Building a Social Media Strategy That Works w/ Tori Gatanis

Easy Money, Hard Lesson: The Truth About Payment Processor Loans

Today we are talking about something I have personal experience with and personal regret about: payment processor loans. Square loans, PayPal Working Capital, Shopify Capital, Stripe Capital, whatever version your payment processor offers, these products have become incredibly common for small business owners. I understand why because I’ve used them for my business.  I want to be upfront: this is not going to be an episode where I tell you these loans are evil and you should never touch them. That’s not the full truth, and I don’t do half-truths on this show.  There are situations where these loans can make sense. However, there are also situations where they quietly drain your cash flow, make budgeting harder, and leave you wondering how something that felt like a lifeline turned into a weight around your neck. I’ve been in both situations. In this episode, I’m breaking down how payment processor loans and merchant cash advances actually work, what they cost you in real terms, and why the way they are marketed can make them feel much simpler than they really are. We’ll talk about factor rates, daily holdbacks, and the difference between a flat fee and a true interest rate. I’m also sharing the real numbers from my own $30,000 Square loan for Salt and Charm: what I borrowed, what I paid back, how much came out of my sales every month, and what that same money may have cost through a more traditional loan option. Seeing the numbers laid out clearly was eye-opening. We’ll also talk about when these loans might make sense, when they absolutely do not, and why taking a second advance to manage the first one is a major red flag. If you’ve ever clicked into one of those offers sitting in your dashboard and thought, “That would be easy,” this episode is for you. The biggest takeaway is this: payment processor loans are not inherently bad. They are a tool. Before you accept one, you need to understand the real cost, the repayment structure, and how it is going to feel when money is coming out of your account every single day. Sometimes convenience is worth the price. But sometimes that price is thousands of dollars more than you needed to pay. Listen in if you have ever considered a Square, PayPal, Shopify, or Stripe funding offer, or if you are trying to figure out the smartest way to access capital for your business without creating more cash flow stress. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.

Building a Business That Can Pivot, Grow, and Still Feel Personal w/ Beth Faulkner

In this episode of Business From Scratch, I’m joined by Beth Faulkner, co-owner and founder of End of Days Distillery here in Wilmington’s Cargo District. Beth and her husband, Shane, opened their distillery in February of 2020, had six wild weeks of normal business, and then had to figure out how to survive a pandemic as a brand-new company. Beth shares what it was like to pivot almost overnight from cocktails and spirits to producing hand sanitizer for the community, and how that decision not only helped them stay afloat but also rooted them deeply in Wilmington. We talked about what it takes to keep moving when the plan completely falls apart, and why the businesses that last are usually the ones willing to change. We also got into the real-life dynamics of running a business with your spouse. Beth and Shane have been business partners for most of their marriage, and she shared so much wisdom about communication, trust, respect, and remembering that your business cannot become your entire identity. One of my favorite parts of this conversation was our discussion about team. Beth talks about hiring for personality, empowering people without micromanaging, promoting from within, and making decisions that support work-life balance, even when those decisions may not look like the most profitable choice on paper. We also talked about diversifying revenue streams, from the lounge and retail shop to canned cocktails, bourbon aging, and cask investments. End of Days is a great example of building a business with grit, intention, community, and a whole lot of heart. You can find End of Days Distillery on Instagram at @eoddistillery or online at eodistillery.com. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.

Building a Social Media Strategy That Works w/ Tori Gatanis

This week on Business From Scratch, I’m joined by one of my favorite people: Tori Gatanis from Brave Creative. You may not know her name yet, but if you’ve followed the social media for this podcast, Salt + Charm, The Starling, or plenty of Wilmington brands, you’ve absolutely felt her work. In this episode, we talk about what it really looks like to bring in a social media manager, and why good social media is not just about posting pretty pictures or jumping on every trend. Tori shares how her team translates a brand’s identity into an online presence that feels human enough to connect and strategic enough to perform over time. We also get into the big question so many business owners wrestle with: how do you know when it’s time to hand social media off? Because yes, it is an investment. But when you’re spending hours trying to keep up with Instagram, TikTok, trends, captions, metrics, and algorithms, that’s time and energy you’re not spending actually growing your business. Tori also opens up about becoming the sole owner of Brave Creative, what shifted when the business became fully hers, and how important community has been in figuring out the parts of business no one magically knows how to do. From P&Ls to payroll to health insurance, we talk about the very real “I don’t know, but give me five minutes, and I’ll figure it out” energy that every entrepreneur needs. If you’ve ever wondered whether your business is ready for social media support, how to think about ROI, or why strategy matters more than posting for the sake of posting, this episode is for you. You can find Brave Creative at @bravecreativeagency on Instagram or online at bebravecreative.co [https://www.bebravecreative.co/]. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.

The Long Game: Building Your Brand's Reputation Before You Need It

In this episode of Business From Scratch, we’re talking about something that doesn’t show up on your P&L, can’t be tracked in a spreadsheet, and takes years to build, but when you need it, nothing else comes close: your reputation. Here’s the truth: most business owners don’t think about their reputation until something goes wrong. A bad review comes in, a client has a poor experience, a partnership falls apart, or word starts spreading in a way you don’t love. But the businesses that win long-term are the ones that build their reputation quietly, consistently, and intentionally before they ever need to rely on it. Today, I’m breaking down what reputation really is, how it gets built, how it gets damaged, and the behaviors that can quietly cost you trust over time. We’re talking about doing what you say you’re going to do, communicating when things get hard, honoring agreements, and choosing character over convenience, even when it costs you something. I’m also sharing the daily practices that help you protect and grow your reputation: showing up consistently, over-communicating, treating everyone in your ecosystem like they matter, doing the right thing, and managing your online presence with grace. If your reputation has already taken a hit, we’ll talk honestly about how to start rebuilding it one interaction at a time. Your reputation is not a soft, feel-good concept. It is one of the most valuable business assets you have. It shortens your sales cycle, gives you pricing power, attracts better clients and partners, and becomes a referral engine that works for you long after the interaction is over. This is the long game, and it is absolutely worth playing. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.

Partnership, Pricing, and Staying Creative w/ Matt Ray

In this episode, I’m sitting down with my business partner and longtime friend, Matt Ray. Matt is the co-owner of The Starling, was my co-founder at The Ibis, and has also been one of the creative people behind so much of the visual identity of Salt + Charm over the years. We have known each other since we were kids, so this conversation gets personal in the best way. We talk about what it’s really like to go into business with a friend, what made our partnership work, and what we would absolutely do differently if we could go back. Opening one bar was exciting. Opening a second one may have happened a little too quickly, and selling The Ibis taught both of us a lot about letting go of something you built and trusting that it can keep becoming what it needs to be without you. We also get into Matt’s work as a food and lifestyle photographer, how he built that career, and what it looks like to stay creative in an industry that is constantly changing. We talk about iPhone content, AI, short-form video, print work, and why authenticity still matters so much when you’re trying to tell the story of a brand. And of course, we talk about pricing creative work, because that is a whole thing. Matt shares what it has been like to figure out what his work is worth, why not every client is your client, and how hard it can be to quote a price when the value of creative work can feel so personal. This is one of those conversations that reminds me that business is never just business. It is relationships, timing, trust, hard decisions, creative pivots, and learning when to hold on and when to let something go. Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero. The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way. Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.