Scott Farace 

I’ve worked in sales and marketing for a long time, and one thing that never fails to return tremendous value to a company is building connections in your community. Every business should get involved in cause marketing or charity work in their communities. The impact on the community as well as on your organization is beyond a simple calculation. And when I say get involved, I mean truly get involved – don’t just write a check to a cause of concern, although that is always needed,  but actually get company members out of the office to help your local community. 

It might mean participating in a charity run as a company. It might mean sponsoring and attending a gala for the local homeless shelter. It might mean spending the day at a local nonprofit with employees, donating your time together. Whichever way you decide to get involved, you will see results, in your community as well as your company. Charity work brings organizations and communities closer together. It reconnects us with the human aspects of our business, and with something much larger than ourselves. 

You may decide to do charity work that aligns strategically with what your company does; for example, an apparel brand might opt to host a clothing drive for those in need, or a professional services firm might offer business leadership training to at-risk youth. You may also decide to choose something that’s simply a feel-good cause, or something of particular importance to your local community. It’s just a matter of what drives you and your organization.  

Beyond the great work that cause marketing and charity projects do in the community, they also build connections with other executives and organizations that may be helpful down the line as you build your business. Cause marketing provides a good opportunity to meet fellow business leaders and develop mutually beneficial relationships.  

I would strongly recommend that business owners look into these opportunities and take advantage of them. The nice thing about cause marketing is that it’s practical for businesses of any size, no matter how big or small. You can spend as much or as little time and/or money as you’re able; there is no minimum to the amount of help you can offer to your community. In fact, in my experience, any amount of help is deeply appreciated. The most important thing is that you and your employees are actively engaged and passionate about getting involved with the cause. 

Kevin Jones February 19, 2020 You’ll often hear me speak of a pair of values that I treasure the most in people, humility and respect.

These two values go hand-in-hand in how we hold them and act upon them. Since any word can have multiple definitions, let’s get some clarity on how I see each of these terms. I like to think of humility as the absence of bad pride or arrogance. You may be curious as to how I see good and bad pride, and the best way I’ve heard this explained is by Seth Avett’s (Avett Brothers) lyrics: “The pride your Momma had and not the kind that makes you bad.”  With respect, it’s having an admiration not for titles or socio-economic status, but what makes people special: their abilities, certain qualities represented in their character, and their achievements, both individually and with others.

One of the reasons I relate so well to these values, and their high esteem in small towns and rural America, is because of my roots in the High Country of western North Carolina. I was raised by a single mom, and she instilled these values in my siblings and me on a daily basis. But she wasn’t unique—that was our culture in Ashe County. In small places like my hometown of West Jefferson, we always knew who the wealthy folks were, who inherited what from whom, and we also knew—because it was most of us—who lived a more humble existence.

We knew who the pastors were, the bank president, the mayor, as well as who owned the big Christmas tree farms (that’s the big industry in my neck of the woods).  And yet, we didn’t confer any status or merit on any of those people, much less their kids or relatives, without them earning it—and some of them certainly did.  These lessons weren’t just said, we just breathed the air of that place, and it permeated these values of humility and respect. The thing that I love most about consistently challenging myself to live these two characteristics, and also consistently responding with these as my top advice, is that you cannot live an entitled existence while striving to be humble and respectful.  Respecting our fellow man (and woman) is the cheapest for us to give, yet most valuable gift they can receive.

As I shared recently with some incredible community leaders in my hometown, I’ve taken these Ashe County values in my travels around the country and around the world and applied them to virtually everything. Nearly every day, some kind of interaction triggers one or both of these perspectives, the dual lenses through which I see the world. When one of my colleagues comes to me for mentoring, I am immediately humbled. I find the respect I give people increasing and decreasing primarily based on my perception of their contributions and core values. 

I am far from perfect, and none of us are expected to be. But my challenge to myself and any of you reading this is to stay constant in pursuit of these virtues of humility and respect. Sometimes, it’s easy. It’s really easy to promote or reward someone, out of respect, when you see them showing initiative, and achieving crazy new levels of greatness. Other times, it’s hard. I’ve left situations that were really good for me when I felt like those around me would not honor these values and therefore failed to treat people right. I simply can’t abide by blatant arrogance and a lack of respect, especially for people who, while they may not have yet arrived in their careers, are giving everything they have and are progressing toward their goals.

But to have sustained success and joy in this journey, there are no other characteristics more critical than humility and respect.

At Celero, we value our customers and take pride in ensuring their experiences are nothing other than the best. We strive to have the best products and services to meet their needs and help improve customers experiences within their businesses. We've put together four useful ways that our products and services can assist you in creating meaningful and significant interactions. Let's explore below how we can help! 

1. Partner With the Right Credit Card Processor for Small Businesses

Before we dive into why it's important to partner with the right credit card processor, let's discuss the different options of credit card processing there are, considering it's in your best interest to go with an option that will meet the needs of your business. As we begin to compare the most common types of credit card processing, you should consider the type of transactions you have, along with the volume of your transactions. After all, supplying your customers with the best payment options gives your business the advantage of being convenient, which we all know customers love.

Basic Terminal

A basic or "traditional" terminal is essentially a device with or without a pin pad that's usually connected to a point-of-sale (POS) system. The easiest way to identify if a business accepts credit card payments is if there is a credit card terminal near the cash register. If you operate a well-established brick-and-mortar store and handle a large amount of credit card transactions per day, this is likely the best option for you. 

It's becoming a necessity that the more modern terminals be equipped to handle swipe cards, EMV chip cards and NFC (near-field communication) payments. This gives the customers who prefer mobile payments, the opportunity to pay that way as well. Also, it will help grow your potential customer base as mobile payments becomes increasingly popular and convenient.

Mobile/On-The-Go Payments

It's not always in a small business owners budget for complex credit card processing equipment — which is why mobile payments are becoming so popular. Accepting mobile credit card payments at your business is not only a trustworthy payment solution, but it permits you to accept payments in a variety of ways such as in person, online or anywhere your business takes you. 

There are three necessities to accept payments via a mobile payment solution: mobile smartphone or tablet, a mobile payment app and a card reader. A mobile point-of-sale, also known as mPOS, is the app that enables you to quickly and securely accept payments from any smartphone or tablet. To get started, just download a mobile app, plug in the card reader (or use Bluetooth), connect to a Wi-Fi or data network, and you’re ready to start accepting mobile payments.

Using a mobile point-of-sale device is a good option for companies in need of flexibility. If you attend festivals, trade shows and other events where you offer products for sale, having a mobile solution can increase the number of transactions you’re able to process while on-site. Every business has different needs and it's important to recognize what they are so you're able to give your customers the attention they deserve.

Online Payments

Incorporating e-commerce into your business can offer many benefits and provide various solutions. Simply put, e-commerce/online payments are a way for a business to accept electronic payments for online transactions. You'll be required to have a virtual terminal in order to process this type of payment, but it grants you a safe and convenient option for your customers.

Having the option of e-commerce for your business will extend your reach beyond local customers, but this means you will need a way to process credit card payments from your website. This is where it's important to choose a merchant services provider that has the capability to manage various types of payments so you aren't put in the position of dealing with data from two different providers. When you make the decision to have e-commerce for your business, you're making it even easier for your customers to buy from you, giving you the opportunity to make your customers happier.

So, What Should You Look For in a Credit Card Processor?

Now that we've discussed what type of processing options there are, we can dive into what to look for when choosing a processor, or a merchant services provider, to give your business what it needs. It can be difficult making a choice when it comes to choosing what credit card option is the best, but a merchant services provider, like Celero, will walk you through your options and help you determine the right fit for you and your business.

When compiling your list of merchant services providers, take the following into consideration: a good reputation, product variety and quality of service. A simple online search will reveal multiple websites, all promoting different merchant services providers — one trusted source would be Google Reviews.  Next, finding a merchant services provider that offers the latest and greatest technology, such as Bluetooth and NFC-enabled mobile EMV readers, will play an important role in preparing your business for the future. Last, but definitely not least, when talking to the merchant services provider, ask what kind of support you can expect in the future. It's best to look for access to reliable installation technicians and 24/7 in-house customer service.

Your business depends on reliable credit card processing, so make sure to conduct your due diligence before deciding who to trust. At Celero we operate on the concept of full disclosure and make it our goal to put you and your business in the best position possible.

2. Utilize Mobile Payment Processing

As previously mentioned, the benefit of mobile payments should not be taken lightly as we transcend more and more into a digital world. Mobile payments at your business is particularly useful for your customers who love convenience. Not only does it have its advantages for your customers, but it offers a great deal of perks for you as a business owner. 

Convenience & Savings

What's better than getting things done quickly and efficiently? Having a mobile payment option available resolves the problem of people having to wait, not to mention, by 2020, experts expect consumers will rely primarily on mobile payments for buying goods and services, sending money and doing business. 

Implementing mobile credit card payments can add convenience to your business by putting money back in your bank account — what's more convenient than extra profit at the end of the month? Celero has many affordable solutions for your small business. 

Provide Security & Business Insights

Your customers value making secure transactions and put their trust in your business that their information stays safe. Providing them with a mobile payment option gives them the benefit of security. Mobile payments have multiple layers of dynamic encryption, making them an extremely secure way to pay. They’re far more secure than magstripe payments and just as secure as EMV chip card payments. Even better, if you choose the right mobile payments partner, they should be able to support mobile payments with EMV.

Mobile payments also equip you with crucial business insights required for you to understand your customers better resulting in you growing your business. Having the ability to pinpoint what is and what isn't selling is fundamental to understanding your customers needs. With mobile payments you have the feature benefit of knowing what time, date and location your product or service sells best (and what doesn't). Mobile payment apps provide dynamic reporting tools that enable you to stay efficient and recognize purchase data to help you make smarter business choices. 

3. Implement a Loyalty Program

Customers love being appreciated! Two-thirds of millennials won’t think twice about being a loyal customer without a good loyalty or rewards program. It’s essential for this to be established with your business to create opportunity for future purchases within your customer base. These rewards and loyalty programs definitely make an impression and give your big spenders a great deal!

There's many benefits to you and your customers when you have a loyalty program in place. For instance, just as much as you like to save, so do your customers. Create this opportunity for them by giving them a chance to save a little by coming back to your business. This is attractive for new customers who are thinking about doing business with you as well. By providing a way for them to save, you're increasing sales opportunities for yourself. 

A well thought out loyalty program only helps you communicate better with your customers. It's a great method to measure engagement and frequency of the products they are purchasing and give you insight on the most popular items being sold. This gives you a way to promote a sale or new product that they could be interested in.

4. Take Advantage of Full Service Payroll

While it's necessary for your business to make sure your customers have an enjoyable experience, it's equally valuable to create that same experience for your employees. Your staff deserves to feel appreciated, since they are the foundation that helps run your business, which is where Full Service Payroll comes in! 

By eliminating the need for a staff member, or yourself, to do these payroll tasks, it gives you more time to focus on other core duties of the business that can really make a difference — saving plenty of time and reducing a tremendous amount of stress. With Full Service Payroll, you'll want to pick a provider that has perks like automatic tax filing like Celero. You are guaranteed accuracy, and if there's an error, we've got you covered. Avoiding tax mistakes that can lead to fines helps save money, which is always a bonus. At Celero, we also offer features such as free account setup and 24/7 support for those tricky moments when you need assistance!

Conclusion:

Excellent customer experience is top of mind for any business owner, but how to achieve that might not always come naturally to some. We're here to ensure that you, as our customers, have the right tools and knowledge to be able to create that for yourself. We do all that we can to make our customers happy!

Abigail Lucier February 10, 2020 I am amazed by the culture we’ve been able to create at Celero and how it’s taking hold across four companies that joined our family last year. One aspect of culture building, that I’ve noticed as especially crucial in a high-growth company that’s pulling together new acquisitions frequently, is communication.

Communication is the conduit of culture. When we’re communicating properly with each other, our culture grows. Conversely, when we aren’t communicating properly, culture withers. So, what does communicating properly look like? It starts with open dialogue, versus dictating what you want from others.

Since I’ve been at Celero, I’ve been learning to become an active listener. Being a great listener, who is not just eager to share their own thoughts, is critical for developing a healthy culture and a workspace where people are free to explore their ideas and collaborate to make them reality. Good listeners acknowledge that effective communication is about both talking and listening. Exchange is a two-way street. We must be able to send a message as well as receive them. While we might not always agree with that message, I do think that it’s important to at least be open to anything that your colleagues are trying to tell you.

To be able to sit down and actively listen to what somebody has to say, whether it’s about the project they’re working on or the difficult day they’re having, or whether it’s something going on at home or something great that’s on the horizon for them---being able to sit there and listen, not only will you gain an incredible amount of insight into their life and work, but you might be surprised to find that you’re also going to gain a significant amount of perspective into your own life and work. I believe that listening with intent is the catalyst to forming a connection with another person and ultimately a stronger bond amongst team members within your workspace.  

These conversations can be very motivating, and they encourage us to lean on each other versus going it alone. When you’re down on a particular day, your colleague can pick you up by helping you gain some perspective. As a result, things might not seem so bad after all, and they can help you find a way to recover and succeed. That project you’re complaining about might not be as difficult as you think, and you may just find yourself receiving the support you never knew you needed.

Being able to communicate your own thoughts effectively, while also actively listening to the contributions of others, is incredibly important.  I’m very thankful that this dynamic of two-way communication is yet another great aspect of our executive team’s approach to leading people. What they understand—and what I now understand as well—is that achieving big goals isn’t always about getting people to “buy in” to one general concept or theme. We are teammates here, not people to be sold on one person’s ideas or strategies. What this ethos speaks to is a willingness to trust each one of our colleagues to contribute their ingredient to Celero’s recipe for success. While creating a team of people that buy in to the program they are a part of is important, the way you go about doing so is far more important. Our executive leaders rely on the feedback of their team members to keep the business engaged and moving forward. If your team is left feeling as though they aren’t welcomed to make contributions, they will most likely feel disconnected from the program and culture.

When we trust each other, and we’re able to communicate that trust, not by trying to persuade each other but through genuine, two-way conversations that promote the best ideas and make us all better collaborators, there’s nothing we can’t achieve together.

Inspired by a shared value of servant leadership and role models, the Celero Commerce executive team created a special award to recognize elite performers who exemplify the company’s values. Now, we are pleased to announce the first quarterly recipient of the Michael P. Duffy Leadership Award, Nicole Becher.

A 25-year veteran of Celero legacy company UMS Banking, Nicole currently serves as an Operations Project Manager, reporting to Chief Operating Officer Jeff Brown. During her time at the new Celero Commerce team, Nicole has become a key contributor for the operations team, leading PCI Aperia compliance and integration of the company’s partnership with Womply, a platform that brings reputation management and customer loyalty programs to the company’s thousands of merchants.

Celero’s leadership team created the Michael P. Duffy Leadership Award in honor of fintech industry legend Michael Duffy, who mentored many of Celero’s leaders earlier in their careers as they served in various positions at payments industry leader Chase Paymentech. The Duffy Award is driven by peer nominations, as colleagues recognize each other not only for performance, but also leadership, especially in exhibiting attributes that abide by company values like selflessness and teamwork.

In summarizing her nominations for the Duffy Award, Brown noted that Nicole is “a true culture carrier for Celero. You might think it would be difficult for someone so embedded in another corporate culture for more than two decades to shine in a new one so quickly, but Nicole has done just that.  She genuinely cares about her co-workers, our partner banks, and our merchants. When she tells you she will do something, it’s done.”

“She is always the first to step up and take ownership of a project, and Nicole uses her knowledge of the industry, UMS, and Celero to her benefit and delivers projects on time and on budget.”

As a Duffy Award recipient, Nicole will be invited to attend Celero’s first Leadership Summit, to be held in the spring of 2021 at the company’s headquarters in Nashville.  This annual event will convene leaders across our organization to celebrate their successes and mold future leaders of our organization by discussing strategy, new fintech trends, and Celero’s market position. The summit will include the four quarterly Duffy award recipients, as well as the company’s top 10 percent of performers in other departments. C-suite will lead the session and have some great Nashville entertainment planned for the group as well.

Nicole’s name will be the first engraved on a commemorative Duffy Award plaque at Celero’s corporate offices.

According to CEO Kevin Jones, quantifying Nicole’s honor means that she is a standard-setter for an emerging world-class company. “In a company of more than 100 team members, Nicole’s leadership and performance means that she represents Celero’s top one percent,” Kevin explained. “Her infectious energy and dedication to teamwork are setting a high bar for what we expect of each other here, myself included.”

Others nominated for the inaugural Duffy Award include Vice President of Marketing Lea Telonis, Manager of Training and Development Benji Allsep, and Tony Sandberg, Customer Success Manager at RazorSync. “I am committed to building a team that represents the top 10 percent of the fintech industry, and this group of people—Lea, Benji, Tony, and Nicole—encourages me that we can realize this goal as we continue to hire and grow.”

The next Duffy Award winner will be named in late April.

In a society where people thrive off of most things being quick and convenient, it only makes sense as a business owner to give your customers the benefit of a payment option that is quick and convenient — and let’s not forget, secure. That’s where mobile payments come in. Mobile payment usage in this generation is growing quickly and as more people adjust to the current technology advances, it’s crucial as a business owner that you adapt to the evolving changes. Let’s break down why mobile payments are essential for a business owner today!

What Are Mobile Payments?

First, it’s important to have your basics covered and from there we can learn more about the features and benefits. Mobile payments are considered mobile wallets and mobile money transfers. These are transactions that are managed and take place through a customer’s mobile device. Simply put, a customer has the option to pay digitally in replacement of paying with cash, check or a physical credit or debit card.

Consumers are beginning to favor using mobile payments, as opposed to credit cards, due to it being safer and more convenient. Credit cards store the customer’s information on the merchant’s terminal, while mobile payments do not. When customers take advantage of a mobile payments app, it allows their device to serve as a security token by creating a random code for the transaction, making it safer.

As a business owner, you would use a mobile payment app on your mobile device or tablet to accept payments for your goods or services. You and your employees are able to accept payments anywhere, at any time, with mobile payments.

What Are the Benefits of Mobile Payments?

Now that we’re aware of what mobile payments are, let’s uncover the advantages it has for a business owner and a consumer!

Added Convenience

Unlike a conventional point-of-sale (POS) system, mobile payments don’t require a huge investment and they come with a low learning curve. It’s simple, it only takes a few moments to complete, allowing you to never miss a sale and you’re able to help customer after customer. Quicker checkouts produce happier customers, and that’s your ultimate goal, right?

In order to accept mobile payments at your business all you need is your smartphone or tablet, card reader and a mobile app. Bringing your own device allows you to save even more as you don’t need a terminal or point-of-sale system. At Celero, we have plenty of affordable options for your business. 

Projected Affordability

Is there any business owner that doesn't love the idea of saving money? Let's be honest, it's the greatest advantage when trying something new. Mobile credit card payments can give you the opportunity to have some extra profit at the end of the month by being an affordable solution. For example, Celero can make things convenient by equipping your business with low cost options.

Offers Security

Your customers care about their safety and want to be sure they're protected wherever they spend their money, luckily mobile payments are an extremely safe way to pay due to the numerous layers of encryption. They're equally as safe as EMV chip card payments as opposed to magstripe payments. Something you might want to keep in mind is to choose the right mobile payments partner as they will support mobile payments with EMV, like Celero does.

What Are the Advantages of Mobile Payments for Customers?

Knowing how to tailor your customer experiences to make them more enjoyable is a pretty big priority for most business owners. As the digital industry continuously expands, it's important to make sure that these experiences are pleasant and engaging in-store, online or through a mobile platform. Not only is it expected in society for great customer service, but it's equally appreciated, especially when you have options, such as mobile payments, that fit their needs perfectly! You want your customers to keep coming back, right? Let's give them a reason to.

Loyalty Program & Rewards System

Most millennials won't give it a second thought or even consider being a loyal customer if a business doesn't have a good loyalty or reward program. This is a one of those things that are important to your consumers and it's a valuable feature to have in place — not only for your customers, but for you as a business to create more opportunities for future sales. These loyalty and reward programs do make a big difference with the buyer decision process and as consumers tend to spend more on reward cards, you won't want to miss out!

Text or Email Receipts

Mobile payments, such as Celero's mobile payments app, give you the option to text or email receipts to your customers. In today's day and age, with so many people interested in going paperless, this is key. 

Keeping up with your customers’ on-the-go and busy lifestyle is easy and beneficial when you have the right tools and resources at your fingertips. Having mobile payment processing is convenient and efficient not only for you as a business, but for the people who do business with you.

Conclusion

Every business is different, but they all have the same goal in mind and that's to keep their customers satisfied! Mobile payments are an easy, affordable and secure way to keep up with your customers needs and it helps grow your business at the same time. We're living in a digital generation where things are constantly evolving and growing fast! What will you do to keep up?

All too often, we try to distill the concept of leadership into a philosophy or a set of values. While these are certainly components of establishing a company culture where people thrive, I subscribe to the concept of leadership that’s behavior-driven. Most of all, I think those of us privileged enough to be in positions of leadership must think about everything we do—in addition to everything we think—in order to have people follow us and accomplish great goals.

The notion of “walk the talk” is an oversimplification of what I’m describing. As our company’s chief operating officer and co-founder, I can’t do every single person’s job alongside them. Rather, it’s more about how I act in my own position and how I relate to them that’s relevant to leadership.

My accountabilities in fostering a performance-driven, inspiring company culture at Celero align with how I act toward others here in three key areas:  showing integrity, creating and keeping lines of communication open, and being a good human being.

Showing Integrity

Personal integrity refers to one’ ability to live in accordance with their code of ethics, or values.  When we live by our values—when we walk the talk—we are strengthened by our own internal sense of integrity and are perceived by others as having high credibility. 

When we strive to live with integrity and are perceived by others as having high credibility, this overlapping or alignment of values is what we desire.  For me, it means being authentic, following through on my commitments, and keeping promises. It also means saying no to opportunities that compromise us, our people, or our partners in any way.

Communication, Communication, Communication

When people know they can count on you, the next step is to simply stay in touch, whether that person works next door or in a remote location relative to your own.  Often it means just being seen, present, and accessible.  When we sit down and talk to people, it’s imperative that we’re present, focused, and actively listening.

Communication in a growing company takes on a lot of forms. People need to hear from their leaders when big things like acquisitions happen. But they also need to hear from us frequently on the many projects and pieces of work that drive us forward each day.  If things are going well, they need to hear that praise and credit given appropriately. And if things aren’t going so well, they need us to keep it real and keep it direct. Folks can’t improve at what they’re doing without something real and true for holding themselves accountable.

I have to admit, communicating frequently and appropriately about our progress together is one of the larger challenges of a fast-growing company like Celero.  Better communication is a goal for me this year at work and at home.

Being a Good Human

It’s hard to remember sometimes that we’re all just people. We get wrapped up in everything we’ve got going on, as well as meeting the expectations of others and ourselves at work. Another way for us as leaders to make people feel like they are at a home away from home, a place where they can work safely to achieve their goals, is to offer them constant reminders of our humanity.

This means keeping your door open, figuratively and literally, where people can share with you anything and everything that’s troubling them and impeding their progress, both on work projects and growing as an individual. It’s also important, while you have that door open, to keep yourself open; that is, show all aspects of your personality, whether it’s your sense of humor, irreverence, or alternative ways of thinking. When we as leaders show our complete selves—as opposed to “Work Jeff” versus “Home Jeff”—our people will be more comfortable in their own skin, and our team, our customers, and our partners will see more benefit as well.

When people work in an environment facilitated by honesty, communication, and treating people in ways where we can all express our full humanity, great things happen. We don’t just talk about these things, but rather, we do them. While I’m certainly not perfect, abiding by these principles and acting upon them mindfully as much as I can leads to much of my personal success in working with others.

Kevin Jones January 27, 2020 I recently had an opportunity, a long time in the making, to go back to my hometown in Ashe County, North Carolina and address the latest graduating class of a wonderful regional leadership development program, Leadership Ashe.

While I certainly took a few moments to reminisce about the past, I found it appropriate to think along with these impressive, selfless folks about how we shape the future by how we approach the present. While not an original concept—it’s often attributed to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and seen in faith devotionals—I love the idea that “today is day one.”

What a great idea that is for approaching the new year that’s upon us, the notion that today is day one. It’s about so many things, depending on your context. In a faith journey, for example, today is day one often means shedding the burdens of yesterday, those areas where you fell short of your best, the ways in which you hurt others, or the guilt you carry from these times of your life. Being our best selves means not being self-defeating.

I consistently think of the today is day one concept and try to apply it to my work here at Celero. And when I do so, it’s almost the opposite of that faith journey, where you’re setting yourself free of yesterday’s troubles. Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for leaving failure behind, after taking your necessary lessons from that to make yourself stronger. Rather, it’s more about the concept of the value we bring, to our company, to each other, to our customers.

As we sit here in January of 2020, the beginning of year two at Celero, after a very successful first year, it’s still day one. The journey still lies ahead of us. The mistakes, beliefs, and achievements of the past certainly help dictate our starting point, but it’s all in front of us yet again. And most importantly, to stay fresh as leaders, we have to come in and look at things with the perspective that it is our first day on the job. That’s how new leaders and consultants are initially impactful. They don’t have the legacy skeletons, pride of authorship, relationships, and barriers built slowly over time. They come in with fresh eyes, identify the issues, and solve them.  I challenge myself and my generals to do the same every year:  “What would you do if you knew nothing and no one and this was your first day?”

I love how this concept applies to everyone, whether you’re a young high school student, somebody’s grandmama, or a 48-year-old fintech executive like me. Thinking about one of my favorite Avett Brothers lyrics—”Decide what to be, and go be it”—my own concept of day one means that we start all over again. We start all over in proving our value to others, fulfilling our individual purpose, providing for others in our lives, and impacting our communities.  I must do all of these things in my role as CEO at Celero, and day one means being accountable to everyone in my life and my pre-ordained purpose in this world, to use my gifts and the qualities others develop within me to shape a better future.

Yesterday’s gone, today is right in front of us, and tomorrow is coming like a rocket. What will you do today, on your day one, to shape a better future?

Somebody recently asked me what I love about working at Celero, and I thought of an answer much as you’d expect a veteran marketer to give.  Anyone and everyone in the marketing world has accepted the basic foundation of the profession as the “Four Ps.”  The concept that balancing price, product, promotion, and placement is the secret to managing your marketing mix has been marketing canon since 1960, and it’s just as relevant today.

For anyone interested in knowing what working at Celero is like, I’d like to advance that we have our own Four Ps.  The first P for me is People.  From our CEO down to our newest employee, everybody brings something special to work every day. Everyone here is committed to building a high-performance culture, where we set new standards for customer-centered innovation and our commitment to be a high-tech, high touch company. We are a diverse group of women and men, people fresh out of school and industry veterans with decades of experience, from all sorts of socio-economic backgrounds, and as my colleague Abigail Lucier has so eloquently noted, we take that diversity and unify with our sense of purpose to make our company great.

My second P is Productivity.  Our people are driven, and I love working with people who are determined to be successful and are willing to live by daily measurements of success. Those measurements could put a bad P—pressure—on us at times, but at our company, we have a highly collaborative culture. We have big goals, but only because our customers and partners have big needs to fill. At Celero, we want to become the household name for small and midsized merchants looking to grow quickly and sustainably, which is a monumental challenge as we enter year two of our existence. But here’s the rub, and it’s good: You never feel like you’re in it alone, because this team always has your back. We succeed together, and we sometimes fail together, but in all things, we produce together.

The third P of working at Celero is Passion.  We have people who seriously love what they do. We have multiple people at every level of the company who have been working in payments and fintech for decades, and they act like it’s their first day on the job. They love making a difference in the success stories of our small and medium-sized business customers.  They love making our various partner financial institutions more effective for their merchants as well. This passion isn’t just palpable at our offices across the country, it’s also contagious, and it drives you to give your best, too.  

Perhaps most exciting is our fourth P, Possibilities. A driving ethos of our team at Celero is to never accept that we’ve “arrived.” When you’re in the business of technology and working to solve problems for customers, applications and challenges will continue to evolve. Being arrogant about our success will be the first element of our failure, so we are committed to being humble and go about our work each day creating possibilities for the future, for our partners, our merchants, and our people.

I’m sure others could come up with their own ways of expressing why they love working at Celero, but the Four Ps work for me!

It’s looking like 2020 is going to be a big year for many things, specifically in the digital payments industry. While we can’t predict the future, we can certainly pay attention to trends from previous years. Let's take a closer look at what’s currently happening and see how things are starting to shape up. Are you ready to dive into what we can expect from the digital payments market this year? We are! 

Enhanced Payment Transactions With Ease-of-Use

Enabling merchants to enhance payment transactions with greater functionality and convenience can help your clients build customer loyalty and retention — and by providing your clients with the solutions they need, you may also find your clients are more loyal to you. 

It’s predicted that digital payment processing will gain quick momentum in 2020 and for years to come due to the simple fact that it's easy and convenient for all parties involved. The need for cash is seemingly becoming a thing of the past as most transactions are electronic, getting rid of the need to stop at an ATM or request for cash back at grocery stores. At Celero, we are tracking right along with this trend, as we provide credit card processing that’s easy and inexpensive. We offer various types of payment processing solutions with the capability to accept payments anywhere. Not only is this convenient for the customer, but a merchant can adapt seamlessly.

FACT: We can also look forward to support from the government to improve the digitized payment processes — with an increased focus on a cashless economy, growth in this market is sure to continually escalate in the future.

Never Trading Security for Convenience 

Along with payment trends toward consumer convenience is the trend to continually make payment security a top priority. Most companies are working to keep up with the increase of technology and expansion of the digital market and are attempting to create solutions that are both convenient and safe. Luckily, at Celero, we have plenty of options that include both. It’s our goal to ensure that our customers and their customers have secure payment transactions while not having to endure a stressful and expensive process.

Mobile payments are a convenient and affordable way for merchants, young or experienced, to conduct business securely. Accepting EMV chip card technology within your business will not only protect your customer, but it helps significantly reduce the risk of fraud for the merchant. EMV chip card technology is the best available technology to validate credit and debit cards while reducing the risk of accepting fake cards.

Something else to consider for security with digital payment processing is to take advantage of a payment gateway for online payments. A payment gateway is the best way to accept online payments since it takes care of the authorization of the payment while ensuring the data entered is enough to be completed. The gateway is what protects credit card details by encrypting the stored sensitive data and guarantees that private details proceed safely between the customer and merchant.

Lastly, it’s extremely crucial to check your PCI compliance status as this is the most important security standard to keep up with as it determines how you store, handle and transmit cardholder data creating protection of your customers’ payment details and keeps your business safe from fraud. To get the most out of safety and fraud prevention you’ll want to guarantee that your business has met all the guidelines and avoid a non-compliance fee.

Expansion of the Digital Payments Market

As the future unfolds, turns out the younger generation is responsible for stepping up and growing the digital payment market. This tech-savvy generation is forcing the need for a digital solution when it comes to payment processing. With all of this in mind, it’s crucial that the digital payments market expands, making way for more affordable and advanced products to assist the developing market.

Organizations, such as Celero, have already taken essential steps to adjust to the growing digital market by offering technology-driven products and services like mobile payment processing. Accepting mobile payments has plenty of advantages such as being convenient and affordable. These are two very important things for the younger generation as they run on a fast-paced environment. Mobile payment processing allows you the ability to accept payments on devices such as a smartphone or tablet. As the younger population begins to lead the expansion of this market, it’s a valuable option for them to have as they are becoming small business owners.

Conclusion:

One thing is certain for 2020, we can expect to see a lot of growth in the digital payments world along with the technology involved to accompany it. While the younger generation expands and increases the need for more innovative technology surrounding digital payment processing, organizations and businesses are responsible for adapting to their needs in a simple and secure way