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Fractional small business

Fractional talent helps small business grow

May 4, 2023

Outsourced talent is the sweet spot for start-ups 

From the SeasonedPros.ca Insights Lab

  • Fractional hiring addresses talent gaps and budget constraints
  • Helps entrepreneurs avoid burnout
  • Hit the ground running with deep professional expertise
  • Brings outside perspective and objectivity
  • Fertilizes innovation
  • Gives small businesses flexibility

Start-ups – by their very nature – operate on lean budgets, fast business cycles and acrobatic pivots. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted.

When a company in early-stage funding needs talent to grow but doesn’t have the budget to commit to full-time hires, they are in the classic entrepreneurial dilemma. Add to that an economic turndown, and the challenges deepen. 

Fractional to the rescue

This is why fractional hiring is the sweet spot for start-ups trying to scale their operations. 

On-demand fractional professionals are independent contractors who work on an interim, part-time or project-by-project basis for one company or multiple clients.

They are part of the outsourced talent model that is transforming the way organizations are sourcing the right people at the right time. 

Fractional hiring is particularly attractive to start-ups because it addresses talent gaps and budget challenges at the same time.

Fractional hires help entrepreneurs avoid Founder’s Syndrome

Founder’s Syndrome is real. Entrepreneurs facing cash flow pressures are often tempted to take on as many tasks and jobs as they can, even if they aren’t qualified.

Entrepreneurs are the creative and innovative driving force behind start-ups, but they can’t be everything to everyone. 

They need professional bench strength to grow their start-up business, product or service. Without this expertise, they risk stalled growth or worse: burnout.

A fractional hire can do the specialized work like finance, marketing or HR, and allow the entrepreneur to focus on growing the business.

Fractional talent hits the ground running

Small businesses move fast and need talent that is ready to go. Outsourcing executive expertise through an agency or a job board that specializes in on-demand talent circumvents traditional recruitment and onboarding processes which can take time and involve costs.

Fractional contractors bring years of business experience to a start-up and are ready to hit the ground running.

This speeds up the time it takes to get boots on the ground. For a start-up, speed is critical.

Flexibility, ability and a wider perspective

An outsourced fractional executive comes to the table with deep experience in various sectors from organizations of different sizes and locations. 

They have knowledge of standardized business processes and can also expose a start-up entrepreneur to new ideas.

This outside perspective can fertilize innovation and bring a professional detachment to a young business.

Fractional executives allow start-ups to be flexible and agile. They can invest in top-tier talent for a specific period of time or on a part-time basis to control cash burn.

If circumstances change the business can act quickly to adjust the talent profile of the business.

Operations, investment and exits

Fractional experts can also help a start-up launch products, establish robust business operations and make pitches with venture firms for additional rounds of equity funding.

In many cases, investors will require the start-up to acquire professional advisors to grow the company and prepare it for an acquisition or merger. 

SeasonedPros.ca is an on-demand business talent source. Clients with an immediate need for experienced talent trust us to source professionals for fractional, interim and part-time roles. Each professional in our national database has 20 + years of business experience. We provide our clients 2-4 four vetted professionals in 10 business days or less.

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