Podcast Summary

The Amazing Authorities Podcast

Host: Mitch Carson
Episode: Breaking the Payment Ceiling: How Chris Capuano Helps Small Businesses Save Big and Scale Fast
Guest: Chris Capuano
Date: November 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This engaging episode features Chris Capuano, New York entrepreneur and author of No Ceiling, No Excuses. Hosted by Mitch Carson, the conversation dives into Chris's journey from a challenging upbringing and a stable but limiting union job to building a thriving payment processing business that helps small businesses reduce costs, gain flexibility, and scale fast. The discussion is both practical and personal, with candid stories on entrepreneurship, overcoming adversity, and the realities facing small business owners navigating payment processing in today’s landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Chris’s Story: From Adversity to Authority ([03:07]-[05:25])

• Chris’s newly released book, No Ceiling, No Excuses, is split into three parts:
  • Childhood and challenging circumstances (“broken family, divorce, death, you know, the alcoholism, drugs. That whole part.” [03:11])
  • A journey through numerous jobs: “from starting a power washing business to driving for Uber, to being a drop shipper, to being a waiter, a bus boy… every job under the sun I’ve had.” [03:22]
  • Landing a six-figure, unionized job as a steam fitter, installing fire sprinklers in Manhattan high-rises: “I was making over 100 grand a year.” [03:51]
  • The eventual leap into entrepreneurship and building a payments company: “We processed over $1 billion in payments… and we process over $150 million annually.” [04:50]

Inside the Payment Industry & Saving Businesses Money ([05:25]-[06:11], [10:34]-[14:38])

• Chris breaks down the limitations of mainstream providers:

  • “Stripe and PayPal… slap you with all these fees left and right.” [05:40]
  • His company offers competitive rates and, uniquely, “the ability to completely eliminate the fees by passing it on to the customer.” [05:56]
  • Not for every business, but worth exploring based on business needs.

• The pain of working with giant payment processors:

  • Mitch describes PayPal freezing $800,000 of his funds for nine months in 2004: “It was as though I was in jail.” [06:41]
  • Chris: “They don’t care because they’re a trillion dollar company... everything is done through a support ticket. So it makes the process very challenging to get a real human.” [06:41], [07:19]
  • Lesson learned: Do not put all business income through one processor, diversify to avoid catastrophic cash-flow issues.

Who Chris Helps & His Unique Approach ([09:11]-[14:38])

• Target client: "I try to help small business owners. I try to help people that are feeling stuck. I try to help people that are hustlers, and they don't kind of know what direction to go." [09:14]

• Types of businesses: "Hair salons... auto mechanic shops... bakeries, pizzerias... a lot of food because I love food, man." [09:37]

• Service area: Primarily New York tri-state area, but serves clients in 16 states and is willing to work nationwide ([12:15]-[12:57])

• What makes Chris different:

  • White-glove, human service: "You know, all I hear is that the support is, like, insanely bad... With me, it's like my clients just text me... I'll be there in an hour." [13:14]
  • Personalized tech solutions: “It may not be POS A ... [it's] my job... to try to find the best solution.”
  • Cost savings: "Usually I'm able to save at least 20 to 30% of the fees that they're currently paying... now we have a program out that eliminates 100% of the fees." [10:34]
  • “I cut out all the BS... I give people the service that I expect.” [13:57]

The Pivot: Leaving Union Security for Entrepreneurial Uncertainty ([14:38]-[21:12])

• Chris details his decision to leave a coveted, stable union job:

  • “I didn’t like the fact also that I could work my ass off... and we were getting paid the same. That kind of drove me nuts.” [16:05]
  • On the transition: "I did build it up for the prior three years." [17:21]
  • “I could have got hired the next, literally the next day by 10 different companies. But I decided to dive head first into this job.” [18:49]

• The mindset shift: "I call it the golden handcuffs... I didn't do well with ceilings. And I wanted to smash and blow past that ceiling." [16:08]

• Planning the leap: Chris built his business as a side hustle for three years, and accumulated savings before going all-in.

Replacing the Income & Scaling Up ([20:13]-[22:06])

• “It took me about a year after I got laid off, to kind of make what I was making in the union, you know, so it took about a year, and then, I don't know, within five years, I'm making 10 times what I was making back then.” [20:20]

• On scaling: “I've learned to surround yourselves with people that are smarter than you and want to work as hard, if not harder than you, and just kind of like, letting go of control.” [20:58]

The Deeper “Why”: Family Motivation & Competitive Drive ([27:13]-[29:49])

• Both Chris and Mitch share stories of coming from difficult backgrounds and being driven by proving doubters wrong.
• Chris on family as a motivator: “My older brother, he's kind of a driving force behind me because he's 10 times more successful as far as financials go...” [27:49]
• The dynamic is competitive but supportive: "We get along very well... there's always a hint of like him throwing a dig at me." [29:17]

Political & Economic Climate: How It Affects Small Businesses ([32:29]-[33:41])

• Brief discussion about the upcoming mayoral election in NYC and potential impacts on business owners.
• Chris: “A lot of my clients in Manhattan are scared because if [the new candidate] wins, then they think that the economy is going to basically take a dump and just go down like the tubes...” [32:29]
• But Chris aims to stay apolitical in business dealings, focusing on value regardless of outside noise.

Final Takeaways: Chris’s Core Competency ([34:39]-[35:04])

• “Finding out what the business owner needs... point of sale systems... service as far as transactions are concerned. A lot of people get hit with fees and they don’t understand why... So yeah, that's kind of the different avenues that we tend to help people with.” [34:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On leaving his union job:
  “That was my ceiling. Right. And I decided that I don’t do well with ceilings. And I wanted to smash and blow past that ceiling. And the no excuses part comes from growing up in, you know, the broken family. And a lot of people would have used that as an excuse... as opposed to using it as the fuel.”
  — Chris Capuano ([16:08])

• On dealing with giant payment platforms:
  “They don’t care because they’re a trillion dollar company... everything is done through a support ticket. So it kind of makes the process very challenging to get a real human.”
  — Chris Capuano ([06:41]-[07:19])

• On his unique selling proposition:
  “If there’s one thing that Covid taught me, it’s just that, like, people want a real human, like, now... I cut out all the BS. I really do. And I try to treat people and give people the service that I expect.”
  — Chris Capuano ([13:57])

• On mindset and growth:
  “Now if I sign up an account... this account could generate as much revenue per month that it would take me a year to... So I kind of made that mental mind shift change into thinking more long term instead of short term. That was a big change.”
  — Chris Capuano ([22:06])

• Host’s reflection on motivation:
  “Sometimes it takes that motivation of a catalyst. What was the emotional catalyst for you?... For me, it was proving you wrong. And I do have a personality. And I’ve spoken on stages in 63 countries around the world.”
  — Mitch Carson ([27:14])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Book Overview: [00:30]-[05:25]
• Payment Processing Landscape & Challenges: [05:25]-[08:59]
• Who Chris Helps & Service Model: [09:11]-[14:38]
• The Pivot: Leaving Union Job for Entrepreneurship: [14:38]-[21:12]
• Replacing Income & Scaling Insight: [20:13]-[22:06]
• Motivation and Family Influence: [27:13]-[29:49]
• Political/Economic Commentary: [32:29]-[33:41]
• Final Details and Offer: [34:39]-[35:04]

Tone & Style

The episode is energetic, candid, and down-to-earth, combining entrepreneurial tactics with relatable, real-life stories. Both Mitch and Chris bring humor (often with playful New York and Italian references) and transparency about their personal journeys, emphasizing that anyone can break past self-imposed limitations (“no ceiling, no excuses”) with the right mindset and support.

Further Resources

• Reach Chris at: www.noceilingnoexcuses.com
• Book: No Ceiling, No Excuses by Chris Capuano

If you’re a small business owner frustrated with payment fees or seeking truly personal service, Chris’s story and approach might change how you think about your bottom line—and your own entrepreneurial journey.