online video sharing. The numbers are simply staggering.
Lee Gomes from the Wall Street Journal dug up some fascinating data...
* In a single month the number of videos on the site grew 20% to 6.1 million
* YouTube has some 45 terabytes of videos
* Video views reached 1.73 billion
* 70% of YouTube's registered users are American, roughly 50% are under 20
* The total time people spent watching YouTube since it started last year is 9,305 years
8. Toyota http://www.toyota.com/
What Toyota (and Honda) has been able to do is simply mind bending. It is very hard to get a "general concensus" of a company from the public. They have somehow managed to do this. Everyone thinks "toyotas last forever." Well, the truth really doesn't matter, car sales do. And in a market that is becoming more and more competitive and stagnant with every passing month, they are doing considerable better than the domestic makers. The only nitche I never see them breaking is the full size truck market. The farmers in da middle sure do like dem' Ford trucks, whether or not they last as long as the Toyotas.
9. Myspace ( do I really need to give you the link?)
Haha, myspace.... Where do I begin? The concept is pretty simple. In a straight forward, navigationable system they have created a social calendar. You have a list of your friends, which everyone can view, and see who they know. Add in the Motion Picture, Music, and just about every other business you can think of, and you have one unique place to visit.
Everyone tries to create a "cooler" page than the rest, adding a billion pictures of their own sheep-selves doing wild and goofy things. I am so very proud of them. And the girls pages crack me up the most. I found an old ex-girlfriend from high school, so I requested her as a friend and she soon accepted. I looked through her page about her husband and her little girl, read all her writing, and then looked at her pictures... There was so much skin in those pictures that I am sure it would be classified as illegal in some countries. I sent her a very polite message saying I hoped everything was going well in her life, that she always was and is a beautiful woman, and she didn't need to prove it to the world via her myspace album.
I never heard back from her. Guess myspace is pretty true-to-life.
10. Craftsman www.sears.com/craftsman
There only a handful of places that I love to go shopping. Car dealerships where I will never be able to afford the cars I'm looking at, eletronic stores, and tool stores. Craftsman is the official tool brand of Sears. They are absolutely fantastic tools at moderate prices. Now, if you want to buy your nephew his first wrench set at his 10th bitrthday, I would suggest staying at your local discount store. The tools are not cheap by any means, but when compared to the top shelf Mac and Snap-On brands, they are a steal. You can't beat the lifetime warranties either, of which I have only used once.
