Chad Schapiro, founder of OurGV, compares himself to tech giants like Bill Gates and Michael Dell on his personal website, claiming an "unparalleled track record of success for well over a decade." This assertion clashes with OurGV's reality as a poorly designed affiliate shopping portal, where individuals pay $30 monthly to promote other companies' products.
The OurGV website presents immediate problems. Its navigation is illogical. Clicking a link often opens a new window without warning. Random YouTube videos appear on pages, sometimes with context, sometimes not. Visitors also get redirected without explanation to A2Success.net, a WordPress blog. The site gives the impression of being untested before launch.
OurGV claims a decade-long history. The domain ourgv.com registered on February 3, 2002, supports this timeline. It remains unclear if OurGV operated under a different name earlier. The company lists a Texas office address, but this address is virtual office space. A PO Box is also provided. No permanent or substantial physical presence exists.
Schapiro's biography also stretches belief. His personal website states he holds multiple business degrees from a Big Ten university. He then reportedly helped build "the fastest growing privately held company in the United States of America within 5 short years." He identified an opportunity in technology, developing online home-based business models. Schapiro claims he launched OurGV to counter corporate corruption after frustration with partners' integrity.
But the core offering is an affiliate mall that is not truly a mall.
OurGV operates an affiliate-based shopping portal filled with third-party products. Affiliates pay $30 each month to get their own version of this portal. These are not unique storefronts. They are direct affiliate links to existing online merchant stores. Anyone can set up similar arrangements independently. OurGV's primary value proposition is paying thirty dollars monthly to rebrand someone else's affiliate links.
The company offers no proprietary products. OurGV sells nothing of its own. Its model relies on taking cuts: first from people paying to build a business, then from any revenue they generate through affiliate links. The "suite" of products and services simply repackages items already available online through OurGV's clumsy portal.
This structure mirrors typical MLM schemes. The actual revenue comes not from retail sales but from recruiting. Affiliates earn money by signing up new affiliates who then pay the monthly fee. The portal often stays inactive for most members. Affiliate links generate minimal commission. The $30 monthly membership fee quickly drains funds, often exceeding any generated revenue.
Schapiro's self-comparisons to Gates and Dell sound hollow given OurGV's architecture. OurGV brings no innovation. It functions as a repackaged affiliate network, disguised as an MLM. The confusing, tangled website may even be intentional. When a business model cannot withstand examination, obscurity often becomes a design choice.