Don’t Tell Comedy’s Seminole Business Network Story

The Seminole Business Network connected Don’t Tell Comedy with Trustpoint HR as the company sought more flexible payroll and HR tools. The switch added centralized employee reviews and greater flexibility to evaluate benefits providers. The network offers vetted service providers while helping generate revenue for Florida State Athletics.

Better Business Tools, Bigger Impact.

For Brett Kushner, COO of Don’t Tell Comedy, Florida State isn’t just his alma mater. It’s a family tradition spanning four generations.

“My grandparents, great aunt, parents, sister and brother have all gone there,” Brett said. “It’s just a thing we all support and feel is an important place. We want to keep it a special place for future generations.”

So when Brett learned that his business could explore vetted service providers while also helping generate revenue for Florida State Athletics, taking a look at the Seminole Business Network was an easy decision.

What started as an introduction through his father ultimately led Don’t Tell Comedy to rethink one of the systems at the center of its growing business: payroll and HR.

A Seminole Family Connection

Brett first heard about the Seminole Business Network through his father, a longtime Florida State supporter and Seminole Booster who regularly attends FSU games.

That introduction connected Brett with the Seminole Business Network, where he was presented with several service providers that could potentially fit Don’t Tell Comedy’s needs.

Importantly, there was no expectation that every provider would be the right match.

Don’t Tell Comedy initially explored a payment processing option through the network. After evaluating it, Brett determined that switching didn’t make sense for the business at that time. But another opportunity stood out.

Finding the Right Time to Upgrade

Don’t Tell Comedy had used QuickBooks built-in payroll system since the early days of the company. As the business grew, Brett and his team had already begun thinking about moving to something more robust.

They needed more than a tool that could simply run payroll. They wanted greater flexibility and HR capabilities that could support the company as it continued to scale.

Through the Seminole Business Network, Brett was introduced to Trustpoint HR.

“We had been thinking about wanting to find a little bit more of a robust solution that was not just payroll but something with more flexibility,” Brett said. “When you mentioned working with Trustpoint, we were like, ‘Yeah, we’d be curious about that.’”

Trustpoint worked with the Don’t Tell Comedy team through the transition and helped them get the new system up and running.

“It was definitely a thing we had to figure out, and they were very helpful with the process,” Brett said. “Now we’re in a pretty good place. So far, it’s been pretty smooth.”

From Payroll Tool to HR Platform

For Don’t Tell Comedy, the move wasn’t about finding the cheapest payroll provider.

In fact, Trustpoint costs slightly more than the company’s previous QuickBooks setup. The value has instead come from gaining access to a more comprehensive platform with capabilities the company didn’t previously have.

“It’s an HR tool more than just a payroll tool,” Brett said.

One example came during Don’t Tell Comedy’s annual employee review process. Previously, the team relied on Google Forms, surveys and manual processes to collect and manage reviews. This year, the company completed its annual reviews directly through the Trustpoint platform, giving the team a centralized place to collect responses and keep track of the process.

“In the past, we’ve just been using Google Forms and surveys and doing everything manually,” Brett said. “It’s cool to do it through the system. It gives us more options.”

The move also gives Don’t Tell Comedy more flexibility as the company evaluates other employee benefits and services in the future.

With its previous system, Brett said the business had limited options for services such as insurance and 401(k) providers. With its new HR infrastructure, the company has more freedom to evaluate providers when those services come up for renewal.

That flexibility could ultimately create additional savings down the road.

The Value of Starting With Vetted Providers

For Brett, one of the biggest advantages of the Seminole Business Network is simple: it gives business owners a trusted place to start.

Without the network, finding a new payroll and HR provider likely would have meant searching online, identifying a handful of companies and trying to determine which ones were worth considering.

Through the SBN, much of that initial legwork had already been done.

“To have the NOCAP vetting and a vetted list of service providers has been helpful,” Brett said. “It gives us legitimate places to start, compare to others and see what makes sense.”

And as Don’t Tell Comedy’s experience shows, participating in the network doesn’t mean a business has to switch every service it evaluates. The company passed on one opportunity before finding another that better matched a need it already had.

That ability to explore is exactly why Brett believes other FSU alumni business owners should take a look.

“At the Very Least, You Might as Well Explore”

Brett describes the Seminole Business Network as a “win-win.”

Businesses are already paying for services like payroll, HR, insurance, payment processing and other operational needs. The SBN gives FSU-affiliated businesses an opportunity to evaluate vetted providers for those same expenses — with the added benefit that participating can help generate revenue for Florida State Athletics.

“At the very least, you might as well explore,” Brett said. “It doesn’t hurt to try and see what service providers there are.”

For Don’t Tell Comedy, that exploration resulted in an HR and payroll platform with capabilities the company can use as it grows.

And when the service, pricing and fit make sense, Brett sees another reason to choose a provider through the network.

“We’re already paying for one of these services anyway,” he said. “If it’s relatively equally priced, you might as well work with the one that benefits the school.”

For a fourth-generation Seminole, that makes the decision even more meaningful.

Own or operate a business? Explore the Seminole Business Network and discover vetted service providers that can support your business while helping generate revenue for Florida State Athletics.

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