We had the good fortune of connecting with Wyatt Worden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wyatt, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Telos was born out of frustration, frustration with fundraising. I came up with the idea after spending a few difficult months as a development officer for a small nonprofit organization. I had a background in payment processing, so I had become accustomed to closing a deal once and earning income from that account for years and years afterward. I quickly learned that fundraising, especially for small nonprofits with very little name recognition, requires constant “selling” and constant nurturing in order to keep the income…incoming. That’s when I decided I would launch a payment processing business with the sole mission of providing passive income to nonprofits around the world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
While we’ve developed innovative solutions over the years and always like to believe our support is about as good as it can get, the thing that most separates us from our competition is the same as the day we launched: we send a portion of our profit to the charity of each merchant’s choice, at no additional cost to the merchant. Do we make payments easy? Sure. Can we reduce or eliminate the cost of processing for some merchants? Yes. But the thing that resonates most with our merchants is the thing that inspired us to create Telos: to turn everyday buying and selling into passive income for nonprofits. It’s not a gimmick; it’s not a limited time offer or promo; it’s why we exist.

We will continue to innovate. We will continue to offer the best pricing and service possible. And, most importantly, we will continue partnering with merchants and their customers to sustain and expand the incredible work being done through the nonprofits we support.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m not a native to SoCal or San Diego, but I have visited. My favorite spots to visit are some of the most obvious: Coronado Island, the Zoo, and Torrey Pines. My wife enjoys all the shops in La Jolla, and my two little boys could hang out with the seals all day long.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t have ever taken the leap to start Telos without the encouragement and support of my wife and co-founder, Andrea Worden. Her love and support of me and her belief in the mission of Telos have been instrumental in the success of the company. Other than my wife, there have several friends, colleagues, and mentors who have spurred me on and helped me grow. The first person I shared the vision with was a long-time friend and fellow entrepreneur, Caleb Arter. I mentioned it to him over coffee one day, and he instantly threw his entire support behind it. Caleb’s business, Blue Seven, was our very first merchant. I’d also like to give a shoutout to Chris and Erika Lucas with StitchCrew, along with all the other founders in my cohort at the Thunder Launchpad.

Website: telospay.com and telosprocessing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/telosprocessing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/telos-payment-processing-llc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/telosprocessing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/telosprocessing

Image Credits
Jennifer McGaugh

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