From Side Hustle to Success Story: Pik ‘n Mix trusts PayHero to take the stress out of payroll for their growing small business.

It’s refreshing to hear a success story emerge from the chaotic Covid era. Pik ‘n Mix became a sensation during the first and second lockdowns, causing a surge in sales which transformed this side hustle into a business with a life of its own. Daisy Watson is in charge of HR, payroll and accounts, and was tasked with finding a streamlined and efficient payroll solution to support their quickly growing team.

Pik ‘n Mix began in February 2020 as a tiny side project for owner Robynne Watson, armed with roughly 30 different types of lollies. Fast-forward to today, Pik ‘n Mix is a full-time operation with 10 employees, six or seven hundred varieties of lollies, and the team has shipped over fifty thousand orders across New Zealand.

The (Payroll) Nightmare Before Christmas 

When Pik ‘n Mix was a one-(wo)man show, they used the payroll feature in their accounting system. But as the team grew, Daisy realised they needed a system that was purpose-built and could handle their increasing requirements. "The old system felt like the payroll was an add-on, which was fine for paying yourself when starting up, but not up to scratch for a growing team of 10."

Daisy began her search for a new solution during the December Christmas rush in 2021, or what she described as a ‘terrible time of year’. The old system made it a nightmare to calculate her staff’s leave entitlements over Christmas and New Year's. "There was so much math, which isn't my strong suit. About three weeks later (after some quick research and evaluation) we had PayHero up and running, and it was an absolute lifesaver!"

"When we switched to PayHero I wished we had done it sooner. Dealing with the old system was a total nightmare."

Smooth Communication with Local Support

As a newcomer to New Zealand payroll, Daisy sought a payroll solution backed by local support. "Switching to PayHero was a breeze, and the system was easy to learn, which made things really convenient". If she required assistance, help was always within easy reach. “The support team was incredibly helpful with all of my questions… and I know whenever I flick you guys an email you’re really quick at answering”.

“There are never any issues, but if I have a problem I simply schedule a phone call, and it’s fixed within five minutes”.

Time clocks, Timesheets, Time Savers

Daisy was blown away by PayHero's timesheets and time clock, as well as how they flow through to payroll. The ease of clocking in and out with PayHero Shift impressed her the most, replacing her previous nightmare of scribbling hours on paper and working out what hours her staff had actually worked. As Daisy put it, "I don't have to do anything now!"

Under the old system, Daisy struggled to ensure her staff were paid for their actual hours worked. Her staff would often round down their hours on the paper timesheets while taking a few extra minutes to finish up. "With PayHero's time clock, we can now see exactly what hours people have worked, meaning we're paying our staff for their hard work and not letting them work for free."

Implementing PayHero Shift for Daisy was a breeze. “I gave the team little explanation on how to use it, yet they took to it like ducks on water”.

“Payroll for me was at least a 2-hour job every week, it was quite the process. Now it takes me about 10 minutes.”

Compliant and Confident Leave Calculations

Leave can be a tricky thing to figure out. Daisy chatted about her concerns with staying compliant while managing her growing business. She mentioned that her old system's payslips showed leave in hours, which was confusing and not compliant. “My staff would often question how much leave they had and where it had gone”. 

Luckily, PayHero's leave functionality has made things much easier. Now, leave is transparent and accessible for Daisy’s employees. "As a small business, we need to know our leave liabilities, as well as ensure our staff know exactly what leave they’ve got, and how they’ve used it” and “we don't want to hide leave from our staff”. With PayHero, Daisy feels relieved knowing “PayHero is compliant and by the book and as a result the staff have no issues”.

“Holiday pay is always a horrible one whether you’ve done it for 3 or 30 years, but PayHero makes it so straightforward.  I have complete confidence that it's correct."

Small Business, Big Results

Pik ‘n Mix found PayHero to be the perfect fit for their small but thriving business. “Adding new employees is a breeze, employees can enjoy the freedom of recording their own hours, and pays are seamlessly generated directly from timesheets. The integration with Xero helps me see exactly where the money goes and what costs us the most”. And this is why Pik ‘n Mix chooses PayHero as “not only are we are doing right by Pik ‘n Mix with PayHero, but we are also doing right by our employees”. 

Ready to try our sweet software? Join Pik ‘n Mix and start a free trial with PayHero.