Tag Archives: business models

It might be too early to announce the company’s death, but good riddance to Groupon

By Mark | March 2, 2013

I’ve never liked Groupon. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve always thought that the company, and it’s well-known “daily deals,” were bad for small businesses. My sense, and I’ve had it verified by a few business owners, is that they gravitate toward Groupon when they’re desperate, offering deep, unsustainable discounts to Groupon users, who, for the most [...]

Posted in Economics, Local Business, Marketing, Other, Retail | Also tagged Andrew Mason, business ideas, coupons, getting fired, Groupon, small business | 16 Comments

The possibility of a farmers market on Ypsilanti’s Water Street

By Mark | November 26, 2012

Over the course of the past week or so, I’ve posted twice about the 38-acre vacant lot at the heart of downtown Ypsilanti commonly referred to as Water Street. In the first post, which was written in response to news that Family Dollar had expressed interest in building on the site, I outlined my objection [...]

Posted in Ideas, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Amanda Edmonds, business incubators, CDC, city planning, Community Development Corporation, dollar stores, Eastern Leaders, economic development, Family Dollar, farmers market, food entrepreneurship, food hub, food stamps, funding, Growing Hope, healthy food access, International Public Markets Conference, Jean Henry, John Knott, kitchen incubator, Michigan Farmers’ Market Association, national chains, North Charleston Noisette, season extension, Smith furniture building, sustainable urbanism, visioning, Water Street, Water Street Redevelopment Project | 28 Comments

The Color Run… Why would anyone pay $50 to have people throw shit in their faces as they jog?

By Mark | July 22, 2012

Let me start out by saying that I like that the Color Run took place in Ypsi this morning. Anything, in my opinion, that brings upwards of 15,000 people into the city, to spend their money, is a good thing, even if they do shut down a lot of streets, and leave tons of trash [...]

Posted in Mark's Life, Observations, Other, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged 5K, Ashura Festival, bulls, Color Run, Downtown Association of Ypsilanti, Food Gatherers, free labor, Growing Hope, hipster, hipsters, Lebanon, Michigan ElvisFest, opportunities to volunteer, Patrick Elkins, pop culture, races, raves, SOS Community Services, the running of the bulls, trends, Ypsilanti Area Jaycees, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels | 111 Comments

Ann Arbor entrepreneurs Dug Song and Paul Saginaw exchange thoughts on employee ownership and the meaning of wealth

By Mark | June 7, 2012

A few days ago, I posted a video in which Zingerman’s co-founder, Paul Saginaw, said the following. “A business shouldn’t exist in order to create wealth. It should exist in order to give people better lives.” Well, that elicited a comment from Ann Arbor software entrepreneur Dug Song, who, among other things, had questions concerning [...]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Economics, entrepreneurism, Uncategorized | Also tagged Arbor Networks, Ari Weinzweig, Beyster Institute, Bob Beyster, Chip Conley, corporate structure, Dancing Sandwich Enterprises, Dug Song, Duo Security, employee ownership, ESOPs, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Leland Stanford, liquidity, National Center for Employee Ownership, ownership, Paul Saginaw, pirates, Predator UAV, revenue sharing, SAIC, servant leadership, startups, stock options, tech startups, the veneration of wealth, wealth creation, what is wealth, Zingerman's, Zingerman's Community of Businesses | 6 Comments

Zingerman’s: This is Ownership

By Mark | June 4, 2012

The following video, if I’m not mistaken, was produced to coincide with the recent BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, which, to a great degree, revolved around the subject of employee ownership. In this video, Paul Saginaw explains why, ten years after the launch of Zingerman’s Delicatessen, he and his co-founder, Ari Weinzweig, decided upon an [...]