Operations · Leadership

Fractional Operator

Embedded operational leadership. Growth ops, AI integration, infrastructure, team oversight, build-vs-buy decisions. Not advisory — execution.

Ongoing

1 week – quarterly

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$100K → $2M

Monthly Revenue

90-day brand scale under embedded operations — W-2 verifiable

60,000

Paid Subscribers

Acquired in under 12 months — W-2 verifiable

$6.3K → $825/mo

Burn Reduction

87% operating cost reduction — contractors, SaaS, and vendors displaced by owned systems

The Engagement

What this is

Operational leadership inside your organization — not advisory from the outside. Making decisions, building systems, and leading teams.

How it works

From sprint builds to fractional CTO/COO to embedded PE portfolio operator. Weekly calls, daily async, and hands-on build work.

What You Get

90-Day Operating Plan

Current state assessment, top priority initiatives ranked by impact, technical or operational roadmap, team evaluation, and measurable success criteria. Delivered within the first two weeks.

Weekly Leadership Syncs

Structured decision meetings — not status updates. Every sync produces at least one decision and one clear action item. Options presented with pros/cons and a recommendation.

Hands-On Build Work

Attribution systems, CEM deployment, retention infrastructure, SOP development, vendor evaluation, hiring criteria — whatever moves the most value. 15–60 hours per month depending on tier.

Monthly Operating Reports

Initiatives in progress, metrics vs. targets, decisions made, blockers, and upcoming priorities. For portfolio engagements: per-company sections plus a fund summary.

Quarterly Business Reviews

90-minute review: quarter vs. plan, ROI assessment, strategic recalibration, and next quarter plan with updated goals. Natural transition point for scope assessment.

What Gets Covered

Technical Leadership

Architecture decisions, build-vs-buy evaluation, codebase health assessment, developer hiring (job specs, interview rubrics, technical interviews), vendor selection, infrastructure planning, security and compliance review, and technical due diligence for M&A.

Growth Operations

Attribution systems built and validated, affiliate programs structured, retention infrastructure installed, channel mix optimization, unit economics tracking — whatever growth lever is leaking most. Major builds scoped and billed separately.

AI & CEM Deployment

AI Workflow Audits, CEM training, Implementation Sprints, and Methodology Licensing deployed per company as needed. Drift Tax baselines measured, mechanisms calibrated, teams trained on daily use.

Team & Process

Org design, cross-functional alignment, SOP and RACI development, reporting cadence, vendor management, contract negotiation, and hiring for operational roles. Building the muscle for the company to operate independently.

Portfolio Operations (PE)

Individual company assessments, prioritized engagement sequence, coordinated work across 2–5 portfolio companies, monthly Portfolio Operating Report, and quarterly portfolio-level review with fund leadership.

Sprint Builds

Short-burst engagements for teams that need something built fast — MVP coaching, product builds, system builds. CEM methodology applied to the build process. From 1-day sprints to 4-week embedded builds.

Engagement Options

Sprint Build

1–5 days

Short-burst build engagement. MVP coaching, product build, or system build with CEM methodology.

Deliverables Working deliverable, Foundation documentation, mechanism scorecard.

Build + Advise

1–4 weeks + monthly

Initial build phase followed by ongoing advisory. Hands-on execution transitioning to strategic guidance.

Deliverables Completed build, transition to advisory retainer, independence assessment.

Fractional CTO / COO

Monthly (quarterly minimum)

Ongoing operational leadership. Weekly syncs, daily async, 40–60 hrs/month hands-on.

Deliverables 90-Day Operating Plan, Monthly Operating Reports, Quarterly Business Reviews.

Operator-in-Residence (PE)

Monthly (quarterly minimum)

Embedded across 2–5 portfolio companies. CEM deployment, growth infrastructure, team capability.

Deliverables Portfolio Operating Plan, per-company reports, quarterly portfolio review.

How It Works

Assessment & Planning

Weeks 1–2

Deep-dive into your business — current state, team, technology, operations, and what's broken. For PE: individual assessments across portfolio companies. 90-Day Operating Plan delivered within two weeks.

Embedded Execution

Ongoing

Weekly leadership syncs, daily async presence, and hands-on work across the areas that move the most value. For PE: simultaneous work streams across portfolio companies with unified reporting.

Quarterly Review & Recalibration

Quarterly

Quarter in review against the 90-Day Operating Plan. ROI assessment, scope adjustment, and next quarter plan. Explicit renewal decision at every QBR — earned with data.

Common Questions

How is this different from hiring a consultant?

Consultants advise from the outside. This role operates from the inside — embedded in your Slack, dashboards, and team calls. The engagement covers both strategic decisions and hands-on build work. Weekly leadership syncs produce decisions, not recommendations.

How do I know which tier is right?

Sprint builds for something specific that needs to get done fast. Build + Advise for a project that transitions to ongoing guidance. Fractional CTO/COO for ongoing operational leadership. Operator-in-Residence for PE firms deploying across multiple portfolio companies.

What's the time commitment from our side?

A weekly 60-minute leadership sync, access to systems and data, and responsiveness on async channels. The operator does the work — your job is making decisions and removing blockers.

How many portfolio companies can the OiR cover?

Two to five depending on tier and depth. Not every company is active every month — prioritization shifts to where leverage is highest. Major builds above 8 hours are scoped and billed separately with written GP approval.

What does fund leadership receive?

A monthly Portfolio Operating Report by the 5th business day — portfolio status, per-company metrics, what was done, what's next. Plus a monthly check-in call and a 90-minute quarterly review assessing ROI across the portfolio.

What's the minimum commitment?

Sprint builds are project-scoped. Fractional and OiR are quarterly minimum, renewable with 30-day notice. At every quarterly review, the engagement is explicitly assessed: continue, expand, adjust, or end.

Can this lead to a full-time role?

It can. At the 6-month mark, equity conversations and full-time transitions are natural discussion points at the quarterly review. The assessment is mutual — does the scope warrant a full-time hire, and is the fit right on both sides.