Why We Built Go Local Rewards

For more than 20 years, I've had the privilege of working alongside thousands of small business owners. I've seen their determination, their resilience, and the challenges they face every day competing against national companies with marketing budgets most local businesses could never imagine.

Our company was one of the first in the country to source deals for the early daily deal industry, working with platforms like Groupon, LivingSocial, and many others. We had a front-row seat to one of the biggest shifts in local marketing.

At first, the concept seemed exciting. Businesses were getting exposure, customers were finding new places to shop, and everyone believed it would help local merchants grow.

But the more I worked with the model, the more concerned I became.

Businesses were being asked to discount their products and services by as much as 50%, then give up a significant portion of that discounted sale to the deal company. A business selling a $100 product or service could end up receiving only about $25.

One day during a conversation about the impact this was having on local businesses, I finally said what had been on my mind.

This could put a lot of small businesses out of business.

The response I received changed the way I looked at the entire industry forever.

We don't care if we put them out of business. There will be another one to rise in its place.

I'll never forget hearing those words.

In that moment, I realized we had fundamentally different values. I wasn't interested in building a business that viewed local businesses as replaceable. I wanted to build one that helped them succeed.

That conversation became the foundation for everything we've built since.

Go Local Rewards was created with one mission: help local businesses grow without asking them to sacrifice the value of their brand.

We don't ask businesses to slash their prices. We don't create one-time bargain hunters. We reward customers for choosing to shop local, creating loyal customers who come back again and again.

Because after more than two decades of working with small businesses, I've learned one thing that I know to be true:

If local businesses win, we win. If we win, our communities win.

That's why we built Go Local Rewards.

Because we believe… It Pays to Shop Local with Go Local.