Simplifying Payroll for Small Business Owners with Roberto Masiero: An EOFire Classic from 2022

0:02John Lee Dumas:Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation? JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. On today's classic episode, we'll be breaking down how to simplify payroll for small business owners. And to drop these value bombs, I brought Roberto Masiero and EO Fire Studios. Roberto is Senior VP of ADP Innovation Labs, leading research on emerging technologies and the development of new products. And today we talk about how taking risks, believing in yourself and being kind leads to success. How to use a payroll system from a trusted provider and believe in yourself.

0:36John Lee Dumas:Stay kind, persistent, plan well and get expert help with payroll and so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Roberto and our sponsors. If you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure. High Level gives you website hosting, funnels, email marketing, automation, calendar booking, payments and course hosting all on one platform, plus award-winning 24-7 support. Get a 30-day free trial and my full bonus stack that includes a 50-minute private call with me and much more at highlevelfire.com, highlevelfire.com. Fire Nation, 50 days will fly right on by.

1:12John Lee Dumas:The only question is, will you have something to show for it? I created a free YouTube series called 50 Days to Something, a step-by-step path to build a real product, service, or offer in just 50 focused days. Start today for free at eofire.com slash YouTube. Roberto, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Thank you for having me. This is a pleasure. That's a tough question. I think there's two things. One is take risks. Believe in yourself. But that sounds like people might agree with that. I think the other thing is be kind.

1:58I think that's something that you think sometimes you've got to be ruthless when you're trying to get up in your career, start your business or whatever. I think kindness still pays off much better than being ruthless. So yeah, be kind.

2:15John Lee Dumas:Well, Fire Nation, that's a great start to what's going to be a great episode as we talk about simplifying payroll for small business owners. And most of you, Fire Nation, are just that, small business owners. So let's dive in. Standing out from the competition, Roberto, it is so important, but it is so hard to do. Roll by ADP, your company, it's a product that you guys have developed. and you've obviously developed some of the features that set you apart from your competitors. Talk about some of those things right now. One of the biggest things with Roe by ADP, it's the simplicity of the design.

2:58We created a software that tries to really make payroll, which is a complicated thing. It's one of the things that cause stress on small businesses. We try to make it extremely simple in a way that you don't have to worry about it. It becomes something you can deal with in a matter of seconds, weekly, biweekly, whatever your frequency of pay. And one of the ways we did that, developing this product from the ground up, was we use a conversational UI. So you really, you're just chatting with the software. You use your mobile phone or the desktop if you prefer, but we see 90 plus percent of our clients just using their mobile phone.

3:43And if you know how to chat, you know how to run payroll. That is the idea. That is the premise. You check with the computer. It asks just the absolutely necessary questions. If there is something complicated related to taxes or anything else, it explains to you. It's very different than filling a form or kind of an Excel spreadsheet. You just having a conversation. You just, you know, responding to very simple questions. So that is, I think, one of the main differentiations from the competition is the simplicity of the interface itself.

4:22John Lee Dumas:So Fire Nation, what I want you to take away from this beyond everything that Roberto just shared is, what about you in your business, in your niche? How can you create simplicity? Because that can be a differentiator because people don't like complication. Think back to a really clear example of all those terrible search engines like Yahoo and AltaVista and InfoSeek back in the day. Their websites were just these massive links everywhere. It was so annoying. And then what came in? Google. One search bar, nothing else, clean, crisp, simple, and it just worked. How can you do that in your business?

4:59John Lee Dumas:A lot of our listeners, Roberto, they are currently dealing with, or someday soon will be dealing with, payroll problems, struggles, obstacles, challenges. What are some of the things that small business owners should look for when considering a payroll solution? Well, I think the first thing is consider a payroll solution. whatever that is. I mean, payroll is important. Payroll is, you know, kind of keeps the engine going, paying your employees or even yourself if you're a business. It's very important to make sure that you are compliant because you want to, you don't want to get in trouble. So, payroll is very important.

5:39And I think, so first thing, consider using a software that will take care of the complexity of all the taxes, the jurisdictions, everything you have to take care of. And once you do that, look for a software from a company that is reputable. So Robo ADP comes from ADP, a company that has been doing this and only this for more than 70 years. So we kind of know what we're talking about and make sure that if there is any problem, the liability is on that company that you're hiring. So if the software miscalculated, which we don't do, knock on wood, but if it happens, the liability is on us. You will not pay that penalty.

6:28So I think it's very important to, first of all, look at a software, look from a reputable company to serve you for this very important purpose, and then make sure that if there is any dispute, anything, you are covered by a liability where the software company, the service company that is serving you will take care of that for you.

6:51John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, these are some great, great pieces of advice. I mean, be compliant with your taxes, with your jurisdictions, etc. etc. Is the company that you're utilizing or that you're looking at reputable? I mean, that is such a key thing to make sure that you know that you're dealing with. And then, of course, the liability thing. I mean, what a great bonus it is that the liability can be taken off your plate if you're working with the right company. But even with all this going on, Roberto, let's be honest, payroll can be complicated. It can really cause people to pull their hair out. So what have you seen to be the most complicated thing about payroll when starting a business?

7:28Payroll, as you said, it is complicated, but it can be made simple. If we kind of hold hands with you and guide you through the process, there are the things that you have to do anyways. You have to establish your EIN. You have to create, let's say, legally create your entity, your company with the government. Then, depending on the state, depending on the local, depending on all the places where you are and where your company is, if you have workers that work and leave in different places, all of that complication that usually is complicated, we take that off of your shoulders. So when you use Roe, you enter the address of your shop, your small business, whatever it is, and then you enter the address of the workers, yourself and your employees.

8:24We do all the research behind the scenes. We understand what jurisdictions, what taxation you're liable for, and we take care of everything for you. So all you need to do then is run payroll. We'll calculate the taxes. We'll tell you how much it is. And we will even pay those taxes for you with the government agencies, federal, state, local municipalities. We take care of that for you. So it is daunting if you try to do it yourself. We make it simple for you. You can set up and run payroll and not worry about any of this complexity that comes with payroll. And that is true for W-2s and 1099s. So both your employees and contractors in any kind of company that you're creating, LLC, S-Corps, whatever it is, we look at all those different factors.

9:22and then create the most appropriate set of taxes you have to pay, only the ones that you have to pay, and we take care of them for you.

9:33John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, so many value bombs have already been shared here today. And we're going to be talking about building the right support team for your customers, the one piece of advice that Roberto's learned that he wants to give to you, Fire Nation, and something about role that surprises people. and so much more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. There are two things I know about you for sure. You're an action taker and you love to learn. Otherwise, you wouldn't be listening to this podcast. So I'm excited to share another source of inspiration I know you're going to love, Blinkist. Blinkist is an app that takes the world's best nonfiction books and breaks them down into 15-minute reads or listens.

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10:45John Lee Dumas:Go to Blinkist.com slash fire to start your free trial and lock in an extra 30 % off today. That's Blinkist.com slash fire. Fire Nation, if you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure. That is why High Level is Entrepreneur on Fire's featured partner. High Level gives you a website builder and hosting, funnels and landing pages, email marketing, appointment scheduling, payment processing, course and membership hosting, and so much more. everything you need to succeed all under one roof no duct tape no juggling five platforms just one clean system for your business and their award-winning 24 7 support has your back when you need it most when you sign up at high level fire.com you also get my exclusive bonus stack a 30-day free trial a private 15-minute call with me jld access to my weekly live office hours a digital copy of my book the common path to uncommon success my 50 days to something execution roadmap and more.

11:42John Lee Dumas:Visit highlevelfire.com and start building your something today. Roberto, we're back. And one thing that most companies lack is a support team so they can make sure their customers win and win at a high level and feel supported and feel like they're on the team. What does support from the role team look like? And how can Fire Nation learn from your implementation of this support? Support is critical. Even if you design the best software, the best app out there, there is always that extra level of question that, you know, even if it is just to ask, is everything okay? Is everything all set the way it's supposed to be?

12:27We understand people want to have that contact. So we at Roll by ADP, we provide 24 by 7 support, be that on the weekends. We understand during the day, if you're a small business owner, you're hustling, you're making it happen. You are making your business growth. You're taking care of your customers. So we are there at any time of the day and night, during the weekends, you can check with a live support service representative, and it will respond to your questions. These are people that no payroll, no taxes, no role by ADP like no one else, and they will be able to provide that service for you.

13:11I think it's critical, it doesn't matter what kind of business you have, that you have that extra level of service. Even if your product is top-notch, even if you have the best solution out there, there will always be that exception, that extra level that you want to make sure that your clients, your customers feel that they have the right process, that they have the right parameters in the system, and we're there for you. And I think it's something that we would never have launched a product without that level of service available to our clients.

13:46John Lee Dumas:And what would a recommendation be from you for our listeners, for entrepreneurs, for small business owners who are looking to implement something like this? Like, what is step one? What does that look like? I think you have to understand what level of service you want to provide. Obviously, it depends a lot on the type of business you have. If it is a retail store, it's a lot of training as well. That's number one. Design what kind of service you want to provide. If it is a remote business, be available. I think that's number one. How are you going to make yourself available to your customers?

14:20Be that in a store, be that via a chat type application, be that via email, but make yourself available. And then create a training, create a program to train either yourself or your employees to respond to those questions, right? To give the answer to the question where I want to return. I want to understand how this product works. I want to understand the pricing. I think it's creating that process of service, not only your product. Product is important. Service on top of it is what makes a difference.

14:59John Lee Dumas:So I teased this before the break, but I want to dive into it right now. What is the one single piece of advice that you would give to small businesses? It comes back to your first question. I believe in yourself. Before I joined ADP many years ago, I started three different small businesses on the computer science space, and two of them didn't work. The third one worked, and I ended up selling my company to ADP. So persist, believe in your ideas, take risks, they pay off. I mean, it's all about work. You take how much you put in. And I think that, you know, for me, the best advice is just believe in yourself, be kind, and persist in your ideas.

15:53Have a good business plan. Understand your cash flow, how the whole business will work. even seek help, seek help to run your payroll, like we're talking about here, to put your finances in order, all of that. I mean, seek help. And, you know, with good work, good results will come.

16:16John Lee Dumas:There is something about Roll by ADP that continues to surprise people. What is that thing? I think it's the simplicity, the fact that you can set up your company in 15 minutes and then run payroll in less than a minute whenever you want. So we have clients that pay every week and we have clients that pay by the gig. If I'm doing, I'm painting a house, I am, you know, catering an event, I can pay the employees at the end of that party, at the end of the job. And that flexibility with the convenience of being able to run payroll from your mobile, because today we're doing more and more and more from our mobile.

17:07We do banking. We shop at Amazon. We hail transportation via Uber. We do all things via mobile. Why not run payroll? So that was the whole idea here. Keep it simple. A lot of small business, they are not stationary. They are not in an office. They're not in front of a computer. Sometimes they don't even have a computer. But nowadays, 99 % of the people do have a smartphone. So why not be able to run your entire small business from your smartphone? That was the idea. So I think what surprises people is how we can make something that people perceive as very complicated like payroll and make it very simple.

17:53John Lee Dumas:What is the one thing that you really want to make sure our listeners walk away with? We talked about a lot of important things when it comes to payroll, when it comes to businesses, when it comes to entrepreneurship. What's the one takeaway you really want to make sure Fire Nation gets? It's very important to have a application that supports your payroll. You don't want to have a liability later on. You should find a solution that help you navigate what is perceived as complicated. And if you look at Roll by ADP, I think our price is right. I think it's simple to set up. Even if you already have another payroll solution, you can just input the balances of what you already pay and we take over from there.

18:43I think my advice is seek help. And part of that help is finding a good solution to run your payroll. It is one of the most pressing and stressful things when you are running a business is am I compliant? Am I not? I need to focus on my business. I need to focus on my inventory, on my service, on acquiring new clients, on maintaining those clients, on making sure that they're happy. So let me outsource this complicated thing, this payroll to someone that only does that and will do it right for you. So my advice, seek help, be happy, be kind, persist on your ideas, take the risks and let us help you with payroll.

19:28John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, I hope you enjoyed today's episode about a very important topic for entrepreneurs, for small business owners. If you want to learn more about Roll by ADP, they are a major sponsor of ours because our companies are just so aligned. You, Fire Nation, our listeners are so aligned with the service that they provide. visit rollbyadp.com slash fire because you, Fire Nation, will get your first three months for free. Your first three months completely free. So it's a no-brainer to try it out for your business to see if it works. And then after that, we're just talking 29 bucks per month.

20:08John Lee Dumas:So$29 per month after the first three months for free, still a no-brainer. Rollbyadp.com slash fire. Thank you for your support of entrepreneurs on fire. Roberto, thank you for the value bombs that you dropped to our listeners here today. So much value. Because Fire Nation, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with Roberto and JLD today, so let's keep up the heat. Head over to eofire.com, type Roberto in the search bar, and there'll be a show notes page with links to everything we've talked about here today. And Roberto, I wanna say thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today.

20:51John Lee Dumas:For that, we salute you, brother, and we'll catch you on the flip side. My pleasure. Thank you. Hey, Fire Nation. Today's value bomb content was brought to you by Roberto, who sponsored the episode. And Fire Nation, what can 3 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs teach you? How about how to achieve financial freedom and fulfillment? My first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success is a revolutionary 17-step roadmap that will lead you to the lifestyle that you've been dreaming about. This book took me 10 years of accumulating the genius of the world's top entrepreneurs, and you can get it all in one place when you visit UncommonSuccessBook.com.

21:35John Lee Dumas:I'll catch you there or on the flip side. If you are building a real business, you need real infrastructure. High Level gives you website hosting funnels, email marketing, automation, calendar booking, payments, and course hosting all on one platform, plus award-winning 24-7 support, get a 30-day free trial and my full bonus stack that includes a 50-minute private call with me and much more at highlevelfire.com. Highlevelfire.com. Fire Nation, 50 days will fly right on by. The only question is, will you have something to show for it? I created a free YouTube series called 50 Days to Something, A step-by-step path to build a real product, service, or offer in just 50 focused days.

22:17John Lee Dumas:Start today for free at eofire.com slash YouTube.