What kinds of businesses does nanushi work with?

nanushi works with businesses of all sizes — from local cafes and retail shops to tech startups and established companies. If you need a website, web app, mobile app, or AI integration, nanushi can help.

How long does a project take?

A simple marketing website can be delivered in 1–2 weeks. A full web application or mobile app typically takes 4–12 weeks depending on scope.

Does nanushi build AI chatbots?

Yes. nanushi builds custom AI assistants and chatbots using Claude (Anthropic) and OpenAI. These can be integrated into websites, mobile apps, or internal business tools.

Where is nanushi based?

nanushi is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The team works remotely and serves clients globally.

What is a nanushi mission?

A mission is a 6-week collaborative React Native app-building challenge. Teams of developers work together to ship a real, production-quality mobile app.

stripe for small businesses: what it is and how to get started

stripe is the payment processor that most modern businesses use to accept credit cards and other payments online. if you've bought something from a small online business, booked a service on a website, or paid for a subscription, you've probably used stripe without knowing it.

for canadian small businesses, stripe is almost always the right starting point. here's what you need to know.

what stripe actually does

stripe lets your website or application accept payments without you having to build banking infrastructure yourself. a customer enters their credit card, stripe securely processes the transaction, verifies the card, handles fraud detection, and deposits the money in your bank account (minus their fees).

what stripe specifically handles:

credit and debit cards (visa, mastercard, amex, etc.)
apple pay and google pay
interac (for canadian debit transactions)
ach bank transfers (us customers)
klarna and afterpay (buy now pay later)
subscription and recurring billing
invoicing

it also handles the complex compliance requirements around storing and transmitting card data (pci-dss compliance). this is genuinely complex to do correctly on your own — using stripe means stripe handles it.

stripe's fees for canadian businesses

stripe's standard processing rate for canadian businesses is 2.9% + 30 cents CAD per successful card transaction. for in-person payments using stripe terminal, it's 2.7% + 5 cents.

there's no monthly fee for the standard tier. you pay per transaction when you have transactions.

interac debit: 0.75% per transaction, capped at $3.

for businesses with significant volume (typically $50,000+/month in processing), stripe will negotiate custom pricing. contact their sales team when you get to that level.

getting started: what you actually need

create a stripe account at stripe.com. it's free and takes about 10 minutes. you'll need your business legal name, address, business number (if you have one), and banking information for payouts.
verify your account. stripe will ask for your business type, what you sell, and may ask for additional verification documents depending on your business category. this is regulatory compliance — banks require it.
choose your integration:
- stripe checkout: the simplest option. your developer adds a few lines of code, and when a customer clicks "buy," they're redirected to a stripe-hosted checkout page. stripe handles everything. the page is customizable but lives on stripe's domain.
- stripe payment element: a customizable checkout form embedded directly on your website. customers stay on your site. more work to implement but more seamless experience.
- stripe billing: for subscription products. handles recurring charges, trial periods, upgrade/downgrade logic, and failed payment retries automatically.
- shopify payments (if you're on shopify): this is stripe under the hood, accessed through shopify's interface. if you're on shopify, don't set up stripe directly — use shopify payments instead.
test before going live. stripe provides a test mode with test card numbers. use it to verify your entire checkout flow works end-to-end before accepting real money.

what to watch for

payouts timing. by default, stripe holds your money for two business days after a transaction and then deposits it. once your account establishes a track record, this can often be reduced to daily payouts. go to your stripe dashboard → settings → payouts to configure this.

disputes and chargebacks. if a customer disputes a charge with their card issuer, stripe debits your account and you need to provide evidence. keep records of your transactions, delivery confirmations, and customer communication. stripe's dashboard makes this manageable but disputes cost $15 per case if you lose (refunded if you win).

statement descriptors. the text that appears on your customer's credit card statement. by default this is your business name. make sure it's recognizable — unrecognizable charges lead to unnecessary chargebacks. set this in your stripe account settings.

a note on canadian gst/hst

stripe does not automatically handle tax collection for you. you need to either use stripe tax (an add-on service) or configure your shopping platform (shopify, woocommerce, etc.) to collect the correct gst/hst rates per province. don't assume stripe is handling this — verify explicitly.

if you need help integrating stripe into a custom website or web application, nanushi builds payment integrations regularly and can set it up correctly from the start.