Arman Eshraghi still remembers his thrilling first encounter with a home desktop in the 1980s. “Before that, when somebody said ‘computer,’ you were thinking of these big building sized machines,” he recalls. “But this – this was something I could actually train, and it would get better.”
That moment in high school sparked a lifelong affinity for systems and the power of software to solve problems faster than humans ever could. Originally from Iran, Eshraghi came to the U.S. with a deep curiosity about technology and a drive to build. Over the years, the serial entrepreneur has launched four B2B software companies, each one riding the next wave of innovation – from MS-DOS to the cloud. Today, he leads his latest venture, Qrvey, an embedded analytics platform for SaaS companies, from Austin, Texas, where he lives with his family and tends to his sprawling
private collection of board games in his spare time.
As Qrvey has grown into a 90-person company, Eshraghi has learned that even the best technology needs a solid financial foundation. “At the end of the day, if you can’t manage cash flow, you can’t build the business – no matter how good the product is,” he says. For more than two decades, American Express has been helpful on that journey, offering tools that can help facilitate business growth. From his Business Cards1 to the American Express® Business Checking account2 and American Express® Business Line of Credit3 that his business depends on, Eshraghi has looked to American Express for help navigating growth with confidence. “That kind of flexibility, when you need it, is really important.”
Payment solutions for a growing business
From the very beginning, American Express has represented both a business toolkit and a lifeline for Eshraghi. His first credit card was the American Express® Gold Card.
Today at Qrvey, Eshragi has earned Membership Rewards® points4 on purchases with both his American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card®. The benefits of Card Membership have played an important role in helping him scale business activity. Benefits like quality customer service also help for peace of mind.
Empowering teams with responsible spending tools
As Qrvey has scaled, so has the need to equip employees with spending power while keeping oversight of their spending tight. Eshraghi uses the American Express® Corporate Card Program5 to issue cards to team members that applied and were approved for their corporate cards. “You can see the statement separated by each person very easily, so that's a big plus,” he says.
With digital products like American Express @ Work – Enrollment Required®6, he has increased employee spending visibility while earning points on his team’s eligible business purchases.
Strategic cash flow management
When software clients hit economic headwinds a few years ago, Eshraghi didn't hesitate to adapt. Some customers asked to shift from annual payments to quarterly ones – a move that could strain Qrvey’s own cash flow. With extra support from the American Express® Business Line of Credit, Eshraghi had the flexibility to say yes. “If Amex could approve us for a line of credit, why not use it?” he says. “It helps them, helps us.”
An integrated approach to business banking
While not Qrvey’s primary account, the American Express® Business Checking account supports the company's financial operations in important ways. “We'd had a great experience with American Express,” Eshraghi remembers. “So, when it appeared on my radar, I passed it to our accountant who handles our financial operations and said, ‘Maybe we should try this.’” The Business Checking account has since become a valuable tool, he says, offering benefits like earning Membership Rewards® points for spend on eligible Business Debit Card purchases and integration with the American Express Business Blueprint™7 dashboard for holistic cash flow management – a strong complement to Qrvey’s broader growth strategy.
Service you can rely on
As technology has evolved, so too have the tools that support it. And for Eshraghi, American Express has been there throughout his journey. “Companies that invest in customer service are the ones thinking long term,” he says. “That's who I want to work with and that's the kind of company I want to build.”
Story Footnotes
¹ Application and approval required.
² Deposit Accounts offered by American Express Bank. Member FDIC. We are currently accepting applications from eligible U.S. businesses. Not all applicants will be approved for a Business Checking account. To learn more about Business Checking, including eligibility, visit https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/checking/
³American 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.
4Enrollment in the Membership Rewards ® program is required. The Corporate Green Card and the Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Card is charged a $55 annual enrollment fee. A program fee is not applied for the Corporate Gold Card, Corporate Platinum Card®, Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Platinum Card, and Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Executive Gold Card. Some Corporate Cards are not eligible for enrollment. For a full list of eligible Corporate Cards, please see the full Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions. Card Member eligibility for enrollment is based upon the company’s participation in the Membership Rewards program. Get one Membership Rewards point for every dollar of eligible purchases charged on enrolled Corporate Green Cards, Corporate Gold Cards, and Corporate Platinum Cards®. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents.
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.
5Enrollment in the Corporate Membership Rewards program is required. Only the American Express® Corporate Green Card, American Express® Corporate Gold Card, and Corporate Platinum Card® from American Express are eligible to enroll in the Corporate Membership Rewards program. The Program Administrator is charged a $90 annual enrollment fee for each enrolled Corporate Green Card. A program fee is not applied for the Corporate Gold Card and Corporate Platinum Card®. Get one Corporate Membership Rewards point for every dollar of eligible purchases charged on enrolled American Express ® Corporate Cards. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. If the Corporate Card Member is transferring from an existing Membership Rewards program to the Corporate Membership Rewards program, the Card Member will have 30 days to use any existing Membership Rewards points before they are forfeited.
The redemption value of Corporate Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them.
For the full terms and conditions for the Corporate Membership Rewards® program please visit americanexpress.com/corporatemrterms for more information. Participating Corporate Membership Rewards partners, available rewards, and point levels are subject to change without notice.
6 Use of American Express @ Work ® is restricted to employees, contractors and/or agents that the Company, and its representatives designate for the sole purpose of performing online account queries and maintenance, including accessing and/or creating reports relating to the Company's American Express® Corporate Card programs. @ Work is available to all companies with an American Express Corporate Card program.
Enrollment is required. To enroll in @ Work please contact your American Express Representative or call 1-888-800-8564.
7 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.
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