Pulling magic from a hat
When Abby Listo launched Smart Birdy, her luggage brand, she envisioned a product grounded in style, function, and technology.
Her own travel experience inspired the whole idea. Listo often got complimented on a vintage hat box she took on nearly every trip. She set out to create a suitcase version – and even found the original hat box designer to help her do it. With a background in startup marketing, Listo already knew a thing or two about catching a consumer’s eye.
Along with its sleek, stackable design, the new rolling suitcase had “smart” features like charging packs and a Bluetooth speaker, plus a passport pocket and other compartments to maximize space. Its compact size meant it could serve as either a TSA-approved carry-on or a personal item on airplanes. The brand would mainly be sold direct-to-consumer.
Learning to fly
To help support her business more efficiently, Listo tapped into an arsenal of American Express products. With financial tools designed specifically for small business owners, Listo finds steady support with her American Express Business Platinum Card®, American Express® Business Gold Card, and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, along with her American Express® Business Line of Credit1 and American Express Business Blueprint™2. These tools give Listo the wings she needs to help keep her flying – both in business and toward her next destination.
“Amex has been great,” she says. “Their products have helped me move faster and stay more agile.”
Business Cards to help fuel a fresh start
Her first business tool was an American Express Business Platinum Card®. She says acquiring it in 2016 made everything feel real – like the business was truly in motion.
“For a long time, we used the Business Platinum Card to charge all of our business expenses – clean and sweet,” she recalls. “I loved redeeming points for flights, client hotels, and deposits so I could pay to shoot content for advertising. It’s a great ecosystem, especially for someone in travel.”
The Business Platinum Card got her started, but she’s since added other Amex products to help support her business even further. The American Express® Business Gold Card is used for Smart Birdy’s advertising costs, earning Membership Rewards®3 points on her eligible purchases.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card adds even more lift to her business benefit options, offering miles4 on eligible purchases plus hotel and dining benefits that help fuel her frequent travel.
“I love using this Card because I’m contributing to my Delta SkyMiles account [with eligible purchases], allowing me to say yes to more opportunities and be where I need to be as a business owner,” Listo says.
Managing cash flow on the go
Another standout resource is her American Express® Business Line of Credit, since she – like many product-based businesses – relies heavily on manufacturers.
“In manufacturing we always have to pay for the goods up front," she says. "Being able to have those funds available to us for production is huge. It relieved a lot of pressure and allowed us to operate at a faster speed.”
To manage expenses on the go and keep things organized, Listo tracks her Business Line of Credit and Business Card accounts using American Express Business Blueprint™. Business Blueprint provides a single location where business owners can view a snapshot of their account balances across select American Express products, including Business Cards, American Express® Business Checking5, and Business Line of Credit, along with eligible external business checking and card accounts.
“Less is more when it comes to accounting expenses and finances,” Listo says. “The more I can keep all my business finances in one place, the better.”
The suitcases keep stacking up
The brand’s flock of “Birdies” – her affectionate term for her customers – typically buy between two and ten suitcases, Listo says. As her business spending grows, so does her Membership Rewards® points account balance – as well as her travels.
“A Birdy is a jetsetter who loves to fly and knows all about travel: what credit cards to have, how to get into the lounges, and how to get upgrades,” Listo says. “That is who our customer is.”
Story Footnotes
1 American Express® Business Line of Credit offers access to a commercial line of credit ranging from $2,000 to $250,000; however, you may be eligible for a larger line of credit based on our evaluation of your business. Each draw on the line of credit will result in either a separate installment loan or a single repayment loan. All loans are subject to credit approval and are secured by business assets. Every loan requires a personal guarantee. For single repayment loans, we charge a total loan fee that ranges from 0.95%-1.80% of the amount you borrow for 1-month loans, 1.90%-3.75% for 2-month loans, and 2.85%-6.05% for 3- month loans. Single repayment loans incur a loan fee at origination and the principal and total loan fee are due and payable at loan maturity. There are no required monthly repayments for a single repayment loan. Repaying a single repayment loan early will not reduce the loan fee we charge you. For installment loans, we charge a total loan fee that ranges from 3-9% of the amount you borrow for 6-month loans, 6-18% for 12-month loans, 9-27% for 18-month loans, and 12-18% for 24-month loans. Installment loans incur a portion of the total loan fee for each month you have an outstanding balance. If you repay the total of the principal of an installment loan early, you will not be required to pay loan fees that have not posted for subsequent months. For each loan that you take, you will see the applicable loan fee before you take the loan. Once you take the loan, the loan fees that apply to that loan do not change. We reserve the right to change the loan fees that we offer you for new loans at any time. American Express reserves the right to offer promotions to reduce or waive loan fees from time to time. Not all customers will be eligible for the lowest loan fee. Not all loan term lengths are available to all customers. Eligibility is based on creditworthiness and other factors. Not all industries are eligible for American Express® Business Line of Credit. Pricing and line of credit decisions are based on the overall financial profile of you and your business, including history with American Express and other financial institutions, credit history, and other factors. Lines of credit are subject to periodic review and may change or be suspended, accompanied with or without an account closure. Late fees may be assessed. Loans are issued by American Express National Bank.
Single repayment loans may become available to eligible new and existing Business Line of Credit customers at different times.
2 American Express Business Blueprint™ is the small business digital experience that allows a customer to view on one digital dashboard summary account information for the following American Express small business products: American Express® Business Cards, American Express® Business Line of Credit, and American Express® Business Checking. The customer can also choose to link their third-party issued business bank accounts and business credit cards to Business Blueprint. Not all third party accounts or cards can be connected to Business Blueprint. Business Blueprint allows the customer to view data insights and track their business cash flow and expenses by viewing reports that American Express prepares using the customer’s linked account information. Business Blueprint provides a 30-day bank account balance projection, using the daily balances from the customer’s linked bank accounts from the last 90 days. To be used in the account balance projection, the customer’s bank account must have at least 90 days of data available. While the cash flow management service from Business Blueprint is currently free, each of the business products from American Express that are visible in Business Blueprint has its own fees, eligibility criteria, application process and approval requirements. The Business Blueprint service (including any data insights provided to the customer) does not constitute legal, tax, financial or accounting advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining competent personalized advice from a licensed professional. You should seek professional advice before making any decision that could affect the financial health of your business. American Express makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the reports, projections, data or account information that are available to the customer from Business Blueprint.
3 Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards® program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice.
The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo.
4 All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit Membership Guide & Program Rules. Prices and rules are subject to change without notice. Delta, SkyMiles, and the Delta logo are registered service marks of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Delta is not responsible for goods or services offered by any companies participating in miles promotions. Partner offers subject to the terms and conditions of each individual offer. See individual offers for details. Partners subject to change. Offers void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply.
5 Deposit Accounts offered by American Express National Bank. Member FDIC.
