Daily deal websites started popping up all over the world thanks to Groupon. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve not only heard of them but also used them to get 50%  off (or even more) at a restaurant or for a spa treatment.

In most cases, the customer stands to benefit from the deals. But how about the small businesses (restaurants, spas, auto repair shops, etc) that offer these deals. Like the neighborhood Spa or the Restaurant for example. Do they actually get new customers? Do they make money? There was a news article yesterday that talked about how many businesses were complaining that they weren’t being paid on time by the deal companies.

Many small businesses I’ve talked to mentioned that they would never run another deal from a deal site again. Not all is negative though. Some have said they benefited from the deals they ran and generated revenue and profit from the deals. As a business owner, if you’re considering doing a daily deal, here’s an article that discuss how to benefit from deal sites: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/08/21/are-daily-deal-sites-good-small-business