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Payrollin'

Payrollin'

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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 The nationals are coming for your clients. Consolidation is crushing margins. And if you're not keeping up with the latest in the payroll and HR industry, you're going to get left behind. Welcome to Payrollin'. The no-BS podcast for independent payroll bureau owners and leaders who are done getting squeezed by ADP, Paychex, and the private equity machines swallowing up the industry. Hosted by Matt Vaadi, founder of guHRoo (a PEO) and Outsourced Scale (offshore staffing for payroll providers), this show delivers the strategies you need to survive — and thrive — while the middle collapses around you. Every week, you'll get: → Industry intel on the billion-dollar deals reshaping payroll → Proven tactics to scale past the 7-figure barrier → Real talk on margins, pricing, and profitability → Strategies to compete without killing your bottom line → Guests who've sold, scaled, or disrupted the status quo Whether you're fighting margin compression, exploring industry partnerships, or figuring out how to scale without sacrificing service, this podcast cuts through the corporate speak and gives you actionable pathways forward. Because if you're not specializing in a niche or adding serious value beyond commoditized payroll, you're racing to the bottom. Subscribe to Payrollin' and join 1,000+ payroll industry professionals who get the Wednesday newsletter breaking down what's happening in the industry — and what it means for your business.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • I Drove 3 Hours to See Inside a $3B PEO Acquirer (Here's What I Found)

    I Drove 3 Hours to See Inside a $3B PEO Acquirer (Here's What I Found)
    Apr 17 2026
    I drove three hours. No agenda, no idea what I was walking into to spend half a day inside Vensure Employer Services headquarters. What I saw was nothing like what I expected. 105 acquisitions. 8 deals in legal. 50 in the pipeline. $750M in revenue and still raising capital. This episode is the closest thing to a behind-the- scenes tour of the most aggressive PEO acquirer in the country and I'm sharing everything: how they structure deals, what they actually pay, why they don't force platform migrations, their AI client churn prediction tool that's 80% accurate, and what this means if you own a payroll bureau or PEO and are even remotely thinking about what comes next. This is not a sponsored episode. I told Alex Campos I wouldn't be a shill. This is my unbiased take after a 250-slide deck and a full facility tour. Subscribe for weekly intel on running and growing a payroll business: https://www.youtube.com/@payrollinpod Join the newsletter: https://www.payrollinpodcast.com/ ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Why I drove 3 hours on a 15-minute phone call 02:57 — What I thought they wanted (I was wrong) 05:21 — The current Vensure scoreboard: 105 deals and counting 07:37 — How the deal structure actually works (80/20 split explained) 13:36 — Inside the 1,200-task acquisition system 18:03 — The AI tool predicting client churn with 80% accuracy 24:36 — Should you sell? The only thing I'll say about that. #PEO #PayrollBusiness #BusinessAcquisition #SmallBusiness #HRTech 📧 GET THE INSIDER NEWSLETTER Weekly strategies for scaling your payroll bureau (1,000+ leaders subscribed) → https://www.payrollinpodcast.com/ 🎯 THIS WEEK'S RESOURCE: 💼Three Keys to Expand Your Payroll Business. Learn the top tactics to scale and grow your payroll company https://youtu.be/6aW8RmVj8OE 💡 SCALE YOUR BUREAU WITH OUR HELP: 1️⃣ Add PEO Services - New revenue stream without new clients → Learn more: https://www.guhroo.co/partners/ 2️⃣ Hire Virtual Assistants - Scale operations at 70% less cost → https://www.outsourcedscale.com/ 3️⃣ Marketing That Works - Get the system we use → https://underdogdigital.co/ 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly payroll growth strategies: → Hit the bell to never miss an episode 💬 CONNECT WITH MATT: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattvaadi Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/payrollinnovation #payroll #payrollservices #bureauowner How do payroll company acquisitions work? What is the 80/20 deal structure in payroll acquisitions? How do PEO acquisitions work? What happens when you sell your payroll business? How much are payroll companies worth when selling? How long does it take to sell a payroll company? What do buyers look for in a payroll business? Should I sell my payroll company or keep it? How are PEO companies growing through acquisitions? Why is the payroll industry consolidating?
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    26 mins
  • The Advice That's Killing Your Business (Focus vs. Everything)

    The Advice That's Killing Your Business (Focus vs. Everything)
    Mar 13 2026
    📧 Get weekly payroll bureau growth strategies (1,000+ leaders subscribed): → https://www.payrollinpodcast.com/ "Focus on one thing" is the most repeated business advice on the internet right now. It's also the wrong first step for most entrepreneurs. Matt Vaadi and Chris Clark make the case that unfocused experimentation isn't a detour, it's the path. From worm farms and deodorant blogs to a $5.3M company built from a Google spreadsheet, they walk through the shots on goal you have to take before you earn the right to focus. Inside this episode: Why the quantity group always beats the quality group (the ceramics study) The 3 signals that tell you it's time to stop experimenting and lock in How Underdog Digital went from a marketing side project to doubling year over year Peter Levels: 12 startups in 12 months—one became $5.3M/year with 2 people The ELF framework for identifying your best niche (Easy, Lucrative, Fun) What product-market fit actually feels like when you finally hit it If you've been told to "just focus" before you've even found what's working, this episode is for you. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Payrollin’ intro 1:32 Focus vs. shots on goal 2:31 Chris Clark’s first online projects 5:20 Favorite wrestler and early internet memories 6:30 What Chris does today 8:42 Matt’s entrepreneurial journey begins 9:14 Selling worms for 25 cents 10:32 Yankees ticket flipping, landscaping, and early hustles 11:49 From ERG Payroll to multiple businesses 12:15 Killing a business line when product market fit fades 12:58 How Underdog found its winning model 14:53 Unlimited marketing for $2,995/month 16:45 Underdog doubled and why delivery matters 17:25 Why failed projects still matter 18:17 Justin Welsh and quitting successful things 19:35 The deodorant blog story 21:25 Outsource Scale ad 22:37 Peter Levels and 12 startups in 12 months 24:09 A $5.3M business with 2 people 25:43 Why abandoned projects still teach you something 27:12 When to pull back vs. stick with it 29:19 How Matt recognized real product market fit 30:43 Why niching down still matters 31:49 Why broad messaging doesn’t work 33:03 Cold email: broad pitch vs. niche pitch 34:05 The power of one strong integration 35:01 Why small niches can still be huge 35:28 Why industry expertise commands a premium 36:37 When to stop experimenting and focus 37:32 Why Underdog Sports exists 39:52 The “slow” lesson from Matt’s daughter 40:46 The ceramics story: quantity beats perfection 42:29 Is there an entrepreneurial gene? 43:21 Intuition vs. data in business 44:18 Why failure in public doesn’t matter 44:56 Final thoughts and subscribe 📧 *GET THE INSIDER NEWSLETTER* Weekly strategies for scaling your payroll bureau (1,000+ leaders subscribed) → https://www.payrollinpodcast.com/ 🎯 *THIS WEEK'S RESOURCE:* 📄 Payroll Sales Playbook → https://www.payrollinpodcast.com 💡 *SCALE YOUR BUREAU WITH OUR HELP:* 1️⃣ *Add PEO Services* - New revenue stream without new clients → Learn more: https://www.guhroo.co/partners/ 2️⃣ *Hire Virtual Assistants* - Scale operations at 70% less cost → https://www.outsourcedscale.com/ 3️⃣ *Marketing That Works* - Get the system we use → https://underdogdigital.co/ 🔔 *SUBSCRIBE for weekly payroll growth strategies:* → Hit the bell to never miss an episode 💬 *CONNECT WITH MATT:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattvaadi Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/payrollinnovation 👉 *TODAY'S GUEST:* → Chris Clark, Marketing Coach at Underdog Sports → Chris Clark is the Marketing Coach of Underdog Digital, helping sports brands and growing businesses scale through content and AI-driven systems. With 15+ years in sports media and marketing, Chris now focuses on building practical AI workflows that drive real revenue. #payroll #payrollservices #bureauowner Should you niche down when starting a business? How do you choose a niche for your business? How do you find product market fit?
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    46 mins
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