Chase Harmer is the founder of ProfitPay Technologies: a full-service B2B fintech company (and illumy’s payment processor). Having been in fintech since he was 19, Chase has seen more than a few boom-and-bust cycles in startups.
We sat down to talk about ProfitPay’s story, why Chase is a fan of illumy, and what will define successful brands moving forward.
Thanks for chatting with us. Can you briefly describe ProfitPay and the space you’re in?
Sure. In a word, it’s fintech. In two words, it’s “money movement.”
We provide lots of back-end services to help companies transact — things like payment processing, virtual card issuing, third party remittances, gateway, and ACH.
So you work with businesses of all sizes.
Yes, but small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are our bread and butter. In partnership with MasterCard, credit unions and banks, we offer transaction services that help SMBs compete in the marketplace.
Tell me a little more about how you can add value for a small business.
In addition to offering competitive rates on payment processing, we improve how SMBs purchase products and advertising services. Lots of SMBs use debit cards to do this today. We offer virtual credit cards that help them earn cash back on all those purchases and transactions.
Some of our best partners are banks, because we’re able to provide payment services to their clients. It’s a win for everyone involved.
Are payments changing as everyone transitions online, and especially in the wake of Covid?
Yes — but with a caveat. It’s true that trends like online shopping, food delivery, and work-from-home have led digital spend to increase. But right now, inflation is starting to bite. Online spending might level off for a bit.
So what is today’s consumer looking for?
People are always going to pay more for convenience. And of course it matters how user-friendly your application or service is to use and now, more than ever, companies have to offer real value.
From a brand standpoint, whoever creates the most value, and the most impact, is going to stick around.
Where does illumy fit into this?
What I like about illumy is two things. First, it’s an affordable solution — totally free to start, then just a few dollars a month for unlimited calling.
(Ed. note: illumy will offer low, low international calling rates, too.)
Second, it’s the fact that illumy is all-in-one for email, chat, voice, and video. More and more, all-in-one solutions will become attractive. “More manageable” is, I think, what people are looking for.
So illumy checks those boxes of creating long-term value for its users and I’m really excited about the opportunity that will come when illumy becomes its own marketplace.
ProfitPay’s space is what I call “the economy of the transaction,” so I’m a fan of solutions that facilitate transactions and engagement. illumy’s all-in-one vision for communications means people can live out more of their digital lives on illumy.
And you see with brands like DoorDash how much value is unlocked by connecting consumers and merchants on an easy-to-use platform. Ease of use and convenience are what matter to the customer, and illumy delivers.
Thanks Chase, look forward to growing with ProfitPay moving forward!
Photo by Javid Naderi on Unsplash.
