The right hires weren't in the right state, and some weren't in the right country. We built a way to hire them anyway.
A creative agency whose best talent was spread across states and continents, and whose hiring playbook stopped at the border.
What we built
jurisdictions, hired into compliantly
26 US states and territories, plus 7 countries.
Talent doesn't care where your payroll is. And if you don't either, you can hire them anywhere.
The work was global, and the team needed to be too. The agency wanted the right people wherever they lived: freelancers and full-time staff, across states and countries. But every new location raised the same questions from scratch. Can we hire here? How? And what will it really cost?
Every hire was a one-off.
Without a model, each new market was a fresh research project and a fresh risk. Becoming the legal employer somewhere new means taking on its taxes, leave rules, severance obligations, and local norms, and nobody had mapped what that actually meant for the business.
A hiring system, built in sequence.
Market research
Statutory on-costs, severance, and leave rules, market by market.
A fully loaded cost model
The true cost of a hire in any identified market, known before the offer goes out.
Partner selection
Domestic payroll, employer-of-record, and international payment partners chosen to fit how the agency works.
Policies and handbooks
One primary set of rules and policies, with riders where statutory rules created outliers.
The hires
Across 26 US states and territories, and 7 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The playbook crosses borders now.
- Hiring decisions start with the real cost, not a surprise three months later.
- No-go regions are identified up front and left out of recruiting. (Sorry, Hawaii.)
- A new market is a known process, not a research project.
- Freelancers and full-time staff work under clear, compliant terms.
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