Why Darla McPherron started Payn Solution
Darla McPherron is the founder of Payn Solution LLC, an advisory firm helping U.S. small businesses navigate SBA loans, federal certifications and contracting. After repeated denials, McPherron built the business around giving owners information she says she lacked, and shares why practical guidance and starting with available resources matter.
Small businesses seeking SBA support should get clear information about available programs and requirements before deciding what is possible. McPherron’s own experience of repeated denials shaped Payn Solution’s focus on practical guidance.
What’s the short story of how your business started, and what makes it genuinely different from the other options your customers have?
Well, I never thought this could be possible. I just had this urge for it. At that time I enjoyed sharing little tips with people I knew who were looking to get SBA help, because I got turned down countless times. This was established to support small business owners, but yet it had been the other way around for me, until I realized it’s because I never had the right information on how to go about it. That is the problem I started Payn Solution to solve. We focus on SBA program advisory and federal solutions for small businesses across the United States — so owners can get the right information first, instead of learning the hard way like I did.
How did you win your first customers, and where does most of your new business come from today?
Capital was my major setback. I started Payn Solution with my own money, very little, with no outside help. When you start that way, there is nothing behind you if something goes wrong. What I learned is that I could still build it — because I believed what I was doing, building my local community. A little tip shared could help a soul push through what was already waiting to be another turn down. That is what carried the business through the hard start: keep helping people, one owner at a time, and let that be the foundation you grow on.
What’s one decision that changed the direction of your business, and one mistake that taught you the most?
Most days I am working with small business owners who are trying to get SBA help or understand federal programs — going over where they are, what information they are missing, and what their next step should be. Some of it is the same sharing of tips I started with, just more organized now. I also work with the team I have built around the business — independent professionals who help serve our clients across the United States. I started the company alone, but I don’t operate it alone today, so part of my day is making sure everyone has what they need to help our clients right.
What has changed in your industry or in what your customers expect over the last couple of years, and how have you adapted?
My proudest achievement is what Payn Solution has become, knowing where it started. I started the company alone, with very little money and no outside help. But I don’t operate it alone today. I’ve built a team of independent professionals around the business, with plans to bring on employees as we continue growing. It matters to me because every owner we help is somebody who could have been turned down the way I was. I believed a little tip shared could help a soul push through — and now a whole business exists to do exactly that, for small businesses across the United States.
If you were advising someone starting out in your industry today, what would you tell them to do first, and what would you tell them to ignore?
Get the right information first. I got turned down countless times, and it was not until later that I realized it’s because I never had the right information on how to go about it. Don’t be too eager and skip that part — it will cost you. Second, know that help exists. SBA programs were established to support small business owners, so learn what is out there for you before you decide something is impossible. And start with what you have. I started with my own money, very little, and no outside help. What I had was the urge to do it and something useful to share. That was enough to begin.
Thank you to Darla McPherron and the team at Payn Solution LLC for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
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