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Fractional HR · Small & Medium Businesses · Near or far

Growing a business is hard.
Dealing with HR paperwork shouldn't be.

If you're staying up late worrying about employee handbooks, messy onboarding, or misclassifying your team, take a breath.

You're completely on track, and you don't have to figure this out alone. Patchwork HR provides simple, fractional HR services built specifically for small and medium businesses.

Let's Talk →
Sound Familiar?

Is this normal?

Short answer: yes. Here's what most growing businesses are quietly dealing with right now.

"I don't even have a formal employee handbook."

Completely normal. Most scaling businesses outgrow their old paperwork fast. We design tailored handbooks from scratch.

"Am I paying overtime correctly under the FLSA?"

Don't panic. Worker classification laws change constantly. We audit your roles so you can rest easy knowing you're fully compliant.

"Hiring is taking up all my actual working hours."

We get it. You should be running your business, not sorting resumes. Our fractional services step in to handle hiring and training seamlessly.

The Belief Behind Patchwork HR

No two businesses are built the same.
Neither is the HR I build for them.

Good HR isn't a luxury reserved for companies with a full HR department. It's the foundation every business deserves, from your first hire to your fiftieth. I built Patchwork HR because no one should have to figure this out alone. If you're feeling behind on it, you're not. You're just growing, and that's exactly when I like to step in.

Why HR matters

Small businesses are the
heart of community.

Small businesses create gathering places, offer something no big-box store can, and give every neighborhood its personality. But building one is hard. Resources are stretched, the to-do list never ends, and somewhere in the middle of it all, you're also managing people.

Here's the thing: every growing business hits the same wall eventually. The system that worked at five people starts to strain at fifteen, and a policy you meant to write months ago is still sitting unwritten. That's not a failure on your part. It's just what growth looks like, and it's incredibly common.

A little structure early on makes everything easier: better hires, less turnover, fewer headaches down the road. And you don't have to figure it out by yourself. Patchwork HR exists to be the person in your corner, no matter where you are in your growth, what your team looks like, or what your budget is.

10+ Years in HR
2 Senior Certifications
SPHR & SHRM-CP
All 50 States Served
Remotely
2–200 Team Sizes
Supported
Who I Work With

Find your fit.

Patchwork HR is built natively for small businesses, growing startups, and local distributed teams. The shape of your HR needs depends on where you are right now. See where you fit below.

Profile 01

Main Street Roots

The neighborhood staple. You run on passion, people, and regulars, and you need HR that actually fits your reality, not a corporate template.

You might be a:
Local Shops & Services Nonprofits
Where I focus for you
  • Handbooks that actually sound like you
  • Hiring, onboarding, and smooth offboarding
  • A steady hand for the tricky people stuff
Start here →
Profile 02

The Growth Phase

You're scaling, and the informal approach that worked at five people is starting to feel shaky at fifteen. Totally normal, and a good sign you're ready for the next step.

You might be a:
Growing SMBs Family Businesses
Where I focus for you
  • Structured hiring that scales with you
  • Culture & performance systems that stick
  • Fractional HR leadership, without the full-time cost
Start here →
Profile 03

The Innovators

You move fast, and HR got built on the fly along the way. That's how most great companies start. Let's build a foundation that can keep up with your pace.

You might be a:
Startups Distributed Teams
Where I focus for you
  • HR from scratch: policies, process, and culture
  • Fractional HR leadership embedded in your tools
  • Support that scales as headcount grows fast
Start here →
How We Work Together

Two ways to get started.

Every engagement starts with a conversation. Which format makes sense depends on what you need right now.

What I Do

HR support across the full
life of your business.

Wherever you are in the journey, there's a place to start. Here's the full range of what I can help with.

Hire & Grow

Hire the right people, the right way.

From writing your first job posting to building a full-scale recruiting function, I help you find great people and set them up for success.

Recruiting & Hiring

Job descriptions, interview design, sourcing, structured scorecards, offer letters, and compensation benchmarking. Done right so you hire the right person the first time.

Onboarding Programs

First-day experiences, new hire paperwork, and 30/60/90-day plans that make new employees feel welcome and ready to contribute.

Org Design & Job Leveling

Org charts, role clarity, and job levels that grow with your team. So everyone knows where they fit, what is expected, and where they're headed.

Take Care of Your People

Build a workplace where people want to stay.

Your team is your biggest asset. I help you create the systems, structure, and feedback loops that keep people supported, engaged, and growing alongside your business.

Performance & Reviews

Build performance review systems from scratch, design goal-setting frameworks, and create feedback processes that actually work for your team and culture.

Training & Development

Manager coaching and training, learning needs assessments, and internal knowledge bases that help your people grow alongside your business.

Culture & Engagement

Employee engagement surveys, culture and values development, and action planning to turn feedback into real, meaningful change.

Stay Protected & Compliant

Solid foundations that protect your business and your people.

Employment compliance can be complicated, but it doesn't have to be. I help you build HR practices and policies that protect your business and your people in plain, easy to understand language.

Employee Handbooks

Your first handbook or a long-overdue refresh. Clear, readable policies that protect you legally and give your team a real reference point for how things work.

Compliance & Policy

Federal and Florida employment requirements, leave policies, employee classification, and wage guidance. Translated into plain language and real action steps.

HR Operations & HRIS

HRIS selection, setup, and administration. Offboarding processes and documentation systems that keep your HR operations organized and protected.

Kaitlyn McGowan, Patchwork HR Consulting
Kaitlyn McGowan
SPHR SHRM-CP 10 Years in HR
Instagram LinkedIn
About Me

A career built on
people. On purpose.

I grew up in South Florida (Plantation, for those that know) and moved to Gainesville in 2012 for school, earning a bachelor's in English from UF. I fell in love with Gainesville fast, and it's been home ever since. The community here is genuinely supportive, deeply entrepreneurial, and full of people building something they believe in. The small business community is a big reason this city has my whole heart.

My path to HR wasn't a straight line. I started out pursuing a career in teaching, until an opportunity came up at a local startup that changed everything. I found myself building their HR function from the ground up, then scaling it as the company grew. It was equal parts challenging and exciting, and it lit something up for me. The owners took a chance on me before I fully knew what I was capable of, and it's because of them that I found my profession and my passion.

Ten years later, I'm SPHR and SHRM-CP certified, and I've worked with organizations across Gainesville at every stage: early and scrappy, growing fast, and everything in between. Starting Patchwork HR felt like the natural next step. I want to offer other small businesses and growing teams the same kind of investment that was once offered to me: someone in your corner who's genuinely invested in what you're building.

When I'm not working, I'm running my next D&D campaign, tending my native landscape garden, or thrifting at local shops and popups.

Get In Touch

Start with a
free conversation.

No pitch, no pressure. Just a conversation about your people and what you're trying to build. We'll figure out together whether it's a quick project or an ongoing partnership. Local clients are welcome to meet for coffee, and otherwise, a video call works just as well. I always reply within one business day, and everything you share stays between us.

(352) 448-5701 patchworkhrconsulting@gmail.com Kaitlyn McGowan on LinkedIn
Honest, even when it's hard. I'll tell you what you need to hear, always with a plan for what to do next.
No judgment, just solutions. I'm not here to make you feel bad about what got missed. I'm here to help you get back on track.

Start the conversation

Fill this out and I'll be in touch shortly. The more you share, the better I can prepare for our conversation.

Got it, thanks!

I'll be in touch within one business day. Looking forward to the conversation.

Common Questions

You probably have
a few questions.

Here are the ones I hear most often. Don't see yours? Just reach out, no question is too small.

Do I need HR support with only a few employees?

Yes, and the earlier the better. Employment law applies from your very first hire, and getting the basics right early just makes everything easier down the road.

I'm not in Florida, can you still help me?

Absolutely. Most of my work is done remotely and I serve businesses across the country. If you're in Gainesville, I'm happy to meet in person. If not, video calls work just as well.

What if I just need help with one thing?

That's exactly what project-based work is for. Need a handbook, a job description, or help thinking through a tough situation? Hire me for one specific task or project.

How is this different from HR software?

Software gives you tools. I give you judgment. A platform can store your policies, but it can't tell you how to handle a difficult conversation or talk you through what to do next.

What does "fractional HR" actually mean?

It means having a dedicated HR professional without the full-time salary. I become your part-time HR department: available regularly, invested in your business, and there when you need me, on a schedule that fits your budget.

How is this different from hiring an HR generalist?

A full-time HR generalist is a significant commitment: salary, benefits, onboarding time, and more. Fractional HR gives you that same caliber of expertise and genuine investment, with the flexibility to scale up or down as your needs change.