The High Risk Payments Playbook

Choosing the wrong payment processor can cost your business far more than higher processing fees. It can lead to account reviews, held funds, unnecessary reserves, or even account termination. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook , Lissa Fryxell and René Menjívar answer more listener questions covering some of the most important topics for high-risk merchants. They discuss whether yo...

What causes a merchant account to be terminated? Why do payment processors hold funds? How can merchants reduce chargebacks or avoid ending up on the MATCH List? In this Q&A episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook , Lissa Fryxell and René Menjívar answer some of the most common questions submitted by merchants about high-risk payment processing. They explain why communication with your proc...

Growth is exciting, but scaling without financial clarity can create serious problems for a small business. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook , Lissa speaks with Drew Webster, founder of Elevate Strategy and Consulting, about how small business owners can use financial data to make smarter growth decisions. They discuss bookkeeping, pricing, merchant services fees, customer acquis...

Choosing a payment processor isn't just about rates and approvals — it's about the support you receive when your business needs it most. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook , Lissa sits down with customer experience expert Daniel Marlin to discuss what great merchant support actually looks like in the payments industry. They cover why empathy matters, how strong support te...

Most businesses focus heavily on advertising, lead generation, and sales — but some of the fastest-growing companies scale through partnerships. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook, Lissa sits down with entrepreneur and business coach Charles Gaudet to break down how strategic partnerships create momentum, reduce acquisition costs, and open the door to scalable growth. Charles share...

Most small businesses think marketing starts with ads, social media, or a website. But real marketing starts much earlier — with trust, relationships, and the experience people have with your brand. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook , Lissa sits down with marketing strategist and podcast host Ben Albert to discuss how small businesses can think differently about marketing in a cro...

What makes someone a strong partner in high-risk payments? It starts with trust, the right network, and choosing a processor that protects both the partner and the merchant. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook, Renee and Lissa break down what partners need to know before entering the payments space. They discuss how to build referral relationships, what high-risk merchants really ne...

Building a high-risk payment strategy isn’t just about getting approved — it’s about staying approved and scaling without disruptions. In this episode of The High Risk Payments Playbook, we break down what actually works when it comes to building a sustainable, scalable payment infrastructure in high-risk industries. From choosing the right processor to improving approval rates and reducing charge...

What makes a business “high risk” in payments—and why does it matter more than most merchants realize? In this episode, we break down high risk payments in a way that actually makes sense. Host Renee sits down with payments expert Lisa to explain how banks, processors, and card networks evaluate risk—and how that directly impacts your ability to accept payments, avoid chargebacks, and scale your b...

Why do high risk merchants suddenly get shut down—and how can you prevent it before it happens? This episode breaks down the real reasons behind account closures and what merchants must do to stay protected. Host Renee and payments expert Lisa explain why most shutdowns happen without warning—especially when merchants rely on aggregators like Stripe, PayPal, or Square. You’ll learn how these platf...

Welcome to The High Risk Payments Playbook — a podcast focused on how payments actually work in high-risk and complex industries. In this show, we break down real challenges, real strategies, and what it takes to operate and grow in environments where traditional payment systems don’t always apply. This trailer introduces what you can expect from upcoming episodes — practical insights for merchant...