Founding Via and Teaming Up with Justworks
One Year Later
When Melanie Travis founded Andie Swim in 2017, her mission was clear: to simplify the often daunting task of shopping for swimwear. Based in New York City, the direct-to-consumer brand experienced rapid growth, and with success came new challenges. The complexities of payroll and benefits management led her to Justworks in 2021, and the platform was, as Melanie described, "life-changing" for her business.
Later, when Andie Swim sought to hire an accountant based in Canada, international hiring seemed complicated and costly. But, going out on a limb, Melanie reached out to see if Justworks could help. "I was shocked," she said. "[They] were like 'no problem, we're going to do it for you'. Now that we can hire talent anywhere in the world, it opens up a lot of possibilities." Melanie’s is just one story of many I’ve seen up close this year—small businesses everywhere are rethinking their horizons for talent.
More than half of Justworks' customers are currently employing or planning to hire internationally. In today's interconnected world, having a strategy around international hiring is increasingly important. Finding exceptional talent is challenging for any organization, but small businesses often face steeper hurdles due to limited resources and lesser-known brands. By extending their search across borders, they unlock more options and opportunities for growth. By helping them do this, we can level the playing field for small businesses.
My own entrepreneurial journey has been deeply influenced by a lifelong experience of connecting across cultures. Co-founding and growing Via meant building a team in multiple countries, and experiencing the hurdles that come with that firsthand illuminated the pain points that small businesses face when hiring globally. This influenced our pivot to building an Employer of Record (EOR), enabling companies to hire seamlessly across borders. The onset of the pandemic accelerated the future of remote work, making it clear that businesses of all sizes would increasingly be global from the start.
A year ago, Via joined forces with Justworks to accelerate our shared mission of helping small businesses grow with confidence. Together, we've since honed in on what international hiring means for companies with less than 100 employees. To summarize: many EOR providers focus on larger enterprises, leaving small businesses feeling like "small fish in a big pond." Lack of transparency around fees, tying up of liquidity through security deposits, and impersonal customer support are common grievances. So, our approach emphasizes the following:
Transparency: Transparent pricing provides clarity on costs for hiring and managing international contractors and employees. Justworks helps small businesses budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses.
Personalized Support: Accessible customer service that treats every business, regardless of size, with the attention and support it deserves.
Cohesive and “One Team”: Managing a global workforce can sometimes be disjointed. With Justworks, small business leaders can view and manage their whole team in one single platform. We offer a unified platform that combines payroll, PEO services, and international hiring capabilities, all natively built for small and medium-sized businesses. This comprehensive approach simplifies HR management, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations.
Local Compliance and HR Expertise: Some of the biggest liabilities and challenges with growing globally are local laws and regulations. We ensure adherence to local laws and regulations in the markets that matter most to our customers. This approach enhances reliability and reduces risk.
Focusing on the top talent markets across the globe, Justworks provides access to Employer of Record services and global contractor payments. We've also established offices in strategic locations such as Toronto, London, and Mexico City, enhancing our ability to provide local compliance expertise and support.
Justworks has built the best PEO for small businesses over the past 10+ years. Now, we’re leveraging these insights and building on them to deliver a best-in-class EOR. Looking ahead, we're excited about:
Expanding Our Global Reach: Rapidly enhancing our capabilities to provide direct support with local expertise in more countries, catering to the needs of both U.S. and non-U.S. companies seeking international expansion.
Features Built with Small Businesses in Mind: Launching features that genuinely matter, such as payment options and terms catered to small businesses. We also streamline international payroll with auto-debit capabilities and built out integration capabilities, ensuring a seamless experience on the Justworks platform.
Business Insurance: Our expert knowledge of insurance products in the US means we can more effectively build insurance packages across the globe to give our customers peace of mind when hiring globally, all while helping them become employers of choice for top talent.
Reflecting on the past year, I'm energized by the progress we've made and the possibilities that lie ahead. I deeply believe in the power of connecting people across borders—fostering innovation, empathy, and better decision-making, and enabling this for our customers.
At Justworks, we're committed to bringing that same sense of connection to small businesses everywhere, enabling them to grow globally with confidence.
Global hiring isn’t going anywhere, and as the growing market evolves, there’s a lot to uncover. Together with our customers, we're breaking down barriers and opening doors to global talent that was once out of reach. This not only means being a partner to small businesses based on what they need today, but also what they might need to grow their teams in the future. As we look ahead, our commitment remains steadfast: to help small businesses thrive, no matter where their ambitions may lead them.
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