Madi Fair, Founding Operations Manager at Voker, didn’t come from an HR or payroll background.

Before joining, she spent a decade freelancing across podcast production, social media, nonprofit work, and executive support. Juggling clients, projects, and chaos with ease.

So taking on “everything under the sun that isn’t technical,” at an eight-person startup felt like a natural fit. 

But one thing blindsided her: multi-state compliance.

Voker was moving fast, and with employees across two states, the company needed an ops foundation that wouldn’t pull focus away from building.

Problem

“A twisted game” of compliance

When Madi joined Voker in October 2024, she started with Rippling.

Payroll and basic HR were manageable. Multi-state compliance was not.

“It was terrible. It was really, really confusing,” recalls Madi. “I was constantly Googling things, hoping the answer Rippling gave me was correct, and then I would get an email from Rippling that I had done it wrong,” says Madi.

Then the government letters started.

“We kept getting letters that I had done something wrong and I didn’t know what it was or who to contact. I was in a full panic being like, how am I going to do this every year?”

Without guidance, compliance felt less like a workflow and more like a trap.

“The compliance part was such a surprise, and so detail-oriented. It was like a twisted game that I had to figure out, like an escape room. I really didn't have any support from Rippling whatsoever.”

And it didn’t match Rippling’s promises to YC startups.

“They said they were super user friendly for startups and people new to HR, and it was just not true. They told us we needed to pay for another tier for the support we actually needed. We felt blindsided.”

For a founding ops manager with "a million things" on her to-do list at any time, navigating the compliance maze alone was not sustainable.

Solution

Not just more software

Voker’s CEO, Tyler Postle, kept hearing about Central through the startup community.

“People had really good reviews for you guys,” Madi recalls.

After a few painful months on Rippling, they switched.

Onboarding to Central ended up being a non-event, in the best way.

“It was extremely easy, we did it all in one day. We hopped on calls when I had questions or Central wanted to clarify something. It was a very human experience.”

Slack message from Tyler Postle, Voker's CEO, after onboarding to Central.

Benefits setup was fast-tracked too.

"It was nearing the end of the month and Central worked with us really quickly to make sure that they would be set up to start the first of the next month," says Madi.

The real turning point came when Central inherited a broken compliance item from Rippling.

“There was a compliance issue we had because of Rippling and I was really stressed about it. I sent it to Central and they were like, ‘I know why that happened. I’ll give them a call and we will figure it out. You’re fine, you don't have to do anything else.'"

For Madi, that moment said everything.

“I was like, I don’t have to do anything else? Amazing.”

Central’s team now owns the registrations, filings, and fixes so she doesn’t have to.

Results

More time to run the company

The biggest win for Madi is how little she has to think about payroll and compliance.

“One of my favorite things about Central is that I actually don’t have to be on it very often. I use it when I need to, but who wants to spend a bunch of time on payroll software? I don’t have to do that with Central,” says Madi.

When she does log in, it’s simple.

“Reimbursements or contractor payments are really easy. Onboarding a new employee has been super easy and smooth. I barely have questions because the UI is so clear,” explains Madi.

Now the energy she used to spend panic-Googling goes into building a stronger employee experience.

“There are a million things on my to do list. I can now spend time figuring out how to make our employees’ lives better and happier.”

Most of all, she trusts the team behind Central.

“My favorite part of Central is the availability of their workforce. They are just very available. Any time I have had an issue, the customer service has been really amazing. I can ask any question without feeling silly and get a clear, kind response,” says Madi.

After inheriting a maze of compliance stress, she finally feels supported.

“With Central, I have no trust issues whatsoever,” shares Madi.

With compliance fully off her plate, Voker can focus on growing without worrying about what’s happening behind the scenes.