How Greenstein Designagentur Hired Abroad in 1 Week, Then Exited With Zero Compliance Risk
About Greenstein Designagentur
Greenstein Designagentur is a design and web development agency founded in 2010. It builds websites, brand identities and employer branding campaigns, with SEO and conversion work on top. Its focus is on websites that work as growth systems for clients. Greenstein has delivered 500+ projects for 400+ clients across trades, healthcare, energy, real estate, education and more. Its motto: bad design costs money, good design sells.
After 16 years of growing at home, the agency wanted to test a new market. The plan started with one salesperson.
The Challenge: A New Market, No Entity and Collective Agreement Rules
Greenstein's legal presence sat entirely in its home market. That meant it couldn't hire anyone directly anywhere else. The new market added a layer beyond standard payroll. Collective bargaining agreements there set pay floors, working hours, notice periods and termination terms, and they vary by industry. Picking the wrong agreement, or missing one of its clauses, creates legal exposure for both employer and employee.
Greenstein also knew expansion plans can change. If the role ended, the exit would carry as much legal risk as the hire. It needed a partner who could handle both.
The Solution: The Right Agreement at the Start, the Right Process at the End
Gloroots became the Employer of Record and identified the collective agreement that applied to the role. It built the contract, pay and working terms around it. The salesperson was onboarded and working within one week.
Later, Greenstein's plans for the market changed and the role was no longer needed. Gloroots managed the separation under local labour law. It handled the notice period, final pay and documentation correctly, so nothing came back on Greenstein afterwards.
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Both stages came with their own risks, and the results show how each one went.
The Results: Onboarded in a Week, Exited Clean
Greenstein got a compliant hire fast while the expansion was live. It also got a clean, compliant exit once the plan ended.
What Greenstein got:
- Salesperson onboarded within one week, under the correct collective agreement
- Full employment lifecycle covered, from offer letter to final settlement
- Compliant separation under local labour law when the role ended
- Zero compliance exposure at any stage
- No entity to set up, and none to shut down
Most companies judge an EOR on the hire. Greenstein's case shows the exit matters just as much, and it's where many expansions leave loose ends.
What This Means for Agencies Testing New Markets
For a services agency, a first hire abroad is often an experiment. Opening an entity for an experiment means paying to set it up and paying again to close it if the test doesn't work out.
An EOR lets you run that test with much less at stake. You hire fast, stay compliant with local agreements and exit cleanly if the market isn't right. Greenstein's case shows the model works whether the expansion grows or ends.
If you're weighing a first hire in a new market, plan for the exit at the same time as the hire.
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FAQs
Can a company hire in a new market without setting up an entity?
Yes. An Employer of Record becomes the legal employer and handles the contract, payroll and local compliance. You direct the work. Greenstein Designagentur hired a salesperson this way and had them onboarded in one week.
What is a collective bargaining agreement and why does it matter when
hiring abroad?
A collective bargaining agreement is a set of rules, usually by industry, covering pay floors, hours, notice periods and termination. Applying the wrong one can lead to legal claims and back pay. An EOR identifies and applies the right agreement from the first contract.
How fast can an EOR onboard a new hire?
With the right local setup, a compliant hire can be onboarded in about a week. That was the timeline for Greenstein's salesperson.
Can an EOR handle offboarding as well as hiring?
Yes. An EOR manages the separation under local labour law, including notice periods, final pay and documentation. Greenstein's exit was handled with the same care as its hire.
Is an EOR a good option for testing a new market?
Yes. An EOR lets you hire without opening an entity, so there's nothing to wind down if the plan changes. That keeps the cost of a market test low on both ends.
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