How Tilson HR Helped Sage Event Management Scale with Confidence
A Dream In the Making
In 2004, Bari Baumgardner started Sage Event Management from a spare bedroom in her home. As a seasoned event planner, she initially saw her business as a “just until” endeavor—a temporary solution while she explored other opportunities. However, what started as a small solo venture quickly gained traction, evolving into a powerhouse in live event production for some of the biggest names in personal and business development, including Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, and Gabby Bernstein.
As Sage Event Management grew, Bari quickly realized that managing events was one thing, but handling HR, payroll, and compliance was an entirely different challenge—one she had no desire to master. That’s when Tilson HR entered the picture.
The Challenge: Scaling Without the HR Burden
With Sage’s rapid expansion, Bari found herself at a crossroads. Managing a growing team meant dealing with complex HR tasks, payroll, legal compliance, and employee benefits. As a business owner, she understood the importance of HR but also recognized that it fell far outside her zone of genius.
“Every minute I spend on something outside my expertise costs me money,” Bari explained. “HR and payroll were in my zone of incompetence. I needed a trusted partner to take that off my plate.”
She also wanted her small business to offer benefits and HR support on par with large corporations to attract top talent. However, doing this independently would have been both expensive and time-consuming.
The Solution: Partnering with Tilson HR
Bari turned to Tilson HR, a professional employer organization (PEO) that could handle HR, payroll, and benefits administration complexities and help her scale her business. What set Tilson apart from other PEOs was their expertise and relationship-driven approach.
“Tilson wasn’t just about compliance and paperwork. They understood that by taking HR off my plate, I could focus on what I do best—producing world-class events,” Bari shared. “That distinction made all the difference.”
The Results: A Seamless Growth Journey
With Tilson HR managing the backend complexities, Sage Event Management was free to focus on what truly mattered—delivering impactful live events. The partnership led to significant benefits:
- Time and Cost Savings:
By outsourcing HR, Bari estimated saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and opportunity costs. - Seamless Employee Experience:
New hires were onboarded smoothly, with Tilson handling everything from payroll setup to benefits enrollment, ensuring a professional and welcoming experience. - Trusted Advisor Support:
Whether it was a compliance issue or an HR strategy question, Bari had direct access to Tilson’s leadership, ensuring quick and effective solutions. - Scalability Without Stress:
As Sage continued to expand, HR was no longer a bottleneck. Tilson’s expertise provided the confidence to scale without worrying about administrative burdens.
Conclusion: A Partnership For Success
Today, Sage Event Management is a thriving business with 15 full-time employees, seven remote developers, and a network of independent contractors. What started as a one-woman operation has transformed into a company that changes lives through live events.
For businesses looking to scale without being weighed down by HR complexities, Sage Event Management’s journey is a testament to the power of the right partnership.
