Plain-English breakdowns of fees, pricing models, and industry practices so you can make smarter decisions for your business.
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Dr. Sandra Levy runs a dermatology practice in Flagstaff, Arizona. When her office manager started researching Stripe alternatives, the conversation began the same way it always does — with a spreadsheet and a number that was harder to ignore than expected. Eight exam rooms, two providers, a full aesthetics menu. The kind of practice that […]
Read Article →Nina runs a food truck in Nashville. Smash burgers, loaded fries, a line out the window on a good Saturday. She started with Square three years ago because it was the obvious choice — download an app, plug in a reader, start taking cards. Ten minutes and she was live. For a while, it was […]
Read Article →This is Part 2 of a series. Part 1: He Owned the Answer for Eight Months. He Just Never Had Time to Look at It. Prioritize as a small business — that’s the advice everyone gives. Almost nobody explains how. Not in a way that tells you which specific idea goes first, and why, and […]
Read Article →Human Nature · Barry Series · Part 1 How to prioritize as a small business owner is one of those questions nobody asks out loud — but almost every owner is quietly losing to. I stopped by Barry’s shop on a Tuesday afternoon. He owns an auto repair place in Charlotte — eight bays, four […]
Read Article →Clover problems are rarely visible at the point of sale. Simone owns a home goods boutique in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market. Candles, ceramics, small-batch textiles — the kind of shop where the product display matters as much as the product. When a Fiserv rep walked in and showed her the Clover station, she bought it […]
Read Article →Fees & Interchange The notice showed up in the footer of her April statement. Three sentences. Something about card brand changes affecting interchange, assessment rates, and industry classifications. She assumed it was Visa and Mastercard doing what they do twice a year. She did not read it closely. She did not compare it to last […]
Read Article →Elavon reviews were the last thing on Gary’s mind when he stopped at the kiosk. He owns an HVAC company outside Nashville. He has been an Executive Costco member for fourteen years. He buys his shop supplies there, his crew snacks, his cleaning products. He trusts Costco the way people trust a brand that has […]
Read Article →Merchant Tips Most Merchants Never Ask. That Is Why the Rate Never Changes. The simplest way to reduce processing rate costs is to ask — but most merchants never do. I have sat across from a lot of merchants who were overpaying — paying more than necessary when a single conversation could lower processing fees […]
Read Article →Industry Insights Diana Did Not Know the POS and the Processing Were the Same Thing Diana owns a cupcake shop in Asheville, North Carolina. She has been open for four years. The shop does about $18,000 a month in card sales — steady, seasonal spikes around holidays, and a loyal customer base that comes back […]
Read Article →Risk & Fraud Prevention The chargeback process starts the moment a cardholder calls their bank — not when you find out about it. By the time the notice hits your merchant account, decisions have already been made. Here is exactly what happens, in order, and what you can do at each step. The Basics What […]
Read Article →Heartland complaints all start the same way — a merchant who signed up years ago, trusted the Merchant Bill of Rights, and then opened a statement that didn’t look anything like what they were promised. Marcus runs a dental practice in Boca Raton. Two locations, about $85,000 a month in card volume. He signed with […]
Read Article →Fees & Interchange His Processor Knew. They Just Never Said Anything. The CEDP program and level 3 data are among the most valuable cost-reduction tools available to B2B merchants — and among the least talked about. Derek runs a commercial HVAC contracting company outside Nashville. Fifteen employees, mostly commercial work — office buildings, retail centers, […]
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