Small companies don’t look for complexity – they want simple, easy software. When BambooHR fell short of that for Canvas, their CEO Sascha Michel knew it was time to move on. We sat down with him to get the full story.

A “lean and mean” team scaling up with BambooHR (or so they thought)

Canvas is a London-based venue finding marketplace with a small in-house team of five and a pool of around twelve freelancers. Yes, it’s a small team, but that doesn’t keep Sascha (a CEO who wears multiple hats, including HR) from looking for more efficiency, automation and compliance.

At first, Bamboo delivered on that promise: it was way better than the collection of scattered tools the company used at the time.

“We’re a small business, but we do a lot to leverage our technology.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

How Canvas Events outgrew BambooHR

Bamboo’s all-in-one software was super useful to centralise all of Canvas’ HR, but as time went by, issues started creeping up.

“Too Americanised”

Bamboo’s all-in-one software was super useful to centralise all of Canvas’ HR, but as time went by, issues started creeping up.

“It seemed like such a small thing, but we wanted something that linked up better to our UK experience.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

“Not logical”

The software wasn’t user-friendly, which meant the team sometimes struggled to log information in and Sascha couldn’t easily find information when he needed it.

An example was with the holiday tracking system: they still had to do some manual calculations because time off didn’t update until it was actually taken – it would have been useful for time off to show as pending.

“It created a lot of confusion, so it wasn’t ideal for any of us.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

“Delayed support”

Bamboo’s support didn’t feel like it was up to scratch. It felt slow, and like there wasn’t anyone to help.

“Perhaps it was because they were based in the US, but that human touch of speaking to someone wasn’t there and the problems we encountered weren’t necessarily resolved.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

“Over-engineered”

BambooHR felt like a better fit for larger companies, with too many options, too many features and not enough context for Sascha’s business.

“We were only using 20% of the software.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

It all came to a head eventually…

One day, BambooHR reached out to push Sascha toward an enterprise plan – which he definitely didn’t need, didn’t want and wouldn’t use. That was the tipping point for him.

“It wasn’t that the hike was massive, and I’ll always pay if I feel like I’m getting value, but that wasn’t the case here. I felt like we were being pushed into an enterprise funnel. That’s not what we are. We’re a small business.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

The mismatch between Bamboo and Canvas became clear: it was time to move on.

Finding the right alternative with CharlieHR

When Sascha decided to look for a new HR platform, he used Google and stumbled upon Charlie.

“I was immediately impressed. The website felt straightforward, which gave me confidence the product would be too.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

From the start, Charlie felt like a company that understood small businesses and shared a similar mindset to Canvas.

Getting simple, self-serve HR with Charlie

Canvas has been using Charlie for about 8 months now, and they’re all the better for it. When asked what features stood out most, Sascha highlighted:

• Onboarding: “If we have new team members or freelancers, it’s handy to have it all in one place.”
• Time off: “Once a topic that required reminders is now running seamlessly in the background.”
• Document storage: “Everything’s in one place, easy to find, and attached to each employee profile.”

There are still many Charlie features that Canvas hasn’t explored yet, but as the business grows, their needs evolve too. For now, simple and self-serve does it.

“I used to have to remind people to book their holidays with Bamboo, but that doesn’t happen with Charlie. Everything’s clear and self-explanatory.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas

Charlie: HR software made for them

For Canvas, Charlie ticks all the right boxes: easy to use, UK-focused, and great value for money. It gives the team confidence in how they manage HR, with no unnecessary complexity or cost.

“Charlie feels like it’s built for companies like ours — small, scaling teams who need to stay efficient. I would recommend Charlie if anyone asked me.”
Sascha Michel – CEO @ Canvas