Latest / Leaders In Payments / Adam Oberman, President of Payroc | Episode 266

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Adam Oberman, President of Payroc | Episode 266 · Leaders In Payments

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast, where we talk to C-level leaders from across the payments landscape.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: We'll be discussing the products and services that impact the payment space today, as well as trends and predictions for the future of payments.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: We will also hear stories from our guests about their journeys to the top.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: We're a very hands-on organization to where that's how we started.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Just to be totally transparent, greg, there's still a lot of clients that have my personal cell phone number, that I still take calls on, because they're clients that have been with me since the beginning and they trust us and they trust me.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: That goes a long way, not only in this organization, in this company, but also in the world.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Trust is a lot.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: When you lose someone's trust, it doesn't go well.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: We've always tried to do the right thing.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: Of course there's times where it's difficult, but you give that client a great experience and they're going to come back.
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: That was Adam Oberman, the president of PayRock, and he is my special guest on this episode, episode 266 of the Leaders in Payments podcast, and I'm your host, greg Myers.
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: Payrock helps clients supercharge their business with best-in-class payment processing options, all backed by world-class agent and merchant support teams.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: Adam and I talk about PayRock, what makes it unique in the marketplace and how important having a great experience is in our industry.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: Adam goes on to talk about his professional journey as well as what he's passionate about, both professionally and personally.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: We've got a great episode ahead, so let's get started.
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: Hi Adam, thank you for being here and welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: Thank you for having me.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: I appreciate it Absolutely.
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: And, for those longtime listeners, you probably know PayRock.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: In fact, james Oberman was on the show back in June of 2021, which was episode 91.
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Today we're talking to Adam and we're at episode 266.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: So hopefully we can fill in what PayRock has been up to in the last couple of years.
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: So let's start with this if you don't mind.
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: Adam, tell the audience a little bit about yourself, maybe where you grew up, where you went to school, where you currently live, a few things like that.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: I appreciate that.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: So yes, adam Oberman, the current president of PayRock.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I grew up in the Chicagoland area.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Of course, james Oberman is my father, so we do have payments in our blood.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Currently I do live in Sarasota Florida, moved out here two years ago.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: It was the best decision for me and my family.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: Of course, a lot went on through the pandemic and decided that I need to do what's best for myself and the family and starting an office down in Sarasota, florida under the PayRock umbrella so it's been great.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Well, let's talk about PayRock.
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: Tell the audience what PayRock does.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: So PayRock.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: It's a payments platform.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: It's built for our partners.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Our partners are our number one customer.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Our goal is to connect all the payment tech that an agent, an ISV which is an integrated partner, our merchant could need in one ecosystem.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: We've been on a journey since 2003, when we started the company and our acquisition spree began in 2016 with our first gateway company that we acquired, and in 2018, we became an acquirer through a strategic acquisition that we did.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: So we own the relationships, we manage the relationships and it was all up to us to make the decisions instead of relying on others, and we built our sales distribution and ramped up our tech investment.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: Now we're really starting to commercialize the products, the enhancements, and we're starting to see a lot more success in the integrated space.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: So when you talk about PayRock and who we are and how I explain it to folks is, we're one integrated platform that partners could come in and they could plug right into our ecosystem and make it easy and simple for them to not only board one of their clients, but for their clients to have a very good experience throughout the way.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: When Pay Rock was on the show a couple years ago, it was right.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: After some big acquisitions, I think there were still some acquisitions going on Between 2021 and now.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Has that acquisition spree continued or has that slowed down?
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: It's actually continued and it's beginning to gain a lot more momentum.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: I'd say in the last four months we took a little pause, but since 2021, we've probably done, up top ahead, another eight to nine acquisitions, if not more, some being very strategic.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Some of them I could name.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: One of them is Dynamics Payment Systems down in Puerto Rico.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: That was very strategic for us to get in the Puerto Rican market and down in the Caribbean.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Another very strategic one for us was WorldNet, which is a gateway in Ireland To me.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: When we assessed it and our tech company assessed it and we looked at everything, they were one of the best out there that we needed at the time.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: We've plugged in.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: That is our number one gateway.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: That technology, that platform, has really bolstered what we can do in the flexibility that we could do as far as the payments ecosystem goes.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Now there's been a lot of other acquisitions since then.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: That has been either smaller independent sales organizations or a couple tech companies.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: That we've done, we have not slowed down and we actually have a lot more on the horizon right now.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: We're not letting off the gas pedal when it comes to acquisitions.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: We want to make sure that each acquisition comes with, of course, a ramp up to where it's not a declining asset, it's more of an asset that's going to enhance what we're doing and how we're doing it.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: It's also going to come with technology that we're looking for and that we're focusing on.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: We're not as wide as we used to be when it came to acquisitions.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: It's not come one, come all.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: It's a lot more strategic now and what's going to fit best for what we're looking to do in the future.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Are there specific verticals or markets that you focus on from your partner's perspective?
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: Is it really any type of partnership?
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: I'm so glad you asked that question because we're right in the middle, the end of 2023, going into 2024, my battle cry to the company is focus.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Since the beginning of time it's been okay.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: What can we go after?
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: What can we get?
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: What can we enhance the customer's experience?
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: It's been fragmented.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: It's been a big blanket Ever since the acquisition of WorldNet a year, year and a half ago.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: They came with amazing technology, but they also came with a focus and that focus was on the unattended space.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: If it's AV charging, amusement parks, laundry, parking, stuff like that, they were a disruptor in the industry when it came to unattended.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: What we've done is we've doubled down on that vertical and you'll see a lot coming out at the end of this year, in 2024, on how we're actually tripling down, because when you stay focused on a vertical and one thing, you don't get distracted by other things.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: We have a whole business unit that has stood up just for our unattended.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: Then, of course, the other verticals that we're getting into is going to be very strategic on our plays and our technology and our capabilities the agent field that we have, the agents and ISOs that are out there.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: We have over 2,000 of them.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Of course they go after restaurants, they go after hair salons, they go after bakeries you name it.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: They go after it.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: We'll take it.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: That's on the agent side.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: But the integrated side it's more focus-driven.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: The agent side it's more of a wide net.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: This may be something that comes up later, but I'm going to go ahead and ask it here.
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: There's this, obviously, trend towards, as you mentioned, this vertical focus and even software companies becoming payments companies and I think, has even moved beyond payments to embedded finance.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: How does that all play into your company?
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: It actually plays very well.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: If you surveyed 10 different people in the industry and they asked who is Payrock, you'll get some responses.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: We're mega ISO.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: We focus on agents.
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: We're the last safe place for agents to go to.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: We take care of the agents agent, agent, agent, agent.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: Some of that is true.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: A lot of that is wrong.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: We're not, of course, a large, glorified ISO.
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: We are a choir and a processor, also on the agent side.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Look the agent and the ISO business has gotten us here.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: A lot of the acquisitions that we've done in the past is agent or partner focused, not integrated focused, and even myself, starting in 2003, we were always agent focused.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: So I have agent in my blood and we know where the landscape is going, we know what people are shifting to and, with the acquisitions that we've done in the people that we brought on some of the employees that we brought on in the sea level, in the sea sweet from kyan, from teases, from first data from fis, we have really transformed ourselves over the last two years into more of a product led, integrated led organization which we lead with technology, and we still bolster up and take care of our agent base and what we're doing and how we're doing it there, but we are very, very laser focused.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: I'm attacking the integrated space special when it comes to unattended and some of the other verticals that we're looking into.
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: In the payments in fintech industry.
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: Merchants and their customers have increased expectations around on the channel commerce.
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: So, in collaboration with nmi, the fully integrated payment solution built to scale, we've launched the be solid campaign, where, in this series, will explore the ability to accept payments anytime, anywhere, using any device.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Will dive deep into mobile acceptance via contactless tap on phone, qr codes, wallets and more.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: We will hear from companies like off via cantaloupe, google and more.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: To listen to the latest episodes, visit leaders and payments dot com or nmi dot com.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: Slash resources, slash podcasts.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: In a world full of squares and stripes, be solid.
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: What would you say?
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: Differentiate your company from your competitors out there.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: What differentiates us is our commitment to both the traditional and the tech enabled payment partners.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: So that goes a long way because we are committed to them and one of our core values is we always do what's right, even when someone is not looking.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: That's extremely hard to say in the world we live in today, but that's been a staple for not only payrock but myself since we started and I remember looking at my brother and cousin in the eye twenty years ago and said how are we gonna differentiate ourselves in the industry?
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: And exactly what I just said is exactly what we're doing today Just be better than your competitor and do it all on trust.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: We never forget that.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: Our agent channels what got us here today.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: But the goal is to shift the pie and create a larger segment of our business in the integrated space and we believe we have a huge opportunity to disrupt the card holder present experience with our tech.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: We've made a lot of acquisitions, like I spoke on, that is giving us a leg up in industries like unattended ev.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: You know, tech department is focused on creating a seamless payment experience and turn payments into a revenue driver and, with our tech department right now just being just over two hundred employees.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: We are focused on being that differentiator and there's gonna be a couple things that we're gonna do and that we've done that will be a differentiator as far as product or tech goes, but the number one thing that people are looking for is a great experience, because experiences almost everything in this industry.
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: If you give that customer, that partner, a great experience, they're gonna come back and they're gonna tell their friends and family about.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I love the great experiences differentiator.
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: Where do you see the payments industry headed, say, in the next three to five years?
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: exactly what we're just talking about, greg.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: It's no secret that payments is headed toward integration and consolidation.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of consolidation out there in the market with Different acquisitions and some of the larger players gobbling up some of the medium sized players, if not smaller players.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: People want that easy button.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: They want the experience in the swiftness to process a payment.
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Even me, when I'm processing a payment, I just did one earlier for a doctor's office.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: It was easy, it was simple, the experience was fantastic and I was done in thirty seconds.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: That's what people are looking for.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: You know, you've already seen it, with Every major processor acquiring gateways and point of sale companies.
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: That's the future.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: These companies are up and coming, will get looked at, buy some of the larger players and those larger players are looking for tokens to enhance the experience, because some of these players that are coming up are tech driven product like organizations.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: I was talking to someone the other day and they're like you know.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: A lot of people will say you want the payment experience to disappear or be frictionless.
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: I like the way that you're putting it is it's a great experience.
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: How many instances can payments go away completely?
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: Right, there's always the uber example, but what's the reality of that?
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: I love the concept of the great experience because there's always going to be payments and there's always going to be an experience.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: I don't know if you agree with that, but that's kind of what I've heard.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: Even the experience we get when our customers call in to our operations center.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: They want a good experience in hanging up that telephone, the same.
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: That was easy, that was simple, from the experience of boarding a client To integrating the client, to processing with the client, to settling with the client and then, when they do have issues the call, in having that human interaction.
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: That goes a long way and that gives them a good payment experience.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: And we're a very hands-on organization to where that's how we started.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Just to be totally transparent, greg, there's still a lot of clients that have my personal cell phone number that I still take calls on, because they're clients that have been with me since the beginning and they trust us and they trust me, and that goes a long way, not only in this organization and this company, but also in the world.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: Trust is a lot and when you lose someone's trust it doesn't go well.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: So we've always tried to do the right thing.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: Of course there's times where it's difficult, but you give that client a great experience.
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: They're gonna come back.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: Yep, totally agree.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: So let's switch gears a little bit and talk about you.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: So tell us about your journey to your role there as president at Payrock.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so, like I said, in 2003 my brother, nick Oberman and my cousin Ryan Hallett myself Started a company called Retriever of Chicago, which we then rebranded in the Payrock.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: And then, through all the acquisitions and mergers, we are now a much different company and for the first 13 years of my business I kind of ran the president slash CFO role.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: I did go to school for accounting and finance and I worked with major merchants we're a smaller organization so it's easier to do that.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: And then 2016, when we did our acquisition of iTransact, I went to full-time CFO and major merchants.
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: It kind of got out of the president role.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: And then, fast-forwarding the 2018, when we acquired integrity payment systems in Displayans, illinois and became that acquirer, myself and Michael Ponder actually shared the president role and he was the CEO and president of integrity and over at, say, about a six-month time frame, we were doing a transition of me rolling into that president role.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: And then in 2019 we did a merger with Parthenon Capital as our PE firm, which is an amazing company, an amazing capital partner.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: And within that merger and Acquisition, three other companies came along pay scape out of Atlanta, next gen International or next gen that came out of Montana, and then Caledon, which is our Canadian platform, and within that acquisition, of course, there is already an organization that had a CEO, that had a president and Parthenon and my father at the time asked me to take a step to the right and be the chief revenue officer and really grow sales and get this Organization humming and all integrated on what we're doing in our agent space, our inside sales and direct space, our international space and then our integrated space.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: So I played that role for about a year and then I rolled back into the president role, running the full day-to-day job of what we call president, and I love it.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: I love dealing with our 800 plus employees.
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: I love dealing with the executive team.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: Of course there's going to be challenges, but I thrive off of those challenges.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: I'm a very active individual.
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: I'm up at 4 30 every morning and go to bed at 10, 10, 30.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: I have unlimited amounts of energy.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: So I get still put up with all that and deal with all that.
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: And you know what?
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: I cherish the moments that I have, because I know those employees that we have are partners of ours and they'll lock arms with us and I'm a big, big Advocator of I don't care what my title is I'm going to lock arms with you, even if you're answering the phones, if you're underwriting a deal, if you're boarding a deal, if you're marketing, if you're cleaning the facilities, I'm going to lock arms with you and help you do that together, regardless of a title.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: And that shows true leadership when you do get your hands dirty, and that was taught to me at an early age from my father.
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: So did you ever think in 2003, 20 years ago, that you'd be helping to run an organization of 800 people?
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: Never, never at all.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: You know, I went to college for a year.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: I didn't drop out.
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: I decided to move out and start what is now called Pay Rock and we just started as a sales organization and we went out every single day and our goal was to create such a great network in the area we lived in to, where the word of mouth went out, that these are good guys and they're actually helping our company, not only saving us money but giving us new ways to accept payments.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: And they're crazy.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: They gave us their cell phone numbers and I remember dating my wife back in the day and then getting married.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: She put up with it and I'd get the late night calls and I had a client that was 24 seven.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: That was our largest client and they're actually still with us today.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: I'd get calls in the middle of the night at one or two am and I'd have to answer those and not much has changed.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: Never knew I was going to be in this spot, but I am blessed.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: The Lord has blessed me and my family in this organization in ways I could never think of that's awesome.
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: So what are some things you're passionate about?
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: So, maybe one work related passion and one personal passion.
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Work related passion honestly is I get to work with amazing people and I'm not saying that just to make the people who are going to listen from Payrox had big.
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: But the individuals I get to work with is not only my father and my brother and my cousin and some other family members, but I get to work with experienced individuals that have degrees in college I don't that have been around the block, that have sold organizations, that have already made great money in this company and this industry.
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: I apologize.
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: And then I get to deal with and work with the people who are really looking up to you to say I want to follow in your footsteps.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: I've been told this a couple of times that we are just recreating the blueprint that Payrox did.
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: So you already laid the groundwork for us.
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: That's so cool to hear.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: Never thought I'd be in that position.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: I always thought of myself as a leader but never thought I'd be in the position I'm in.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: I'm going to go back to it's been because we've done the right thing.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: And you could go on all the reviews of Payrox.
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: Of course there's going to be the naysayers, but overall we have given a great experience to not only our employees but our customers.
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: And then on the personal side, honestly I'd say my family.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: That's my passion.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: I have six little kids.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: I actually just turned 40 years old yesterday.
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: My kids are 13.
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: Down the three, my kids and my wife are what makes me get up every single morning, to continue to go.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: When I'm away from my wife, if it's a day or three days, all I want to do is be with my wife and all I want to do is be with my kids.
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: So I would say my passion is my family.
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: Of course there's other things I play the drums, I'm an advert golfer, I'm really big into my church, but at the end of the day it all comes back to family and that's what I have instilled into Pay Rock, because family is most important to me.
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: I've been taught in life that God comes first, family comes second, works third or fourth, and if you're not putting your family first, then you're going to be in some trouble down the road.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: I'm not saying don't disregard what you're doing and your work and your job, but all these individuals that have come on the town halls I do to all 800 plus employees.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: I talk about family, I talk about how important that is.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: I talk about if your son or daughter has that baseball game or that soccer game.
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: But you have that report you got to finish.
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: You better go to that baseball or soccer game.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: That is far more important than what we're doing here at Pay Rock, because family will always, always be there for you and that goes a long way with me and I'm a huge advocate of that and that has stuck with me since the beginning of time.
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: Awesome.
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: Well, thanks for sharing that.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: Next question.
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: So again, it goes around kind of advice.
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: So it's a good segue as someone who's been in the industry for a long time.
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: Let's say you have someone coming to you and they've just graduated and they're looking at the payments industry and they're like, wow, I want to build a career in that industry and they want to come to work for you.
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: Or they just want to find a company and payments are fintech, but they want to build a career and they say, hey, adam, what should I do to be successful in this industry?
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: What would you tell them?
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: I would tell them to dig into every facet of the industry.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: Payments is confusing.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: There are so many players across each part of the payments experience, so it's worth learning about each one to get a complete picture of everything that they're doing.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: And go back to your roots and say what did I like out of that experience?
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: I just went through what really caught my attention.
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: If you come in the pair today, you can learn about the 800 different products that we have.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: Don't focus on the 800 different products.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: Focus on what drives you and what excites you, and be true to yourself.
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: Don't let the negativity or the people that are doing it the wrong way push you in that way.
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: Very tempting.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Always do what's right.
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: You're going to win.
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: Trust me, you will win.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: And Is a lot of decisions that we made and I personally made actually just made a really tough one this morning about a decision that would have been great for payrock when it comes to the revenue, but the sense of it just did not sit right with me and it didn't sit right with our core values and how we're going to market.
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: So be true to yourself.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: Don't get wrapped up in all the crap that happens in this industry, because it's very easy To get wrapped up in that.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: And the main thing I'm gonna say again is focus.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: If you can focus in one or two areas and not get distracted by all these other areas.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: If you're not going to go in the restaurant, don't focus on point of sale systems.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: If you're gonna go to automotive shops, focus on what their needs are and what their wants are and align that with the company that has the tech to support those.
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: Don't go with the company that's really good In the restaurant and think that you're gonna do very well when it comes to automotive or if it comes to laundry mats.
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: You're not gonna do well there.
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: So really do your research and you do diligence.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: I have a lot of friends that are Agents of ours and I was help.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: Do your due diligence on not only payrock but the industry.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: Parent might not be the place for you, but do your due diligence.
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: Let's talk through it and if it's the fit for you and it's a right fit for you, then we're gonna help you along the way.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: We're gonna hold your hand and we're going to make sure you are successful, because if you're not successful, we failed you.
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: That's great advice.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: So, adam, we've covered a lot of ground around the company, the industry, your journey and your passions.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: Is there anything else you'd like to cover before we wrap up the show?
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: No, real quick.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: I go back to the advice.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: I'm not gonna say I'm a veteran in this, cuz I'm only 40 years old.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: I did start when I was 20 and I've seen a lot, I've experienced a lot, and I'm gonna still say you know, go back to your roots, go back to what your passion about and always follow your heart.
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: There's gonna be a lot of people that will try to stray you away and get you in another direction.
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: As long as you're focused, you're gonna be in the right spot.
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: You're gonna get burned over the years I've got burn numerous times, but those of taught me and those of Help me build into the individual I am in, the leader I am, and surround yourself with positive people.
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: It's hard when you get the negative people around you that they just pull you down and drag you down.
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: You gotta stay focused and eliminate those distractions and that's the number one thing that has really helped me through the journey that I've gone through and just be who you are.
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: Don't change just cuz someone wants you to change.
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: Great thanks for sharing that's great advice.
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: So, adam, thank you so much for your time today.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: I know it's very valuable.
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: So again, thank you for being on the show today thank you very much, I appreciate it.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: And to all you listeners out there.
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: I thank you for your time as well, and until the next story.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us this week on the leaders in payments podcast.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Make sure you visit our website at leaders in payments dot com where you can subscribe to the show and where you'll find our show notes.
• 25:53
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