Groupon was known for the unlikeliest breakout in business since eBay. Even the search engine giant Google wanted to lure her. Why not? Thousands of consumers troop to Groupon each day to take advantage of half-off deals.
At the onset of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, Mason realized that most online businesses were successful in making the world a better place as a by-product of the real reason which are oftentimes self-serving. When shoppers go to Groupon to purchase something, they are actually revitalizing the local economy. The hidden side effect is that sites like Groupon reverse the trend of people’s spending habits and people began to forget what it is like to go out and experience life.
This is the original idea of Groupon. It started as a social justice platform that existed to provide solutions to the world’s unsolvable problems. The cause was philanthropic. At least, if Groupon fails, it has done something each member of the team can be proud of.
Over time, Groupon has developed an unusual but effective culture – a good mixture of humor, traditional newsroom and old-fashioned salesmanship. They did not fall into the trap that all problems can be solved with the use of technology. Groupon employees, 4,000 of them, believe that humans are better suited for solving problems and that people are an important part of the equation.
Mason and everyone in Groupon wanted to remain focused in making all clients happy. For them, this is the antidote for failing too quickly too soon.