Why We’re Taking GOTYOU on the Road This Summer
Walk down any Main Street in America, and you’ll see it.
Local businesses — the heartbeat of our communities — struggling just to stay afloat. Storefronts are closing, signs are fading, and the hopeful energy that once defined these neighborhoods is starting to slip away.
At the center of this problem is something that was supposed to be a solution: advertising.
Advertising Was Meant to Help Small Businesses Grow
Now It’s Slowly Draining Them.
For decades, advertising has been sold as the lifeblood of business growth. Get your name out there, bring in new customers, and let the profits follow — that was the promise.
But the reality for most small businesses in 2025 couldn’t be further from that.
Local advertising has become a $171 billion industry in the U.S., and it’s dominated by digital giants like Google and Meta (Facebook, Instagram). These companies rake in the lion’s share of that money, yet offer very little return for local merchants trying to drive real foot traffic or build meaningful customer relationships.
What’s Broken?
Here’s what we’re hearing from small businesses across the country:
- Ad costs are skyrocketing, often 20–30% higher year-over-year
- Attribution is nonexistent — they have no idea what works
- Customer data is locked up by the platforms they paid to advertise on
- They’re competing with national brands using the same channels
- They feel like they’re just burning money, hoping for results that never come
We’ve spoken to hundreds of business owners, and the story is nearly always the same:
“We’re doing everything we can… and it still feels like we’re invisible.”
That’s Why We Built GOTYOU
We created GOTYOU to bring a new kind of support system to small businesses — one that puts community connection first.
Instead of expensive ads and empty clicks, we give businesses a better way to:
- Connect directly with local customers
- Reward real-world engagement (check-ins, referrals, reviews, and posting)
- Keep more of their revenue
- Build loyalty without paying a advertising platform tax
This summer, we’re taking that mission on the road.
15,000 Miles. 60 Cities. Thousands of Businesses.
This summer the GOTYOU team is hitting the road for our Shop Local on Main Street America Tour.
We’re traveling coast to coast to:
- Visiting 60 cities across all 50 states (yes — even Alaska and Hawaii, just not by car)
- Meeting thousands of local businesses face-to-face
- Hosting community events and epic local giveaways
- Sharing real stories from Main Street — one business at a time
- Distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars in local gift cards to drive in-store spending
- Creating over 1,000 hours of original short-form video content — all focused on promoting small businesses and the people behind them
Saving Main Street isn’t just about cute coffee shops or small-town diners.
It’s about protecting the brick-and-mortar businesses that make our neighborhoods worth living in — the restaurants, shops, salons, and local services that can’t survive on digital clicks alone.
That’s why we’re teaming up with Shopping Malls, Chambers of Commerce, and Downtown Alliances across America — to help drive more customers, more connection, and more life into local businesses everywhere.
Because Every Business Deserves a Crowd
We believe that Main Street still matters. That local coffee shops, family-owned restaurants, and neighborhood service providers deserve more than just high ad bills and low return.
They deserve real customers. Real community. Real connection.
That’s what GOTYOU is all about.
If you’re tired of watching small businesses get pushed out by platforms that promise growth but deliver little, join us. Follow the journey. Support the mission.
Let’s make local strong again — one city, one small business, one customer at a time.
Do you want to meet us on our journey?
Email us at [[email protected]] or follow us @thegotyouapp to learn more.
