the FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVES
BLUE BEACON
the FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVES
While many people are familiar with fractional CFOs for access to part-time financial executives, the concept of fractional services has burgeoned beyond finance. Businesses of any size can hire part-time executives, from sales leaders and HR to COOs and marketing — even fractional CEOs.
The big value? Access to the experience and know-how of seasoned executives for a fraction of what it would cost to fill an in-house, full-time position.
“As a business owner, I use fractional services,” said Robbie Garner, the president and CEO of Atlantic Computer Services who also offers fractional IT help. “I would never not consider going with fractional. There’s no comparison.”
Local executives – including Garner – who represent a swath of our region’s fractional services recently sat down for a roundtable discussion on fractional practices and how they can assist a range of organizations from start-ups and well-established companies to nonprofits.
BLUE BEACON
Marketing Writer: Lindsay Podraza | Photography: Madeline Gray
SALES XCELERATION / GROWTHBRIDGE ADVISORS, LLC
MICHAEL DONLON, FRACTIONAL SALES LEADER
HOW CAN A FRACTIONAL SALES LEADER HELP DRIVE REVENUE GROWTH?
As a Fractional Sales Leader with Sales Xceleration, I help small to mid-sized businesses overcome stalled growth and build scalable, high-performing sales organizations. I often bridge the gap between strategy and execution, guiding teams to implement proven processes that consistently drive growth. I’m brought in when sales pipelines are inconsistent, forecasts are unreliable, or turnover is stalling growth. I help business leaders create clarity, structure, and accountability, laying the foundation for sustainable sales growth.
“ COMPANIES SHOULD CONSIDER FRACTIONAL WHEN THEY’VE HIT A GROWTH CEILING. IT’S OFTEN THE POINT WHERE THEY NEED STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND SALES DISCIPLINE, BUT NOT YET A FULL-TIME EXECUTIVE.”
WHY DOES FRACTIONAL SEE SO MUCH SUCCESS?
In large corporations, solutions often stop at strategy. Fractional leadership is hands-on. We don’t just recommend what to do, we help implement it, refine it, and measure results until the solution sticks. I’ve helped many businesses strengthen their sales infrastructure, improve performance, and achieve measurable revenue growth. I also work with companies to ensure they hire an effective sales team by focusing on the ‘right person in the right seat’ and can assist them in hiring my replacement when the fractional engagement is no longer appropriate.
LEATH HR GROUP ANDY ALMETER, PRESIDENT/CEO, FACHE
“
WE HELP BUSINESS LEADERS FOCUS ON GROWING THEIR COMPANY WHILE WE HANDLE THE PEOPLE CHALLENGES THEY DON’T HAVE TIME FOR OR DON’T
WANT TO DEAL WITH.”
HOW DO YOUR FRACTIONAL HR SERVICES HELP COMPANIES GROW?
We come in and handle the HR work that keeps business leaders up at night – whether that’s restructuring teams for growth, navigating difficult employee situations, or building compensation strategies that retain top talent. Most business owners and CEOs didn’t get into business to deal with HR issues, but these people problems can prevent them from scaling. We give them the bandwidth to focus on revenue and strategy while we handle everything on the people side while ensuring alignment with the overall business strategy.
WHAT’S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOUR FRACTIONAL SERVICES SAVED A COMPANY MONEY?
A 100-employee manufacturing company asked for our HR Organizational Assessment ahead of a major private equity investment. It provides a holistic review of HR infrastructure, talent alignment, and operational efficiency. We identified that their benefits plan was not right-sized for their workforce. By collaborating with their broker, we renegotiated rates that saved the company $50,000 in the first year alone. Also, our talent gap analysis revealed opportunities to restructure key roles, yielding an additional $150,000 in projected savings over the next three years.
ATLANTIC COMPUTER SERVICES
ROBBIE GARNER, PRESIDENT AND CEO
AUSUS PARTNERS KEVIN HICKS, PRINCIPAL/FRACTIONAL COO
HOW CAN FRACTIONAL SERVICES HELP AN ORGANIZATION GET ITS PRIORITIES IN LINE?
For the last five years, I’ve been helping large companies virtually. A lot of my engagements are when an organization has a strategic plan, and really, it’s masquerading as a bunch of goals or a mishmash of metrics. I come in when companies are trying to find alignment around a vision, maybe they’re losing a lot of people, or they just feel like there’s going to be an easier way to do these things, so I help them find these inefficiencies.
WHAT DO FR ACTIONAL SERVICES ON THE TECH SIDE LOOK LIKE?
We provide technology services to companies, and we generally have two targets: One is the smaller company, where we’re able to pretty much be their IT department, cyber security, help desk, and IT projects. The other target is typically for larger companies where they have internal IT, and perhaps the company is growing at a pace that their internal folks can’t keep up with. Maybe it’s a junior technical person who doesn’t have the skillset to more advanced cloud services, servers, whatever the case may be. We’re able to come in and supplement that employee. We’re not there to take their job – we need them as much as they need us.
“ WE CAN COME IN AND GET COMPANIES WHERE THEY NEED TO GO MUCH QUICKER THAN THEM LEARNING AND RESEARCHING AND FINDING THE ANSWER FOR THEMSELVES.”
WHEN DO COMPANIES GENERALLY CALL YOU FOR FRACTIONAL SERVICES?
There’s two ways, typically, that we get introduced to a company. Number one, they’re in some sort of crisis – a cyber attack. Cyber security, unfortunately, is something we all have to be concerned with these days. The other one happens when a company is growing and their technology is holding them back, but they don’t have the experience or wherewithal to know what solutions they need. We’ve got experience across so many verticals.
HOW HAS NEW HANOVER COUNTY’S ENDOWMENT INFLUENCED DEMAND FOR FRACTIONAL HELP?
The most personally fulfilling work that I’ve been doing is with grassroots nonprofits, and finding space for them to increase their capacity. The Endowment excels at capacity building, right? I’ve found that many of them just need guidance on simplifying what they are already doing. Especially since many of them are now receiving sums that require them to prove the quality of the work they’re delivering. I am thankful to help build this capacity because, although I’m not meeting their clients, knowing that I’m impacting the quality of the service they’re providing is inspiring.
“ BY THE END OF A FRACTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, 100% OF STAFF SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER, ‘HOW DO I KNOW I MADE A DIFFERENCE TODAY?”
BLUE BEACON STRATEGIES, LLC
KIMBERLY LABOW, PRINCIPAL
BLUE BEACON STRATEGIES
Fractional Executive Leadership
CAN LEADERSHIP REALLY BE FRACTIONAL?
Absolutely. I’m a former CEO and I didn’t really want to go back and do it again, so shifted to fractional. These days, there are a lot of small companies out there that don’t have a CEO sitting at the top: maybe their CEO has left, or there’s some kind of change that’s happening. So I come in, perform the role of the CEO for a fraction of the 40 hours a week, and help guide through times of change, getting ready for an exit, getting ready to scale up for growth, things like that.
“ BEING A FOUNDER OF A COMPANY DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN YOU HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO RUN, GROW, AND TAKE THE BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.”
HOW DOES THE CURRENT JOBS ECONOMY LEND ITSELF TO FRACTIONAL CEO ROLES?
If you go on LinkedIn, so many posts today are people looking for work, right? Companies are laying off, budgets are shrinking – everyone’s feeling the pressure. And there are gaps in organizations that cannot necessarily be filled by the person coming out of college. Companies are trying to save money but are still trying to get where they need to go. And that requires expertise and experience, which is costly. So being able to come in, do the work and give that company the opportunity and the confidence that they can get from Point A to Point B, with someone who’s going to be completely dedicated to that, makes this a great time for fractional.
THE BREIT GROUP M IKE BRE ITFELLER, INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVE
“
WITH FRACTIONAL, YOU CAN REALLY IDENTIFY THAT THIS COMPANY CAME
IN AND SOLVED THESE PROBLEMS, AND SAVED TIME
AND MONEY.”
HOW DO YOU MAKE RETIREMENT PLANNING FRACTIONAL?
We typically assume fiduciary role on investment lineup but guide our clients on everything from investment selection to communication to plan documents –tying in compliance, bringing in other partners and coordinating with HR benefits. We become an extension of the team that’s normally tasked with these decisions, but provide the documentation and roadmap to know that not only are they making the right decisions that are aligned with the organization, but that they’re protected from a compliance and regulatory standpoint.
IN WHAT WAY DOES COMPANY CULTURE PLAY INTO FRACTIONAL SERVICES?
There could be a lot of lip service about how much the company cares or what they want, but they have to illustrate it through action. It’s either you’re doing it or you’re not. The companies that hire us, they say, ‘We want you to give us a better outcome, a tangible return, more money at retirement or better wellbeing.’ So I think that, if they care about their culture, they’re going to take action with fractional.
CAPONE & ASSOCIATES
CHRIS CAPONE, OWNER AND FRACTIONAL CFO
HOW IS CAPONE INVOLVED IN FRACTIONAL FINANCIAL GUIDANCE?
At Capone & Associates, we bridge the entire financial spectrum, all the way from bookkeeping and accounting, to fractional CFO services. We have a team of professionals that can augment or replace an entire accounting and finance departments, or fill in missing gaps. We help business owners and leaders see their finances clearly, so they can make informed decisions.
WHAT SIZE COMPANIES ARE YOUR FRACTIONAL CLIENTS, AND WHAT KINDS OF SERVICES ARE THEY SEEKING?
I typically say a one to 20 million in revenue is the sweet spot, give or take. They’re coming in for a wide array of services – we get some people who say, ‘I really need someone to help with cashflow forecast.’ Or, ‘We’re getting ready to restructure our debt, and we need somebody to help be a part of the team to work with the banks.’ Then other people come in and say, ‘Someone said I should talk to you, so here I am.’ So we’ll say, okay, tell me about your business. What are your goals? What’s your constraint to getting there? What are some of the issues you’re facing? And that’s when we can create a customized engagement to further their goals, needs, and budget.
“ HIRING A FRACTIONAL CFO IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN HIRING A FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL.”
EOS WORLDWIDE
JOE KOZUBOWSKI, PROFESSIONAL EOS IMPLEMENTER
WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS IN HELPING ENTREPRENEURS?
I help owners become wildly successful at running their businesses, and we do that by giving them a complete system of proven, practical tools that really allow them to do three things we call vision, traction, and healthy. Vision is about getting a leadership team on the same page. Traction is about building discipline and accountability, and then healthy involves making sure there’s cohesion with the leadership team. We make sure they’re crystal clear on their goals and how to execute that vision throughout the entire organization.
“ SOMETIMES OWNERS TRY TO DO IT ON THEIR OWN, BUT IT MAY TAKE FOUR YEARS VERSUS FOUR MONTHS. THAT’S WHEN I’D RECOMMEND FRACTIONAL TO COME IN.”
WHAT’S THE BENEFIT OF HIRING A FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE INSTEAD OF A NEW FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE?
Typically, owners are doing things that they are not good at, like bookkeeping, or they’re doing the sales. What I love about the fractional community is that you can get a really, really talented person who’s got proven experience to come into a small company and boost that company really quickly, versus trying to get somebody in there and train them. If you have someone with experience but can’t hire that person with a salary of $250,000 and benefits, you can get pretty close by getting a fractional person who’s going to give you the time and energy to improve your business and actually help you find the right solution long-term.
STRATIFY HOLDINGS
GREG STEPHENSON, PRINCIPAL
WHAT’S THE VALUE OF BRINGING IN A SOCALLED ‘OUTSIDER’ TO SOLVE A COMPANY’S PROBLEMS?
With fractionals, you bring in somebody that’s got a wealth of background knowledge and experience, and they’ll look at a problem in a much different way. They’ll help to educate your organization. With our clients, we’ve gone in and taught our approach, and they’re now starting to look at their business differently. They’ll say, ‘Oh wait, we can understand that and do that too,’ and look for other ways to save money and areas to focus on.
HOW COULD FRACTIONAL SERVICES APPLY TO THE COMMERCIAL SUPPLY CHAIN AND TECH INDUSTRY?
We entered this arena as 910 Advisors, but we reformed as a C-corp in July and officially launched the new brand in October. We traditionally have been in the advisory consulting area in commercial, supply chain, and technology. Filling fractional roles has always been a part of that. People often come to us when they’ve got an implementation that’s gone sideways and they need help recovering from it, or they need help understanding how their systems architecture can support their growth plans – we then jointly help build a systems Roadmap for the future. A fractional CIO can help guide your priorities.
“ OFTEN, THE PERSON YOU NEED TODAY TO HELP RIGHT THE SHIP ISN’T THE PERSON YOU WILL NEED WHEN IT COMES TIME TO RUN THE SHIP.”
TAYLOE/GRAY NATHAN TAYLOE, OWNER AND CEO
WHAT TYPE OF FRACTIONAL MARKETING DOES TAYLOE/GRAY DO?
We work with a wide range of businesses, from startups to large, established companies. Some clients bring us in for full campaigns and content development; others need brand support or specific project execution. In every case, our focus is on building a brand that demands attention and drives engagement. Beyond creative execution, we track KPIs and optimize performance, ensuring every initiative is measurable and tied to results. Some clients need a comprehensive strategic plan, while others have a single project that needs to be done quickly. Either way, we deliver flexible, specialized support that fits their goals.
“ BUILDING OUT AN INTERNAL MARKETING TEAM IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE COMPARED TO BRINGING IN A FRACTIONAL TEAM WITH SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE ACROSS THE BOARD.”
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A COMPANY THAT SAYS THEY DON’T HAVE THE BUDGET FOR FRACTIONAL SERVICES?
In recent years, I’ve encouraged business owners to think differently about how they budget for marketing. Hiring a consulting or marketing team doesn’t have to come entirely from the marketing budget. In many cases, it should be viewed as an operational investment. Many businesses are under-resourced or lack dedicated staff. I tell them to reallocate part of their operations budget to fund the expertise they need. Once they see it that way, it clicks. They realize they can strengthen their marketing function without overextending their team or budget.
