Why I'll Never Charge Per Employee

Your software bill shouldn't go up because you hired a summer employee.

By Jade Valore, founder of DeskPanther and co-owner of Rad Coffee. 🐾

I've run shops for over a decade, and there are certain software pricing models that have always driven me crazy. Per-employee pricing is one of them.

You hire three extra people for summer? Bill goes up. You add seasonal staff for the holidays? Bill goes up. You finally have enough sales to add another person to the Saturday rush? Congrats on growing your business. Your software now costs more too.

NO THANKS.

Employees Come and Go. The Location Is Still the Location.

Food and beverage businesses naturally have bigger teams than a lot of other small businesses. We have part-time employees, seasonal employees, students, people who work two shifts a week, and new hires who sometimes decide after three days that this is absolutely not for them.

That's normal.

I don't think an owner should have to calculate whether adding another employee to their software is "worth it," delete old users to save money, or watch their bill creep higher every time their team grows.

That's why DeskPanther pricing is based on locations, not employees.

Hire 8 people. Hire 18. Hire the summer scooper, the weekend barista, or the extra person you desperately need for Saturday mornings.

I'm not counting.

I Built DeskPanther for Independent Owners

There are plenty of ways to squeeze more revenue out of software pricing. Charging for every person who needs access is definitely one of them.

But I'm also the person paying the software bills at my own businesses.

I know how annoying it is when something starts at a reasonable price and suddenly costs three times as much because your business grew.

Growth shouldn't be a penalty.

DeskPanther is supposed to make running your business easier, not give you another reason to avoid adding someone to payroll.

So this is one pricing hill I'm very happy to die on:

Per location. Not per employee.

Hire the summer scooper. I'll survive. 🐾

A quick note: This article describes my personal experience running my own businesses and my approach to DeskPanther's pricing. It is not legal, HR, employment, payroll, tax, or compliance advice. Business owners should consult their own qualified professionals regarding the requirements that apply to their business.