When Lawson Kuehnert founded Outset— a summer camp immersing high schoolers in medical careers — he knew navigating complex payroll and HR systems would distract from his mission: giving students a true look into life in medicine.

The solution: Justworks.

Starting a business is hard — but Justworks knows managing payroll and HR doesn't have to be. By streamlining payroll, benefits, HR and compliance into one simple platform, Justworks helps founders stay focused on what matters most.

The background:

• Around 20% of new businesses fail within the first year — 50% within the first five years.
• HR related issues make up 18% of overall failure rates for startups.

Lawson Kuehnert wasn't new to the startup world when he founded Outset. In 2017, he worked at another early-stage company that used Justworks — and he saw firsthand how it helped them hit the ground running.

So when he launched Outset in 2024, choosing Justworks as a partner was an easy decision.

An expert take: "People are the most important part of our business, and taking care of our people well means paying them on time, providing them with competitive benefits, and giving them answers to any HR questions quickly," says Kuehnert.

Today, Justworks helps over 12,000 small businesses:

• Expand benefits.
• Maintain compliance across states.
• Extend reach globally.
• Get 1:1 support.
• Hire and onboard.
• Simplify HR systems.

And it pays off: Businesses that partner with professional employer organizations like Justworks see growth rates increase by 7-9%, helping these smaller players compete — and even win.

The results: Being able to focus solely on building Outset — minus the hassle of HR administrative management — has enabled the company to flourish.

• Kuehnert says Outset's enrollment for this summer's camps is more than double last year's numbers.
• Outset plans to expand to include full scholarships for financially needy students this summer.

Why it's important: Medical school is a huge undertaking — financially and mentally — meaning it is more important than ever for students to be able to make informed decisions before choosing a medical career.

• AAMC data shows the overall number of medical school applications has fallen for the past three years in a row — coming in at 51,946, a 1.2% decrease from last year.

• The cost of medical school continues to rise — the yearly tuition average in 2024 was $59,605.

Outset's "show not tell" strategy lets students get an inside look at realities of the medical field — with the goal of improving understanding and boosting interest in going down the medical path.

Outset sparks students' interest by using a mix of activities, lectures and expert information to immerse students in the field of their choice — with options including:

• Family medicine.
• General surgery.
• Pediatrics.
• Neurosurgery.
• Anesthesiology.
• Nursing.
• Orthopedic surgery.
• Dentistry.
• Pharmacy.
• Cardiology.

And, it works: 86% of students said that Outset's 2024 camp significantly influenced their interest in a healthcare or medical career.

Kuehnert credits Outset's success to his exceptional team. "By helping us take care of our people, Justworks has allowed our people to focus on making Outset an incredible experience for our students and parents," he says.

The takeaway: By partnering with Justworks, Kuehnert was able to prioritize the people who make Outset great — in turn, shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Learn more about Justworks.