Struggling with scaling?
Battling with bandwidth?
A fractional Chief Operating Officer is an experienced independent operator working in your business for an agreed amount of time, taking on the same roles and responsibilities as a permanent COO hire.
They help founders overcome the challenges of scaling a business, building capacity and accountability among leaders for the future.
Working with a fractional COO rapidly frees up founders to focus on growth, maximising leverage from your vision and passion for the business you are building.
As a founder you’ll be used to the chaos of the scrappy start-up phase. But as you scale you can’t shake the feeling of being in constant firefighting mode.
You might be approaching burn-out. You feel like you’re losing grip in your own business.
Or you might be finding that how you used to run the business just doesn’t work anymore.
Keeping people aligned is harder and harder.
You know you need experienced operational leadership but aren’t ready to or can’t afford to hire full-time yet.
It feels like your investors are paying more attention to what you’re doing and are being more demanding.
You know you need to reduce risks in your business but don’t really know where to start.
You want to mature parts of your business to reduce problems and get things moving faster again.
You know you’re lacking specific teams to execute properly and need to get that sorted.
You’re so busy delivering now that you can’t think about strategic plans for the future.
A fractional COO will help you scale your business better.
Bringing on a fractional chief operating officer (COO) will help you overcome scaling challenges without the hefty price tag and commitment of a full-time hire.
The right fractional COO will give you a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on operational expertise.
A fractional COO will swiftly identify bottlenecks in your business, propose innovative solutions, and implement robust systems to drive efficiency.
They’ll be laser focussed on optimising how things work in your business, from refining internal processes to enhancing customer touchpoints.
By bringing in a fractional COO, you’re not just patching holes – you’re laying the groundwork for sustainable, long-term success.
As a founder you’ll get a new collaborator and confidante. The fractional COO’s objective viewpoint can challenge ingrained habits, spark innovation, and help founders feel less overwhelmed.
Engaging a fractional COO gives you flexible low-risk access to top-tier talent on a part-time basis, allowing you to leverage their skills precisely when and where you need them most as well as infusing your business with fresh perspectives and proven methodologies.
Fractional COO isn’t always the right answer.
As an experienced fractional COO I’ve seen six common scenarios when founders shouldn’t hire fractionally:
1. Don’t hire a fractional COO if you really need a full-time chief operating officer in your business every day.
2. If your COO role is a succession hire into the CEO seat, a fractional COO isn’t the best approach to take. Treat it as a permanent hiring process for a new CEO.
3. Don’t bring in a fractional COO if existing leaders are highly resistant to change. Start to address those issues internally first to enable success.
4. If you’re expanding into multiple new markets simultaneously, a fractional COO may not have the time to dedicate enough attention to managing the complexity of multiple geographies.
5. High-quality fractional COOs can be expensive, although more cost effective than a full-time hire. If budget is extremely tight, this might not be the most best use of your funding at this stage.
6. Don’t expect a fractional COO to succeed if founders aren’t willing to transfer genuine responsibility to the incoming chief operating officer.
Working with me as your fractional COO.
How I work as a fractional COO.
I work part-time in your leadership team as Chief Operating Officer. As a fractional COO I lead teams, represent your business and am fully embedded within your company.
I only work with one business as fractional COO at the same time. That means you, your leadership team and investors get:
Hands-on, high leverage experienced senior leadership
Equivalent of one, two or three days per week working hands-on within your team as your COO
Unlimited 1:1 access to me via Slack, email & phone
Access to my personal network of specialists
Best fit for my fractional COO service.
My fractional COO service is optimised to deliver most value to businesses have achieved enough product-market fit and are funded to scale. In my experience good-fit companies will typically:
Have a team of at least 10 people
Be aiming for substantial annual revenue growth
Have an open, results-oriented mindset
Value progressive and agile principles
Have a remote or hybrid workstyle
Be ready to hire a full-time COO within 12 months
I work remotely, primarily with UK and USA-based businesses.
Not a good fit? I can help you find the right fractional COO.
“I’d known Simon at a distance for over a decade, but only in the last year worked directly with him – and wished I’d brought him in before! He came into the senior team at my ecommerce SaaS platform with a consummate skill at collaborative improvement. He has made a big difference in team re-directing and re-energizing – and really got things done. He combines both a high emotional EQ and systemising skills, which is not so common. 100% recommended.”
Deri Jones, founder & CEO at ThinkTribe
“Simon is a serious company builder. He knows how to take a founder’s vision for their business and make it real step by step. He’s got a collaborative and thoughtful approach to leading teams and getting things done. If you want a trusted partner in scaling your business, work with Simon.”
Tim Deeson, serial exited founder & advisor to early stage start-ups
“As a fractional executive in our leadership team, Simon designed and implemented several new processes that have significantly improved our operational efficiency. Notably, he introduced our new 1:1s to enhance team engagement and helped create a new ‘lead to sale’ process for our agency. Simon is a collaborative and supportive executive in whom we had trust and confidence from the start. He listens and advises, leveraging his extensive agency and consultancy experience to build trust with the team and deliver results quickly.“
Peter O’Brien, Co-founder & Creative Director, Hidden Creative
“Simon has an outstanding skill set and extensive experience in technology, business operations and management. He is easy to work with and can effectively draw on his skills and experience to help solve problems with calm authority and creativity. I highly recommend Simon to anyone looking for efficient, energetic and effective support.”
Neil Benson, serial biotech founder at Xenologiq, Quantlmed & Sevenless Therapeutics
Work with a fractional COO from my trusted network.
As an experienced fractional Chief Operating Officer, I have built an extensive network of fractional COOs with a broad range of experience and skillsets.
If my fractional COO service isn’t right for you, I might be able to help you find a fractional COO.
Leading a growth business?
My B3 framework® helps you get your scaling journey right and reduce the challenges of successful business growth.
Developed from interviews with more than 50 founders and personal experience, it’s a simple yet powerful framework for company building, giving you everything you need to know build a brilliant business.
