Sometimes You’ve Got to Spend Money…

100 Tips to Cut Small Business Overhead and Reach Profitability is a fantastic quick read filled with quick advice that is easy to implement.

One of their tips for small businesses is to always take plastic. I wholeheartedly agree and would add that, when you take plastic, steer away from penalizing your clients for credit card processing fees.

Case in point: I recently went into a local coffee shop and ordered a couple teas. The barista handed me my drinks and then rang me up, charging an additional fee for using a debit card. I looked around – no signs about the policy at all. I felt penalized for using my card and am quite likely to not go back to the shop.

We didn’t come easily on the decision to accept PayPal and credit cards, largely because there weren’t many current clients asking to pay in this manner. Once we gave it a try, however, we found that the ease of payment choices was a benefit (and a motivator) for many new clients. Are there fees associated with this? Sure, but they’re well worth it and, in truth, there are always costs associated with doing business.

Kandace Brigleb

Producer, co-founder of Needmore. Currently residing on the left coast.