Dan Price, founder and CEO of Gravity Payments, recently spoke at Entrepreneur Unplugged Series about coming of age in rural Idaho, and how his small-town values, challenges and triumphs inspired the foundation his company was built upon. He detailed his life’s mission to stand up for the little guy leveling the playing field for small business owners. From being a member of a touring teenage rock sensation playing in front of thousands, to escaping the noise of dorm co-eds in a closet to negotiate with a CFO of a major auto retailer, to the cover of a national magazine, Dan’s entertaining story inspires people to accomplish more by helping others.

Dan Price started Gravity Payments from his dorm room after witnessing thousands of hard-working small business owners being overcharged and underserved by their credit card processors. His goal was simple: Level the playing field by making processing and financial services fair for community business owners. Over 12,000 community businesses across all 50 states trust Gravity to save them millions in fees and hours in frustration by making it easy and simple for them to accept payments.

Dan built his company with a values-based philosophy in mind. He didn’t want to confuse business owners with industry jargon or hide fees in the fine print. Instead, Gravity practices honesty, transparency, and doing business with integrity. These simple values have set Dan and his company apart from many other processors, making Gravity the most trusted name in the payments industry.

Dan’s leadership and entrepreneurial spirit have earned him the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine and their “Entrepreneur of 2014” award. Other honors include the 2014 Seattle Business Executive Excellence Award, the 2013 GeekWire “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” award, the 2010 SBA “National Young Entrepreneur of the Year” award, and he has been featured in countless articles, including Forbes, CNBC, Business Week, and Inc.