When Susan McPherson opened her own LLC in 2013, it was a placeholder while she looked for another job. She had no idea that it would become what it is today — McPherson Strategies, a 14-employee firm that helps global brands lead with impact and push social change.

Now, she can't imagine her journey any other way.

An unplanned path to becoming an entrepreneur is more common than not for many small business owners. That's why having the right support system can make all the difference between surviving and scaling.

Why it's important: Small business owners have all felt it: limited bandwidth and pressure to choose between putting your time into administrative needs or focusing on your mission, differentiating your new business.

Justworks takes that choice off your plate — letting you focus on your vision without sacrificing the infrastructure you're building.

What you need to know: Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO) that combines payroll, benefits, HR and compliance into one simple platform — giving unexpected founders like Susan McPherson the structure to grow a company and reach its potential at a much faster pace.

• "You make decisions every day as a business leader, I have to say this is one of the best decisions I've made in the past 12 years," McPherson says about her choice to partner with Justworks in 2023.

Looking back, McPherson says partnering with Justworks along the way made it possible for McPherson Strategies to scale to where it is today.

Before making the switch to Justworks, McPherson used a different PEO for two years. "It was a complete disaster with many hiccups, and the platform was not user-friendly," McPherson says.

Making the change to Justworks felt like night and day, quickly helping McPherson Strategies with:

• Core financial and HR administration: Justworks takes care of McPherson's main admin needs, from payroll to employee benefits and 401K.
• Geographic compliance management: With fully remote employees stationed everywhere from Canada to North Carolina, Justworks ensured McPherson Strategies was compliant with varying labor laws.
• Onboarding simplicity: As McPherson Strategies expanded, Justworks made the onboarding process seamless for new hires.

"With Justworks, the admin management is just like breathing air, I don't even have to think about it," says McPherson.

Without the pressure of managing payroll, benefits, and HR on their own, McPherson Strategies has expanded their reach, helping their clients blend communications with meaningful social benefits and real-life impact.

Some examples:

• "Don't Ban Equality" campaign: Built and amplified the campaign, with 330+ business leaders publicly opposing reproductive rights restrictions and driving billions of media impressions.

• HP Digital Equity Accelerator: Launched and strategized HP's Digital Equity Accelerator that helps nonprofits expand digital inclusion with funding, technology, and training to connect underserved communities worldwide
• Leadership Now Project: Rallied the business sector to defend democracy by securing 100+ high-profile media placements, elevating leaders into speaking roles at major forums, and launching the Women's and Democracy Initiative.
• Women's Philanthropy Institute: Boosted visibility through major media coverage, and increased digital reach, launching initiatives like the Black Women Give Back List and Give to Women and Girls Day.

Spearheading these social impact projects was possible in part because McPherson and her team weren't burdened down with HR and compliance tasks. With Justworks covering the admin side, their focus could be entirely on client driving change.

Every founder faces the choice between spending time and energy on administrative needs, or to invest it in achieving the dream they had in the first place. In this case, McPherson chose to impact social change.

The takeaway: Justworks made it possible for her, and they can do the same for you.

Learn more.