I've sat on every side of the table. Now I sit on yours.
Acquiring, issuing, risk, compliance, underwriting, technology. I have worked across every single division, worked directly with banks, and founded my own MSP/ISO. Along the way, my teams processed more than $50 billion in transactions, saved merchants millions in fees, and taught payments to thousands of people across 35,000+ merchants, from the very first digital creators to today's most successful online businesses.
The payment processing industry operates behind a veil of secrecy most business owners never get to peek behind. I watched that opacity destroy good businesses overnight, and I watched self-proclaimed "experts" who never spent a day in the industry spread dangerous advice. I could no longer stay silent. That is why PatriciaCarlin.com exists: one place where online businesses get the unfiltered truth, real banking relationships, and a payments leader who works for them.
Four things I believe after 25 years.
Most terminations are preventable
I have taken hundreds of panicked calls from owners who woke up to a closed account. Nearly every one could have been avoided with the right knowledge and preparation. Prevention is the entire business model here.
Dashboards lie by omission
The truth about your business lives in your customer's experience: the support call, the checkout, the cancellation flow. That is why we built the Approved Mystery Buyer, to see what the data cannot show.
My network becomes yours
Banks, processors, fraud tools, attorneys, talent. Twenty-five years of relationships, open to every client. You do not just hire me; you access the best.
Fractional beats full-time
You do not need a $250K payments executive. You need 25 years of expertise pointed at your specific problems, every month, as part of your team.
Questions, answered.
Who is Patricia Carlin?
Patricia Carlin has spent 25 years across every division of payments: acquiring, issuing, risk, compliance, underwriting, and technology, working directly with banks and founding her own MSP/ISO. Her teams processed more than $50 billion in transactions for 35,000+ merchants, from the first digital creators to today's most successful online businesses.
Why work with Patricia instead of a big agency?
Patricia works for you, not the processor. There are no layers of sub-agents, so your business model stays private and your pricing stays reasonable. You also get her network: 25 years of relationships with banks, processors, fraud tools, attorneys, and talent, open to every client. You do not just hire her; you access the best.
Does Patricia only work with MLM or high-risk businesses?
No. Patricia works with online businesses across the risk spectrum: subscriptions, SaaS, coaching and courses, supplements, CBD, e-commerce, events, marketplaces, start-ups, and direct selling. The common thread is card-not-present complexity, not any single industry.
What does Patricia actually offer?
Fractional payments leadership, the Approved Mystery Buyer, payments hiring and candidate vetting, stable merchant accounts across high-risk verticals, the Acquisition X-Ray for buyers and sellers, and the Six Weeks to Payment Fluency challenge. One person who has seen every model, instead of a different specialist for every problem.