Snapbar

Gusto provides simplified HR digital solutions for growing media production startup, Snapbar

“Gusto has taken away so much stress and pressure that I might be getting things wrong. That’s just what it does. At so many levels it helped us be confident in our people operations, particularly with onboarding employees and compliance.”
– Snapbar, Gusto customer since 2015

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Gusto was instrumental in helping Snapbar

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Reduce state-to-state compliance processing time by 80%

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Save 15 hours/month on payroll paperwork

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Simplify the benefits process

About Snapbar

Where: Seattle, WA
Industry: Technology
Employees: 25+
Joined Gusto: December 2015


Launched in 2012, Snapbar, is the go-to platform for photo booths and corporate headshots. When the pandemic hit, the world went into lockdown and Snapbar had to recalibrate off its full reliance on in-person events—not once, but twice.

For a short period, Snapbar distributed care packages in multiple cities across the country in an initiative called Keep Your City Smiling (KYCS). Through KYCS, the team sourced products from local merchants and shipped several large orders to companies including Gusto, garnering $500,000 in revenue in less than four months. But the care packages weren’t based on a subscription model, and as orders slowed, a second pivot was needed. This time, to a fully virtual Snapbar. 

Post-pandemic Snapbar has thrived, powering the photo booth technology being used at some of the world’s biggest and best events. All the while, Gusto has been a trusted resource for all things HR management. This included being a trusted resource for state-to-state compliance, onboarding simplification and benefits process streamlining.

How Gusto played an integral role in helping Snapbar scale

Eliminating state-to-state compliance challenges

As Snapbar expanded, Sam Eitzen, Co-Founder and CEO of Snapbar needed to hire localized teams who could provide services in Washington, California, Texas, New York, and Oregon. As he delved into the weeds of the complicated state specific processes of hiring remote employees, he turned to Gusto as a resource on all things compliance.

“Compliance was our biggest pain point. We needed to hire W2 employees at scale in different states, but we needed strategic guidance to bring forth our vision of expansion,” Eitzen explained. “We hired a recent grad as our HR manager and so he and I were essentially learning together. Gusto made everything so easy to understand and helped with submitting the documentation which made opening Snapbar in new states effortless.”

We’ve saved at least 100 hours on compliance research by using Gusto.
Co-Founder & CEO
Snapbar

Tax filings are typically one of the top concerns for business owners when it comes to compliance. But with Gusto’s guidance, Snapbar was confident it had it handled.

“I like things being digitized, especially when it comes to complicated paperwork like taxes,” Eitzen notes. “Gusto was great for this because at the end of every year I could give my accountant access to our Gusto dashboard to generate the tax reports they needed really simply. Together with Gusto, they removed the headache and hassle.”

Flexible onboarding and benefits enrollment

As Snapbar expanded its hybrid team in five states, it relied on Gusto’s suite of onboarding tools to help streamline the process. Eitzen explains, “In the past few years, we really started utilizing the onboarding features that Gusto developed. From the onboarding checklist to the automated offer letters, onboarding a new employee is so easy and our employees love how user friendly the interface is too.”

Taking care of Snapbar’s employees is of the utmost importance. Eitzen notes that adding retirement and health benefits have been essential assets for his team

“The benefits process has been super simple. From 401k through Guideline to health, dental and vision, integrating benefits for our team has been a breeze because we went directly with the options provided by Gusto. They removed the guesswork. In a sense, you could say we’ve built our entire People Operations infrastructure off of Gusto’s options — at least that side of it.”

15 hours/month time savings on payroll admin

When Eitzen decided to go all-in on Snapbar, he knew that meant hiring a team to help manage the workload. They needed a reliable payroll provider who could support the company’s growth. 

“I really don’t like paperwork,” says Eitzen. “I was tired of working with the outdated systems of government agencies and pushing everything through snail mail. Then having to wait days or weeks for things to get done. I knew there had to be a better way for me to manage things like processing payroll, unemployment insurance and benefits. Gusto has been a great solution and has saved me 15 hours/month on payroll paperwork.”

Eitzen knew early on that Snapbar needed a tech-forward HR management provider. He wanted to be done with the archaic systems that he experienced with previous HR and benefits platforms.

“We’ve often tried to adopt technology that’s forward-thinking and wanted a company that was an internet native versus adapting from paper,” says Eitzen. “Gusto makes processing payroll so simple. We’ve witnessed Gusto’s growth alongside our own and now, it’s such a sophisticated platform that goes beyond our payroll needs. It’s an integral tool in our business operations.”

From a nearly decade-long partnership and beyond

Gusto has been a reliable HR management resource for Snapbar for almost 10 years. As the company continues to expand its business, including partnerships with major nationwide retailers, Eitzen plans to keep leaning on Gusto for guidance. 

“Gusto has taken away so much stress and pressure that I might be getting things wrong. That’s just what it does,” notes Eitzen. “At so many levels it has helped us be confident in people operations, particularly with onboarding and compliance. Being a founder, especially in the past couple of years, can be super stressful. I never stress about Gusto.”

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