YPP Scholar Spotlight: Marisa Sweet, MINDBODY, Inc.

Marisa is Partner Program Manager at MINDBODY, Inc. and a 2019 ETA Young Payments Professionals (YPP) Scholar, sponsored by Discover Global Network. In this interview, Marisa discusses her background, her work at MINDBODY, Inc., and where she thinks the industry is headed. 

Tell me about your background. Where did you go to college and what did you study? How did you get into the payments industry? Where did you start and how did you end up in your current role?

Sweet: I attended Cuesta College and studied Liberal Arts.  After college I began my career at Shopatron, a technology company that provides ecommerce solutions for merchants and consumers.  It was here that I was first introduced to payment processing while interfacing with manufacturers, retailers, partners, and end consumers.

Following that experience, I was looking to diversify my skill set and immerse myself into a different sector of the technology space.  In 2015, I accepted a position on the MINDBODY payments team.  Here, I have held various dynamic roles serving direct merchants, internal teams, and our partners.  Today I’m responsible for managing our global payment portfolios and payment partnerships.

What’s your day-to-day like? What major functions do you serve, and what types of projects do you like to work on?

My primary function is to lead regular review sessions with our payment partners, analyze performance against contract terms, and identify opportunities to pursue within the business.  I achieve this by working across all areas of the business.  This has allowed me to implement new processes and procedures, all while optimizing strategies for partner success.

I enjoy projects where unique challenges are presented.  Whether it be developing a new process, iterating on an existing one or completely automating a procedure, projects like these excite me the most because if executed successfully it can strengthen a partnership.

What payments trends are on your radar?

The overarching topics that I like to stay current on are technology development and compliance regulations as it pertains to electronic payments.  Understanding the complexities of how these two intercept each other is crucial to our business.

What do you think will be the most significant development in the payments industry across the next five years?

I believe that the most significant development across the industry and its governing bodies will be transaction compliance.  We are already seeing more of this now however I believe additional measures will be taken to regulate and standardize the payments ecosystem.

What topics do you consider yourself to be an expert in? Does not necessarily have to be limited to your payments career.  

I am extremely passionate about building relationships.  From an early age, I found it natural to communicate, listen, observe, read others, and develop and maintain relationships with individuals.  Possessing these personal traits gave me a head start in the business world.

Have you found any particular challenges or advantages being a young payments professional in payments technology?

I personally haven’t faced any challenges with being a young person in the industry.  In fact, it’s really been quite the opposite; the payments industry is a welcoming and collaborative group.  Being a younger individual has allowed me to connect with industry experts, meet mentors, and contribute to conversations being held at the table.

What advice would you give other young people who are entering the payments industry?

Trust the process, remain a student, volunteer to take on challenges outside of your wheelhouse, and always carry the mentality that you will always have something greater to achieve.

What has participating in the Young Payments Professional Scholar program meant to you?

The Young Payments Professional Scholar program is a one of a kind professional development program.  It’s provided me a platform to connect with individuals of the ETA organization, my fellow YPP participants, and meet key individuals in the greater payments industry.  This program has afforded me with extremely unique opportunities that were not as readily available to me.

YPP Spotlight Features highlight ETA’s Young Payments Professionals (YPP) Scholars, their path through the payments industry, and their aspirations for the future. The 2019 ETA YPP Scholars represent the finest young minds across the payments technology ecosystem. You can read more about the program, which is sponsored by Discover Global Network, here.