How Steel n Ink brought structure to a growing creative industry

About the business

Steel n Ink is a tattoo and body piercing business with more than 20 locations across Canada and around 145 team members. The company works with clients from all walks of life, but its focus goes beyond the studio floor.

Steel n Ink is actively working to change how the tattoo and body piercing industry operates. That means creating a better experience for clients, and building real, stable employment for tattoo artists and piercers rather than relying on gig-style arrangements.

As the business continues to grow, its goal is to raise the standard of the entire industry through better systems, stronger compliance and better working conditions, all without losing its culture.

The challenge

Growth brought complexity.

Before Employment Hero, payroll and HR were spread across different systems, with information living in multiple places that didn’t speak to each other. Contracts and employee documents were difficult to track, and visibility was limited.

As Jamie Randolph, founder and CEO, put it, staying up to date on signed agreements was particularly challenging.

“Keeping track of contracts and employee documents used to be a nightmare. We were always checking emails or folders to see who had signed what.”

As the number of studios and team members increased, the lack of structure created risk. Without a single source of truth, admin work grew heavier and compliance became harder to manage.

The solution

Steel n Ink needed a system that could support growth without adding unnecessary overhead.

Employment Hero brought payroll, contracts, documents and employee information into one central platform, giving the business a clearer and more reliable way to manage its people.

“We chose Employment Hero because it brought everything into one system, payroll, contracts, documents and employee info, which has made life much easier and allowed us to grow.”

Employment Hero was rolled out across the business, creating a consistent foundation for HR and payroll across all studios.

What changed

The biggest shift was simplicity.

Payroll, HR and documents

With everything related to people in one place, day-to-day admin became easier to manage and far less time-consuming.

“Everything related to people, payroll, HR, documents lives in one place. That alone saves us hours every week and gives us confidence that things are being done properly.”

What used to require constant follow-ups and back-and-forth now takes minutes.

Compliance and risk management

Having contracts and documents stored centrally removed uncertainty and reduced risk.

“Because contracts and documents are all stored in one system, we always know who has signed what.”

For an industry that hasn’t always operated with formal structures, that visibility has been critical.

Onboarding and employee experience

Onboarding has become a smoother and more consistent experience across studios.

“New team members can access contracts, policies and learning information easily from day one.”

That early clarity helps set expectations and reinforces that Steel n Ink is a professional, stable place to work.

The impact

Employment Hero didn’t just streamline admin. It changed how the business supports its studios.

Steel n Ink has been able to grow without adding extra administrative staff, redirecting time and energy into training, operations and supporting studio teams.

“Having payroll and HR in one place saves a lot of time, which means we can put more energy into supporting our studios, improving training, and creating better experiences for both staff and clients.”

Having payroll and HR in one place has created space to focus on improving experiences for both staff and clients.

Why it matters

As Steel n Ink continues to expand, structure and consistency matter more than ever.

Without a single source of truth, the business would quickly feel the strain.

“We’d lose our central system straight away. Without one place for contracts, policies, and employee records, things would get messy fast — especially with compliance.”

Employment Hero provides the foundation Steel n Ink needs to grow responsibly, support its people and help raise the standard of the industry it operates in.