Scaling SME support: How Indie People partners with Employment Hero to save leaders time and ensure compliance

Small businesses power the economy, yet many struggle to manage complicated HR and compliance requirements without the budget for a dedicated HR hire. Sam Dickinson, founder of Indie People, saw first-hand how SME leaders were battling to balance compliance with growth. Drawing on his career across retail and startups, he launched Indie People to bridge that gap by offering cost-effective HR support and time-saving tech like Employment Hero. Through this partnership, Sam’s clients win back hours each week and feel reassured that compliance is taken care of, without needing any changes to headcount.

The challenge

HR packed with hurdles

Indie People was born out of a clear need: small businesses often don’t have an in-house HR manager but still need protection, guidance and compliance. Sam wanted to support those founders juggling HR on top of everything else and stop costly mistakes before they happen. Many SMEs either haven’t yet invested in HR tech like Employment Hero, or if they have, they aren’t using it to its full potential. In both cases, it means leaders are drowning in admin and missing out on the benefits that the right support and tools can bring.

Key challenges that impact SMEs:

• Founders are forced to be a “jack of all trades” on HR tasks, without legal expertise.
• Businesses struggle to keep up with changing legislation.
• Businesses have no budget for in-house HR, but still need support and protection.
• Owners spend hours searching for answers instead of running their business.

“Sometimes, founders and MDs have to be a “jack of all trades” when they don’t have a dedicated HR expert in the team. But that’s not really advisable because of the legality to HR. Those businesses need an extra layer of protection, which is where businesses like Indie People and Employment Hero come in.”

The solution

One platform SMEs can trust

To solve the dual challenge of SMEs lacking HR expertise and underutilising technology, Sam needed a partner that could deliver both simplicity and impact. Employment Hero provided exactly that. One intuitive platform that covers HR, compliance, policies, payroll, leave, benefits and more. With Employment Hero, Sam’s clients can strip away the admin that distracts leaders, while ensuring they’re protected and set up to grow.

“Employment Hero takes the pressure off. My clients don’t just get compliance covered, they get time back too. It’s a platform that feels simple to use, but powerful enough to handle everything SMEs usually struggle with.”

Proven traction from day one

Sam joined the Employment Hero Referral Partner Programme and within one month, he had already referred nine clients. That’s because he recognises real value in the platform, which he trusts to address the pain points SMEs face every day. Partnering with Employment Hero means Sam can move clients beyond short-term fixes, helping them establish HR systems that stay compliant today and evolve with their ambitions tomorrow.

“I was only looking for basic HR software partner at first, but then I realised that Employment Hero provides payroll, EAP, employee benefits and more… It just became a no-brainer because there’s so much that could benefit my clients and link into what I do.”

A team invested in partner success

For Sam, choosing Employment Hero was about more than the technology itself. The platform’s breadth of features made sense for his clients, but what really sealed the deal was the people behind it. Sam knows that building long-term relationships with SMEs goes far beyond the first 12 months. He wants clients to stay supported and trust him year after year. In order for that to be possible, he needed a partner that mirrors his own ethos, which is exactly what he saw in Employment Hero.

“No question’s a silly question. Jordan must just be fed up with my ideas, but he’ll always check something or come back to me. You guys are invested in our success as much as we are.” 

The impact

Fast traction, endless potential

In just his first month as a partner, Sam has already referred nine clients to Employment Hero, a clear sign of both the demand from SMEs and his confidence in the platform. That uptake shows the partnership is delivering from the outset.

Indie People’s partnership with Employment Hero can:

• Help SMEs reclaim valuable hours by reducing repetitive HR admin and compliance tasks, freeing leaders to focus on running and growing their business.
• Provide referrals that translate into immediate value for both Indie People and its clients.
• Strengthen Indie People’s offering as a partner-led gateway to Employment Hero’s scalable HR and payroll tools, adding more depth and longevity to client relationships.
• Build recurring opportunities as referred SMEs grow and expand their use of Employment Hero’s features.

“In HR, the biggest factor is trust, so we will only refer clients to what they actually need. That’s why this partnership works and I’m excited to see what it brings in the months to come.” 

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