Built by Small Business Owners, for Small Business Owners

Our story began during the early days of the daily-deal industry. We were one of the first companies contracted to help create local offers for Groupon, followed by LivingSocial and many of the daily-deal companies that came after them. Our job was to find small business owners willing to make an aggressive offer—usually 50% off—to attract new customers. The daily-deal company would then keep approximately half of the money collected from each voucher sold. That meant the merchant might receive only about 25% of the original retail value.

At the time, the model was presented as a powerful way to bring new customers through the door. A merchant might sell 1,000 vouchers, but because the promotional value often expired after 90 days, perhaps only 500 or 600 customers would actually redeem them. The merchant could potentially recover some of the heavy discount through the vouchers that were never used. The greater promise was repeat business. The business owner would accept a major loss on the customer's first visit with the expectation that the customer would return, become loyal and make future purchases at full price. It sounded good in theory. But that is not what happened.

They Created Deal Shoppers, Not Loyal Customers

Instead of creating loyal customers, the daily-deal industry helped create professional coupon shoppers. Many customers would visit a business once, redeem the deeply discounted voucher and then wait for the next offer from another business. They were not becoming loyal to the merchant. They were becoming loyal to the discount.

As new consumer protections were introduced for expired vouchers, the daily-deal companies passed more of the financial burden to small business owners. Then the model became even harder on merchants. Rather than paying the business based on the vouchers sold, some daily-deal companies began holding the merchant's money and paying only when individual vouchers were redeemed. The business owner still had to provide the deeply discounted product or service, but now had less cash flow and carried even more of the risk.

We reached a point where we could no longer ask local business owners, in good conscience, to accept that kind of arrangement. We even began sharing part of the commission the daily-deal companies paid us with our merchants to help offset their losses. Eventually, we spoke directly with a senior executive at one of the largest daily-deal companies. We explained that the model was placing too much pressure on small businesses. We asked whether the company would consider reducing its demands before participating merchants were driven out of business. His response told us everything we needed to know: "We don't care if we put them out of business. Another one will take their place, and we'll fleece them too."

That was the last deal we ever did with that company. Many of the daily-deal businesses that once seemed unstoppable are now gone or are only shells of what they were before. But the experience taught us something we have never forgotten: Small businesses deserve partners who care whether they survive.

Building a Barter Network

More than 15 years ago, we began building a barter network, bringing together like-minded local business owners who believed they could accomplish more by working together. That network has grown into a large and active community of local business owners. The idea was simple: Local businesses should not always view one another as competitors. A restaurant, an auto repair shop, a florist, a contractor, a boutique and a dentist are not competing for the same purchase. They can refer customers to one another, buy from one another and help one another grow. Through that network, we learned that independent businesses become far more powerful when they work together.

Discovering the Advertising Gap

In April 2025, we acquired a mobile billboard company. That acquisition later led us to launch GLTV, giving local businesses affordable access to mobile digital billboards and TV ads. Through GLTV, we began building an audience of thousands of local consumers interested in local businesses, restaurants, events and community news.

But after operating the advertising company, we recognized an even bigger problem: Small businesses cannot compete with large corporations using small-business resources. It is not necessarily because the national chain has better food, gives a better haircut or provides a better service. Its greatest advantage is often its numbers. Large companies and franchise systems may require every location to contribute 5% or more of its revenue toward advertising. Those dollars are pooled together. The company then uses that combined buying power to purchase radio, television, billboards, digital advertising and other media at a scale an individual local business could rarely afford. Meanwhile, most independent businesses are left trying to compete separately.

It is like a single ant trying to overcome an obstacle alone. One ant may appear powerless. But an entire colony working together can overcome obstacles many times its size. That realization became the foundation for Go Local.

We knew small businesses needed more than another coupon program. They needed collective advertising power. They needed a shared rewards network. They needed the ability to bring customers back after their first visit. They needed access to the kinds of technology, customer data and marketing tools that major corporations have used for decades. Most importantly, they needed a partner whose success depended on their success.

That is why we created Go Local Rewards. We are not here to make customers loyal to discounts. We are here to help customers become loyal to local businesses. We are not here to take as much as possible from independent merchants. We are here to give them the combined power of a national company without asking them to sacrifice their independence. Because when small businesses succeed, local families succeed. Local jobs are protected. More money remains inside the community. And the businesses that make our neighborhoods unique have a better chance of serving the next generation.