Synergy Merchant Services is a proud member of both the CRFA (Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association) and the CFIB (Canadian Federation of Independent Business). In our quest to service small to medium sized businesses all across Canada, we thought it best to partner with such organizations that have the good of the Canadian economy at heart. Each of these esteemed groups work steadily to support their members, becoming their “voice” when necessary, helping to foster the growth and prosperity of each of their respective businesses.

CRFA

Synergy Merchant Services has been one of the over 33,000 members of the CRFA for the past year. Since the CRFA’s inception in 1944, they have largely represented restaurants, bars, cafeterias and social and contract caterers, as well as accommodation, entertainment and institutional foodservice.

Their mission is “to create a favourable business environment and deliver tangible value to (their) members in all sectors of Canada's foodservice industry”. This has been achieved through a number of services provided to their members including:

Synergy Merchant Services has always been a proud supporter of small to medium sized Canadian businesses. Having provided merchant cash advances through our unique program to such merchants over the past three years, Synergy excitedly looks forward to growing our relationships with many more businesses across the nation.

So, picking up where we left off last year, Synergy is hitting the radio waves with a fun and informative ad campaign! Here’s where you’ll hear us:

THE FAN 590

The FAN 590 – Toronto’s Sports Radio – is Canada’s leading sports radio station. The flagship station for the radio broadcasts of Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto Argonauts (CFL) and Toronto Marlies (AHL) games, The FAN 590 clearly has Toronto covered in the world of professional sports.

An automatic go-to station on many Toronto sports fans’ AM dials, The FAN 590 is widely known for its exciting and enlightening sports news broadcasts. Such shows include “The Morning Show” with Don Landry and Gord Stellick, “The Bullpen” with Mike Hogan and Mike Toth and especially “Prime Time Sports” with Bob McCown. Heralded as “the nation’s most listened to talk show presentation”, “Prime Time Sports” is also broadcast as a television show on Toronto’s SportsNet television station.

In May of 2008, Synergy Merchant Services began advertisements on The FAN 590 through an inventive and catchy on-air ad. Thanks in large part to this commercial, Synergy saw a major rise in Southern Ontario business owners calling in to hear about our alternative source of merchant funding. We’re happy to say that more and more merchants are discovering that their dreams of expanding their businesses are not far from becoming realities.

Many of our clients who have heard the ad on The FAN 590 were pleasantly surprised to find out how quick and easy getting a free quote for a cash advance from us was. Synergy is proud to know that many businesses in the Southern Ontario region, who have taken advantage of our cash advance program after making that initial phone call, are now flourishing. This came as a result of the extra capital they attained through the program and the ways in which they put it to good use.

In 2009, Synergy Merchant Services looks forward to beginning a brand new ad campaign on The FAN 590 in anticipation of working with even more regional businesses that will surely benefit from our program as well.

THA O SHOW

Tha O Show (www.thaoshow.com) is a Toronto-based website that plays host to daily blogs and a popular weekly internet radio show that just celebrated 100 episodes! With hosts Big Daddy Donnie and Dan-e-o presenting a new episode each and every Thursday, this site has become an international success by revolutionizing the concept of “Locker Room Radio”: a special concoction of spirited and often comedic discussions with the world of professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, music and popular culture as the foundation for each debate.

With a bunch of guest appearances and interviews, impromptu musical performances and outlandishly humorous takes on practically every topic of discussion, this internet radio program is growing in popularity by the minute!

Tha O Show’s recent release of OBLIVION! Tha Indy Wrestling Album was a first in both the professional wrestling and music worlds. The 16-song CD features all original entrance themes for professional wrestlers who hone their craft and earn their living predominantly in the Southern Ontario region.

Tha O Show is one of those Canadian-owned businesses, that like Synergy Merchant Services, works diligently to support the Canadian economy and the amazing and diverse local communities that make this nation great. Synergy Merchant Services will begin advertising on Tha O Show this week to develop even greater relationships with small to medium size business owners all throughout Canada.

So, “listen out” for Synergy! We’re coming to a radio near you!

“You cannot imitate what everyone else is doing and stand head and shoulders above the competition at the same time. The timid shall remain forever invisible. You must look at the competition to see what they’re not doing, instead of emulating what they do.”
-John Meloche’s motto

Long-winded? Maybe. Poignant? Perhaps. Accurate? Definitely!

These words have helped guide Synergy Merchant Services’ Vice President of Marketing, John Meloche along a road to success that is far from being completely paved. Today, on John’s 29th birthday, while still on his quest to achieving greater accomplishments, it is he who is doling out the gifts! Among the most invaluable are his inspiring mantras about how to find success in one’s field of choice.

Quite the success story before even having entered his 30s, John was interviewed this past weekend by SuccessCircuit.com and shared his wealth of knowledge and experience with the world of young would-be entrepreneurs.

January 26th is not just John’s birthday. Today, John Meloche celebrates 14 years in the marketing, consulting and web design businesses. As he explains in his interview, John is the owner of three incorporated companies and the co-owner of two more. He has all of this today although his original objective was to simply spend some time dipping his hands into ‘just-for-fun’ ventures. “I used to do everything in my power to do and get everything for free hoping the next free job I (did would) lead to bigger and better things” says John.

However, the success of John’s business endeavors began when he discovered that “bartering” was more advantageous than working for free. He soon negotiated having posted ads for his businesses on the websites he designed, thus gaining him the experience needed to adequately learn how to self-promote. Now, for example, John is a master at utilizing as many of the best key words possible to maximize traffic to his websites through search engines like Google and Yahoo.

You may be wondering who the source of John’s main inspiration is. Good friend, Jason Liddard, says John (and Benjamin Franklin, of course. How could one not be inspired by someone’s whose face is on money?!). It was Liddard who encouraged the birthday boy to do what he loves and persue his dreams setting him on a path to having one goal in mind: “to be the most successful person I can be”.

Of course, John encountered some hardships and potential disasters along the way. However, the word “failure” never really entered John’s vocabulary. During the SuccessCircuit.com interview, he speaks of a system crash ten years ago that caused the hard drive on his computer to fail. Losing the work done for several clients’ projects, John had to do some damage control in an effort to not completely lose his client base. Through truthful explanations and apologies, John was able to salvage some of his customers, unfortunately losing those who could not be appeased.

More importantly, John learned a key lesson in data storage. Having processes in place to ensure that such a calamity never repeats itself today, John now also lives by another motto: “That which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”.

These days John mainly manages his many projects instead of getting his “hands dirty”. “My experience now is typically best spent directing others”, says John. And no one does that better than John!

As the Vice President of Marketing at Synergy Merchant Services, John was recently crowned the Greater Toronto Area’s “Ultimate Office Manager“! His tireless efforts to encourage and motivate his staff, in addition to the expert work he has put into perfecting “The Melochenator” – Synergy’s secured online data base and client filing system – continue to prove that John’s dedication, determination and positive attitude are the key ingredients to his success.

By the still-youthful age of 29, (John insists he’ll be celebrating his “29th” birthday for years to come), John Meloche has done much more than become a talented and successful entrepreneur. He has endeared himself to his friends and co-workers as an all-around awesome dude. Sometimes teased as a “gentle giant” (John stands at approximately 6’7″!), he is the type of guy that would make one feel compelled to refer to him as “John” throughout an article, as opposed to the traditional ‘reference-by-last-name’ schtick predominant in media reporting.

And while today, John is offering up gifts of inspiration to young entrepreneurs – “Focus on diversification and think about the big scheme of things”, he advises – it is with immense respect and admiration that Synergy Merchant Services wishes John a very happy birthday!

It is not uncommon for people to be concerned about their privacy in this day and age. Identity theft, credit card fraud and a number of other scams that misuse one’s personal information are unfortunately growing as the leading crimes in North America.
As a result, Synergy Merchant Services has always regarded each and every one of our client’s privacy with the utmost importance. Synergy Merchant Services’ Privacy Policy is: “To assist the client in a fast and professional manner, without sacrificing the safety and confidentiality of their personal information.”

It is our number one priority to keep our client’s information in the strictest confidence. In part, we have successfully achieved this through our electronically stored data base: “The Melochenator”. If it sounds to you like “The Melochenator” is a futuristic, privacy-keeping, data-storing, war machine – it is! (All except for the “war machine” part).

In actuality, this online client filing system – which is exclusive to Synergy Merchant Services – and accessible only to our very well-trained staff, allows us to maintain an organized, accurate and easy-to-update data base while upholding all privacy procedures with intense dedication.
In addition to having all of our client files stored via a system accessible only from our Toronto headquarters, Synergy Merchant Services proudly maintains a secure working environment that is nearly 100% paperless.

We are more than halfway through the first month of 2009 already! And this is the time of year when many people have made an important realization. They have either discovered that they will proudly remain steadfast in accomplishing their new year’s resolutions OR they have shamefully already failed in sticking to their guns.

The question is: which category do you fall into?

The answer is: it doesn’t matter!

The beautiful thing about this time of the year is that it is STILL early enough to create a new year’s resolution that you can stick to!

What in your life were you thinking about improving upon?

For many business owners, thoughts of expanding their businesses are especially prevalent in the first month of the year.

The question is: What can be done this year to increase profits from 2008?

Have you been thinking about renovating your shop or perhaps opening a new location? Were you considering advertising your company or possibly hiring new staff? Or is this the time of the year where business is slowest and some extra money would really help out your bottom line?

(Okay, those were several questions).

The answer is: you’re in luck! Synergy Merchant Services is in the business of helping merchants have their new year’s resolutions met!

Contact Synergy today to learn about an alternative source of merchant funding that is quick and easy to attain. By receiving a free, no obligation quote from one of our funding specialists, you will be that much closer to increasing the success of your business in 2009. Learn how much extra capital your business will be approved for and feel confident that your ideas can become realities!

So although we are nearing the end of January…Happy New Year!

January 20, 2009 will go down as one of the most notable dates in history. Today, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America.

This past November, this very blog referred to the United States presidential election as “history making” and Obama’s candidacy as “making waves and headlines all over the world”.

Truly, today’s inauguration of a Barack Obama as president of the United States is an occurrence that many people for many years thought would NEVER happen. In his inaugural address, Obama referred to himself as “a man whose father, less than 60 years ago, might not have been served at a local restaurant (but) can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath”.

Also, in his inaugural address, Barack Obama focused his attention on the concept of unity and equality amongst all. Echoing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – whose birthday was recognized as a national holiday in the U.S. just yesterday – Obama spoke about working in conjunction with “old friends and former foes” in an effort to bring a greater sense of peace to the world.

Over 2 million people gathered in Washington, D.C. to witness this historic occasion. Many, of course, hopeful that the change that Obama has spoken at length about will now come. Even though it may come slowly, as he has affirmed a number of times, today many across the world are unified by the hope of a more prosperous and peaceful future.

I’ve always thought that there should be a high school course on “credit”. Credit ratings, credit history and the importance of having credit in order to afford…pretty much anything of any significance…should be something we all have some knowledge of as we enter our adulthoods.

After graduating from high school, most students – eager to get out into the world and spend! – are still unaware of how much having bad credit can have adverse effects on their lives. Paying off credit cards, and school loans, opening a business, buying a car and especially a home are all major commitments that involve the necessity of having good credit.

I have experienced all of the above and know first hand how important it is to have good credit. While it is inescapable, one’s life should certainly maintain a high level of concern about the evil “I”.
I’m talking about that dreaded inevitable villain: interest!
I have a bunch of problems with the concept of interest.

THE UNKNOWN PAYOFF
The first problem I have with interest accruing on any outstanding balance that I may have is that it’s a mystery. I never know for sure exactly what my TOTAL payment is going to be.

I’m no expert mathematician but I know that regardless of the interest rate, my final balance will be determined by how much I pay towards it and how often a payment is made. This, in and of itself, is an extra emotional strain…especially when you may not have the money to reduce the amount of interest you are paying over time.

PAYMENT BREAKDOWNS
The second problem I have with interest is the way my payments are distributed between my accrued interest and my principle balance. It feels like I am literally throwing my money away knowing that “interest” takes priority over the balance that I actually “borrowed” to begin with.

So if I am paying off $1000 on my credit card and make a $100 payment, I know that my new balance is not $900. The interest that has accrued on the balance has been paid first. The total balance may only have been reduced by $50 for example, depending on the type of balance I’m paying off.

I know that, in many cases, if I were to only make minimum monthly payments, it would literally take decades to pay off my balance in full!

MANDATORY PAYMENT SCHEDULES
The third problem I have with paying off pretty much any interest accruing balance is the mandatory payment schedule. Once a month, I am absolutely required to make a payment…or else!!

It doesn’t matter what my current financial situation is or if I have encountered some sort of unexpected occurrence that may have forced me to dip into my savings, whoever I am making payments towards doesn’t care!

I HAVE to make at least a minimum payment. It would make life a lot easier if I were able to make payments based on a percentage of my income at any given time. That way, I would be confident that I could always afford my payments.

POTENTIAL LATE FEES
This is the worst one yet. As if having to pay interest wasn’t bad enough on its own, if heaven forbid, my payment arrives even one day late, an additional fee will be added to my balance. Talk about stress!

Sometimes I wonder how anyone is able to pay off a debt. If we could afford to pay all of these fees, I doubt we would have borrowed money or utilized our credit to begin with.

Now, of course, paying interest cannot be avoided. Most of us can’t afford to buy a car, condo or a house in one payment! But avoiding interest payments as much as humanly possible is sure to make anyone’s life easier and bank account fuller. This is especially true if you are looking to improve upon your life.

I believe that whether for personal or professional ambitions, success can most easily be attained when one can work with “sure things” as opposed to variables.

Having a friend pick you up to drive to an important event exactly at 7pm – instead of “shortly” – is certainly more gratifying.

Having an exact cost versus an accruing interest rate? Ditto.

For the past year, Synergy Merchant Services has been a proud associated member of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. And for the second straight year in a row, Synergy will be appearing at the CRFA Show which takes place between March 8 and 10 at Canada’s largest venue – the world class Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto.

Synergy Merchant Services has moved locations! Proudly known as Canada’s Merchant Funding Company, Synergy’s new Toronto head office is now located at 10 Kodiak Crescent in Toronto Ontario.

Synergy Merchant Services’ original home base was 110 Sheppard Ave East. For the past three years at this location, Synergy had grown into Canada’s leader in the merchant funding industry by helping Canadian businesses to similarly grow through the assistance of our exciting program.

By providing an alternative source of extra capital to business owners across the nation, a wide range of companies have afforded themselves the ability to engage in such endeavors as buying new equipment and inventory, renovating or expanding.

With a prosperous 2009 ahead of Synergy Merchant Services in their new home, Canada’s Merchant Funding Company excitedly looks forward to continuing to grow while helping their clients to do the same.