Fractional Futures

⏰ Today in 5 minutes or less:

• A week in a fractional’s life means juggling between multiple client work - plus reserving time for biz dev.

• One way to grow as a fractional is to surround yourself with people doing the same.

• You didn’t leave corporate to say yes to every opportunity. Use the CZAR test to see if it’s worth saying yes.

The Future is Fractional (and Already Hiring)

Fractional isn’t just a buzzword.

It’s a real, evolving path for people with deep expertise and a desire to work differently and quickly becoming the next chapter worth exploring. 

This one’s for the fractional curious – especially someone navigating through choice or circumstance. 

The Expertise Economy Is Here 

We’re in the expertise economy now – where impact matters more than hours, and experience carries real weight. 

Asana’s 2024 Report showed that 53% of FTE is lost to work about work. And for many, that’s no longer sustainable. 

But fractional work offers a different path. 

The FRAK 2024 report shows nearly 73% of fractionals have over 15 years of experience, with over half earning six figures – and 78% feel hopeful about where this is headed. 

Even S3 Ventures, Texas’ largest VC fund, is bringing fractional execs into their portfolio companies. 

People like Toni Haugh are helping validate this shift – getting into why it works, who it’s for, and what’s possible next. (Watch our full interview here.) 

Setting the Stage: What Fractional Work Actually Looks Like 

Fractional work isn’t temping or a side hustle. 

It’s part-time leadership with full-time impact. 

Think CMO, CFO, or COO – but scaled to what a business actually needs, when they need it. 

As Fractional CMO Erika Weiss shared, a week in the life of a fractional might include brand audit with one client, a strategy sync with a second one, and an investor deck for the next – plus reserving some time to grow your own practice. 

The schedule might be rigorous, but it’s strategically designed. 

Jumpstarting Your Fractional Career: Five Steps to Get Started 

For those considering the fractional leap, not everyone needs a dramatic exit. 

Some take it slow – accepting side hustles until they’re ready to take clients under their own practice. Others use it as career breaks.

There’s no manifesto required, but the transition isn’t effortless either. 

And we can identify five essentials when jumpstarting as a fractional: 

One: Nail Your Niche 

Every fractional executive has their specialty, but a lot of us make the mistake of introducing ourselves as generalists. 

I used to tell people I am someone who can do a lot of things and do them well – a capable, versatile, problem solver. 

But this doesn’t mean anything to the people I haven’t served yet. 

What clients actually want are people who deeply understand and can solve their specific problem – a master of their own niche, who does it quickly and effectively. 

After years of toiling away, I stopped saying I help businesses ‘figure things out.’ 

Now, I specifically tell them: 

I help B2B execs “find the yes” for 8-figure+ investments by making things simple. 

Read more about how I reverse-engineered my success here. 

Two: Package Your IP 

Fractional success is for those who are prepared, positioned, and precise. 

As an expert in your field, you already have the insights – you just need to know how to structure it better. 

And this is where Wes Wheless can help you out. 

With his website, developmyip.com, Wes helps solo consultants find their niche and build a lightbulb-inducing IP that attracts clients. 

Wes also introduced the idea of having an Intellectual Headshot. 

Think of it as a fractional’s highlight reel – something visual, memorable, and unmistakably owned. It shows what the fractional knows better than anyone else and how they use that knowledge to help clients solve their problems. 

Three: Get a Case Study 

The reality is that your initial gig shouldn’t be about the paycheck – they're about creating a stellar case study. 

After I went indie, I pulled up my contacts and made calls to my network. 

One of those conversations was with a former boss who moved to a VC-backed startup. They needed someone to help them with their pricing strategy and position their tech as a market leader. 

That’s where I came in. 

Once I landed that first gig, I made sure to excel at it and document my work. 

The pay wasn’t much, but I worked with the team for eight weeks. And I walked away with the experience, proof of results, and a real client under my belt. 

Nothing builds credibility faster than a good story. 

Clients want to know how you can deliver the results you promise – and case studies give them a glimpse of that. 

Case studies are great memory hooks, so use them to build your branding. Read more about it here. 

Four: Focus on Your Brand 

Obscurity is a fractional’s enemy. 

If not even your network knows who you are or what you do, then opportunities can’t find you. 

To stand out in the increasingly competitive fractional future, the key is to build your brand. 

A focused, consistent brand that will drive inbound opportunities and amplify referrals. 

It helps prospects quickly understand three things: 

• How well a fractional executive understands their problem. 

• How they approach the problem. 

• How many times have they encountered the problem and solved it. 

And my advice? Fractionals don’t really need a website right away. 

What they need is a kickass LinkedIn profile. 

It’s a living, breathing platform where reputations are built – where prospects are always watching. And you must be in control of the narrative they see. 

Once you’ve built a winning LinkedIn profile, start publishing (and re-publishing) your pieces into other platforms – or your very own newsletter. 

More on Building a Brand and Winning with LinkedIn here. 

Five: Get Around the Table 

Another way to grow as a fractional is to surround yourself with others doing the same. 

I’m a part of Chief – a private network of executive women – and there’s an amazing group of fractional executives that I met through this community.  

Even better than business building, they’ve been a real support for me personally. 

Here are other communities that specifically cater to fractional executives: 

• Fractionals United – A vetted Slack group where fractional execs trade notes, roles, and the occasional vent session. High signal, low noise. 

• Mylance – Part community, part toolkit. Workshops, templates, and an active Slack space for consultants building sustainable solo practices. 

• The Corporate Escapee – Tailored for Gen Xers leaving corporate life and figuring out what comes next – fractional, advisory, or otherwise. 

• The Plus One Collective – Mission-driven, founder-friendly, and focused on solopreneurs doing high-impact work. A good place to find purpose-aligned roles. 

• F3 (Founders, Funders, and Fractionals) – Real-life events in NYC connecting the people building companies with the experts who know how to help. 

The Right Fit Isn’t Always a Full Fit 

Fractional work isn’t a fallback. It’s a thoughtful, flexible model that’s working for more people and businesses. 

It’s not about having a title. It’s knowing where you can make the biggest impact – and doing that well. 

For those ready to rethink how they work (and who they work with), fractional work might be the next right step. 

Find more reads like these: The Great Fractionalization and my interview with Fast Company.

The CZAR Test: A Gut Check for Consulting Curbveballs

A random offer just landed in your inbox. Will you take it? 

Indie consultants, you know that moment. 

A stray opportunity finds its way to you. Slightly off-brand, but pays well – tempting, right?

But remember that you didn’t leave corporate just to say yes to everything.

Fortunately, Fractional & Solo Consultant coach Wes Wheless came up with the CZAR Test to filter good opportunities from not-so-good ones:

• Cash – Are you being compensated for the detour? (Wes suggests you set a minimum premium before you’re tempted.) 

• Zone of Genius – Does the work fall inside your genius zone – or does it drain you? 

• Acceleration – Will it deepen your niche expertise or tap into a valuable network?

• Repeatability – Can you take 2 more like it this year, or is this a one-time anomaly? 

If you answer no to at least two questions, then it’s best to skip the opportunity. 

But if it passed with flying colors, then you might be on the way to learning some new skills. 

Read Wes Wheless’ original post here.

Remember, the path to success is paved with continuous learning and embracing fresh perspectives.

Let's stay connected, share ideas, and elevate your consulting business.

Stay curious, friends.

The 2×2 is brought to you by Keenan Reid Strategies

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