#34 Sittercity
When a person starts a business while they're going to college, it stands to reason their business is going to be attractive to emerging generations. Sittercity, the nations premiere online babysitter search service, has a youthful energy from the top down--and plenty of perks and opportunities for those who work there.
"I love Gen Y--I almost am Gen Y," laughs Founder and CEO Genevieve Thiers. "Look at the demographics of Gen Yer's on our site. We have 8,500 jobs a month, which is really important in the recession. I'm proud to champion Generation Y in finding jobs."
For Genevieve, listening to her Gen Y employees only brings good things. "Suzanne [a Gen Y employee] launched a social media strategy with Sittercity. She was the one that said, 'you guys really need to be on Twitter and Facebook, looking at mom blogs and talking to them.' She came in and organized all that. When she started to do it we began to realize how powerful it was. She ran with it, did it, and it was awesome."
Brandon Worth came to Sittercity around two years ago in marketing but has moved up to the Online Marketing Manager--a change he loves. "It's been really great to get involved in every aspect of online marketing. I'm learning all aspects of the marketing experience."
Worth says that in some ways, working for Sittercity sounds too good to be true. "The number one perk is the laid back environment--there are toys lying around. I think a lot of people have the impression that the fun dot-com companies went extinct, but that's the time this company started and it definitely has that fun atmosphere."
The youthful vibe touches all aspects of the company. Perks include full meals on-site every day, a company jazz band, and free membership to the company itself. "It's a lot of fun here," says Thiers, who has appeared on shows like Ellen and The View to talk about the success of the company. "It's more backstage at a show than it is IBM."
