F.A.Q. / Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Page Links
What is "Public Owned"?
Public Owned is a company with a mission to bring economic balance to America and if possible, the world - by creating a reciprocal network between Customers/Consumers and the smaller businesses, companies and brands where Customers can back, patron, support and invest in Brands that are independently and/or privately owned - or seek to be.
What defines a Small Business, Company or Brand?
Small Businesses, Small Brands and Small Companies that are either privately or independently owned, have revenues less than $41.5M per year and total employees and contractors of no more than 1,500.
How does it work?
Small Businesses make up such a significant part of the global economy, but they are constantly having to maneuver in a world where big corporations, as well as Equity and VC-backed capital dictate which companies have the most opportunities for growth.
Public Owned seeks to make the relationship between the two sides more equitable by promoting businesses that already have a significant portion of their ownership held by private individuals, customers, employees, etc. or are seeking to.
Customer can find and favorite the businesses, companies and brands they want to keep at the top of their mind to buy from, as well as which ones are available to be invested in right now.
In addition, Customers check different buttons indicating their interest in owning equity/stock in various companies that may not have assigned a percentage of their equity yet to private, individual investors. This creates interest and can help tip the decision of a particular Brand's ownership on whether there's enough support and interest to open their company up.
Can anyone sign up?
Yes, anyone can sign up for free. PublicOwned.com is totally free.
How does the GPS work?
It's pretty simple - we try to determine your location (with your approval, by clicking "Allow" once you see the Location prompt) and then show you Businesses, Companies, Brands and Places that are nearby (ie. the closest to you) first.
You can also type in a totally different location to find places near that location as well. This can be useful if you're searching for a loved one (for example) or searching for places near home while you're actually at work.
GPS isn't working for me?
You may need to check your Location Settings then. See below for iPhone and Android:
iPhone Users: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services (make sure it's on) > Safari Websites > While Using App (or Ask Next Time)
