Before I make a purchase I always search through the list of online discount coupons to see if I can snag some additional savings on that latest gadget I just have to have.  Many regulars who shop online partake in the world of promo/discount codes when shopping, and it often time seems like offline coupons and discounts just can’t compete with the ones found online.  Well, that all changes thanks to one new internet startup who aims to bring some serious life back to the local discount coupon scene.  I was recently invited by a friend to try Groupon.com, and in short all I can say is wow!

Offering Online Discount Coupons Offline:

To start, the way Groupon works is by providing you with a super cheap daily discount to a local public place such as a restaurant or local event.  You then choose whether to buy the daily discount, which locks in the advertised discount price for you to use offline at that location whenever it is convenient for you.  For example, I was recently offered a coupon deal for $16.00 worth of food at a popular local restaurant for only $8.00.  I bought the coupon for the $8.00, which I can now print out and use at the restaurant anytime I want.  It’s that easy to take online discount coupons and use them offline locally!  The video below might help put the whole Groupon experience into perspective for you in about 30 seconds:

I am all about technology and saving money.  So when I get a chance to share a service that merges to two together, I most definitely am going to take the opportunity to share it with all of you.  I’ll  end today’s post with my favorite part of the site, which has to be the daily email (optional) it provides you on the local discount of the day so you never miss a deal and don’t have to remember to check the website everyday – a true time saver!

Get your free Groupon account today and start saving on all your favorite local places!

Gary Vaynerchuk is the host of Wine Library TV and no stranger to this blog as I regularly post about Gary’s work.  Recently, he gave a presentation all about social media and how small business startups can leverage the internet in a number of ways to create a successful business online.  Gary does a great job of breaking it down so that anyone with a passion for something regardless of resources can take action and make their own success.  Check it out here:

Twitter is a startup that has seen tremendous growth in a very small period of time.  Many startups often suffer “growing pains” so to speak as new users or customers begin to arrive on the scene.  Jack Dorsey who founded Twitter stopped by Digg.com this past week to discuss the success of Twitter thus far, how the company got there, and how they adjusted to all the problems along the way.  Kevin rose of Digg hosted the presentation, which turned out to be extremely interesting for any entrepreneur looking for small business insight.

The idea of pair programming to met within the Twitter development team is a concept I found to be a great outside the box solution to solving many of the problems the early version of Twitter was facing.  I always find it interesting to see just specific examples of where startups like Twitter struggled and how they resolved them because in the end most entrepreneurs will have to deal with the same type of problems at one point or another.

Andrey Ternovskiy is the creator of Chatroulette, which is a free web cam based chat service that randomly matches up two people to chat until one hits the “next” button or disconnects.  This new take on the classic internet chat service has swept the net and mainstream media together and a social media frenzy to say the least.  Andrey recently sat down with TechCrunch to discuss his budding success as an internet entrepreneur and goes onto discuss the future of Chatroulette:

Andrey identifies in the video above that he has noticed a common trend where users will exchange Facebook or other contact information to continue chatting in the future.  He hopes to use Chatroulette to capitalize on this trend by creating an environment where users can save friends within the chat service to easily find again at a later time and resume conversations inside the service.  He notes that he doesn’t want to integrate with other social media services or have users leaving to use those other services.  Despite the current buzz, it seems like only a matter of time before Facebook creates a similar video-based chat service – just my two cents.

Reid Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur who has been known to have more connections than anyone else when it comes to business startups.  This fits him well being the founder of LinkedIn and featured previously in our Entrepreneur Spotlight.  Reid is someone who has built numerous businesses out of nothing and created from scratch all of the success that now surrounds him.  Not too long ago, he was on Charlie Rose where he did an interview about being an entrepreneur.  In it he discusses the details and some important lessons he learned along the way that any entrepreneur can and should put into practice with their own business:

Towards the middle of the interview, Hoffman mentions that everyone has the potential and ability to be an entrepreneur.  He references a couple of interesting examples that really drive his point home.  A lot of people often think about starting their own business, but far too often people throw in the towel before they even get started because of preconceived notions that they will fail.  The excuses go on and on, but they shouldn’t.  The people you read about today as being successful with their own business are no different then you or I.  The only difference is they stepped out of the comfort zone and took action on an idea.  It’s never too late for you to do the same.

More than 50% of all fortune 100 companies are now using Twitter and Facebook actively to market and communicate with customers.  Social Media is slowly creeping its way into Corporate America and the rest of the business world.  I can only say it’s about time.  Small businesses have embraced social media from the start and in many ways paved the path so to speak on best practices when it comes to getting the most for your business from such tools.  One of the most interesting things I think is seeing just how companies are using social media, and how it’s going to continue to change the way business is done on several different levels.  Here now is a awesome infographic that sums it up perfectly.  Entrepreneur or not – this is some cool stuff!  Check it out. More »

One of the first things you’ll want to do as an entrepreneur once you have an idea is to develop a business model around it.  How are you going to make money off your new product or service?  That is the question your business model should answer.  Being the savvy internet entrepreneur that you are, I’m sure your business model will most likely depend on the internet as the primary delivery method of your idea to the masses!  This being the case, it would be extremely beneficial to know how other successful entrepreneurs are using social media business models to turn a very nice profit online!  Read on to see just what those top 5 social media business models are! More »

Facebook, Twitter, and Digg are three of the most popular social networking websites on the internet.  They also happen to be three of my favorite sites as they probably are for many of you as well.  These now giant social networks have had millions of dollars poured into each of them by hungry investors who expect to make a large chunk of change back to say the least.  This got me thinking the other day on my way home from work, and I found myself asking how do sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Digg make money online?  After some research over the next few days I was able to find some interesting results that any internet entrepreneur might find useful! More »

Digg.com founder Kevin Rose continues to be one of my favorite young entrepreneurs to follow.  I recently re-watched a interview that TechCrunch did with Kevin a few months ago and wanted to share it here for two reasons.  The first being that Kevin reveals a lot of details about how he took Digg from a small website to an internet sensation and explains all the steps in order, which is great for anyone looking for a real life example from an entrepreneur who has made it.  Second, it really helps to show that anyone  with a good idea and some hard work can make their dreams come true to say the least!


Maybe it’s just me, but I think often times we tell ourselves that no matter what we do we’ll never get to that level of success.  We often see that success as almost a whole different world that is out of reach!  The fact is though while it’s never easy,  it’s much more in reach than you might think. See for yourself!


View time: 30 minutes – Grab a cup of coffee, a notepad, and get ready to learn something new!

Enjoy this video? Want to see more like it? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Also, don’t forget to check out our entrepreneur spotlight on Kevin Rose while you’re here!

Calling all food lovers!  Have we found the social networking site for you!  Social media websites continue to dominate internet usage for a huge percentage of the population.  Sites from Facebook to Flickr offer a wide variety of different social networking opportunity and experiences for their users.   Now there is a new social networking site out there gaining popularity fast, which promises to be your one stop place for all your food needs. More »