For those small businesses that provide services on the road, Intuit’s GoPayment is a way to accept credit card payments on the spot. Instead of sending a customer an invoice for a product or service and then waiting days, or even weeks for payment, the GoPayment card reader and app allows you to either swipe, key-in, or snap a picture of a customer’s credit card and process the transaction immediately.  

To provide authorization for their credit card, the customer signs right within the app and receives a receipt of the transaction by text or email.  The transaction syncs up with QuickBooks and Intuit Point of Sale products, so everything is in the system before you even get back to the office. How cool is that?!      

SparksRent by Intuit

Intuit created SparksRent because handwritten, post-dated rent cheques are outdated and landlords need an alternative to chasing after payments.  This is how SparksRent works:

• Landlords create a SparksRent account and add rental units, tenants’ info, and their own banking info to receive  payments

• Each tenant will receive a welcome email from SparksRent where they are shown how to pay rent through the application and even set up automatic payments

• Each tenant can see all their payments on their dashboard, which is an easy way to make sure you haven’t missed any

• When a rent payment has been made, the landlord receives a notification email with the payment confirmation and can also view all tenant payments on his own dashboard.

A Quick Stop Off at Google

Before the start of the Intuit Reseller Rally, Paul and Danny left the Toronto winter weather behind for an extra day in Silicon Valley to meet up with an old friend, who not only works at Google HQ but who was kind enough to show the guys around.  I was told it was an amazing experience and that both Intuit and Google had pretty incredible offices and corporate cultures.  Here are some pics from outside the Google office and what Paul and Danny had to say.

“Google and Intuit are both highly innovative companies that have been very successful at building products that have won the hearts of both consumers and small businesses. I enjoyed getting a peek into their environments.  Key takeaway: Google has a better staff coffee policy!”

- Paul Jackson, Method CEO

“Visiting Google and Intuit's headquarters provided a sneak peak into what makes each of their workplaces unique. This was also a perfect time to do some self reflection into what makes Method's work environment unique and special. While we aren't there yet, if I were to sum up our workplace it would be a perfect blend of both companies cultures. Creative/playful (Google) and structured/organized (Intuit).”

- Danny, Method COO

(Danny forgot to mention that Method HQ also has a fantastic Friday afternoon beer policy!)