Business Sherpa Group: Delivering Payroll, Done Right at Scale

Business Sherpa Group (BSG) was founded on a clear mission, to give Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) access to the same quality of operational support as larger organizations. Today, that model supports more than 600 SMBs across Canada, spanning industries from technology and agriculture to not-for-profits and professional services.

How Payroll Supports Business Sherpa Group’s SMB Customers

“Our role is to work as part of a client’s team, or become the team if they don’t have one,” says Jackie Bernhard, Payroll Team Lead at Business Sherpa Group, who oversees payroll delivery across hundreds of SMB clients as part of BSG’s Cloud Based Accounting services. “When payroll and other core functions run smoothly, our clients can focus on growing their business.”

Jackie oversees all payrolls processed by Business Sherpa Group’s dedicated payroll team, delivering consistent payroll across hundreds of businesses operating in different provinces, industries, and employee structures. 

“Every client is different,” Jackie explains. “Our job is to make payroll feel consistent and predictable, even when the underlying details vary.”

Why Business Sherpa Group Chose Powerpay as their Primary Payroll Solution for SMBs

Business Sherpa Group has used Powerpay for approximately eight years, supporting payroll delivery for a significant portion of its SMB client base over that time. While the firm supports multiple payroll systems based on client needs, Powerpay remains a go-to option for Canadian SMBs.

“Powerpay is straightforward and easy to use,” Jackie says. “That consistency really matters when you’re managing payroll across many clients.”

That simplicity translates into efficiency for the payroll team, particularly when managing payroll across dozens of client files within a single pay cycle. Powerpay’s intuitive interface and standardized workflows allow Business Sherpa Group to move quickly between client files, reducing time spent navigating systems and enabling the team to process payroll more consistently across accounts.

“One thing I really appreciate is being able to complete employee updates in a single workflow,” Jackie notes. “You’re not jumping through multiple screens just to make a change.”

How Day-to-Day Payroll Management Improves with Powerpay

Day-to-day payroll processing benefits from the same consistency, which becomes critical when managing multiple payrolls in parallel. “Entering payroll is quite seamless,” Jackie says. “The process is the same across all client files, which makes juggling multiple accounts much easier.”

High-touch payroll tasks such as ROEs, remittances, off-cycle runs, and adjustments are also streamlined. “All of these processes are quick and easy in Powerpay,” Jackie explains. “The platform minimizes manual work, which helps keep payroll accurate and efficient across hundreds of recurring payroll runs.”

Reducing manual steps also makes it easier for the team to identify discrepancies early, improving overall accuracy and reducing the need for corrections.

That reduction in manual steps has a direct impact on compliance and risk, particularly when managing payroll across multiple provinces with changing regulatory requirements. Powerpay supports Business Sherpa Group by embedding remittance and year-end processes directly into the platform.

“These tasks are built in,” Jackie says. “You just run them as scheduled, which helps maintain consistency and compliance.”

Automatic regulatory updates across provinces further reduce risk by removing the need for manual monitoring across each client account. “Powerpay applies updates automatically and notifies us when changes occur,” Jackie adds. “That takes pressure off our team and ensures we stay current.”

Payroll previews and notifications provide the oversight needed when managing payroll on behalf of multiple organizations. “They let us review everything before processing and quickly spot discrepancies,” Jackie says. “That level of visibility is critical for us.”

While the platform is stable enough that frequent support is rarely needed, responsive help is available when questions arise. “The chat support has been very helpful,” Jackie notes. “Responses are quick and accurate, which makes resolving questions simple.”

That reliability reinforces Business Sherpa Group’s role as a trusted advisor, allowing the team to manage payroll on behalf of clients without adding additional administrative burden.

Scalability is Top of Mind when Choosing Software Solutions for SMBs

As Business Sherpa Group continues to grow, Powerpay supports scalability without adding complexity, allowing Business Sherpa Group to onboard new clients without significantly increasing payroll administration effort.

“It’s a practical solution,” Jackie says. “It covers essential payroll needs with minimal manual entry, which helps us onboard new clients smoothly.”

For the SMBs Business Sherpa Group supports, that practicality matters. “Smaller organizations don’t have the same resources as large enterprises,” Jackie adds. “Having a reliable, easy-to-use payroll solution reduces administrative burden in a meaningful way, especially for SMBs without dedicated payroll resources.”

After eight years of use, the value is clear. “Powerpay is user-friendly, reliable, and built for the realities of Canadian SMBs,” Jackie says. “The fact that it remains part of our toolkit speaks for itself.”

For Business Sherpa Group and the hundreds of businesses they support, Powerpay helps keep payroll accurate, compliant, and quietly under control, exactly where it belongs.