Body, Mind & Spirits

So this week has DEFINITELY not been one of my favorites. I am thankful that it hasn't been worse, but it's definitely not been one of my favorites!

I can't tell you how happy and fulfilled I am now that I've started my own business, but there are some aspects of it that are very difficult, made especially so since I've been searching for a new assistant (I just found one, which I'll announce in another blog post). It sounds easy, but trying to do all of the administrative work, marketing work AND spiritual work has been incredibly trying over the last month, culminating in a logistical problem with PayPal, the online site I use to process credit card information.

Follow up:

For the convenience of my clients, I've been using my PayPal account much like a credit card machine - taking clients' credit card information from them over the phone and entering it into the computer via my PayPal account. Simple, right? Not as simple as I thought. I've liked this setup because it protects both my clients and myself since PayPal is the most secure online payment center and, once my clients' information was entered, I never saw it again. Unfortunately, I got notice from PayPal yesterday that this was against their rules since the transactions were all coming from the same place - my account. Apparently they require that clients enter their credit card information THEMSELVES. So, despite the fact that none of my clients had complained and, after I'd called to let them know what was happening, several clients called PayPal personally to let them know the transactions were valid (which I appreciate SO much - thank you for your wonderful efforts!), they still put a hold on some transactions and let me know that the money will most likely be refunded to the clients unless they FAX IN their credit card statement and a copy of their driver's license, along with a letter stating that the charges are valid. Of course I understand and respect their policy, but it's ridiculous to ask my clients to go to such trouble. Nevertheless, a couple of my clients have been wonderful enough to fax in their info, but for the others (this happened to 4 clients), I'm just going to let it go rather than ask them to go to the trouble. This was my fault - I should have checked on their policies, although it didn't occur to me to do so. I feel absolutely horrible about the situation and having to inconvenience my clients is not an option for me - I'd rather just eat the charges as lesson learned.

To be honest, there was a moment there when was I was really feeling defeated, which has been a themed lesson for me over the past month, but one of my wonderful clients who was affected by this issue said to me that the medium work I'd done for her husband the previous day had helped him so much and that my work is important to people's healing; hearing this gave me just the resolve I needed to clear this hurdle and keep moving. Hearing something so heartfelt about the work I love made all the difference and I'm so thankful to my client for her kind words...

This is a perfect example, though, of how trying to wear too many hats has just gotten to be too much. So needless to say, this has been an exceedingly stressful week! I am so incredibly appreciative of my clients for being so understanding during this time and for doing what they could to let PayPal know that the charges are valid so that I could get paid for their readings...My clients are so honest and supportive, lol...I actually told a couple of them that I would just forget about the charges because I didn't want to inconvenience them further and they INSISTED on making sure I get paid for their readings - what wonderful, honest, stubborn women! lol Love them.

So we now have a new payment policy for phone readings. If you go to my website and scroll to the very bottom, on the left side you'll see a link that says "PAY FOR YOUR READING HERE." If you click on that, there are step by step instructions on how to pay with a credit card or a PayPal account. One of the reasons that I offered the option of taking credit card info. over the phone is that many of my clients feel that they're "internet inept," but I promise I made it very easy to pay for your reading this way! We didn't used to accept payment until the day of your reading, but now we will accept payment for your reading on the day that you book the reading and any time in between. We do still require that we receive payment for your reading NO LATER than 30 minutes before your reading time, though.

I apologize for not writing here in the last month, but it's been a time of great personal growth for me and I've become somewhat of a hermit as I've been processing everything. I've got much to share, though, so you can look forward to regular posts in the days to come!