A hardwired ATM, a handwritten scorecard, and a bold bet on small business
Before Lil Roberts founded Xendoo, she was wiring the first ATM in Broward County. Not as a banker, but as a tech-savvy 20-something climbing inside safes to hardwire machines most people were still afraid to use.
It’s the kind of origin story that fits Lil perfectly. Unorthodox. Unstoppable. Built on guts and grit.
In this episode of Locality’s Making Bank Podcast, Lil sits down with Locality Bank CEO, Keith Costello, to talk about the personal losses that shaped her early life, the work ethic forged by necessity, and the intentional strategy that led to her current venture: a SaaS company helping small businesses make sense of their books.
Lil’s journey hasn’t been typical, and that’s the point. She’s had nine businesses, a toolkit full of lessons, and a belief that success comes down to resilience, plus a clear-eyed willingness to test, fail, and build again. Her entrepreneurial scorecard (literally) helped her map the path to Xendoo. Her mission now? Help 50,000 small businesses by 2030, whether they pay her or not.
“If you’re in a dark spot,” she says, “the sun always comes out.”
What’s clear is that Lil isn’t chasing unicorn status. She’s building something useful. Tangible. Human. And if you’re in the early chapters of your business journey, this conversation might just remind you: you’re not alone, and your best chapters might still be ahead.
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