Twelve months ago, I sat at client’s cafe in Lake Oswego, OR and bawled my eyes out as I wrote a resignation letter on my iPad. I was emotional because I was really going to miss serving my clients. I really enjoyed helping businesses with their credit card processing and I really believed in the company I sold for but I came to disagree with some of the changes that were being made after we were acquired. The company didn’t make drastic changes but there were a few parties added to the team that I was really uncomfortable doing business with. In addition to that, a client of mine was getting invoiced for something he shouldn’t have been invoiced for and I was pretty upset. In the end, my employer chose to side with the party that was invoicing my client and I chose to immediately end the relationship.
It was this event that changed my entire viewpoint of the credit card processing industry as a whole. Instead of seeing my employer as head and shoulders above the rest, I began to see each processor in light of its strengths and weaknesses. I chose to appreciate what their capabilities were while also taking the time to understand their weakness. I also chose to never anchor my solutions to one processor, as every client has different goals and must have options when it comes to picking their credit card processor.
This event turned out to be one of my greatest defining moments. It was a defining moment because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next, but I was committed to doing what I felt was right. This was a major victory because I chose my values over my pocketbook in this moment, something that is very hard to do when you have responsibilities like family and personal commitments that must be met. I must tell you though, it felt sooooo good to quit a job for the right reasons! I felt like such a warrior!
Ultimately, I learned a few things in this experience as I evaluate the past 12 months. The first thing I learned is that life always works itself out. Today I am continuing to help merchants with their merchant services and am really happy with all the solutions I have access to. I don’t have a boss chewing me out because I’m not helping him hit his numbers. And I am proud of the decision I made to follow my heart and core values.
What about you? Do you have any defining moments that come to mind? I’d love to hear one if you have one to spare!
Have an awesome day!
