Stefan Boyd is the founder of Elevate Backoffice, a company dedicated to supporting small and mid-sized restaurants with finance, accounting, marketing, and IT solutions. With a rich background in investment banking and restaurant management, Stefan has built a business that blends efficiency with human connection—something he believes is at the heart of every great dining experience. Humans of Fuzia features Stefan to inspire entrepreneurs, particularly women, to pursue their vision while valuing both people and quality in their work.
What inspired you to start Elevate Backoffice?
I came up through finance, working in investment banking, and then moved into restaurants. I fell in love with the restaurant space—the people, the energy, and the challenge. I noticed a big need for back-office support for small to mid-sized restaurants, including accounting, IT, finance, and marketing. Many couldn’t afford in-house teams, and existing solutions were too generic. I wanted to provide a restaurant-focused solution and work with the best people, which has always been motivating for me.
How does your business model work, and who do you serve?
Any restaurant in a growth phase—anywhere from one unit to 50 units—that needs support for back-office functions can reach out to us through our website or LinkedIn. We help restaurants that can’t yet bring a full team in-house with accounting, IT, finance, capital raising, marketing, and more.
What are your thoughts on AI in your industry?
We leverage AI as a tool to increase efficiency, but it doesn’t replace the human touch. For example, AI can help build spreadsheets or perform calculations quickly, but the human touch is essential to refine the results. Restaurants are a bit different—AI can improve back-office functions, but it can’t replace human connection. The experience of breaking bread, the smile of a server, and the energy in a restaurant are irreplaceable.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a founder?
Finding the right people was the first challenge—our team is our product. Timing and commitments in people’s personal lives make it tricky to get the perfect team together. The second challenge is finding the right clients—matching restaurants with the services they need is like a matchmaking process. Challenges cascade from there, but every day is about solving one problem at a time.
And what’s the best part of your work?
I love working with the people on my team. Even though we work a lot, it doesn’t feel like work because I’m working with friends who are excellent at what they do. Building your own business, seeing the quality of work and culture you create, and having fun while doing it—that’s incredibly rewarding.
One piece of advice for budding entrepreneurs?
Be prepared for a struggle. There’s a reason not everyone has done it. You won’t know all the answers, but you have to jump in, stay flexible, and make decisions. Some will be right, some wrong—but you keep moving. Every action is either progress or feedback.
“Make the decision, accept the outcomes, and keep moving forward. Every step—right or wrong—is part of the journey.”
Connect with Stefan Boyd:
You can connect with Stefan on https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-boyd-a760a74/
http://www.elevatebackoffice.com/
Want to be featured?
If you’d like to be featured in the Humans of Fuzia series, email us at fuziatalent@fuzia.com.
