We recently got the opportunity to chat with Marjorie Junio-Read, the Chief Financial Officer at Helcim, who shared her opinion regarding Helcim’s recent partnership with Xero to expand its service offerings, cost-effective solutions that will support businesses’ fundamental requirements, the innovative strategies does Helcim intend to employ to differentiate its payment service for a variety of businesses, integration of Helcim’s credit card payments into Xero invoices to assist businesses in requesting and accepting payments on the Xero platform in an effortless and streamlined manner, and how will Helcim’s partnership with Xero help to reduce the administrative burdens associated with running a small business.
Marjorie Junio-Read is the Chief Financial Officer at Helcim, a payments company that delivers an easier, smarter, and more affordable payment experience with a human touch.
As CFO, she is responsible for the finance and accounting functions which includes Helcim’s day-to-day funding operations to its merchants as a payments company.
Before joining Helcim, Marjorie gained over 10 years of experience with a multinational public company, including corporate finance, cash management, budgeting, accounting, and controls. She holds a degree in finance from the University of Calgary and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) ® Charterholder. Marjorie was recognized for her impact in the payments industry with the 2020 Women in Payments Inspiration Award and as one of The Peak’s 2022 Emerging Leaders.
How will you describe your role as a Chief Financial Officer at Helcim? And how has your journey been with over 10 years of experience with a multinational public company, and being recognized with the 2020 Women in Payments Inspiration Award and as one of The Peak’s 2022 Emerging Leaders?
As CFO at Helcim, I get to be a strategic financial advisor to the entire company. It’s my role to ensure the company includes a fiscal lens as part of the impacts of their decision. I’m lucky that we have such an engaged and collaborative executive team where we work together to make decisions and each one of us gets to impart our specific areas of expertise to our decisions. As a growing startup every role at Helcim has a big impact and that’s definitely been true of my role. Coming from a large multinational company with thousands of people it was an adjustment to go from having access to experts in really specific areas to the realization that I am not the expert and need to figure out solutions on my own. This has been a fun challenge that gives me more opportunity to be creative and really dive into different areas of the business I wouldn’t have exposure to if I had stayed at a larger organization. It’s that ability to make an impact and effect real progress for the company that I personally find really motivating.
What are your thoughts on Helcim’s recent partnership with Xero to expand its service offerings?
We are very pleased to have officially announced our partnership with Xero. Both companies are invested in helping small businesses thrive. We do this by consistently delivering on easy, affordable and human payment solutions. Integrating with Xero is exciting because it means Helcim can reach a broader audience of businesses and provides further ease and affordability to them by partnering with a software they already love and use frequently.
As the majority of small business owners are extremely concerned about inflation squeezing their profits, what are the various cost-effective solutions that will support their businesses’ fundamental requirements?
Payments is our core product and our strategy will be to continue to offer small businesses the core products they need to get paid at an affordable price tag. With no monthly fees, hidden fees or contracts, automatic volume discounts, and Interchange Plus pricing, merchants in any industry can get value from signing up with Helcim. On average we save small businesses 22% and that number could increase significantly depending on volume processed and number of transactions. We offer all these savings while emphasizing great customer service and support for our merchants and think they deserve a real partner that helps them not only survive but thrive.
What innovative strategies does Helcim intend to employ to differentiate its payment service for a variety of businesses? And how will this benefit the businesses?
As a growing fintech we are focused on digital first payment solutions which ultimately help small businesses scale as they grow. With one free account, merchants can access our full platform of tools for no extra cost. They only pay for what they process which we feel is a rare model in the age of monthly subscriptions.
How will the integration of Helcim’s credit card payments into Xero invoices assist businesses in requesting and accepting payments on the Xero platform in an effortless and streamlined manner?
Xero customers can easily request payment via Helcim from their Xero account. Users can get the benefit and performance of both tools in one platform which cuts back on administrative time. The current functionality works with credit card payment but ACH payment requests and a full sync is on the roadmap for our partnership with Xero.
Since Helcim observed an increase in merchant inquiries regarding accounting software integrations, how do you believe this partnership with Xero will reduce the administrative burdens associated with running a small business?
Automation and integrations absolutely reduce the administrative burden of running a small business. Business owners wear a lot of hats and streamlining the amount of tools they use is one way we can reduce the administrative burdens they face everyday so they can focus on their true passion – their business. The more we can integrate into tools they already use frequently helps to position us as a brand that cares about their business.
