Our Brand Promise

Flexibility
We work with over 20 service providers, allowing you to choose the perfect fit for your business.
Guidance
We serve as your communication guide through the selection process, managing provider introductions, calls, and software demos.
Accountability
After you start working with your selected provider, we keep them accountable through regular communication & follow up.
Freedom
By providing options and unbiased guidance, our model affords your business the greatest level of freedom.

Our Story

PayThrive Founder & President John Bacon was born and raised in the Detroit area, moving to Colorado in 2004. John worked briefly in the voluntary / supplemental benefits space and was a group health insurance broker for a time. John then became an independent sales representative in the payroll / HCM industry in September of 2006, forming his own consulting company. He also consulted in merchant services during this time. John worked as a 1099 for a few different service providers before officially becoming a broker. Being independent and a business owner gave him a unique perspective in this industry, as most industry sales professionals were employee or ‘captive’ salespeople.

But as time went on, John experienced the same frustration that his clients and employee salespeople faced in the payroll / HCM industry. It was tough to predict long-term performance of a payroll service provider, big or small – and when things go wrong with payroll and HCM services, the resulting stress and dysfunction can bring a business to its knees – and often at the worst possible time. Professional salespeople in the industry would work to help their clients mitigate this dysfunction and obtain some level of resolution with this provider. But the fix was often out of reach. The efforts of this salesperson to help clients achieve resolution of service failures would often only delay the inevitable.

Our Story Continued

The problems causing the issues for the payroll / HCM client were in many cases too deeply embedded in the structure of the service provider’s business, or due to an individual in the business that could not be easily removed. And service provider dysfunction can only be mitigated for so long, even by the best salespeople. Eventually the end user’s patience is exhausted. The frustrated client would then leave to find a new payroll / HCM provider and begin a new relationship. As a result, much time & effort was wasted by the client and the salesperson both – only stress and costly business disruption were realized. An industry that already has its share of ugly anecdotes now would have even more heaped on the pile.

John felt it was time to disrupt dysfunction and empower the client with choices – to act as an independent trusted advisor or an “HCM, PEO & Payroll Broker”. He saw how this would allow greatly increased candor and greatly reduced conflict of interest – something entirely new to the payroll / HCM industry. John felt that small to medium sized businesses needed more options and better advice when it came to payroll & HCM consulting. He felt strongly that clients would greatly value this approach and see it as liberation. This was the genesis of the PayThrive business model. PayThrive was born, with Human Capital Gains, Realized.

    
 
 
      John  was wonderful helping our businiess find a PEO that matched our needs! He was very communicative and able to answer every question that we could throw at him. He helped us bring our business to a more simple and efficient state, and we HIGHLY recommend his services!
  
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   Chealsey Cooper 
 17 March 2026
 
 
 
     If you're looking for an expert in payroll services for your growing or established company, John Bacon is your man. He helped me navigate away from a larger payroll provider that wasn’t delivering the level of personal service my small, growing business needed.

John was concise, knowledgeable, and action-oriented throughout the entire process. His guidance made the transition smooth and straightforward.

I’m thrilled to recommend John and grateful for the opportunity to work with him. Thanks again, John.
  
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   Scott Quinn 
 10 March 2026
 
 
 
     John Bacon is a knowledgeable payroll and HCM expert who truly understands the landscape. He provides thoughtful, practical advice and has excellent follow-up, always making sure his clients are happy with the outcome. John operates with high integrity and genuinely cares about his clients. I highly recommend working with him.
  
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   Lisa Smith 
 10 February 2026
 
 
 
     I cannot recommend John Bacon and PayThrive enough.  If you are looking for an HR and/or payroll solution that is ideally suited for you and your unique business, look no further than Paythrive!
  
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   Yancey Warnock 
 19 December 2025
 
 
 
     John is extremely professional, organized, helpful, and kind! Highly recommend working with him.
  
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   Kylie DeShazo 
 1 October 2024

About Us

Our Brand Promise

Flexibility

Guidance

Accountability

Freedom

Our Story

Our Story Continued

Get Started With PayThrive