Episode #56 Cut the Fees, Keep the Cash: Sarah Blesi on Payment Systems That Scale

In this episode, I sat down with Sarah Blesi from Simple Clear Payments to talk about one of the most ignored, boring-but-critical pieces of the operations puzzle: payment processing. And before you roll your eyes, hang on. If you’re still using Stripe or PayPal just because it was easy to set up, and you’ve never looked at what it’s actually costing you, you need to hear this.

Sarah is one of those people who makes “unsexy” operations feel powerful. She’s not just cutting people’s fees. She’s giving business owners their time, their freedom, and their control back. And the kicker? It’s not complicated. She’s not waving a magic wand. She’s just paying attention to things most people have ignored for way too long.

We got into the mindset shift around cost versus value. How operational decisions like switching merchant services aren’t just about saving a few bucks. They’re about designing a better lifestyle. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when Sarah tells the story of a caterer she helped. Someone who used to spend an hour every night manually keying in payments, and how switching systems gave him 45 minutes a day back with his kids. That’s what it’s really about. Not percentages. Not spreadsheets. Time.

We also went deep on what I always talk about. That whole “work-life balance” thing is a lie. You’re one human being. You can’t separate your life into neat little compartments. So instead of chasing balance, start building a business that actually supports the life you want. Sarah gets that. Her whole approach is about cutting costs without cutting corners, reclaiming time without adding tech overwhelm, and making smarter choices that serve you now, not just when you hit seven figures.

If you're tired of busywork, buried in Stripe fees, or just sick of the idea that "this is the way it’s always been done," this episode is for you.

Connect with Sarah Blesi on LinkedIn to learn how to cut your processing costs, get your time back, and build a business that doesn’t burn you out.