The Fort - An Entrepreneurship Podcast

#375 - Jesse Tinsley - CEO @ Employer.com - Rescuing Bench, TikTok Purchase?, Battle Tested Acquisition Playbook

Jan 28, 2025

Jesse Tinsley, a founder and CEO of Employer.com, has scaled multiple HR tech companies into a $500M+ enterprise. He shares insights on his rapid acquisition of Bench, detailing a swift and strategic process amidst crisis. Jesse discusses his ambitious bid for TikTok, emphasizing the need for talent density in building successful teams. He delves into navigating acquisitions, highlighting the importance of operational integration and fostering a mission-driven culture. His experiences illuminate the dynamic nature of entrepreneurship in the tech landscape.

54:54

Episode guests

Jesse Tinsley

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Jesse Tinsley highlights the importance of having a structured approach to acquisitions, enabling seamless business integration and operational efficiency.

The rapid acquisition of Bench illustrates the necessity of being prepared and adaptable to capitalize on unexpected business opportunities.

Rebuilding trust with employees and customers post-acquisition is crucial for ensuring retention and positive perceptions of the newly integrated business.

Deep dives

Acquisition Strategy and Integration

The company is uniquely structured to facilitate acquisitions, allowing for seamless integration of new businesses right from day one. This capability distinguishes them from others in the market, where mergers often lead to painful and slow processes. Their operational setup ensures the team is always prepared to embed and manage acquired businesses effectively, leading to a competitive advantage in winning bids. Ultimately, this structure not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances the likelihood of successfully integrating new acquisitions.

Intro

3min

Seizing Opportunity: The Bench Acquisition

5min

Navigating Acquisitions with Agility

5min

Navigating Crisis and Rebuilding Trust

12min

The Importance of Talent Density in Building Successful Teams

2min

Navigating Post-Acquisition Operations

15min

Tackling TikTok: Acquisition and Impact

13min

Jesse is a founder who bootstrapped and scaled Employer.com, Recruiter.com, Before You Apply, and BountyJobs.com into a $500M+ HR Tech powerhouse. He built these brands by solving global problems in EOR, payroll, hiring, and workforce management for companies of all sizes.

Most recently, Jesse has gone viral for his public bid to acquire TikTok, alongside some of the most influential names on the internet. He also recently acquired Bench within 48 hours of its announced shutdown and was able to keep the company online for the bookkeeping needs of its thousands of users.

We discuss:

- Acquiring Bench via X

- How Jesse structures his acquisitions and organization

- The People’s Bid for TikTok

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Links:

Jesse on X - https://x.com/JesseTinsley

Bench.co - https://www.bench.co/

Employer.com - https://www.employer.com/

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