by Dean Sheaffer | Jul 30, 2026 | 2026 Q3, Cost Optimization, Operations
Five Payment Metrics Every Small Business Should Track (Hint: It’s Not Just Processing Fees) Ask most small business owners about how they measure their payment performance and they’ll likely tell you how much they paid in processing fees last month....
by Dean Sheaffer | Jul 19, 2026 | 2026 Q3, Cost Optimization, Legal, Operations
Surcharging Isn’t a Silver Bullet—It’s a Legal Minefield As margins tighten, more SMBs are turning to surcharging to offset card acceptance costs. On paper, it’s simple: Pass the fee to the customer. In practice, it’s anything but. Why Surcharging Is Surging Card...
by Dean Sheaffer | Jul 9, 2026 | 2026 Q3, Cost Optimization, Operations
The Hidden Revenue Leak: How SMBs Are Losing 5–15% to Avoidable Payment Declines Most SMBs obsess over getting customers to click “pay”. Far fewer pay attention to what happens after that click. That’s a mistake—because one of the largest, most fixable revenue leaks...
by Dean Sheaffer | Jul 3, 2026 | 2026 Q3, Cost Optimization, Operations, Opinion
Payments Steering – 3 Tools to Reduce Your Payments Cost For US merchants, card acceptance costs have become one of the fastest-growing line items of the P&L. Credit card interchange and network fees routinely consume 2–3% of revenue—and nothing about the current...
by Dean Sheaffer | May 25, 2026 | 2026 Q2, Cost Optimization, Operations
Embedded Payments Are No Longer Optional for Small Businesses For years, payments were treated as a necessary but separate part of running a business. You sold a product or service, and then you figured out how to get paid—often through a disconnected terminal,...
