Kansas City Startup DealBug.com Announces Merger with YourBestDeals.com

DealBug.com has merged with YourBestDeals.com, one of the nation’s fastest growing local daily deal destinations, further expanding YourBestDeals.com’s market in the Kansas City area. Dealbug.com, founded on a platform of donating a portion of every purchase made by subscribers back to local non-profit organizations, has been providing exceptional deals since August of 2010.

“Determining how to take DealBug.com to the next level has not been a simple process. Finding a path that expanded our subscribers’ shopping experience while maintaining the non-negotiable charitable aspect that Dealbug.com was founded on came full circle when we began talks with YourBestDeals” says founder and President of DealBug, Matthew Kirk. “Not only does YourBestDeals give our subscribers access to over 2000 exceptional new businesses, but continues to pay it forward by donating a percentage per purchase back to our subscribers’ school, non-profit or charity of choice. YourBestDeals understands that our members are the heart of why DealBug has been a success, and the reason we have been able to account for over $33,000 in donations in less than two years. With YourBestDeals recent partnership with Google Offers, Kansas City has an opportunity to help their favorite organizations by purchasing their favorite items on a national level as well. That made this the perfect merger for us long term. Dealbug becoming a part of the YourBestDeals family just makes sense.”

Now Kansas City’s non-profits will reap the benefits of donations through an expansion of deals offered in over 140 cities nationwide. What does this mean for our local organizations receiving donations? DealBug has released details with a tracking code for each of their 600 (+) active KC metro area schools, charities and non-profits. This allows all of those who sign up to receive YourBestDeals emails through this link to issue a percentage of each purchase to the organization of their choice.

“This will guarantee that the foundation of Dealbug will thrive and continue to support local organizations for years to come” say Matthew Kirk.

To ensure that you are still able to give, simply go to DealBug.com and click on the “Choose Your Favorite Organization” link to continue the donations. This is truly of greater benefit, as it enables friends, families and organization supporters outside of the KC Metro area to join YourBestDeals.com via their association with those organizations, and let them benefit from the donations as well, regardless of where they live.

“The traditional online coupon space has reached a level of deal fatigue for both the consumer and the merchant alike. DealBug.com’s business model provides additional value to the consumer, by giving them a way to support charities and their community by purchasing things that make sense and give a portion to charity,” said Herb Sih, Managing Partner of Think Big Partners. “It’s a win-win for all plus the community, and the merger with YourBestDeals.com only amplifies the consumer’s ability to give back while saving money.”

DealBug.com has begun the transition of offering deals through YourBestDeals.com. Further details of the merger have not been disclosed.

Entrepreneur Corner Photo Recap

bizperc and Think Big Partners were proud to host the first ever Entrepreneur Corner during First Fridays last weekend.  It was an evening full of great art, entrepreneurship and fun!  Here is a glimpse of what went down last Friday night. 

Sculpture artist Donna McCullough shared a selection of her works from The Scream Collection with the First Fridays attendees. 

"My Mommy is 12. 94,000 Pins Can Kill. "

"Disposable Kids"

The halls of bizperc were brought to life by Adam Hoffman's photography. 

Two of Adam's stunning landscapes.

Things I can now associate with great art: a praying mantis and a glacier. 

KCWiseGuide was there to promote their local iPhone and Android app featuring Kansas City's best events, attractions, restaurants and more! 

Mellow Militia's Chris Puglisi showed the crowd how to master the Tiki Toss (the real life version of his mobile app hook and ring game). 

 Deal Bug was wheelin' and dealin' on the Deal Bug Truck at the entrance to Entrepreneur Corner.

The Zaarly Crew showed up in full force with a ton of Zaarly swag that they handed out all through the night. 

Thank you to all the small businesses, entrepreneurs and artists that participated in Entrepreneur Corner.  If you are interested in showcasing your business or art durning next months First Fridays please contact Sarah Snyder at ssnyder@thinkbigpartners.com or 816-842-5244.  In the meantime, join the conversation by becoming a member of Entrepreneur Corner on Facebook.  See you October 7th!  

Written By Laura Goede
@LauraGThinkBig

Tonight's the Night! Join us for Entrepreneur Corner

Today is the first Friday of September, which means tonight is First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District.  This First Fridays is especially exciting for Think Big Partners & bizperc who will be opening the Entrepreneur Corner in their parking lot for the very first time.  Those who stop by Entrepreneur Corner this evening will have the opportunity to meet successful entrepreneurs, learn about new businesses in Kansas City and view unique pieces of artwork that local artists have produced. 

The local startups participating in tonight’s event include: Mellow Militia, Zaarly, KCWiseGuide, KC Incubator, DealBug and bizperc.

So, stop by.  Grab a beer.  Socialize.  Even play some games with the entrepreneurs and artists at Entrepreneur Corner.  Join us tonight from 6:30pm-9:00pm at the corner of 18th and Baltimore.  Can't wait to see you there!

Written by Laura Goede

@LauraGThinkBIG

Entrepreneur Corner: Meet Local Entrepreneurs and Artists at First Fridays

Logo provided
by Coty Beasley, Beasley Creative

On the first Friday of every month, the businesses in the Crossroads Arts District open up shop to artists and attendees in order to celebrate the vibrant environment that Kansas City has to offer.  But in September, First Fridays may look a little bit different.

That's because bizperc, a modern-meets-Midwest coworking space in the Crossroads District, is opening the Entrepreneur Corner in its parking lot located at 18th and Baltimore on Friday, September 2nd for First Fridays.  At the Entrepreneur Corner, attendees will have the opportunity to meet local successful entrepreneurs, learn about new business in Kansas City and view unique pieces of artwork that local artists have produced. 

Join Think Big Partners and bizperc for this entrepreneurial activity and meet the entrepreneurial stars that have helped make Kansas City a lively and booming town.  At Entrepreneur Corner, you will have the chance to hear startup success stories from:

• Mellow Militia:  A company that creates high-quality, eco-friendly and addictive products such as the Tiki Toss 3D app.  Mellow Militia produces products that challenge the limits of technology and embrace exceptional design.
• Zaarly: Zaarly's easy-to-use digital platform gets you "what you want, when you want it" at the click of a mouse.  As a real-time, location-based marketplace, Zaarly allows its users to get whatever they want from the local community.
• KCWiseGuide: KCWiseGuide is Kansas City's local iPhone and Android application.
• KC Incubator: A new twist on the Kansas City business incubator brought to you by the newest bizperc tenant.
• DealBug: Dealbug offers the opportunity and hope for communities to save money within their households while supporting schools, charities and other non-profits (think Groupon, with a charitable twist!).
• bizperc: A modern and inspiring Kansas City coworking space that will be hosting September's Entrepreneur Corner at First Fridays.

Entrepreneur Corner will also feature knockout artists including Donna McCullough, a local Kansas City artist who specializes in 3D art and design.

So, stop by.  Grab a beer.  Socialize.  Even play some games with the entrepreneurs and artists at Entrepreneur Corner.  Join us for a fun Friday evening from 6:30pm-9:00pm.  Can't wait to see you there!

Written by Allison Way
@AllisonThinkBig

The Importance of YouTube Marketing and Its Impact on Kansas City Small Business

Video marketing has become one of the most important advertising tools in small business and entrepreneurship today.  In fact, a number of marketers are using video marketing in the place of any other marketing tool, not to mention, small business owners prefer to choose video promotions as compared to any other form of marketing.  And the strongest form of video marketing today is through none other than YouTube.
  
Millions of people visit YouTube every single day.  To date, there are more YouTube videos watched each month (10 billion) in the US than there are searches on Google.  This exposure and speed are what attract many marketers to uploading small business promotional videos to YouTube.  According to Mike Lundgren, a writer for the Kansas City Business Journal, YouTube is the fastest growing site in Internet history, streaming more than 100 million videos a day (two Super Bowl audiences each day), receives 7,000 uploads a day, and YouTube site visits average a whopping 30 minutes.  And that's only the beginning of the outrageous YouTube statistics.


YouTube views nearly double the prime-time audience of all 3 major U.S. broadcast networks combined, not to mention, there has been more video uploaded onto YouTube in 60 days than on these networks combined in 60 years!  24 hours of YouTube video is uploaded a minute.  And if you're looking for small business and YouTube stats, 94 of Advertising Age's 100 top advertisers have run campaigns using YouTube.
 
To learn more about the importance of YouTube marketing and to implement it into Kansas City entrepreneurial marketing, watch this YouTube video of Greg Jarboe, the president and co-founder of SEO-PR, an SEO firm that specializes in optimizing press releases and videos, and his take on the importance of YouTube marketing for small business. Greg is also the author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day.  To access the video, click here.

Right now, a new Kansas City small business has been using YouTube not only to promote its own company, but also to develop videos to benefit their very own marketing strategy.  The company is called DealBug, an online daily discount shopping site that also supports schools, charities, and non-profit organizations.  And right now, locals in Kansas City are invited to participate in DealBug’s video contest for first, second, and third place prizes.  But this video contest does not only benefit its participants and winners; it may benefit DealBug even more.  Why?  Because DealBug will be able to use the posted YouTube videos to promote their business—and quite inexpensively! 

YouTube marketing is rapidly growing in importance. It is one of the most effective social media marketing tools that can be utilized by virtually any Kansas City entrepreneur and businesses. Its breadth of scope in reaching users all over the world make it an extremely powerful and efficient marketing tool.


Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's work, please visit the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner.

Can Online Deals Save The World? Susan G. Komen and Hereford House Partner Up to Fight Breast Cancer

Many Kansas City entrepreneurs may not have known that Saturday was Make a Difference Day—an opportunity that arises on the fourth Saturday of October in the encouragement for neighbors to help neighbors.  This day has been established in order to create camaraderie and friendliness throughout the world, whether that be through the small acts of individuals or the fundraising efforts done by Kansas City small businesses.  And Make a Difference Day could not have come at a better time; right in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which just so happens to be an ideal opportunity to make a difference in the community.  Need a new way to make a difference this week?  One way is to participate in the "2 for Tuesday" deal going on tomorrow in Kansas City.  

In honor of this important month and trailing behind Make a Difference Day, Susan G. Komen for the Cure will present “2 For Tuesday” tomorrow—an unbeatable Hereford House food and drink special in which proceeds will go directly towards the support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the hope of saving lives, empowering people, and finding a cure. 

The drive behind the development of “2 For Tuesday” came from the collaboration of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Hereford House and DealBug, an online daily shopping site dedicated to offering coupons towards products and services from community merchants while supporting schools, charities, and other non-profit organizations.  Through these three organizations and in the support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Susan G. Komen for the Cure invites Kansas City locals and friends to the Leawood Hereford House location for a cup of the famous steak soup, a roll and a soft drink for only $2.00.  In order to receive this unbeatable deal, supporters must visit DealBug.com, sign-up, print out the voucher and present it to the Hereford House.  As a result of the purchase, DealBug will donate $1.00 to every new sign-up that occurs between October 25^th and 26^th.  It's an easy and fun way to give back to the community, enjoy a hearty lunch, and do your part by making a difference during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  

The three companies who have come together in order to continue with the ongoing support of cancer awareness have decided to make a difference in Kansas City, and you can too!  During Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in honor of Make a Difference Day, I encourage you to think about what you and your small business will do to make a difference. 

“2 For Tuesday” is being sponsored by ClickSpeed.  For more information, please visit DealBug.com or contact Robin Gearheart at (877) 467-5401.

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and www.bizperc.com, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources.  To read more of Allison's work, check out the Entrepreneurship Examiner.

DealBug - Good Ideas Can Be Made Even Better and Consumers Can Save Big Money While Doing Good For Their Community!

Don't you love saving money? What if you could save money and give back to your community at the same time?

By now, most people are very familiar with the company Groupon. For the uninitiated, Groupon started in November of 2008 and is a collaborative buying idea that allows consumers to buy popular things at a huge discount - but only if enough people sign up to buy the product or service before the daily midnight expiration. In other words, consumers can create their own tipping point by getting together enough of their friends and drive a product's price down to unbeatable levels, achieving huge savings.

A great idea for both the consumer and companies...how can this be made better, you ask?

What if you could save money AND give back a portion of the proceeds to local charities in your own backyard?

A local Kansas City company has done exactly that. Dealbug (www.dealbug.com) , officially launched at midnight August 1st, 2010, has taken Groupon's business model to the next level by putting the charitable component into their business equation. Schools, churches, non-profits - nearly any not for profit entity, can become a beneficiary of this idea. Dealbug's first deal offers a 77% discount at a local children's "theme" park, and allows the consumer to pick from over 20 charities to help out too. For more information on Paradise Park, go to www.paradise-park.com/.

Often times, good ideas can be made even better by simply making changing a few things about them to better suit a marketplace. Certainly Groupon has done very well. With over 12 million members and adding over 2 million more very month, the company was profitable in less than 8 months from launch and has swollen to over 1000 employees.

But with all that success, a small company, DealBug, has taken this idea to the next level.

Never underestimate your ability to take a good idea and make it better. Think Coke vs Pepsi. McDonald's vs Burger King. AT&T vs Sprint or Verizon.

Simply focus on core needs in a marketplace, and maybe you will see a new idea out of an existing one, and take it to the next level.