Hello Yellow Accelerates Global Expansion With Full-Service EOR

At a glance

• Avoided $45,000 in entity setup costs and $100,000 in annualized expenses.
• Expanded into Australia, Vietnam, and South Africa with full compliance.
• Onboarded employees in as little as 48 hours—99% faster than entity setup.

Overview

Founded during the pandemic, Hello Yellow rapidly grew into a global digital marketing agency, serving Nasdaq companies and leading brands. But as expansion accelerated, the company hit the barriers of international compliance. Relying on a tech-only, self-service EOR provider left leadership frustrated with administrative burdens, compliance risks, and lack of reliable guidance.

Challenge

As Hello Yellow expanded into markets like Australia, Vietnam, and then South Africa, the team started running into the challenges of managing an international workforce compliantly. Using a technology platform that seemed proficient at first, they found that basic administration, like obtaining banking information, turned into complex, time-consuming endeavors. The risk of a misstep (especially around terminations) felt untenable for a lean team. Exploring a South Africa entity exposed a six-month timeline, setup costs larger than annual salaries, and ongoing maintenance in the tens of thousands—pushing them to seek an EOR path that delivered speed, precision compliance, and human, in-country expertise. 

Solution

Hello Yellow replaced the self-serve platform with a full-service global EOR model and partnered with Pebl for fast, compliant hiring backed by in-country experts. The team gained end-to-end support across employment, immigration, payroll, and tax; clear, proactive guidance from named HR specialists (not a chatbot); and a single, responsive point of contact. Just as important, they avoided the costs and delays of setting up entities—up to $45k in setup and ~$100k annualized—while keeping onboarding quick and employee support high-touch.

 For Fontenot, the decision to go with a full-service EOR provider wasn’t just about the technical capabilities but also the peace of mind and confidence that comes from partnering with true experts in global expansion. 

“I’m reassured by the knowledge that our extended HR team at Pebl (previously Velocity Global) is conducting the required due diligence and continuously monitoring compliance for us,” Fontenot said. “The service completely lifts this burden from us. Even in worst-case scenarios, such as employee terminations, everything will be managed above board and without incurring excessive third-party legal fees, which is a big plus for us.”

Outcome

Since partnering with Pebl, Hello Yellow saw immediate improvement in support: employee questions are resolved quickly while country-specific HR, legal, payroll, taxes, and liability are handled under the agreement. They onboard employees swiftly, reduced operational costs by 60%, and avoided costly entity setup—freeing their lean team to focus on growth while staying compliant across markets.