Q: Thanks for meeting with me today! How’s everything going?

A: Great. It’s kind of like clockwork — when it gets near my child’s birthday and when it’s Christmas time, we chat about what we’d need to do in order to get a dog.

Q: And you don’t want to buy a dog?

A: Well if we did, We’d have to fix up our backyard a bit. First on the list is build a fence — or repair the collapsing 70-year-old fence that is one one side of the backyard, then install a chain-link fence so that the gravel driveway remains accessible for the people who rent out our unattached storage shed, then take the hammock down, watch out for the trampoline and swing set, then complete the fence after removing about 12 trees.

Q: Sounds tricky but still doable. No?

A: Oh, it’s definitely doable. The thing is: We also live by a busy street, like, in addition to all o f the other things we’d need to do. We don’t really want a dog — we just want our child to be happy, so that’s why we discuss it. In the past we had a Corn Snake as a pet — but it escaped when the kids and their cousins took it outside to play and forgot to bring it back in. We tried fish before that but they didn’t last too long no matter what kind of tank or food we gave them. We even killed bamboo when we had it as an indoor plant — I didn’t know that was possible.

A: One Christmas a few years ago we brought home pet bunnies for the kids but one of those always escaped and a fox got it. Another one either ate too much corn on the cob or was the runt of the litter and lasted even a shorter time than the escape artist. The third bunny was always biting and attacking the other bunnies. A friend of ours asked to have that one so we gave it to him. We bought our daughter a pet mouse and she took care of him really well. The turtles and pets…and if I’m honest, the plants, we had before that all escaped or died.

Q: Uh-oh. Where did you get the Corn Snake, turtles, mouse, fishes and bamboo?

A: Mostly we bought those things at PetSmart. A few of the turtles we found at parks or near a river and brought them home. The Corn Snake was for sale on Craigslist.

Q: Wait. What?

A: They didn’t stay with us very long. Like one of them, we kept in the backyard but it just dug a hole and escaped. We called animal control when we found a possum sleeping in our garbage can. It didn’t have any babies. And then we called them again a few months alter when some baby squirrels fell out of a tree during a windstorm.

Q: What did Animal Control do?

A: They picked up the possum by it’s tail and placed it ont eh ground right next to the garbage can.

Q:: Really?

A: Yeah. So…

Q: What did they do with the baby squirrels?

A: We tried to keep the baby squirrels alive. We put them in our storage shed outside, put a warm cloth on them and tried to feed them water with an eye dropper but they had been injured by the fall. I think Animal Control took them and disposed of them.

Q: Okay. Thanks! How does that lead us to One-to-Many payments?

A: Oh! My in-laws and my own parents and siblings want to help purchase a dog for my child. They want to all go in on it but it’s weird to send money to family all at the same time hoping for the same outcome. Ya know?

Q: Okay. And what did you find?

A: Stripe Connect seems to be the way to do it. Each in-law and relative can donate and then my child and I could select the dog and purchase it with those funds.

Q: That sounds like Many-to-One payments? No?

A: Uh, Stripe doesn't have a Many-to-Many payment option. I’m not sure any payment provider does.

Q: Right. Maybe Many to Many would work if you wanted to buy more than one pet?

A: That could work. Good thing we don’t want any pets, really. Like when you get down to it.

Q: That’s fair. If any of your friends or family could saw a puppy or a gift or a book that you and your family might like — do you think they would buy it and send it to you if it only took two or three taps on their phone?

A: They absolutely would! That would be great! I mean, who wants to fight traffic, after checking to see if you have enough fuel, then hope the store has the puppy you want?

Q: Good question. Makes me wonder why only 8% of retail is online.

A: If Homemaide could help me, my inlaws, and my relatives do more online retail, we’d LOVE that! Seriously.

Q: Homemaide definitely will! Thanks for meeting with me. Here’s your free Amazon giftcard.

A: Thanks!

THE BOTTOM LINE

HOMEMAIDE helps you sell your style and buy the things that make you smile, seamlessly. Our iOS app is going to drop next month! You can get on our early beta release before that! Just let us know on Facebook or email.

Any item you pass in your daily routine (say for example durable bags, or Party City gags) — ALL you have to do is upload a picture or paused video screenshot of that to your existing social media sites and Homemaide will send you a commission for every purchase your friends make.

AND — they don’t have to buy a luxury car for you to earn a commission (but if they do, YOU will earn a commission from Homemaide on those larger purchases(!!!). Reach out to us today to learn more about how YOU can empower your shoppers to buy what they want, when they want, on their terms.