Eliot Buchanan's guest appearances

Eliot Buchanan

Action and Ambition

The Small BizChat

Kevin Hart

Neil Patel

Aubrey Marcus

Chloe Carmichael

Dorie Clark

Anjali Bhimani

Jason Lee

Willie Nelson

Kevin Jordan

David Katz

Chris Lee

Rachael O'Brien

Jason Miller

Khaled Naim

Amy Porterfield

OwlTail

Eliot Buchanan is the Co-Founder of Plastiq, a company that helps small businesses send and receive payments via credit card or cash for any expense. His strategic vision and innovative business model have helped thousands of companies receive billions of dollars in payments, many in cash where credit cards are not accepted. Originally from Canada, Eliot holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University. His mission is to make it easier for businesses to handle payments, boost cash flow and control their finances. Eliot joins me today to discuss why he chose to start his business and how it helps small business owners. He reveals his biggest takeaways from last year's challenges and how they are impacting his approach to business in 2021. He explains why the pandemic's adversity will create a boom in the entrepreneurial world and how you can take control of your small business finances. He highlights the needs of small businesses that need solutions right now and shares his advice for anyone looking to secure business funding to save their company. He also shares his predictions for the small business community in the coming year and the possible challenges they face in 2021.   “In this post-crisis world, being cautiously optimistic and preserving optionality is going to be the key to getting through 2021.”- Eliot Buchanan   This week on SmallBizChat Podcast:  Why Elliot chose to start Plastiq to help small business owners Elliot's most significant takeaway as a business owner going into 2021 following the challenges of last year Why 2021 will be a boom year for new business startups and entrepreneurs How small business owners can take control of their money in 2021 The facilities that small businesses need to fulfill right now Advice for business owners looking for funding to save their business Predictions for the small business community in 2021 Challenges that small business owners could face this year    Resources Mentioned:  The Strategy of Blitzscaling Podcast Uber The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Disrupt You! by Jay Samit    Connect with Eliot Buchanan:  Plastiq Plastiq on LinkedIn Plastiq on Instagram Plastiq on Facebook Plastiq on Twitter Eliot Buchanan on LinkedIn Eliot Buchanan on Twitter    Let’s End Small Business Failure - Together! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eliot Buchanan is the Co-Founder of Plastiq, a company that helps small businesses send and receive payments via credit card or cash for any expense. His strategic vision and innovative business model have helped thousands of companies receive billions of dollars in payments, many in cash where credit cards are not accepted. Originally from Canada, Eliot holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University. His mission is to make it easier for businesses to handle payments, boost cash flow and control their finances. Eliot joins me today to discuss why he chose to start his business and how it helps small business owners. He reveals his biggest takeaways from last year's challenges and how they are impacting his approach to business in 2021. He explains why the pandemic's adversity will create a boom in the entrepreneurial world and how you can take control of your small business finances. He highlights the needs of small businesses that need solutions right now and shares his advice for anyone looking to secure business funding to save their company. He also shares his predictions for the small business community in the coming year and the possible challenges they face in 2021. “In this post-crisis world, being cautiously optimistic and preserving optionality is going to be the key to getting through 2021.”- Eliot Buchanan This week on SmallBizChat Podcast: <ul> <li>Why Elliot chose to start Plastiq to help small business owners</li> <li>Elliot's most significant takeaway as a business owner going into 2021 following the challenges of last year</li> <li>Why 2021 will be a boom year for new business startups and entrepreneurs</li> <li>How small business owners can take control of their money in 2021</li> <li>The facilities that small businesses need to fulfill right now</li> <li>Advice for business owners looking for funding to save their business</li> <li>Predictions for the small business community in 2021</li> <li>Challenges that small business owners could face this year</li> </ul> Resources Mentioned: <ul> <li><a href="https://news.greylock.com/the-strategy-of-blitzscaling-9af3b68a5deb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Strategy of Blitzscaling Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubercab&amp;hl=en_US&amp;gl=US" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Uber</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hard Thing About Hard Things</a> by Ben Horowitz</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Disrupt-You-Transformation-Opportunity-Innovation/dp/1250059372" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Disrupt You!</a> by Jay Samit</li> </ul> Connect with Eliot Buchanan: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.plastiq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/plastiq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq on LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/payplastiq/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://facebook.com/payplastiq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq on Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/payplastiq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliot1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eliot Buchanan on LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/eliotbuchanan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eliot Buchanan on Twitter</a></li> </ul> Let’s End Small Business Failure - Together! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the SmallBizChat Podcast - the show on a mission to improve small business success. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-small-bizchat-podcast-podcast/id1478923954" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review. Help us spread the word and end small business failure by sharing your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media. Visit our <a href="https://succeedasyourownboss.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website </a>or follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/smallbizlady" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/smallbizlady" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/smallbizlady/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/melindaemerson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube </a>for more great content, tips, and strategies to improve your small business.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Boost Your Small Business Cash Flow with Eliot Buchanan

Welcome to another episode of Action &amp; Ambition with your host, Andrew Medal. Today’s Guest is Eliot Buchanan.  Eliot Buchanan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Plastiq. Eliot is responsible for defining the strategic vision and industry-changing innovation at Plastiq. He is a creator of disruptive business model innovations and has been actively engaged in several ventures driven by that imperative.  You’re going to love this episode. Let’s get to it! How did Eliot get into FinTech? (0:40)    FinTech has become quite a trend in the business world.    Admittedly, Eliot did not initially choose FinTech but instead chose a problem that he found interesting, and it so happened to be financial services.      Eliot grew up in Canada and came to the US for school, and one of the problems he ran into was that he had no credit score.  If you are new to the US, one way to establish a credit score is by getting a credit card. As a student, this is what Eliot did to build his score almost ten years ago.  Credit cards had been around for over 60 years at the time, and so Eliot tried to pay his tuition payment and was very surprised when he was not allowed to pay that way.   That was the lightbulb moment for Elliot and seeded Plastiq in his mind and excited Elliot to innovate within financial services.   What obstacles did Eliot encounter during his journey? (4:11)  One thing Eliot experiences in financial services was that companies that were already successful often have compliments for the incumbents versus replacements.  To compare it to say, the transportation industry, which has many pain points people wouldn’t argue with. However, in the financial industry, some disruption needed to happen to the incumbent way of life in the financial sector.  Most successful FinTech’s are not trying to replace the incumbents. They like the incumbents and getting along with the system.  Like any industry, there is a lot of bureaucracy and red tape based on partnering with large organizations.  Once partnered with a large organization, those incumbents help you grow your business instead of work against you.   What are some things Eliot things are going to blow up in the next few years? (18:57)  There are several brands that consumers are loyal to in terms of their products and services. A lot of these brands and products that people use daily are not traditional FinTechs.  Looking at the larger tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google, customers willing and have a desire to run banking or their financial lives through the brands and services that they love, even though they weren’t historically a banking tech or in FinTech.  Eliot believes there will come an exciting tipping point in what people look for in managing their finances. This is because so many people complain about their banks, asking consumers which of the brands they use they trust the most, ranking from top to bottom, their bank would usually be one of the last names mentioned.  There’s been a steadily increasing trend of people getting comfortable doing payments and banking from non-traditional banking methods.   How does Eliot keep morale going in his team during the pandemic? (28:20)  Eliot said at the start of things he was trying to add too much for morale-boosting.  They were doing happy ours, virtual lunch cat cafes, or virtual yogas, and people took advantage of those during COVID.  He said he eventually just tried to make sure his employees were separating their home and work life and still taking their lunch breaks.  He also enforced the first Fridays of every month where people would work only half days, and the rest of the time, they must not touch their work.  So just trying to keep that normality and balance because if people are not happy at home, they are not going to be very useful at work.   Plastiq Plastiq is a service that lets individuals and businesses use debit or credit cards to pay vendors that don't otherwise accept those payment methods. Plastiq facilitates one-time or recurring payments for bills such as  rent, mortgage, utilities, daycare, homeowners association fees, and other expenses. You add a debit or credit card to your Plastiq account and charge it in the bill’s amount, and then Plastiq pays the company on your behalf via a method that the vendor accepts:  ACH,  wire transfer, or an old-fashioned paper check. Resources Connect with Eliot: LinkedIn Plastiq: Website Connect with Andrew: LinkedIn

Welcome to another episode of Action &amp; Ambition with your host, Andrew Medal. Today’s Guest is Eliot Buchanan.  Eliot Buchanan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Plastiq. Eliot is responsible for defining the strategic vision and industry-changing innovation at Plastiq. He is a creator of disruptive business model innovations and has been actively engaged in several ventures driven by that imperative.  You’re going to love this episode. Let’s get to it! How did Eliot get into FinTech? (0:40) <ul> <li>FinTech has become quite a trend in the business world. </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Admittedly, Eliot did not initially choose FinTech but instead chose a problem that he found interesting, and it so happened to be financial services. </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Eliot grew up in Canada and came to the US for school, and one of the problems he ran into was that he had no credit score. </li> <li>If you are new to the US, one way to establish a credit score is by getting a credit card. As a student, this is what Eliot did to build his score almost ten years ago. </li> <li>Credit cards had been around for over 60 years at the time, and so Eliot tried to pay his tuition payment and was very surprised when he was not allowed to pay that way.  </li> <li>That was the lightbulb moment for Elliot and seeded Plastiq in his mind and excited Elliot to innovate within financial services. </li> </ul> What obstacles did Eliot encounter during his journey? (4:11) <ul> <li>One thing Eliot experiences in financial services was that companies that were already successful often have compliments for the incumbents versus replacements. </li> <li>To compare it to say, the transportation industry, which has many pain points people wouldn’t argue with.</li> <li>However, in the financial industry, some disruption needed to happen to the incumbent way of life in the financial sector. </li> <li>Most successful FinTech’s are not trying to replace the incumbents. They like the incumbents and getting along with the system. </li> <li>Like any industry, there is a lot of bureaucracy and red tape based on partnering with large organizations. </li> <li>Once partnered with a large organization, those incumbents help you grow your business instead of work against you. </li> </ul> What are some things Eliot things are going to blow up in the next few years? (18:57) <ul> <li>There are several brands that consumers are loyal to in terms of their products and services.</li> <li>A lot of these brands and products that people use daily are not traditional FinTechs. </li> <li>Looking at the larger tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google, customers willing and have a desire to run banking or their financial lives through the brands and services that they love, even though they weren’t historically a banking tech or in FinTech. </li> <li>Eliot believes there will come an exciting tipping point in what people look for in managing their finances.</li> <li>This is because so many people complain about their banks, asking consumers which of the brands they use they trust the most, ranking from top to bottom, their bank would usually be one of the last names mentioned. </li> <li>There’s been a steadily increasing trend of people getting comfortable doing payments and banking from non-traditional banking methods. </li> </ul> How does Eliot keep morale going in his team during the pandemic? (28:20) <ul> <li>Eliot said at the start of things he was trying to add too much for morale-boosting. </li> <li>They were doing happy ours, virtual lunch cat cafes, or virtual yogas, and people took advantage of those during COVID. </li> <li>He said he eventually just tried to make sure his employees were separating their home and work life and still taking their lunch breaks. </li> <li>He also enforced the first Fridays of every month where people would work only half days, and the rest of the time, they must not touch their work. </li> <li>So just trying to keep that normality and balance because if people are not happy at home, they are not going to be very useful at work. </li> </ul> Plastiq <a href="https://www.plastiq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plastiq</a> is a service that lets individuals and businesses use debit or credit cards to pay vendors that don't otherwise accept those payment methods. Plastiq facilitates one-time or recurring payments for bills such as <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/pay-rent-credit-card/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> rent</a>, mortgage, utilities, daycare, homeowners association fees, and other expenses. You add a debit or credit card to your Plastiq account and charge it in the bill’s amount, and then Plastiq pays the company on your behalf via a method that the vendor accepts: <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/ach-transfers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ACH</a>, <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/what-is-a-wire-transfer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> wire transfer</a>, or an old-fashioned paper check. Resources Connect with Eliot: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliot1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> Plastiq: <a href="https://www.plastiq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a> Connect with Andrew: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmedal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

Eliot Buchanan Disrupts Normal Business Models with His Innovative Company Plastiq, Which Processes over $2 Billion Worth of Sales in Goods and Services Yearly

Welcome to another episode of Action &amp; Ambition with your host, Andrew Medal. Today’s guest is Eliot Buchanan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Plastiq, the intelligent payment solutions provider for businesses. The Company offers users the ability to make payments by a registered credit card through the application for purchases that are sometimes not payable by credit card such as tuition, taxes, utilities, and rent. Inspired by his inability to pay his Harvard tuition bill with a credit card, Eliot and Plastiq recently raised $75m in venture capital. You’re going to love this episode. Let’s get to it!l

Welcome to another episode of Action &amp; Ambition with your host, Andrew Medal. Today’s guest is Eliot Buchanan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Plastiq, the intelligent payment solutions provider for businesses. The Company offers users the ability to make payments by a registered credit card through the application for purchases that are sometimes not payable by credit card such as tuition, taxes, utilities, and rent. Inspired by his inability to pay his Harvard tuition bill with a credit card, Eliot and Plastiq recently raised $75m in venture capital. You’re going to love this episode. Let’s get to it!l