SO YOU WANT TO BE A FRACTIONAL OPS LEADER?
What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Actually Get Started as a Fractional COO, Fractional Chief of Staff or Fractional Project Lead.
WHY FRACTIONAL WORK MATTERS NOW
Every so often, a career model arrives that feels less like a trend and more like a correction. Fractional work is one of those models. It didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s been slowly building—but right now, it feels like the dam has broken.
On the company side: Many small businesses, nonprofits, and founder-led organisations desperately need senior-level strategy and operational leadership—but they don’t need (or can’t afford) that leadership forty-plus hours a week. Fractional leadership lets them access the horsepower they need without carrying the full-time cost.
On the operator side: The old model—one company, one boss, one narrow job description—doesn’t work for everyone anymore. Fractional work rewards breadth, versatility, and the ability to flex across industries, spotting patterns and connecting dots.
Tailwinds shaping the landscape:
Portfolio careers: People are piecing together work they love instead of anchoring to one job.
AI and automation: Ops leaders can deliver strategy faster.
Remote-first: Fractional thrives in distributed teams.
Burnout backlash: People need control over their time to sustain their careers.
Fractional work isn’t a stopgap. It’s a deliberate choice—and for many, the only one that makes sense.
WHAT IS FRACTIONAL WORK?
A full-time employee belongs to one company, one culture.
An interim leader is temporary, usually full-time.
A consultant parachutes in to diagnose or recommend.
An advisor is even further removed, offering guidance without getting in the weeds.
A fractional operator is different. You’re part-time but embedded: leading strategy, managing teams, driving execution, often across multiple organisations. You’re steering the ship—just not all day, every day.
WHAT ISN’T FRACTIONAL?
Many confuse fractional with full-time roles disguised as part-time, or “fractional now, full-time later” schemes. Fractional is not COO-lite. It’s not a stopgap. Fractional is solopreneurship: running a business of one (maybe plus contractors and a smart AI stack).
WHO THRIVES IN FRACTIONAL WORK?
Fractional work suits those who crave breadth, autonomy, and variety. Common traits include:
Exceptionally curious: Love learning about new industries, models, and teams.
Quick context switchers: Move fluidly between finance, marketing, and ops in a day.
Pattern spotters: Translate chaos into clarity fast.
Trust builders: Make impact within weeks.
Self-employed at the core: Comfortable selling yourself, writing proposals, protecting your time.
Obsessive boundary-setters: Guard your energy and scope.
Motivated by autonomy: Thrive designing your own week and choosing clients.
LET’S TALK SCOPE
Fractional roles vary: Fractional COO, Chief of Staff, Project Lead, or ops lead. Examples:
Full-scale fractional COO: Touching financials, hiring, brand, marketing, and process design.
Super lean ops lead: Narrow focus on critical SOPs and adoption.
Fractional Chief of Staff: Sparring with the CEO, shaping ideas, spinning off new initiatives.
Scoping tips:
Identify the most urgent problem.
Define post-handoff ownership.
Check support budget.
Clarify 90-day success metrics.
Set realistic weekly hours.
Map decision-making.
Design for the handoff before starting—if you can’t identify an owner, it’s a red flag. Scoping well protects your energy and ensures client success from day one.
HOW TO PRICE YOUR SERVICES
Stop dividing your old salary by twelve. Fractional pricing accounts for:
Taxes and benefits
Equipment and PTO
Invisible hours on business development and admin
Pricing formula:
Decide your target annual income.
Determine billable hours realistically.
Calculate baseline hourly rate.
Scope the project, assign hours, and present a flat monthly fee.
Most clients will never see the math; they see a simple, clear fee. Protect your time and energy behind the scenes.
WHERE DO CLIENTS COME FROM?
Referrals and partnerships are valuable, but the powerhouse is LinkedIn:
Treat your profile as your website.
Expect six months of groundwork before traction.
Post consistently, comment thoughtfully, and build connections.
Posting isn’t about instant leads—it’s about authority.
Comments give the best ROI.
Be human—avoid AI spam.
Inbound leads often come from silent lurkers. Outbound? Reach out thoughtfully to people you want to work with.
THE TAKEAWAY
Fractional work is not a side hustle. It’s a business. It requires you to be operator, entrepreneur, and marketer of yourself.
Treat it like a business from day one.
Know your capacity and protect it.
Scope honestly.
Price courageously.
Show up on LinkedIn consistently.
Fractional isn’t a stopgap—it’s a model built for this moment. For the right operators, it’s energising, autonomous, and sustainable.
I WANT TO START POSTING ON LINKEDIN BUT STILL HAVE A JOB
Q: How do I post without alerting my employer?
A: You’re allowed. Share expertise, wins, and learnings from your current role—without a CTA like “DM me to book a call.” It’s credibility-building, not job hunting.
Other tips:
Block your boss if needed.
Frame it as professional insurance: building your personal brand.
Don’t announce availability until ready, but start showing your POV and capabilities.
💛 MA
WORK WITH ME
Want to work together? Book a discovery call here.
Connect with me on LinkedIn!
Keep building the version of work that actually works for you. I’ll be here cheering (and occasionally nudging).
Until next time,
Mary Alice
