There was a time not too long ago when the only way to get really, really rich was to build something amazing like Henry Ford with cars, find something valuable like oil, or get really lucky. Today, the fastest and “easiest” way for people to become filthy rich is to build an internet startup and make it into something special. It may seem easier than finding a gold mine in your backyard, but the odds aren’t as good as some thing. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, and Instagram each hit a niche at the exact right time. None of them were the first to do what they do and an argument could be made that they’re…

It’s easy for bloggers to take shots at people who are much more successful than the blogger ever will be whenever the subject of their wrath makes mistakes that bite them later. This is one of those cases. Andrew Mason should have sold Groupon to Google when they offered $6 billion for the daily deals community. Today, they relieved him of his responsibilities as CEO of the company that he’s been building for nearly five years. He’s taking it as well as one would expect from a clever man who just got ousted from his own company: After four and a half intense and wonderful years as CEO of Groupon, I’ve decided…

In 2011, we wrote about how Groupon must fail to save the internet. At the time, there were already some fishy things happening in the Daily Deals segment of eCommerce and more fishiness continues to pop up even today. What happened to the promising future of Groupon and its biggest competitor, LivingSocial? With Amazon revealing that LivingSocial lost $650 million in 2012, it’s clear that both of the daily deals juggernauts are slipping. It seems like yesterday that Google was getting their $6 billion offer rejected by Groupon. What has changed? Why is the industry failing? To answer that, we…

More companies are looking at ways that will enable them to go green with their marketing efforts. However, their motivation isn’t solely driven by the want to improve the environment. These organization realize that the green movement can be good for business. From email communications to social media campaigns, the digital channel has made it easier than ever for companies to conduct their business in a more eco-friendly manner. And perks such as the following benefits are what’s driving change for many of those that have decided to sing a new tune:   Reduced resource consumption…

We’ve been very critical of Groupon and its founding CEO Andrew Mason. The enigmatic Silicon Valley guy has famously shunned Google’s $6 billion bid for his company and seen his stocks fall to levels that make the shunning itself look downright ludicrous. We were critical when the shares were falling to $15. They’re hovering over $5 today. Still, should he be fired? A year and a quarter since going public, the company is in big trouble. Mason is fighting to keep his job, but just as Larry Page turned to Eric Schmidt to lead his company through the crucial years, should Groupon do the same? Investors…

Stocks shot up 18% after a report that Groupon had slayed expectations from The Street to post its first quarterly profit. Better decisions on marketing spends and an increase in customers and merchants were the trigger point that marked the first real turn after a disastrous start. The company has been plagued by accounting issues and bad press surrounding their inexperienced CEO Andrew Mason. Now, then “humbled” Mason is making sound decisions, pushing for mobile expansion as well as growth overseas. “Revenue growth was impressive and they also had material margin expansion,” said The…

Few public companies have experienced the type of roller coaster ride that Groupon has been on in such a short time. From darling to dud to darling and back to dud, the social buying site has been on the top of daily deals for a while but has been embroiled in controversy after controversy continuously. Their latest challenge: the Securities and Exchange Commission. Whenever the SEC gets involved, prospects for the future are often dim. In this graphic, we explore the sources and current status of the SEC probes. Via: Courtesy of: BackGroundCheck.org Related articles Groupon’s SEC troubles,…

There is an inherent problem with the “daily deals” concept. At what point does saving money on items get trumped by buying too many items that we don’t need? The lure of getting a killer deal on something is too strong for many to fight, but is it really saving if we end up buying more things that we normally would never had purchased if they weren’t on sale. Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial will likely remain popular for at least a couple of years, but the real winners in this industry will be the niche markets. Those who can stay focused and attract a smaller but passionate following are the ones that…

One might argue that the concepts of “flash sales” and “daily deals” are very new concepts, but they have been working well for over a decade online. The recent attention is based on the incredible influx of users that has turned the retail cottage industry into a mega-business model of its own. Sites like Groupon and Living Social have been making the biggest splash in the last couple of years. The concept of short-term, group buying deal making is translating into niche industries such as Mighty Deals for web professionals and Dealers United for car dealers. In this infographic, we explore the…

The only thing certain about the future of daily deals is that the industry’s future is uncertain. It’s not a play on words or a failed attempt at sounding clever. If you ask 10 people where daily deals will be a year from now, you’ll probably get 10 completely different responses. The truth is, nobody knows for sure. We know that Wall Street isn’t treating Groupon well right now. We know that LivingSocial is looking as strong today as Groupon did a year ago after announcing a national deal with McDonald’s. We know that fortunes in the daily deals industry can turn on a dime. We also know that users are…