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ever had. Not only was it a grind, it seemed that no one was
The very point of sale listening to merchants. Her call to adventure was born out
of her need to make a difference.

Initiation
Calling the departure "just the beginning," Campbell
described an arduous initiation process, filled with dangers,
conquests and moments of illumination. Dragons have to
be slain and barriers crossed. Throughout the process, the
hero perseveres and celebrates small victories.

Along the way, the hero will face a series of tests and
hardships. Mentors occasionally appear, providing advice,
amulets and supernatural powers. "This is a favorite phase
The MLS hero's journey of the myth adventure," Campbell wrote. "It has produced a
world literature of miraculous tests and ordeals."
By Dale S. Laszig Madhani took a leap of faith and founded Fattmerchant
in 2014. Together with her team, she set out to build
omer described Ulysses' hero journey in The a "frictionless, fun, affordable transaction technology
Odyssey; Sylvester Stallone chose screenplays company." Their initiation involved trial and error, deep
to depict Rocky's. These stories resonate learning and little wins that encouraged them to stay the
H with merchant level salespeople (MLSs) who course.
embark on their own heroes' journeys every day. Joseph
Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces celebrates heroes Return
in myth, folklore and religion. Published in 1949, the book
has been reissued in multiple languages and editions and In the final phase, the adventurer returns with a hard-won
is still considered a leading reference. prize. That's when the real selling begins. Campbell warned
that homecomings may present the greatest challenges of
Campbell, a world-renowned author, speaker and thought all. "As dreams that were momentous by night may seem
leader, believed that heroes are deeply embedded in our simply silly in the light of day, so the poet and the prophet
collective consciousness. Stories handed down from can discover themselves playing the idiot before a jury of
generation to generation reflect spiritual principles, he sober eyes," he wrote.
noted. They are as native to us as our hair and skin.
In these situations, helpers and mentors may once again
While hero stories vary, three phases – departure, initiation come to the hero's aid, armed with support, resources and
and return – are present in every tale. Campbell depicts tools to help them build a case. Campbell suggested these
a dreamlike landscape populated by helpers, adversaries helpers may show up in our dreams. The subconscious
and people who laugh at the hero and say give up, walk realms are filled with symbolic figures, secret helpers and
away, take it behind the barn and shoot it. Sound familiar? instructive teachers, he wrote, "and in their forms we may
see reflected not only the whole picture of our present case,
Departure but also the clue to what we must do to be saved."

Every hero receives a call to adventure, Campbell noted. Heroes who challenge the status quo must be prepared
The call doesn't have to be loud; sometimes it's only a to defend their visions. Madhani recalled that her former
whisper. And as Noah and Moses demonstrate, it may take bosses "laughed in my face" at the concept of subscription-
more than one call to wake up a hero. Let's face it, it's not based payment processing. But she prevailed, and with
easy to leave a warm bed or safe cubicle or resume a daily the right helpers, made merchants services transparent,
round of "smilin' and dialin'" through serial rejection. fair and fun. Their service model disrupted payments and
empowered merchants, she stated.
The journey begins when the hero can no longer ignore
the situation and "dares to heed the call," Campbell stated. Foster innovation
The popular saying that it's easier to ask for forgiveness
than approval holds true. Modern heroes must go it alone, Meenaz Sunderji, senior vice president, partner growth and
without waiting for community support or understanding. sales at Zafin, would like to see more heroes in financial
services, an industry he describes as ripe for disruption.
Suneera Madhani, CEO at Fattmerchant, told The Green Financial institutions focus on getting commercial
Sheet that being an MLS in 2012 was the hardest job she customers while remaining silo'd and separating banking

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