Reach works with Gusto
Supporting entrepreneurs
Kelly Trace is a marketing veteran with passion for community development. After 6 years of working for other agencies and nonprofits, Kelly returned to her hometown in Osceola County to open an agency of her own. Reach, currently a team of 16, specializes in digital marketing. Like Gusto, Reach is in the business of helping entrepreneurs thrive.
I love being able to help other businesses. I know most people don’t have the time or experience with marketing. I wanted to give smaller companies an affordable marketing plan so they could focus on what they love doing and have more time for their business.
Built for non-HR pros
Kelly reflects on the experiences that led her to launch Reach. “I didn’t realize it in the moment but my seemingly random career was preparing me to run my own business.” One of the biggest learnings she mentions is knowing when to get help from experts. “Why would I put all this time to run a successful business and fall short when it comes to payroll? A good business owner knows you need to rely on someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to certain aspects of running a company. Payroll taxes and compliance is not something I know much about.” So on a friend’s recommendation, Kelly started using Gusto.
In addition to feeling more confident in payroll and HR, Kelly was delighted to get back more time to dedicate towards her clients. “After running payroll manually for two years, you realize how much time you save with Gusto.”
“I love how easy Gusto’s software is. It’s like it was built for me, an entrepreneur who has no idea what I’m doing when it comes to HR and compliance.”
Proud to offer benefits
Offering employees health insurance was a big moment for Kelly. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do from the beginning but thought it was impossible. I expected it to be too expensive and complicated, but because of Gusto I can actually provide health benefits to my employees. As a business owner that makes me very proud.”
“Offering benefits keeps my employees happy, makes me happy, and has led to hardly any turnover since I started Reach, which is a big accomplishment.”
Unlimited PTO is another employee benefit that Reach employees can take advantage of. “The team works really hard, and I want to give them time to recharge and to be with their families.” Kelly loves how employees submit their time-off requests through Gusto as it allows her to keep track when team members are in and out of the office.
Expert, personal advice
Kelly loved the personal relationship she built with her broker. “Tara was my person during our renewal period, and the whole experience felt personal and easy. She was there to quickly answer any questions I or the team had.”
“Gusto feels like an extension of my team. I can rely on them and they just do things without me asking.”
Big business edge
No matter the number of employees, there are certain regulatory things that every business has to abide by, but Kelly has peace of mind knowing that she can rely on Gusto to keep her up-to-date when important changes or potential issues come up. “I definitely lean on Gusto, and I never have doubts about being compliant.” The detailed payroll reports in Gusto are one feature that Kelly likes having handy to double-check figures when questions come up.
As a business that helps other companies build brands, Kelly has focused on building a strong external and internal brand for Reach. Taking care of her employees and giving them tools to do good work is key. Gusto is one of the tools that Kelly says gives her an edge in providing a great environment for her employees to work.
“Finding a tool like Gusto was a game changer for me. Small business owners take chances to help their businesses grow each day and a sense of pride comes over us when we finally take those steps toward becoming a more legit company. Gusto was definitely one of those steps for us.”