SmallCakes: Solving a Big Problem for a Small Business

In 2016 new small business owner Camille Kesler, a non-profit executive, became the owner of SmallCakes Cupcakery, part of the wildly popular SmallCakes Cupcakery franchise that has more than 100 cupcakeries across the country.

One of her first objectives was to make sure that her back-office systems could keep pace with the growth plans she had for her business. “When doing the due diligence to determine if I should purchase this store I discovered that the lack of back office systems would be a challenge,” said Kesler. “There was no real data available on operating expenses to help us determine if this was going to be a money-making venture. We manually gathered the data and determined to move forward, but quickly decided that we needed to invest in technology to ensure we had all the data necessary to run a profitable business.”

As the new CEO of her business, one of Kesler’s first decisions was to work with Sage, a provider of accounting software for small to medium sized businesses, implementing their hybrid-cloud accounting software solution. “Within a short period of time I went from have little insight into my business to having great clarity on my financials, enabling me to have much more control of my business,” Kesler shared. “As an entrepreneur, if you are smart about your use of technology, you can run your businesses more efficiently and effectively.”

A Challenge Rises

Once SmallCakes was up and running and Kesler felt more confident in her company’s profitability, she quickly realized that there was something else was missing in her financial workflow.

Managing the financials of her business and enhancing her bottom line – getting more customers in-store and/or placing orders for those decadent cupcakes — required Kesler to assess her point of sale process. “Most of my customers wanted a cashless transaction. I immediately knew that SmallCakes needed a new point of sale system, one that could easily integrate into our new accounting. I knew that I didn’t need to settle for an old school swipe and manually enter process,” she explained.

The Solution: Enter Paya

Her small business’ requirements included an affordable and easy to use point of sale system that also did more than just process sales and accept payments. SmallCakes also wanted a provider that could include time-saving features that could link to its accounting software and help analyze sales data, manage inventory as well as facilitate other capabilities that made it easier to run and grow the business.

“The debit and credit card processing market is a competitive one, so only those that can provide additional value stand out,” said Kesler. “The decision to integrate Paya into my business was an easy one. Once I knew it seamlessly integrated with the Sage 50c and that it would save me money, I said ‘let’s go for it’.”

In addition to baking the best cupcakes and baked goods in town and providing the best customer service, Kesler was focuses on attaining her profitability goals. “Owning a small business is hard work and pretty much a 24-7 job so business intelligence is super important to me. I am a baker but also a business woman – I need to know what is going on with my cash flow, incoming and outgoing expenses and profit and loss.”

Thanks to Paya, what used to be a tedious manual process is now a simple exercise. “Our new payment solution eliminated manual keying of transactions and saved us a lot of time!” exclaimed Kesler. “And it was super simple to get up and running. It took a day to deploy and about two days to begin receiving the funds.”

Paya addressed all of Kesler’s requirements, and then some:

  • Accept all major credit cards
  • Provide flexible payment options including added flexibility and easier ways to get paid such as multiple transaction options with the flexibility to add optional features like automated deposit payments (one-time or recurring)
  • Mobile payment capability
  • Payment card industry compliance which enables a secure network, protect cardholder data, monitor and perform quality

Positive Results

“I initially thought all I needed was a point of sale system that integrated into my back-office software. I quickly learned that I could get so much more,” shared Kesler. “The data that we get from Paya’s point of sale software gives me further insight into my business such as sales data and trends, customer order history and inventory management. And, with their mobile payment option we can accept payments anywhere. Paya also gives me the peace of mind knowing that my credit card transactions are secure using the latest and greatest compliance metrics.”

Thanks to her integrated point of sale and accounting systems, whether she is working from home, the bakery or at her daughter’s ballet rehearsal, Kelser has a life line to her business. “Being efficient and effective in all aspects of my business enabled me to ensure my life has balance. With three daughters and a husband at home, SmallCakes is just part of what I must focus on every day. Knowing that with a quick look at my phone I can see what orders have come in, helps me plan my day. Time management is the only way I can get everything done and Paya has definitely helped with that.”

“I can’t say enough about Paya, their solutions are simple to use, easy to get up and running and reliable – what more could an entrepreneur need!”