With over 100,000 employee records processed, billions of payrolls handled, and 88% industry coverage, Payruler is now one of the country’s most flourishing Cebu-based start-ups. As the team enters its 9th year, the celebration is marked by looking at nine of Payruler’s biggest wins while talking about the lifetime of innovation to come.
Win #1: – Pursuing Payruler
“When we started the company, Payruler was just one of three concepts we were testing,” recalls Timmy de Jesus, Payruler’s Chief Operating Officer. But it was because of Katkat Nuñez, the company’s Chief Product Officer, that the team saw the potential in building a new tech-enabled payroll solution.
Katkat knew the pain points of payroll systems all too well. A 7-year stint at a manpower agency with inefficient manual systems forced her to find ways to ease her work processes. Her background brought the Payruler product to life, gaining market acceptance and traction and, ultimately, becoming the concept that the team decided to pursue further.
Win #2: Finding Payruler’s niche
With many HRMS tools already available, Payruler’s next goal was to find what could set them apart. While analyzing the competition, they found that because the country’s processes are incredibly complex, global platforms didn’t have the features local HR professionals needed. This urged the team to skew Payruler towards what it is today– a customizable, comprehensive Human Resource Management System built for Philippine businesses.
Win #3: Overcoming baby steps
Payruler then launched with just four employees. The small team was so focused on providing an excellent and efficient product that they did not even have a proper office to call their own. As they got their first few clients, including the Philippine Stock Exchange, they also earned immense trust and support– so much so that Payruler’s first headquarters was at one client’s office space.
Win #4: Becoming an incubatee
2015 marked the year that the start-up moved into UP Cebu as an incubatee of the UP Cebu Business Incubator for Information Technology (UPCeBuInIT). This allowed the team to gain access to the most up-to-date research and development from the university, learning more ways to optimize the Payruler platform even further.
Win #5: Gaining momentum and support from government and private institutions
This opportunity also led the Department of Science and Technology to award Payruler with a grant for predictive analytics, followed by another grant from the Asian Institute of Management – Dado Banatao Incubator (AIM-DBI) THINCOHORT to be a part of their startup incubation program. For them, it was big step to finally setup shop in Manila while the clientele is steadily growing. The funding enabled them to bring in more people with management, computer science, and mass communications expertise.
As the post-Covid19 world slowly opened, team was honoured to receive the Sanitary Care Products Asia (SCPA) Human Investment x Impact Grant for Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (HIIGENE Program), with the support of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Payruler successfully secured funding, and they also received mentorship from the company.
Win #6: Promoting a people-first workplace
A bit part of how Payruler grew to over 50 employees today is the grants and support. While the team says they wish they had more members to cater to their growing client base, they also say they are proud of the work culture they have built. “People are the most important capital of any company. That’s a philosophy we try to live by ourselves,” according to Timmy. Business Development Head James Pe Lim agrees by saying, “Put people first before anything else. We are only as good as the parts that make us whole.”
Win #7: A bright future ahead
While Payruler may have already achieved so much over the years, working in tech means that evolution never stops. The team constantly finds new ways to take Payruler to the next level. Timmy reveals that tools around time tracking and hiring are being built on top of the main platform. Although the leaders at Payruler are not at liberty to divulge too many details, she says it’s an exciting time for the start-up as a new iteration of the platform is on its way.
Win #8: More than just work
The many wins of Payruler, however, aren’t just centered around the platform itself. For its founders, the success goes beyond business. The ups and downs of running a start-up have taught them valuable life lessons. Katkat shares that Payruler has taught her to be selfless, kind, and, most importantly, patient. Timmy, on the other hand, thanks Payruler for teaching her how to be more perseverant and find a win-win in each situation.
Win #9: Reaching 9 years
Nine years may already seem like a long time for some. For Payruler, it’s just the beginning. It’s a marker of how far along the company has come and how much further the company can go. According to Timmy, this milestone is “a time to reflect on how we can improve and how we can create more impact not just externally for customers, but also our own internal team.”
Celebrating 9 years in the human resource scene is a feat; planning for the next 9 years is another. Let’s work together to make human resource and payroll management simple and straightforward for your company. Trust us, we understand how hard and time-consuming it is to keep doing the same nitty-gritty every payroll period! Book a personalized demo to see how Payruler can transform the way you handle people and payroll. For more information, send us an email at hello@payruler.com.