Why Your Payment Processor Is Costing You More Than You Think

This week's Founder Friday is about a part of business most owners ignore until it starts quietly eating their margins.

United Solutions helps business owners cut through confusing payment processing costs, and in one recent case, helped an Austin restaurant save over $14,000 in a month.

Why should business owners care?

Because this story is about more than payments. It's about protecting your margins, building trust through education, and realizing that sometimes the fastest way to grow is not just making more money, it's keeping more of what you already earn.

What's one of the biggest misconceptions business owners have about merchant services?

A lot of business owners don't realize that most often then not, they're signing multiple agreements without knowing it.

That equipment agreement? It can be a 3- to 4-year lease or rental agreement probably with a separate company. There can be early termination fees. And none of this is always explained clearly upfront.

That's where a lot of people in Austin get burned.

We don't do that, no contracts, no confusing agreements, just straightforward pricing and full transparency.

Another major misconception is the following: hardware determines the rates.

I'll walk into a business using something like Clover, and they'll tell me, "We have Clover, so we're good." But most don't realize that Clover is just the terminal. The rates are set by the processor, not the device.

The POS system is just the tool—it's the processor behind the scenes that sets the rates. And those rates can vary wildly depending on who's behind it.

So two businesses can be using the exact same system, right next door to each other, and paying completely different rates. That's why it's so important to know who's actually processing your payments and what you're really paying.

Are there any examples from customers that get you really excited?

The moments that stand out most are when a business owner gains real clarity and takes control of something they've been overpaying for without realizing it. We've worked with everyone from restaurants and retail shops to mobile businesses and auto dealers across Austin.

We've had clients realize they've been overpaying for years and after making a change, the savings are immediate. One client saved over $14,000 in one month and that's not a one-time thing. That kind of impact compounds over time.

But what really means a lot is when they thank me for staying persistent—pushing past the usual "we're good" response—because once they saw the numbers, they understood. They'd say, "Luis, thank you for not giving up. Thank you for helping me see what I was missing."

What is United Solutions and who is it built for?

United Solutions is a merchant services company built to bring clarity, transparency, and real savings to business owners who process payments. We serve businesses of all sizes across Austin and beyond—restaurants, retail, auto dealers, mobile businesses, and more.

Our focus is simple: eliminate confusion, remove unnecessary costs, and provide a level of support that most processors don't offer. If you accept credit or debit card payments, we're built for you.

What problem or moment made starting United Solutions impossible for you to ignore?

What made it impossible for me to ignore was not just one bad contract or one frustrated owner—it was an ongoing pattern I kept seeing across Austin's business community.

I had already spent years in the merchant services industry, so I knew how the business worked. But the deeper I got, the more I saw how the system was designed to benefit processors—not the business owners doing the actual work.

The more experience I got, the more I realized there was a major disconnect between what business owners understood and what they were actually being charged.

I kept meeting hardworking owners who were doing everything right in their business—serving customers, hiring staff, improving operations—but they had no idea they were quietly losing thousands in unnecessary processing fees.

They were signing confusing agreements, sometimes two without realizing it. Processors weren't breaking anything down. No one was showing them what they were actually paying or why.

That confusion was costing people real money.

What Austin-specific resource, person, or community actually helped you the most?

Honestly, it's the Austin small business community itself.

This city runs on relationships, owners talk, share experiences, and support each other. A lot of our growth has come from word of mouth—one owner tells another, and that trust carries over. That's something you can't buy.

That trust-driven, community mindset has really been the foundation of our growth here in Austin.

What is your unfair advantage right now?

Our unfair advantage is simplicity, access, accountability, and alignment.

Our clients don't get passed around, they work directly with someone who understands both the business side and the technical side. We make things easy to understand, we show up when it matters, and we don't lock people into anything. No contracts. No hidden fees. No runaround.

When you combine that with a genuine focus on helping business owners keep more of what they earn, it creates trust that's hard for a big processor to compete with.

What has been the biggest growth lever for you?

Our biggest growth lever has been trust, earned through education and results.

We take the time to walk business owners through their statements, explain how processing works, and show them exactly what they're paying—usually for the first time. That builds the kind of confidence that turns a conversation into a long-term partnership.

There's no pressure just clarity.

When people see the savings, understand their numbers, and experience real support, they naturally refer others.

Word-of-mouth carries a lot of weight and it's been the foundation of our growth in Austin.

What advice do you have for Austin businesses looking to grow?

Focus just as much on what you keep as what you make.

Growth isn't only about increasing sales. It's about protecting your margins and understanding where your money is going. Small inefficiencies, especially in areas like payment processing, can quietly add up over time.

Also, don't be afraid to ask better questions and revisit the systems you've had in place for years. The businesses that grow the smartest are the ones that stay informed, stay adaptable, and surround themselves with the right partners.

Connect with Luis

Luis is looking to connect with:

• Austin business owners who want a second look at their payment setup
• Operators who want more clarity around merchant fees, POS systems, and processing costs
• Business owners who prefer support in plain English or Spanish

Want to learn more? Luis partnered with us to write a full guide on merchant services.

Read it here.