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Full-Time vs. Fractional
Executive: Real Numbers

Enter your company stage and the role you need. See exactly what each option costs — salary, benefits, risk, and time.

Based on 2025–2026 market data · No signup required

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8–10 hrs/wk 12–16 hrs/wk 16–20 hrs/wk
Standard — 12–16 hrs/week

Your cost comparison

Full-Time Hire — Annual Cost
Salary + 25% benefits
$385,000
$313K – $438K range
Recruiter / Search Fee
20–30% of first-year salary
$65,000
One-time, non-refundable
Fractional Hire — Annual Cost
Standard engagement · 12–16 hrs/wk
$108,000
$96K – $120K range
Estimated first-year savings
$342,000
Save 76% vs. full-time · No recruiter fee
3–6 mo
Full-time time-to-hire
1–2 wks
Fractional time-to-hire
Start generating value 12–22 weeks faster with fractional

What You're Actually Comparing

❌ Full-Time Executive
💰
$308,000/year base salary Plus 25% benefits = $385,000 total
🔍
3–6 month executive search Recruiter fee: $65,000 non-refundable
📈
Equity: 0.5–1.5% company ownership Significant long-term dilution
⚠️
Cost of bad hire: $500K+ Severance, lost productivity, rehire costs
🔒
Long-term commitment Difficult to exit without legal/HR exposure
✅ Fractional Executive
💚
$9,000/month · all-in No benefits, no payroll taxes, no equity
⚡
Matched in 48 hours No placement fee. No recruiter.
🎯
Zero equity dilution Fractional executives don't take equity
🛡️
Low risk, easy to exit 30-day notice if it's not working
🔄
Scale up or down Adjust hours as your needs change
🔥

The cost of a bad full-time executive hire

Harvard Business Review estimates a bad C-suite hire costs 6× their annual salary in lost productivity, team disruption, severance, and rehire costs. For a $275K CFO, that's $1.65M+ at risk. A fractional hire eliminates this exposure entirely — 30-day notice, no severance, no legal exposure.

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