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chants have been hurting, and it's far easier to keep
clients than it is to sign new ones. One final note, stop
using the pandemic as an excuse for not doing what
you need to do to advance your career and improve
yourself. I wish everyone well and hope we'll be back
to our maskless ways soon enough.
Jeff Shavitz
ToolBox Payment
What a past 12 months it has been—what else can you
say? The statistics you mention are interesting as the
world now opens up again. And what have we, as busi-
ness owners and salespeople, learned during Covid-19?

1. As an independent business owner, one takeaway is
having that slush fund of money to be held in reserves
just in case—and that just in case, happened this past
year. Yes, it is great to invest in your company, invest
in new technologies but the expression "cash is king"
does mean something. Could you ever have imagined Upcoming events:
the past year? Of course not, but having some capital in
reserve helped as we pivoted through these challeng-
ing times. Midwest Acquirers Associaiton
2021 MWAA Annual Conference
2. I've learned that during the pandemic, opportunities July 21 – 22, 2021
always exist. But you/me/we must pivot and move fast Chicago
or that opportunity can be done. https://www.midwestacquirers.org

3. Perspective—I think we all learned this and without
sounding omniscient, there is more to selling credit NACHA
card processing with people dying around the world Smarter Faster Payments 2021
with this illness. Aug. 9 – 12, 2021
San Francisco
4. As businesses (especially swiped accounts like retail https://payments.nacha.org
and restaurant) open up, the monthly processing vol-
umes naturally are increasing and thus, our volumes
and ensuing residuals will grow. However, we are MPC
speaking to more business owners, CFOs, and other Mobile Payments Conference 2021
financial personnel who are now more closely examin- Aug. 16 – 18, 2021
ing their processing fees and percentages. Virtual event
https://mobilepaymentconference.com
Empathy—this is the word that our company spoke /register-now-2021/
most about during the pandemic. While things are im-
proving, many of us are still struggling in a variety
of ways—from lost family members, closed businesses, Prepaid Press
significantly lost income and a myriad of other issues. All Wireless & Prepaid Expo
As I learned from hearing Tony Robbins during his Aug. 17 – 18, 2021
motivational talks, we either have "inspiration or des- Las Vegas
peration." Get inspired now, and better days are ahead. http://www.theprepaidexpo.com

On a personal note, launching my new company, Tool-
Box Payment, during a pandemic was not easy; how- MPC
ever, having a culture of being open with each other, Mobile Payments Conference 2021
sharing the good and the bad, has made the beginning August 17 – 19, 2021
of this new journey very rewarding on many levels. I Virtual event
wish all payment personnel great success in the com- https://mobilepaymentconference.com/
ing 12 months as we all continue to grow and look back register-now-2021/
on 2020/21 with great perspective.

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