Getting paid faster is a universal goal for small businesses. But with traditional payment processes often slow, outdated or clunky, the smartest businesses are making tech-driven changes to accelerate how they earn, track and manage income.

No matter what kind of business you’re running, you can’t get the job done without cash flow.

The businesses you’re about to meet all know that same pain point. They’re busy, they don’t have the time for manual processes and certainly don’t want to be chasing late payments.

While they’re completely different in what they offer, these businesses have another thing in common: they’ve adopted Zeller’s modern financial solutions to speed up payment acceptance and stay on top of their finances. Let’s find out how.

Mobile car wash entrepreneur cuts the invoice chasing with Tap to Pay

Sebastian, founder of Seb’s Mobile Car Wash. Image: Zeller.

For Sebastian Fernández Mackenzie, a 24-year-old Chilean entrepreneur based in Melbourne, managing a growing mobile car-detailing business used to mean juggling cash and bank transfers, plus chasing unpaid invoices non-stop.

That all changed when he switched his business, Seb’s Mobile Car Wash, to take payments on the spot using Zeller Tap to Pay.

“Back then I didn’t have my regular clients, I was sending invoices to people I’d just met. I’d have to send reminders, and one person took three days to pay me,” he explains. “I don’t like to carry cash, and I don’t want to have to send people to an ATM.”

With Tap to Pay, Seb now takes card payments straight from his iPhone. No extra hardware, no hassle.

“I’d already spent thousands of dollars on setting up my business, I didn’t want to have to pay for an EFTPOS terminal. I’d rather spend that money on cleaning products, plus it’s not convenient for a mobile business,” he says.

Since adopting Tap to Pay, Seb’s payments are instant, secure and completely mobile. Now, all his clients have to do is tap their card or mobile wallet to his phone, and the payment is instantly processed.

Seb also uses the Zeller App and Zeller Transaction Account to manage finances from his smartphone: “I settle funds into the Zeller Transaction Account. It means I don’t have to wait for them to be transferred to another account. It’s really convenient.”

For entrepreneurs like Seb, these changes help them get paid faster and they cut down on admin.

In a rush to open, Darwin bar owners went digital to get paid faster

Monica and Briant from The Last Supper. Image: Zeller.

When Monica Bugno and Briant Clark took over The Last Supper, a bar and restaurant in Darwin, they had just three days to get ready for launch. One of their first hurdles? Setting up a way to take payments and track income.

“We signed the paperwork on Monday, paid the money on Tuesday, got the keys on Wednesday and opened on Thursday,” Monica says.

They initially turned to their usual bank, but Monica says they hit a wall: “They really messed us around. We had to go into a branch, we waited an hour for an interview, and then they wanted all this paperwork. They just couldn’t make it happen in time.”

Instead, they opted for Zeller’s end-to-end payments and financial solution.

“Monica literally just jumped online and opened a Zeller Transaction Account,” Briant says, adding that they then got themselves a few Zeller Terminals, set up virtual debit cards and started trading.

“Setting up Zeller was very easy. We were able to provide all the company paperwork once we were already up and running. It was just so easy. So then we thought, well, why change?”

The couple now use the Zeller App to monitor sales, a Zeller Savings Account to earn interest and the Zeller Virtual Terminal to take deposits for larger event bookings. All of these tools mean they can track payments in real-time and manage everything without the clunky systems of regular banks.

More importantly, fast and seamless payment tools let them focus on what really matters: their community.

“Some people who came in on the weekend for one of our Pasta Parties ended up making friends and stayed here for eight hours,” Briant says.

High-volume retail meets high-performance payments at in.cube8r

Elle-May Michaels from in.cub8er. Image: Zeller.

in.cube8r is a creative retail gallery in Melbourne that uplifts nearly 300 local artists. Each rents a literal ‘cube’ to display and sell their own work. It’s a high-volume, low-commission operation with a very attractive structure – and one that requires bulletproof payment systems.

Previously, owner Elle-May Michaels struggled with slow, unreliable terminals. “We do 200 transactions a day and the store is noisy,” she says. “I’d miss declined payments because I didn’t see the screen.”

When Elle-May made the switch to a Zeller Terminal, the difference was immediate: “Zeller is much better. The terminal lights up and makes a noise when something declines. You don’t have to jam paper into the terminal to keep it going after the roll runs out. It just works.”

More business, less friction: in.cub8er puts Zeller to smart use. Image: Zeller.

Elle-May also uses Zeller Debit Card for expenses. “If we need something for the store, like stationery for example, we just take the Zeller Debit Card – no more messy petty cash.” And for online subscriptions? “I’ve also set up a digital card which I use for our online subscriptions so that all goes through one account.”

With Zeller streamlining in-store payments and expenses, she has more time to focus on her artists.

“The best feedback I can give is: there’s no friction. With Zeller, people don’t notice the payment process, which is exactly how it should be.”

Want to streamline your payments and get paid faster? Head to Zeller’s website to find the right solution for your business.

This article is brought to you by Business Builders in partnership with Zeller.

Feature image: AdobeStock