Fifteen years of impact delivered fast.
I'm Kelly Haywood, founder of Backbone. I'm a high-performing generalist, with experience quickly adapting to new contexts and executive workstyles. I've spent fifteen years doing the work that actually keeps a business running — customer service, sales, talent sourcing and screening, administration, operations, client services, and project management.
That range comes from where I did the work, not just what the work was. I've worked inside a multinational hospitality corporation and inside a national consulting firm. I've worked inside small businesses and startups that were still finding their footing. I've supported organizations that were stable and organizations that were scaling or pivoting through real change. I've been the individual contributor, and I've been the person leading the team. I've worked directly for founders and CEOs, and now I run a business of my own.
That's the real value here. Whatever's going on in your business right now, there's a real chance I've already worked through something close to it — even if your industry looks nothing like the ones I came up in.
What I actually do, day to day.
Fifteen years condensed into the work that actually shows up in a business, week to week.
Customer service & sales. I've managed client portfolios end-to-end, from a hospitality portfolio generating $2.5M+ in annual revenue to $1.8M in new business negotiated over 15 months elsewhere.
Talent sourcing, screening & interviewing. I've run the actual search process, not just posted a job, for roles that needed to be filled right the first time.
Administration & executive support. Calendars, inboxes, travel, and the dozens of small logistics that quietly decide whether a leader's week actually works.
Operations & systems design. I've built the workflows, documentation, and tooling that let a process survive turnover, including leading a full CRM/ATS transition.
Consulting & client services. One follow-up email I wrote — connecting a prospect's stated pain points to the outcomes they were after — helped carry that deal to a signed six-figure engagement, which I then managed through contracting.
Project & timeline coordination. I've kept up to 15 concurrent client engagements moving on deadline at once, without anything quietly slipping.
Where I've done this work.
I've worked inside multinational corporate organizations, national consulting firms, and local small businesses and startups.
I've supported established, steady operations, and businesses actively scaling or pivoting through real change.
I've worked with for-profit businesses, and with nonprofits in a consulting capacity.
I've been an individual contributor, and I've led the team.
I've worked directly with founders and CEOs, and now I've founded a business of my own.
Fourteen years owning revenue relationships — from a $2.5M annual hotel portfolio to $1.8M in new business at a search firm — means that when I take something off your plate, it's with an eye for what protects the pipeline, not just what's easiest to hand off.
Day to day, that's meant working across Airtable, Softr, Squarespace, HubSpot, Zapier, Google Workspace, Xero, and Stripe, among others. When a business runs on something I haven't touched yet, I pick it up fast — recent examples include Outseta and Shopify, both up and running within days.
Ready to talk about your business?
Send an email and tell me a little about what you're working on. I'll follow up within one business day to set up a free call.