Small business owner James Downey works in the glamorous yet hectic world of television and film. His company, Fullerton Productions Inc. (james@fullerton-productions.ca), specializes in designing lighting and staging for television, film, commercial and live events. During the past twelve years, James has 'lit up' many famous faces including Eugene Levy, Tony Curtis and Pierce Brosnan.

James' work clients include CBC, CTV, TSN and many of the specialty networks. He also lit exhibits for The Lord of the Rings at the Royal Ontario Museum and Casa Loma. Currently he is working on Superstar Chef Challenge for The Food Network.

Early in his business, James decided to start buying his own lighting gear and renting it out to his TV and film clients. "Today, my rental equipment makes money for me even when I'm not working on a set," he says. "Plus, by owning my own gear, I can design a show's lighting the way I want and stay within client budget."

James wanted to enjoy some perks to charging those big equipment purchases to his credit card, so six years ago he signed up for a CIBC Aerogold^* Visa^® Card for Business.

He loves knowing his large purchases are helping to fund his passion for travel. "So far I've accumulated over one million reward points on the card and I've used them to take my family to New Zealand and Thailand," he says. "I've also sent other family members on trips using my reward points."

James says he uses his Aerogold^* Visa Business card for everything. Monthly business expenses such as telephone bills are automatically charged to his card. "I also charge regular monthly donations to my favourite charity," he adds. "It just makes my life easier."

Working long hours on TV and film sets, James says he doesn't have time to push around paperwork. He's simplified his accounts payable by giving his suppliers his credit card number. "I rent a lot of industry equipment," he explains. "Those suppliers submit their invoices to me, and I authorize them to charge my card. That way I'm always current with my payables and I avoid bank transaction fees."

James encourages other small business owners to get a CIBC Aerogold^* Visa Card for Business with travel reward points. "Get in the habit of paying everything with your card so that you can easily keep track of your expenses. As an additional value-add, you'll be able to rack up those points," he enthuses. "It's a wonderful bonus to running your own business."

^*Aerogold is a registered trademark of Aeroplan LP.