Sub-20-person firms need COO and CFO-level leadership. They can't justify — or afford — the $240,000+ full-time package. Fractional is exactly what was built for this.
The operating model for sub-20-person firms creates a specific set of leadership gaps. Fractional fills them precisely.
In most sub-20-person firms, the managing partner is simultaneously the best billing partner. That's a structural problem: every hour spent on operations is a billable hour not captured. A fractional COO takes operations off the partner's desk — intake, scheduling, billing, vendor management — so partners can maximize billable utilization.
Partner buyouts, retirements, and succession events are among the most financially complex firm-level decisions. A fractional CFO builds the valuation model, structures the transaction, and ensures the firm's cash flow can support buyout payments without disrupting operations. They've done it before — typically multiple times.
At a 10-person firm billing $300/hour, each utilization point recovered across the team is worth ~$60,000/year. A fractional COO builds the capacity dashboard, staffing model, and workflow systems that move utilization from 55% to 68% — permanently, not just during a sprint. That's $780,000/year in recovered revenue at no additional headcount.
Most professional services firms are operationally dependent on 1–2 key people. A fractional COO builds the documented processes, client systems, and institutional knowledge infrastructure that makes the firm acquirable, scalable, and survivable if a key partner leaves. This is also the foundation for any credible succession plan.
At $300/hour billing rates, a 10-point utilization improvement across a 10-person team is worth $624,000/year.
Typical results for a 10-person professional services firm. 20-point managing partner improvement = ~$120,000/year in recovered revenue at $300/hr.
Operational systematization, utilization tracking, client intake design, staffing models, vendor management, and workflow documentation. Frees partners to bill.
Most CommonPartner buyout structuring, billing and collections optimization, cash flow forecasting, compensation model design, and financial reporting for firm governance.
Transition CriticalStaff retention in competitive talent markets, compensation benchmarking, performance systems, and culture design for multi-partner environments.
People & RetentionThought leadership strategy, referral program design, digital presence for practice area growth, and business development systems for partner-led firms.
Business DevelopmentPractice management software evaluation, cybersecurity for client data, automation of administrative workflows, and document management infrastructure.
Tech InfrastructureStart with a firm assessment. We identify your highest-leverage leadership gap — operations, finance, or people — and match you to the right fractional profile.
Get MatchedMatched to executives who've run professional services operations before — and know exactly what a 12-person firm needs to scale without chaos.