Today my team completed a self-reflection activity using some really cool-looking cups from the Dollar Tree.   Spoiler alert: the cups looked great… but a few were a little less than watertight. You know what they say—you really do get what you pay for.   But instead of letting it ruin the moment, we laughed, we improvised, and—of course—we made it FUN. After all, that’s what the “L” in our SMILE core values stands for: Leave a Legacy of Fun. Here are just a few of the “solutions” our team came up with for working with their beautifully flawed cups:   💡 Use the Remote Team Member’s Cup – They’ll never know… unless they read this. 🔨 SMASH it and use a different one—aggressive, but effective. 🍓 Just

One of the great pleasures of our business is the fact that we get to work with so many small businesses across America.   This past week, I had the privilege of spending some time installing new terminals for several of our merchants and I was once again reminded of WHY I love what we do here at TMC.   THE HEARTBEAT OF COMMUNITIES Each of the business owners I worked with this past week reminded me that small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities. These are the places where you can go to connect with your local friends and families. I was in Ridgefield Washington on Friday and got to meet lots of people at the Starliner. Kids shopping around, a lady needing a cardboard box to use at her home, and an older

Today was supposed to go according to plan. I had an early flight to West Palm Beach, heading into a walk-through of a $47M+ company. It was meant to be a Gamechanger experience coordinated by Howard Partridge and the Inner Circle. But weather and airline logistics had other ideas. My connecting flights were cancelled. There were no reasonable options to make it in time. So instead of flying toward “opportunity,” I found myself grounded in Portland. But that’s when the real purpose showed up. I stopped at a little airport bistro for breakfast. An older woman circled a few tables before sitting next to me. Her name was Karen—not that Karen—and she was delightful. We talked about travel, gratitude, and our kids. She gave me a small gift,

As a small-business owner, involvement in your community’s activities gives potential customers another reason to trust and select your business.   Companies that encourage community involvement to distinguish themselves from their competitors and can see many benefits, including:   Loyal Customers Happier Employees Referral Opportunities   Business owners can evaluate their business and employee strengths and select volunteer activities that draw upon those strengths. For example, TMC is a merchant services company so volunteering to help our non-profits set up credit card processing and process their credit card transactions at their events is a very natural fit and our team LOVES being involved!   Once you have your volunteer strategy, let current and prospective customers know what you’re doing by including this information on your website blog and Facebook page. There

Do you remember when you first started your business?I sure do – I had visions of grandeur! ALL businesses would want to use our company, EVERY business owner would feel the passion we had for the business, we would have the PERFECT solution for EACH business that came our way and there was just one more thing- we all lived happily ever after (just like a Fairy Tale!). Does that sound familiar to you? Business ownership is certainly not for the faint of heart and it turns out it is no fairy tale either. Somewhere along the way, along with many other life lessons, business owners realize that we cannot be everything to everyone and we need to seek out and find our Niche’; our Sweet Spot. This realization, while painful, is one that is

Gratitude comes from the Latin word gratus, meaning “pleasing” or “thankful,”. National Gratitude Month was submitted by Stacey Grewal and proclaimed by the Registrar at National Day Calendar in August, 2015.   But Gratitude is more than simply saying “thank you.” Gratitude has the power & ability to move us from focusing on the negative to recognizing and cherishing what is positive in our lives.   Employing a daily “Attitude of Gratitude” gives us a deeper appreciation for ourselves, the world around us and our Creator. In business, gratitude gives us a competitive edge- FOR REAL! Just imagine if your company employed gratitude as a strategic weapon in the following areas:   STAFFING: You can always tell when a team of individuals FEELS appreciated. They show up on time They give