Making payments a piece of cake

Lee Tengum is a Cranbrook man with big ideas to help business owners

A cup of coffee and a computer—two things dear to this busy father of two. — Glynis Fediuk photo

Technology enables connection. It is allowing businesses to connect with clients thousands of kilometres away, and companies to have their employees spread across oceans. Connections allow those immersed in the digital world to spread beyond the big cities and work anywhere that an internet connection is available.

An excellent example of this is found in Cranbrook's 7am, a company that designs web applications, logos and programs. Lee Tengum and Mike Hepher make up the 7am duo, and they use their expertise to help businesses capitalize on the power of the internet.

"For Mike and I, our biggest goal is helping people within the region make money online," said Tengum. "Not in the sense of, 'Here’s a store, sell my products,' but more of, 'Here’s a problem where I'm not able to be profitable within that segment.' "

Tengum's latest creation, Pancake Payments, facilitates online money transfers. The application was developed with three other developers from around the globe—Dan Horrigan of Cleveland, Ohio, Phil Sturgeon of Bristol, U.K., and Zach Kitzmiller, who splits his time between New York and Chicago—and has been generating significant buzz.

"If you can take something that someone is having an issue with and make it easier, it’s a fun challenge," said Tengum. "Somebody has already got to the point where they thought they had solved that problem—or, they haven’t actually found a solution. To be able to find a solution that works and makes everyone happy is fun."

The idea for Pancake Payments was born from exactly this—a need to solve a problem. As a freelancer relying on clients to make their payments via cheque or PayPal, Tengum designed an application that simplified the PayPal process after a client found using its system convoluted. Pancake Payments is fully customizable and serves several functions, including post-payment file delivery, automatic invoicing and uncomplicated invoice management.

The name came from an unexpected source—Tengum's six-year-old son.

"We were trying to think of something that was simple and that everybody loved, and he said 'Pancakes,' " Tengum said. "I though it was fantastic. So it became Pancake Payments—simple, easy, awesome."

Pancake Payments is now on its second version and Tengum said he's very encouraged by its success. However, when he's not jotting down ideas in a Moleskine or writing code, Tengum prefers to spend time with his friends, wife and two sons.

"Hanging out with my sons lets me see the world from a whole new perspective," he said.