One week away from the anniversary of establishing PaySavi back in 2018, it's been an exciting and challenging time in equal measures... It meant leaving the security and enjoyment of working for Visa since 2001, having become an Officer of the Company in 2006 and being a member of the leadership team. It also meant taking a step I had been considering for nearly a year and embarking on a journey that has led to many sliding door moments.
Securing most of PaySavi's initial business through attending events, networking and gaining referrals meant that the need to market the business became less of a focus than expected. The evidence can be seen in not maintaining this blog page for the past few years!
LinkedIn also proved to be a fantastic asset as an initial channel to market through raising awareness and making new contacts.
It's said that you make your own luck. My own take on that is that hard work and persistence contribute to success, but so does kindness. Treating others as you would want to be treated yourself can never be ignored. The many friends and business contacts I've made during my career in payments contributed to being able to establish and maintain the business, and I am grateful for all the support and counsel I have received.
Another huge benefit of running PaySavi has been learning new skills to complement my payments experience. Working with start-ups in FinTech, regulation and cyber security has been fascinating. Being asked to advise major brands on product launches and business strategies, chairing and moderating events, running sales training days and taking interim roles in executive teams has broadened my horizons. It has also allowed me to have a global remit, operating with clients across 20 time zones, sometimes including them on the same Teams call...
2023 will be a major development year for PaySavi, leveraging the experience of the excellent team I also count as friends. The focus on Fintech start-ups, SME support, projects for major brands and the expanding government portfolio will also see increasing opportunities to conduct more business face-to-face rather than online. And to be able to thank valued friends, clients and contacts for their support in person. A lot to look forward to in 2023.