One-click payroll and compliance for your first international contractor.
Solo founders of bootstrapped startups can't easily manage payroll and compliance for their first international hires because HRTech tools are too complex and expensive.
FirstHirePay guides solo founders through a simple wizard to set up payroll, calculate taxes, and generate compliant contracts for top countries like India, Philippines, and Brazil. It automates payslip generation and Stripe payouts while providing a compliance checklist to avoid penalties. Everything is designed for one employee at a time, keeping it dead simple and affordable.
Solo founders of bootstrapped startups making their first international hires
Wizard-driven setup exclusively for first hires in high-demand outsourcing countries, with zero learning curve vs enterprise bloat.
supportive
Step-by-step form to add contractor details, country, rate, and auto-generate contract.
Real-time tax and fee calculations based on country-specific rates.
PDF payslips with breakdowns, downloadable and shareable.
One-click payment via Stripe Connect to contractor banks.
Country-specific docs and reminders (e.g., 1099 for US contractors).
View past payrolls and statuses.
Automated pay cycle notifications.
Add rules for 10+ countries.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| stripe_id | text | Yes |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| name | text | No |
| country | text | No |
| rate_hourly | int | No |
| hours_monthly | int | Yes |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| employee_id | uuid | No |
| amount | int | No |
| tax_withheld | int | Yes |
| status | text | No |
| paid_at | timestamp | Yes |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | No | |
| employee_id | uuid | No |
| checklist_item | text | No |
| completed | bool | No |
Relationships:
/api/employeesCreate new employee
/api/employees/:idGet employee details
/api/payrollsRun payroll and payout
/api/payrollsList payroll history
/api/compliances/:employeeIdGet compliance checklist
No payouts, watermarked payslips
Up to 3 employees
None
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 150 | 3% | $158 | $1,896 |
| Month 6 | 1,200 | 6% | $2,520 | $30,240 |
No HR team needed. Simple payroll + compliance for bootstrapped founders.
Post in r/Entrepreneur and r bootstrapped about 'beta testers needed for international payroll tool'. DM 10 founders from Twitter searches for 'hiring first VA Philippines'. Offer free Pro for feedback and case studies.
Full EOR
Enterprise-focused, complex onboarding
Solo-founder simple, $35 flat for first hire
Global coverage
Overkill for one hire
Wizard for contractors only
First-hire specificity builds data moat on common pitfalls; viral via founder networks.
Remote work surge + AI talent in low-cost countries; founders avoid big HR tools.
Tax rule changes
Disclaimers + annual country updates via users
Stripe payout failures
Fallback emails + webhooks
Low awareness
Targeted SEO + PH launch
Success: 10+ confirm pain and WOYLP >$35
Success: 3 run real payrolls
Success: 100 users week 1
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