You’re not losing money from big mistakes. It’s the tiny defaults you never thought to question.
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The Moment You Realize the Fees Are Adding Up
You know that moment when Stripe says you made $10,000 🙌… and then sends you $9,300 😒.
It feels like someone took a bite out of your sandwich before handing it to you.
Founder, merchant fees add up fast, especially when you don’t have the leverage to negotiate rates. And for small businesses, that 2.9% + 30¢ hit isn’t “just a cost of doing business.”
It’s a slow bleed disguised as normal.
While we may not YET have the pockets of EPIC Games to fight the likes of Apple to reduce its fees, we can do our part through some simple methods.
This week, we cut that bleed with tactics that deliver real, measurable savings, even at a small scale:
Shift 20% of payments to ACH → $6,480/year saved
Best for: Service businesses, B2B, high-ticket, recurring invoices
Auto-route large payments to the cheapest rails → $3,528/year
Best for: Service businesses, contractors, agencies, coaching, retainers
Turn off high-fee cards for under $20 items → $600/year
Best for: Retailers, coffee shops, food trucks, small-item e-commerce
Clean your checkout → $120/year
Best for: Both (retail and service), but especially online retailers
Reduce failed charges → $120/year
Best for: Subscription services, SaaS, memberships, invoiced services
If you run all these moves together, you could save ~$10,800 per year
(realistically $6K–$10K, depending on your customer mix).
Every Founder I share this with says the same thing:
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier?”
That’s a full month of payroll for many small businesses, found through clicks, not scale.
Today, we’re zooming in on the biggest lever: shifting 20% of payments to ACH. If you want a deeper dive into any of the other methods, just reply and tell me which one
The Switch That Saves You $6,480/Year
Let’s use a realistic small-business example:
$120,000 monthly revenue
Average transaction: $200
~600 transactions/month
If 20% of customers (120 transactions) switch to ACH:
Total typical monthly savings = $540
Total typical annual savings = $6,480
Why This Works
A $200 credit card payment costs you:
Stripe credit card: 2.9% + 30¢ → $6.10 per transaction
A $200 ACH payment costs you:
Stripe ACH: 0.8% capped at $5 → $1.60 per transaction
You pocket the $4.50 difference.
Zero negotiations.
Zero new software.
Just flipping on ACH and nudging customers.
How to Make the Switch
1. Turn on ACH / Bank Pay in your processor as the first option
Stripe, Square, and most platforms support it, sometimes hidden in settings, like they don’t want you saving money.
2. Make ACH the default for invoices & subscriptions
Most customers won’t switch away.
Default = destiny.
3. Add one friendly line that does the persuasion for you
Use this exact script:
“Pay by bank and help us avoid 3% card fees, which keeps prices steady 😊.”
Customers love feeling helpful.
You love saving $6,480/year.
Everyone wins.
The 10-Minute Fee Drop
Do these now:
Turn on ACH + make it the default
Disable credit cards for < $20 items
Add “Pay by Bank & save us 3%”
Enable Stripe Radar’s free rules
Route >$200 transactions to ACH rail
Clock time: <10 minutes
Impact: Up to 20–40% fee reduction.
Community Note
Founder, you’re not small, you’re just early.
Everyone starts by paying the sticker price.
But now? You’re the Founder who knows the back-door levers.
And you’re not the only one wrestling with fees that feel too small to question but too costly to ignore. Every business tackles this differently, and every experiment (win or flop) teaches the rest of us.
Reply and tell us:
What have you tried to cut Stripe or merchant fees?
What worked?
What backfired?
What surprised you?
We’ll gather the most honest stories and fold them into the NestLedger Playbook, so every Founder learns from the real trenches, not just the polished wins.
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🪺 Resources 📚
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready $10K Grant
Complete two eligible Digital Ready courses or events between July 1 and December 10, 2025, to unlock the $10,000 grant application.
Who’s eligible:
For-profit small businesses in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Non-profit organizations are not eligible.
One application per business
Applicant must be 18+
How to apply:
Finish any 2 qualifying courses or events
Submit your grant application by Dec 10, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST