One of the most useful things I have come across while running my DJ business is the credit card processing services from Square. I could not be a bigger fan. I started out just ordering a Square Reader because, hey, it’s free and it might come in handy.
Little did I know how handy it would be. In today’s world, almost nobody is carrying cash anymore. If I need to collect a payment from a client, charge someone for extra time, or even collect a tip on a card, Square is perfect. And, I use it for so many other things. My family’s yard sales, collecting money from my volleyball team, splitting a check when nobody has cash. The uses are endless. I never have to worry about someone saying, “I don’t have any cash on me,” ever again.
Fees
Of course, you want to know how much this magic is going to cost you. Square is free to join and your first card reader is free. When you accept a payment on the card reader, there is a 2.75% fee, which is totally in line with many of the other credit card processing services. If you type the card number in manually, the fee is slightly higher.
I’m happy to pay these fees, because that means I’m getting paid! Only in very rare circumstances will I charge the fee back whomever is paying me. And, that’s usually because the amount they are paying is really small. I don’t charge this fee back to a DJ client, ever! This is just the cost of doing business. Does Starbucks charge you an extra 3% on your latte when you use a credit card? No. People are used to just swiping their card anywhere. You should satisfy those expectations as well.
Features I Love
Offline mode
You can take credit card payments on your phone without having service. The card will be authorized right away, and the payment will process once you have signal again. Even in offline mode, credit card data is not stored on your phone.
This is so critical, because you never know when you will lose signal somewhere. I have a great A/C company that services my house, and they are always fighting with their credit card machines when are in my neighborhood. Sometimes it takes more time for me to pay them than it did for their service. Don’t be like that!
Free to join, first Reader free, $10 for extras
Did I mention it’s free to sign up, and your first card reader is free?!? It’s literally a can’t-lose offer. You could sign up and never, ever use it.
However, I highly recommend getting a couple of extra card readers. They are $10 each after the first one, so I have 3. I keep one in my DJ bag at all times. I’ve got one in my glovebox for when I’m out with friends, and one just stays in the house.
I’ve also got different accounts for my personal charges and my business charges. That way, I don’t have the $10 my brother owed me for dinner flowing through my DJ business account.
But wait, I have Venmo/PayPal/Apple Pay!
Good, then you already have more ways to make it easy for your clients to pay or tip you. But, what do you do with those people who don’t have the payment app that you have? “Oh, just go to your App Store, download [X], create an account, link your card, search for my name, and pay me there!” Yeah, right!
You need to make it super easy for your clients to pay you on a whim. Just as easy as paying cash. With Square, they just hand you their card and tell you an amount. No app downloading, no waiting, none of that. You will get more payments faster with Square.
Extra Services
Square has a whole slew of additional services that you can add on to your account if you need more. I’ve personally used their Register app before, and it is excellent as an on-the-go point of sale system. My wife and I had a stroller rental business where we used the Square Register app to charge people for strollers in person. It was super easy to set up a few items in advance and have a very professional receipt to email to people. You could easily do this with your extra time and additional services to add them quickly on the day of your event.
I’m looking into their Invoicing services as well. I’ve been using PayPal Invoicing up until now, but really it’s just because I had a PayPal account before my Square account, so I may end up switching over. The key factor will be allowing the client to add a tip. Just that feature has made me hundreds of dollars per event that I didn’t expect!
There are many, many more services that Square provides to small businesses at very reasonable costs. Everything from HR to payroll. Check out a few here and see if there isn’t something else you need.
In Summary…
A Square Reader is something that every DJ needs to have in his bag or back pocket. Being able to take payments instantly, in any situation, will just flat out make you more money. Never miss out on a payment or tip again: Go sign up for Square today!