Simplifying Payroll and Strengthening Business: A Conversation with Payworks

ryanchenier
May 9
3 min read

In this episode of Mastery Fractional CFO’s Punchy Podcast, Ryan Chenier, founder and CEO of Mastery Fractional CFO Services, sits down with Laura Bastable and Patrick Daniels from Payworks Payroll Services Canada, a leading Canadian-owned payroll services provider. Together, they explore how the right payroll solution can reduce stress, improve accuracy, and help businesses of all sizes scale with confidence.

Meet the Guests: Laura and Patrick from Payworks

Laura Bastable, Account Executive, has spent the past four years helping clients onboard smoothly with Payworks. Patrick Daniels, Sales Manager for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, has been with the company for nearly a decade, guiding businesses through their payroll and workforce management needs.

Payworks, with 40,000+ clients across Canada, offers solutions for businesses from one employee to thousands — all through one robust, scalable platform.

The Power of Simplicity

Ryan shares his own experience using Payworks and highlights what makes them stand out:

Real human support — no more waiting on hold endlessly
Fast onboarding — typically 10–15 business days, even for larger businesses
Cost-effective pricing — often 15–30% less than competitors
Scalable solutions — one platform that grows with your business
All-Canadian data hosting — keeping client data securely within Canada

For Ryan’s own business and many of his clients, Payworks has delivered what matters most: peace of mind and time saved.

Busting the “We’re Too Small” Myth

A key insight from Laura: many small business owners believe they’re too small to need a payroll provider. The reality? Most Payworks clients have between one and 50 employees — and they often say, “I should have done this years ago.” With manual payroll comes time drain, risk of errors, and compliance headaches — all of which can be solved with the right partner.

Smooth Implementation and Support

Patrick and Laura explain how Payworks simplifies what many fear is a complicated transition. Clients get:

A dedicated implementation specialist
Help with data transfer and setup
Step-by-step training and support
Access to a dedicated customer service representative post-launch

For enterprise clients, a project manager oversees the entire process, ensuring continuity and minimal disruption.

Financial Red Flags: Why Clean Books Matter

Both Patrick and Laura agree: one of the biggest challenges when onboarding new clients is messy or incomplete payroll data. For any business looking to scale, Ryan underscores the importance of maintaining clean financial records — it’s foundational to good decision-making, growth, and, yes, smooth payroll transitions.

The Bigger Shift: Leveraging Fractional Experts

In the CFO Q&A, Ryan shares a theme he sees repeatedly with his clients: business owners reach a point where they need outside expertise to reach the next level. Whether it’s a fractional CFO, virtual CIO, or a trusted payroll partner like Payworks, bringing in specialized expertise is often the smartest — and most cost-effective — path to growth.

Takeaway

Payroll may not be glamorous, but it’s mission-critical. For businesses of any size, outsourcing to a trusted provider like Payworks isn’t just about saving time — it’s about unlocking capacity to focus on what matters most: growth, strategy, and leadership.

Call to Action

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a business owner or leader you know — especially someone juggling growth, chaos, or leadership gaps. To learn more about Laura’s or Patrick's services, visit https://www.payworks.ca/solutions/small-business .

And if you’re ready to transform your company’s financial strategy, reach out to me at Mastery Fractional CFO Services — let’s discuss how we can move your business forward.