SheetlessPay

Ditch spreadsheets: Instant payroll from timesheets for tiny remote teams.

Score: 7.7/10BrazilMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Bootstrapped founders of small remote teams are stuck using error-prone spreadsheets for payroll and compliance because expensive HR tech tools are overkill and unaffordable.

Solution

Upload timesheets or connect simple trackers, and SheetlessPay auto-calculates payroll, handles multi-currency payouts, and generates payslips. It ensures basic tax withholding for US/remote workers without complex setups. Founders get one-click approvals and exports for accountants.

Target Audience

Bootstrapped founders managing small remote teams (under 10-20 people)

Differentiator

Spreadsheet import wizard that parses CSV/Excel in seconds, tailored for bootstrapped teams under 20—no steep learning curve or $100+/mo fees.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Timesheet Import

must-have12h

Upload CSV/Excel timesheets; auto-parses hours, rates, and calculates gross pay.

Payroll Run

must-have20h

Generate payroll batches with deductions, taxes, and net pay previews.

Payslip Generator

must-have8h

Auto-create and email customizable PDF payslips.

Multi-Currency Payouts

must-have15h

Integrate Stripe for bank transfers in 10+ currencies.

Approval Workflow

must-have10h

Founder approves payroll runs via email/SMS before payout.

Tax Estimator

nice-to-have12h

Basic US state tax withholding calculator.

Export Reports

nice-to-have6h

CSV/PDF exports for accountants.

Recurring Payroll

future10h

Schedule bi-weekly/monthly runs.

Total Build Time: 93 hours

Database Schema

teams

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
stripe_customer_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • one-to-many with employees

employees

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
team_iduuidNo
nametextNo
hourly_rateintNo
bank_detailstextYes
currencytextNo

Relationships:

  • foreign key to teams.id

payroll_runs

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
team_iduuidNo
period_starttimestampNo
total_amountintNo
statustextNo
approved_attimestampYes

Relationships:

  • foreign key to teams.id

timesheets

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
payroll_run_iduuidNo
employee_iduuidNo
hoursintNo

Relationships:

  • foreign keys to payroll_runs.id and employees.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/teams

Create team

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/employees

Add employee

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/payroll-runs

Create payroll run from import

🔒 Auth Required
PUT
/api/payroll-runs/:id/approve

Approve and payout

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/timesheets/import

Parse and save timesheet CSV

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/payslips/:id

Generate payslip PDF

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui + React Hook Form
Backend
Next.js API routes + Supabase Edge Functions
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend (emails)Papa Parse (CSV)pdf-lib (payslips)

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth, DB setup, team/employee CRUD

40h
  • User signup/login
  • Basic dashboard

Week 2: Timesheet import & parsing

35h
  • CSV upload & parse

Week 3: Payroll calculation & preview

40h
  • Payroll run creation

Week 4: Payslips & Stripe integration

35h
  • PDF gen, payouts

Week 5: Approvals & exports

30h
  • Workflows, reports

Week 6: Polish, testing, landing page

20h
  • Full MVP
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 220 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No payouts, 1 run/month

  • Up to 2 employees
  • Basic payroll previews
  • CSV exports

Pro

$20/mo

Email support

  • Up to 10 employees
  • Unlimited runs
  • Payouts & payslips

Enterprise

$49/mo

Custom onboarding

  • Up to 20 employees
  • Priority support
  • Custom taxes

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 1504%$40$480
Month 64008%$640$7,680

Unit Economics

$25
CAC
$480
LTV
5%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 19.2xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Payroll Without the Spreadsheet Headache

Automate pays for your remote team in minutes. No accountants needed.

Feature Highlights

Instant CSV import
Multi-currency payouts
Pro payslips
One-click approvals
Under $20/mo

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved hours weekly!' - Indie Founder"
"'Perfect for my 5 devs abroad.' - Bootstrapped CEO"

First Three Customers

Post in Indie Hackers 'payroll hell' threads offering free beta access; DM 10 bootstrapped founders from r/smallbusiness who mention spreadsheets; run $50 Twitter ads targeting 'remote team payroll'.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/indiehackersr/SaaSTwitter #buildinpublic

SEO Keywords

small team payroll softwareremote payroll calculatorspreadsheet to payroll toolcheap payroll for startups

Competitive Analysis

$40+/mo base
Strength

Full HR suite

Weakness

Overkill and pricey for <10 people

Our Advantage

Spreadsheet-first, $20 flat for tiny teams

Justworks

justworks.com
$59+/person/mo
Strength

PEO compliance

Weakness

Minimums too high for solos

Our Advantage

Solo-dev build speed, import simplicity

🏰 Moat Strategy

Data lock-in from historical payroll runs + first-mover in spreadsheet-native parsing.

⏰ Why Now?

Remote work boom post-COVID, spreadsheets still dominate 70% small teams per surveys, AI parsing now cheap/easy.

Risks & Mitigation

legalmedium severity

Tax law changes

Mitigation

Disclaimer: estimates only, consult pros

marketlow severity

Adoption slow

Mitigation

Free tier + integrations

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 10 founders on payroll pains

Success: 80% confirm spreadsheet use

mvp14 days

Beta with 5 users

Success: 3 paid conversions

Pivot Options

  • Timesheet tracker only
  • Accountant export service

Quick Stats

Build Time
220h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,000
Market Size
$500.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
6