Senior operating leadership, part-time, for the part of the business that needs it.
Sometimes a part of the business needs someone senior to own operations for a while, not just advise on them. After an acquisition. When the founder steps back from the day-to-day. When a function has outgrown the person leading it. Fractional COO is that: scoped, part-time, with agreed outcomes and authority. Working Properly takes a small number of these engagements.
By agreementScope, hours, fees, authority and availability agreed individually. No default price.
Written scope and price before any commitment. No payment or access is needed to ask.
When it fits
- Investors or a new owner have acquired a founder-led business and need operations that run without the founder.
- A founder wants out of the day-to-day and there is no one senior to hand it to yet.
- One function (delivery, fulfilment, client services) has outgrown the person leading it.
- The business is preparing for a sale and the playbooks live in two people’s heads.
What it looks like
We agree the part of the business, the outcomes, the authority and the hours. Then the work is the same work every time, done from the operating seat.
- An owner for every outcome.
- Standards written where the work happens.
- A check before anything reaches a customer.
- A weekly operating review with a handful of numbers.
- Vendor and contractor standards with consequences.
- Playbooks tested by people who did not write them.
The engagement ends with a handover to a named person, not with a dependency on us.
Where this comes from
For 16 years, investors have brought Jacob Burke in as operating partner or fractional COO. Sometimes after they buy a business. Sometimes while they decide whether to. The job is the same every time: fix how the work gets done, so margins improve and the playbooks hold when new people sit in the seats. More about Jacob →
How it starts
Mention it on the 30-minute call or in your note. If it fits, a 60-minute working session covers the part of the business, the outcomes and the authority the role needs. Scope, responsibilities, authority, fees and availability come in writing before any commitment. We do not quote a fee or a start date in the first reply. That is on purpose.
What it is not
Not a full-time executive. Not an interim CEO. Not an open-ended retainer. If you need a second operating brain on decisions, Advisory is the lighter route. If you want the operations fixed with your team, one improvement at a time, see Operating Partner.
Who it fits
A good fit when
- A defined part of the business needs an owner now, and you can give that role authority
- There is a clear end state: a hire, a handover, a sale or a new owner
- Investors or owners want playbooks a new team can run
- You want operating leadership, not a report about operations
Not a fit when
- You need a full-time executive
- You want advice only, with your team executing (see Advisory)
- The part of the business and its authority cannot be defined yet
- There is no appetite to hold vendors, contractors or staff to a standard
Terms
Fractional COO engagements are selective and scoped one at a time. Scope, responsibilities, authority, hours, fees, availability and the handover plan are agreed in writing before any commitment. Existing signed or platform terms govern existing work.
Work starts only after the agreed payment and readiness requirements are met and START is confirmed in writing. Delayed inputs or approvals pause or re-slot the schedule. An inquiry does not reserve capacity. Existing signed or platform terms still govern existing work.
Questions about Fractional COO
What does it cost?
It is agreed case by case, because the part of the business, the hours and the authority differ every time. We will not quote a fee in the first reply. You will have scope and price in writing before you decide.
How many of these do you take?
A small number at a time, so each one gets the attention an operating role needs. If there is no capacity, we will say so and suggest the right route.
How long does it last?
A defined period, agreed at the start, with a handover plan to a named person. The goal is a business that runs without us, not a dependency.
Can it start with a Sprint?
Yes. Fixing one process first often shows whether a wider operating role is actually needed, and it gives both sides a working relationship to judge by.
Which part of the business needs an owner?
Bring that to the call. You’ll get a straight answer on whether a fractional role fits, or whether a lighter route gets you there.
Written scope and price before any commitment.