The Future of Digital Payments in Small Business with Sarah Steele

In this episode of the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, we are honored to have Sarah Steele, Senior Director of Small Business Product at Visa. With over two decades of experience, Sarah is an award-winning financial professional known for her leadership in complex projects, product strategy, and team management. Her extensive background includes roles in consulting, product management, and consumer and institutional groups. At Visa, Sarah has been instrumental in enhancing client profitability and performance through tailored consulting and innovative product strategies. As Senior Director, she is currently leading the development and launch of Visa's products and platforms for the North American small business sector.

Key Highlights:

• Sarah shares key findings from the report, with a focus on challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Canada.
• She discusses how Visa Canada is helping small and medium businesses (SMBs) obtain funding and elaborates on the initiatives in place for this purpose.
• Sarah talks about Visa’s initiatives like the Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Fund and the Small Business Grant Program, and their impact on women-owned businesses.
• She explains the factors contributing to SMBs’ optimism about revenue growth in 2023 and how businesses can leverage this outlook.
• Sarah provides examples of how small businesses can use the resources available at Visa’s Small Business Hub, especially for digital and e-commerce enhancements.
• She shares her perspective on the future of digital payments and Visa's role in supporting small businesses in Canada, including upcoming initiatives and trends in the payment landscape.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Sarah Steele for sharing her invaluable insights with us. Her remarkable journey in the financial sector, culminating in her current role at Visa, is an inspiration to many. Sarah's dedication to supporting the growth and success of small businesses in North America is truly commendable. We eagerly anticipate the positive outcomes of Visa's initiatives in the future. A big thank you also goes to our dedicated partners: RBC, UPS, and Xero, for their continuous support. To our listeners, don’t forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine at https://canadiansme.ca/subscription/ for more insightful stories and valuable advice. Let's continue to support local businesses, nurturing dreams and strengthening the fabric of our communities. Stay tuned for more empowering episodes from the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast.