Colin Beneke and Nikki Sullivan both spent years at Insperity — one of the largest PEOs in the country. So when a recruiter called about a growing PEO entering the Dallas market, the easy answer was no.
They both said yes anyway.
In this conversation, Colin and Nikki talk through what drew them to Helpside, what they're seeing in the DFW business market, and what building a service-first PEO brand in Texas actually looks like from the inside.
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Colin Beneke brings nearly seven years of PEO sales experience at Insperity to the Helpside Dallas team. Nikki Sullivan brings deep DFW market knowledge and her own background in PEO sales, including time at Insperity. Both made the same unusual move: leaving a well-established national brand to help build Helpside's presence in a market where the company had zero name recognition.
That decision wasn't accidental. It was a deliberate bet on a company they believed had the culture, the service model, and the leadership to compete — and win — in one of the most competitive business markets in the country.
The DFW market is in permanent growth mode. Major companies have relocated their headquarters to the area. New businesses are launching across every industry. And the metro is large enough that entire states could fit inside it.
"Texas is a massive market," Nikki said. "Not operating in Texas would be a massive missed opportunity."
Colin echoed that view. His read on the market is that Dallas businesses are ready for a different kind of PEO conversation — one that isn't built around fitting companies into a product box or forcing all-or-nothing decisions on every service line.
"Helpside is a little bit more boutique," Colin explained. "If you're not using something today, that's totally fine. We'll carve that out, or we'll work with your broker. We don't want to ruin a relationship that's been important to your business."
That flexibility — combined with Helpside's 35-year track record in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Wyoming — is the core of the pitch. Not just another PEO entering a new state, but one with a long history of delivery and a willingness to build around what each business actually needs.
Neither Colin nor Nikki was actively looking to leave their previous employer. What changed was the quality of the conversations as they engaged with Helpside's leadership team.
For Colin, the signal was alignment. The company's values, its approach to clients, and its growth ambitions matched how he thought about his own work. A specific data point sealed it: over 70% of Helpside's book of business had come from referrals.
"That story tells a lot," Colin said. "Business owners that use Helpside refer Helpside — and that reminded me a lot of the DNA of where I came from. It was a no-brainer."
For Nikki, the impression started with her first interaction with the sales team and held up through every conversation that followed. "The 'let's find a solution' mentality is exciting," she said. "I've just been thrilled with every interaction."
Both also recognized something specific about the growth opportunity. Helpside was established and proven in four states. Texas was the next chapter — and being part of building a brand in a new market, backed by experienced leadership and a long service record, was a different kind of professional opportunity than continuing in a territory already fully mapped by a national brand.
The tenure inside Helpside's service team reinforced that confidence. "These are individuals who have been with the company for 15 to 20 years," Nikki said. "It shows."
Building Helpside's name in Dallas has come with real challenges. In a market where ADP and Insperity are household names, the most common early objection is simple: "I've never heard of this company."
But that objection hasn't been the barrier it might seem. "There are a lot of people who are willing to learn," Nikki said. "Smaller organizations — family-size businesses — want a different service model and are open to learning about different benefit strategies."
The benefits landscape has created a natural opening. Healthcare costs have been volatile for employers in recent years, and many Dallas businesses feel stuck with rigid packages from large national carriers. Helpside's ability to build flexible, customized benefit solutions — rather than presenting a fixed menu — has resonated strongly.
"The last couple of years in the benefit world have been brutal," Nikki said. "There's been a turn in what benefits look like for organizations. We want to find a best fit — and if something doesn't work, we can carve it out and bring in a piece that suits them better."
Operationally, the team runs lean and distributed across Texas, which requires intentional focus on where time and energy go each day.
"We have to be very strategic on how we leverage our days," Colin said. "Where are we intentional with our time, the people we're meeting with, the brokers we're building partnership conversations with?"
What's sustained momentum through the early challenges, both said, is that Helpside's leadership doesn't say no — they find a path. Every operational hiccup in the expansion has produced a solution rather than a wall.
One of the most consistent themes in this conversation is what Helpside isn't: a call center PEO where clients wait in a queue to get a question answered by someone who doesn't know their account.
Helpside's service approach is built around getting clients answers fast and getting them back to work. Clients work with designated contacts who know the business. The goal isn't to manage the relationship from a distance — it's to function as an extension of the employer's own team.
"We want to get you an answer ASAP, get you back to work, make sure you're compliant, and get you off the phone," Colin said.
Nikki pointed to this as the clearest differentiator she's seen in the market. "The service that's rolled out to new clients — the people strategy that touches every call or question — has been very refreshing."
That approach is what drives Helpside's referral numbers. When clients feel well-served, they tell other business owners. In a market like Dallas, where word travels fast through business networks, that organic growth engine matters more than any marketing budget.
"When you work for a company where the client comes first and they deliver on their promises, it really makes you feel good as a sales rep." — Colin Beneke, Helpside Dallas
The long-term vision for the Dallas team goes beyond year-one client acquisition. Colin's definition of success is the beginning of a referral engine — clients who trust Helpside enough to bring them into the next business relationship.
"I want to be in the position where they say, 'Oh yeah, we use Helpside — our next five acquisitions are going to go underneath Helpside,'" Colin said. "That's the dream."
With Dallas-Fort Worth attracting private equity investment and business acquisitions at an accelerating rate, that's not an abstract ambition. It's a specific market dynamic that a service-first PEO with a strong referral track record is well-positioned to capture.
Nikki's view on the next phase is equally direct: "I can just feel the excitement. I can see the wins coming. I think the next six to twelve months we have some lofty goals — and I think we're going to be above the benchmark."
The broader Texas team — spanning DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston — has hit the ground running. Conversations are building. Partnerships with benefits brokers are forming. And the core proposition is landing: there is a better PEO experience available to Dallas businesses, and Helpside is here to deliver it.
The Dallas team isn't staffed with generalists. Colin and Nikki both bring deep experience in the PEO sale — a complex transaction that involves federal, state, city, and county regulations, benefit design decisions, payroll structure, and ongoing HR support. They've seen what works at large national providers, and they've chosen to bring that expertise to a company they believe will actually deliver on what it promises.
For any Dallas business owner evaluating HR, payroll, or benefits options, their advice is simple: have the conversation.
"I think you're going to be pretty surprised as you go through these conversations," Colin said. "And pretty elated if you end up working with Helpside on what a great company it is."
Helpside isn't asking Dallas businesses to abandon existing broker relationships or accept a one-size-fits-all package. It's offering something more useful: a 35-year-old company with a strong service record, an experienced local team, and a genuine willingness to build the solution that fits.
Yes. Helpside has expanded into Texas and now has teams operating across the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston markets. The DFW team includes experienced PEO professionals with backgrounds at leading national providers.
Helpside operates as a boutique PEO — building solutions around what each business actually needs rather than requiring all-or-nothing product packages. It works alongside existing broker relationships rather than displacing them, provides direct access to experienced HR and payroll contacts rather than routing clients through a call center, and has a 35-year service record that generates more than 70% of new business through client referrals.
Helpside primarily serves small and midsize employers — companies in the 20 to 150 employee range that need integrated payroll, HR, benefits, and compliance support but don't have the internal capacity to manage those functions independently. The DFW team has particular focus on founder-led businesses, family companies, and organizations that have outgrown their current HR setup.
The most consistent reasons are culture, service model, and growth opportunity. Helpside's leadership is accessible, the service team has long tenure and strong client relationships, and over 70% of new business comes from referrals — a signal that clients trust and recommend the company. For sales professionals, building a brand with real upside in a new market is a different kind of career opportunity than continuing in a fully mapped territory at a national player.
Helpside builds benefit solutions around each employer's specific situation rather than presenting a fixed package. If a piece of the current setup is working — including an existing broker relationship — Helpside can work alongside it rather than requiring replacement. For benefits cost pressure specifically, Helpside's PEO model provides access to group purchasing power that individual small employers typically can't access on their own.
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) manages HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance for small and midsize businesses through a co-employment arrangement. The employer retains full control of daily operations and hiring decisions. The PEO handles the administrative infrastructure — payroll processing, tax filing, benefits administration, workers' compensation, and compliance support across the states where the company employs people. For Texas employers specifically, this includes support for state-specific payroll registration, leave rules, onboarding requirements, and ongoing regulatory changes.
Business owners in the DFW area can reach the Dallas team through helpside.com. Whether you're evaluating PEO options for your business or exploring career opportunities in PEO sales, the Texas team is actively taking conversations.
If you're a business owner in Dallas-Fort Worth evaluating HR, payroll, or benefits options, visit helpside.com to connect with the Texas team. And if this conversation was useful, subscribe to the Helpside podcast wherever you listen — new conversations with HR, business, and PEO experts drop regularly.