Your buddy, man
A quick programming note: This email looks different! It is! For the four-year anniversary of Get Hustlin’, I decided to get us all a gift and move the newsletter to Substack. It should work better, and, if you’re so inclined, you can now pay for it.
Considering the amount of hollering I, Sarah, and we, Get Hustlin’, do about getting paid, it’s time. But look, even for me it is painful to write this, and I’m still not sure what parts I’ll have the gumption to put behind a paywall. Anyway, if you are so inclined, I guess we do love money, and if you want to be a member but can’t subscribe right now, please email us and we’ll hook you up.
Okay, now we’ve made it through this nightmare.
It’s been a big month for companies that aren’t in Chicago. Blockchain company Spring Labs, which spun off of payday lender Avant to track the loans people take out in real time, raised $23 million, on top of its original $15, for what is basically still just an idea. Based in San Francisco, the company expects to hire a few people in Chicago, as many of the founders split time between the two cities. You know, because it’s profitable to scam poor people.
The same article also details how San Francisco-based Spot On raised $40 million. Though considering its whole tech team is in Chicago, it’s easier to see how our city might benefit. The company, which sells software to retailers, plans to hire 35 new people to the team by the end of the year.
San Francisco-based Collective Health raised a solid $205 million to help employers manage their benefits. Once again, relevant because the healthtech company has an office in Chicago, and plans to fill it with more employees. It’s almost like tech companies can’t find all the talent they need in San Francisco.
U.K.-based Crisp is also bringing new funding to Chicago, this time in the form of a North American headquarters. The company uses software and people to track brands on social media, preferably before they make a viral error. It plans to employ 25-30 people in the next six months, with a goal of 50 over the next 12.
And lastly, Austin-based Arrive Logistics raised $25 million, and because it is a logistics company, you better believe it has an office in Chicago. Yes, we are proud of our reputation as a hub for logistics.
And finally, the one company that is based in Chicago is looking to use it’s $6 million in funding to expand across the country. Boro focuses on loans for first-time lenders, like students, who might not have a credit score to show. It’s already hiring for marketing and tech roles.
There’s rumors of more new jobs in the Old Main Post Office as well — where Cisco might be leasing 130,000 square feet to move more of its employees from Rosemont to Chicago.
And in … less welcome news, the Army is moving its marketing division to Chicago — somewhere under 50 people, along with the $4 billion contract it already awarded to DDB Chicago. (s/o to a hustler for sending this in)
Two companies announced plans to shrink in the wake of mergers. Advocate Aurora Health is offering buyouts to about 300 employees, while Fifth Third Bank is closing 44 Chicago-area branches after acquiring MB Financial. It does, however, claim that the shutdowns only cost a small number of jobs.
Job with badass potential
Communications and Content Manager at the Clean Energy Trust
Work: Define the voice of the Clean Energy Trust, creating content that helps raise the non-profit’s profile with donors and the kind of cleantech startups it invests in. Manage all the digital channels, including social, create print materials as needed and work with the media to earn coverage.
Downsides: It’s a small team, so you might be on your own a lot — and stuck doing your own professional development. Not so easy when you’re also doing conservatively three jobs.
Perks: The slight bit of extra space in your chest that comes with knowing you’re doing something to prevent a climate apocalypse. Clean Energy Trust is unique in that it tries to use its nonprofit dollars to invest in companies that will do good while earning it more dollars to invest in companies that will do good … Get that flywheel really going, and you have a powerful force to combat all of the lobbying money from dirty energy sources. Plus, your position as essentially a team of one will give you the opportunity to point to just about anything and say “I did that.”
A few other jobs we’re curious about …
Part-Time Marketing Associate at Dante32
Friends of GH are running this startup, which helps businesses launch podcasts. A growing and occasionally interesting area, and an opportunity to work with good people. Reach out if you want to learn more.
Head of Marketing at Basecamp
Considering we just last had Basecamp CEO Jason Fried as our inspiration of the week, we figure it’s only fair to highlight this job. It would be a good one, and it would let you be remote — great news, but also means you’re competing with the rest of the company. We think you have it on lock though.
Inspiration of the week
“That’s your buddy, man. Put your arm around [fear] and just fucking don’t worry about it.”
—Bill Hader, quoting Jeff Bridges in Jeff Bridges’ voice, about how to embrace anxiety to get what you want in your career. The full, long, winding conversation between Bill Hader and John Mulaney is an absolute delight, and if you know me personally there’s a good chance I’ve sent it to you in the past week for inspiration. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
Forward this email to anyone who could use a buddy. here and put their arm around us.
Got a tip on an excellent job? Reply to this email, send us a new one at hey@gethustl.in or reach out on Twitter.