Our Team
Amad Ebrahimi
Founder/CEO
Amad is the Founder and CEO at Merchant Maverick. He began his career in 2002 as an eBay Power Seller before moving on to several roles as an Internet Marketing Manager and SEO. Throughout his career, he has acquired many skills, including SEO/SEM, analytics, HTML/CSS, conversion rate optimization, and writing, which he has applied to founding and growing Merchant Maverick.
Shelbi Wescott
Managing Editor
Shelbi Wescott began working for Merchant Maverick in 2019 after 17 years as a journalism educator and publications advisor, where she has extensive knowledge of newsroom systems and editorial workflows. She has overseen multiple print and online publications and mentored hundreds of emerging writers. Shelbi is also an award-winning journalist, published author, and former small business owner with a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Erica Seppala
Editor & Senior Staff Writer: Accounting, QuickBooks, Payroll, Business Funding, POS
Erica began writing on small business topics in 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and focuses on loans, accounting, and POS. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll. She has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a graduate of Limestone University and resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
Chelsea Krause
Lead Staff Writer: Accounting, QuickBooks, Payroll, Business Finance
Chelsea Krause is a writer who specializes in accounting, payroll, and small business loans. She has been with Merchant Maverick helping small business owners manage their finances since 2016. She is a QuickBooks Certified User and former eCommerce store owner. Her accounting expertise has been quoted in Forbes and her work appears in Startup Nation, Small Business Bonfire, and Women on Business. Chelsea graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English & Creative Writing from George Fox University and studied abroad at the University of Oxford as well. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho.
Matt Sherman
Lead Staff Writer: POS, Accounting, Payroll
Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
Shannon Vissers
Lead Staff Writer: Payment Processing
Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
Shelli Woodward
Finance Director
Shelli is the Finance Director of Merchant Maverick and has provided expert advice and guidance on all financial matters for the company since 2020. She has over 20 years of finance and accounting management experience covering a broad range of industries. Her prior role in public accounting focused on providing advice to small and medium-sized businesses. She holds a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and is an Enrolled Agent.
Kendall Liner
Digital Content Producer
Kendall is Merchant Maverick’s Social Media Strategist. She has been with the company since 2019. Her expertise in video marketing has accumulated almost half a million views on YouTube and her engaging content has been featured on YouTube’s official blog. She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Communications and currently lives in Albany, Oregon.
Charlotte Perkinson
Human Resources Director
A human resources professional with more than a decade of experience, Charlotte joined Merchant Maverick in 2020. As HR Director, she serves as a trusted resource for the team, implementing strategies for benefits, compliance, and recruiting and managing all things related to personnel. Charlotte is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) whose expertise has been cited by SHRM, HR Magazine, Inc, and Lattice. She resides in Los Angeles, California.
Alina Gunn
Digital Marketing Director
Alina joined Merchant Maverick as an SEO Manager in 2023. An Oregon State University graduate with experience in both agency and industry environments, Alina has spent the last eight years honing her digital marketing skills by helping large brands build strong organic presence and optimize user experience.
