Nov 06, 2024
In today’s competitive SMB tech landscape, success often depends on innovation and strategic leadership transitions to stay ahead. I recently sat down with Joel Kohn, founder of Fingercheck, and Dan Kazan, the company’s recently appointed CEO, to explore their unique partnership and growth story.
Fingercheck, a workforce management platform serving deskless SMB workers, is tackling the under-resourced space with a cutting-edge approach that combines payroll, attendance, and mobile capabilities.
Building a Legacy in Workforce Management
When Joel founded Fingercheck, his vision was clear: create a workforce management solution tailored to the needs of deskless workers—individuals who don’t have traditional office spaces, often found in industries like construction, healthcare, and property management who are an often-overlooked demographic in SMB technology. Through grit and determination, he bootstrapped the business, developing a platform that handles everything from time and attendance tracking to payroll. Joel’s journey demonstrates the tenacity required to build something from scratch in a competitive market, particularly without the backing of institutional capital.
Enter Dan Kazan: Scaling Fingercheck to New Heights
As Fingercheck grew, Joel recognized the need for additional leadership expertise to scale the company. That’s where Dan Kazan came in. With a history of stepping into founder-led companies and driving them to new levels of growth, Dan was a perfect fit. His experience across various industries—including previous CEO roles where he successfully led growth-stage companies—gave him the insight needed to take Fingercheck to the next stage.
Dan’s onboarding marks a pivotal transition for Fingercheck. It’s not about fixing a broken company; it’s about amplifying what’s already working well. “I’ve had the fortunate circumstance that all the businesses I’ve joined were good businesses,” Dan explained. “It’s about taking something good and making it great.” This focus on leveraging an established foundation for exponential growth is something any founder or investor can learn from.
Understanding the Underserved Deskless Worker Market
Fingercheck’s success lies in its ability to address the unique needs of deskless workers. This group represents over 80% of the U.S. workforce, yet remains underserved by workforce management technology. Fingercheck’s mobile-first approach empowers these employees to clock in, manage schedules, and receive timely compensation, even on the go.
By combining traditional time-tracking with advanced features like real-time payroll, Fingercheck not only supports deskless workers but also benefits SMB owners who juggle multiple roles. Dan aptly summarized this opportunity, noting that “anything we can do to make their lives easier and enable them to focus on their passion is going to be valuable in the marketplace.”
Real-Time Payroll: A Game-Changer in Employee Satisfaction
A critical feature in Fingercheck’s offerings is real-time payroll—a concept that is transforming how employees are compensated. The outdated bi-weekly or monthly payroll systems don’t align with today’s need for instant access to wages, especially for deskless workers who often live paycheck-to-paycheck. Fingercheck is pioneering a solution that allows employees to access their earnings as soon as a shift ends, improving employee satisfaction and financial stability.
For Dan and Joel, real-time payroll represents an opportunity to bring groundbreaking technology to an underappreciated demographic. Joel sees it as a pivotal development: “We have built the engine from the ground up to support real-time payroll, which aligns with modern market needs.”
The Importance of a Balanced Board and Strong Leadership
One of the standout themes of our discussion was the value of a balanced, respectful board in guiding growth-stage businesses. The right board can provide diverse perspectives and create open communication between management and investors, offering support to founders and executives alike. Joel pointed out that Fingercheck’s advisory board acted as a crucial support system, offering him guidance in building out a strong management team and tripling the company’s revenue in three years.
In his transition, Joel has embraced the benefit of working with experienced advisors and a growth-focused CEO like Dan. It’s a partnership grounded in respect and shared goals, with Dan stating that “an us-versus-them relationship does not work well” when it comes to board dynamics. This mutual respect ensures that Fingercheck’s leadership can focus on what matters most: scaling the business while staying true to its mission.
Takeaways for Founders and Investors
The Fingercheck story underscores a few critical points for founders and investors alike:
1. Strategic Leadership Transitions Drive Growth:
Bringing in external leadership doesn’t mean losing control; rather, it can accelerate a company’s journey by aligning founder-led passion with scalable strategy.
2. Addressing the Needs of the Underserved Market:
Fingercheck’s focus on deskless SMB workers highlights the untapped potential of providing tailored solutions to workforce segments that have historically been overlooked.
3. Commitment to Serving Your Clients Well is Key:
Solving problems for both pieces of your audience—the buyer and their employees, in Fingercheck’s case—will lead to higher retention and satisfaction rates because it’s a benefit for both groups.
For any founder considering the next stage of growth, the Fingercheck story offers a roadmap to achieving scale without sacrificing the heart of your business. The lessons from this partnership and the technology they’ve built are critical reminders that growth is not just about numbers—it’s about serving real people with real solutions.
