Fractional Operations Isn’t Just a Buzzword - Here’s What It Actually Looks Like
“Fractional” roles have been gaining traction across all kinds of businesses. It’s a bit of a buzzword, but the concept is simple: we plug into your team part-time to bring specialized skills and leadership, without the cost (or commitment) of a full-time, high-level operations hire.
As a Fractional Operations Manager, I provide both high-level strategy and in-the-weeds execution. I help businesses run more efficiently and actually follow through on the ideas that will get them there. After all, strategy without execution is just wishful thinking, and execution without strategy leads to chaos.
So what does that look like in practice? Let me show you a real example.
The Problem: “I Don’t Know If I’m Quoting Projects Correctly”
A digital marketing agency owner was constantly second-guessing their proposals. Some deals looked good on paper but ended up losing money once the work was done. Others were priced too high and scared away great-fit clients.
Pricing decisions were based on gut-feelings - because there wasn’t easily-accessible and digestible data available to make those decisions. The lack of visibility created a lot of uncertainty and fear: fear of undercharging, fear of leaving money on the table, fear of overwhelming the team.
My Approach: Strategic Insight + Tactical Execution
Starting with strategic insight, we dug into the core issue: they were missing a clear view of how much time and money it actually took to deliver a project and how that stacked up against the revenue coming in. Lacking that clarity made it difficult to define appropriate rates.
Next, we determined what data needed to be tracked:
The actual time spent on projects
The internal costs required to deliver work (including team salaries, platform fees, etc.)
The revenue per client or project
Armed with a clear strategy, we implemented the tactical execution with a three-pronged approach:
We implemented simple time tracking with the team leveraging Toggl.
I created a basic Profit & Loss report to align revenue with effort.
I built a monthly dashboard that surfaced project profitability at a glance.
The Results: Confident, Data-Driven Pricing
Once the data was easily accessible, things became crystal clear. We could see where time and money were going and where they were actually making (or losing) profit. That led to real, immediate improvements:
No more second-guessing proposals - they had solid numbers to back pricing decisions.
Increased profitability on key offers - they adjusted offers to reflect their true value and reduce over-delivery.
More “perfect fit” clients signed - pricing and expectations were more closely aligned.
Better forecasting and resourcing decisions - they finally had a clear view of team capacity, setting them up for intelligent prospecting and hiring decisions moving forward.
Why This Matters: The Real Value of Fractional Operations
The biggest win? This wasn’t a one-time fix - we built a repeatable system that has set the agency up for ongoing success and growth.
That’s what Fractional Operations is all about: seeing the big picture, identifying what’s not working, and fixing it - both strategically and tactically. It can be transformational for your business when you find the right partner to embed into your team.
If you’re unsure whether your business operations are helping or holding you back, let’s talk. I’d love to hear what’s going on and see how I can help.
