American Express (AMEX) Business Blueprint is a digital cash flow management operation within the larger financial company built exclusively for small businesses. And Business Blueprint enables customers to manage their AMEX Business products like the business line of credit, business credit cards, and business checking accounts. To learn more, Pulse 2.0 interviewed Brett Sussman, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for American Express Business Blueprint & Banking.
Brett Sussman’s Background
Sussman has been at American Express for over 20 years, and he has been able to work in various roles. Sussman said:
“I’m from a large family of entrepreneurs, so the small business sector has always been important to me. Our product suite, Business Blueprint, provides free cash flow insights and 24/7 access to a suite of digital financial products. It allows me to give back to the small business population to which my family belongs. Business Blueprint is a response to a lot of small business needs – including improved efficiency and ease of cash flow management, among others.”
“I help ensure U.S. small businesses learn about and can sign up for Business Blueprint, which is an exciting role. With the proper tools, like Business Blueprint, small business owners can spend less time managing their cash flow and spend more time focused on doing what they love and why they got into business in the first place.”
Favorite Memory
What has been Sussman’s favorite memory working for AMEX so far? Susman reflected:
“The process of launching American Express Business Blueprint has been an exciting one for more. With Blueprint, small businesses can now not only do business with American Express but run their business with American Express. That’s a significant change for our AMEX shows up and backs small businesses, and I’ve been part of the team since day one in bringing these solutions to market and getting them in the hands of U.S. small businesses.”
Results From SMB Surveys
When I asked Sussman about some of the trends that he has been noticing in the SMB market, he cited a couple of surveys:
“Small businesses are traditionally optimistic and are comfortable with pivoting. We at American Express want to give them the backing they need to not only survive economic obstacles but grow despite them. Something I like to say is that cash flow is king. It is only becoming more critical for small business owners to focus on. An American Express survey polling 1,100 small businesses showed that 60% of all small businesses use between 2-3 cash flow management products to run their business, with 62% spending at least 5 hours a week on various platforms. Small business owners start their businesses to do what they love, not to analyze their cash flow. We’re dedicated to giving businesses a more consolidated, streamlined hub through free cash flow insights and digital financial products like a business line of credit to grow thriving businesses.”
“Another part of our recently published Small Business Financial Confidence Report is that we found small businesses are AI-curious. Across all small businesses surveyed, 41% said that their business currently prioritizes artificial intelligence to help make business decisions. Customer service (19%) and marketing (14%) are reported as the primary use cases for small businesses that use AI. We’re eager to see how the technology continues to impact and benefit this sector.”
Customer Success Story
Upon asking Sussman about a customer success story, he shared:
“One of our customers, Jeanniey Walden, was able to leverage Business Blueprint to help her maintain control of her business which she chose to fund entirely from her savings and our business line of credit. She wanted to launch her TV show on her own terms. She used funds from her American Express Business Line of Credit to hire producers, secure airtime, design the show’s website, expand social media outreach, and other activities to get the brand out there. Plus, she’s using our free cash flow analytics tool within Business Blueprint to determine when she will return to her line of credit and take more money to expand her operation.”
Future Goals
What are some of Sussman’s future goals at AMEX? He concluded:
“Going forward, we’re excited to continue strengthening our backing of small businesses. Our recently launched Small Business Financial Confidence Report found that only 54% of small business owners feel confident in their ability to make sound business growth decisions. When broken down by business size, only 29% of the smallest small businesses feel very confident in their ability to make sound growth decisions, compared to 64% of the largest small businesses, highlighting a sizeable confidence gap by business size. We want to bolster our product suite to help grow financial confidence for all small businesses, including the smallest of all small businesses.”
