Video Q&A: Finding Your First Fractional Clients

We recently hosted a Live Q&A with Taylor Crane (founder, Fractional Jobs) and friends at Next Play focused on Finding Your First Fractional Clients.

Taylor brought deep expertise from his background as a former product manager, startup founder, and Fractional leader. With his experience across early-stage tech startups and the fractional world, Taylor provided invaluable insights for navigating the challenges of building a fractional career.

In this dynamic, 52-minute session, we explored key topics such as:

• The best approach for generating leads through cold outreach, especially in the early days of launching a Fractional practice
• How to transition from transactional, project-based work to long-term Fractional engagements
• Pricing models for Fractional work: hourly rates versus monthly retainers
• Managing multiple Fractional roles and maintaining focus without burning out

If you missed the live event, we highly recommend watching the full recording below.

Watch the Live Q&A >>>>

Or, you can continue below to read the full transcript of the our Q&A session.

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Q1: What is your opinion on cold one-on-one outreach via LinkedIn for generating leads in the first six months of launching a Fractional offering?

Taylor: Cold outreach is an advanced strategy that isn’t necessary in the early days of your fractional career. In the first six months, the most effective strategy is to leverage your own network. If you’re not able to generate clients through your network, it might signal that you need to rethink your positioning before diving into cold outreach.

At some point, cold outreach could become a viable strategy, but it's not necessary in the beginning. It’s better to focus on working with your network first, as this is the lowest hanging fruit. Once that runs dry, or if you find that you have extra capacity and want to explore advanced strategies, then cold outreach could be an option.

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Q2: How do you transition from project-based work to Fractional work and pitch long-term relationships rather than short-term projects?

Taylor: Some work is inherently transactional and better suited for project-based work. The key to transitioning to fractional work is finding clients who need long-term support, rather than just a one-off project. To transition, use the project-based work as a way to enter the door (a “Trojan horse”), and once you're inside, identify areas where you can offer long-term fractional support.

You might need to propose fractional opportunities explicitly, rather than just focusing on projects. Price yourself in a way that makes the project an easy entry point, then work to convert that into ongoing fractional work. Over time, as you establish relationships with clients, it becomes easier to transition from project-based engagements to fractional roles.

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Q3: How do you price Fractional work and figure out what rates are appropriate for different types of work?

Taylor: Fractional work can be priced in several ways, but the two main models are hourly rates and monthly retainers. Hourly rates are straightforward, where you charge for your time—typically $100–$200 per hour for senior-level roles like staff engineers or directors. Monthly retainers are common for fractional roles and can provide more stability, offering a set fee for a set number of hours per month, such as $10,000 for 10 hours per week.

While fixed project-based pricing is not recommended for fractional work, as it requires constant renegotiation, monthly retainers provide more continuity. However, the downside of a retainer is the potential pressure from clients to add more work beyond the agreed-upon scope, which can lead to tension.

If you're unsure which pricing model to start with, consider experimenting with hourly rates initially and then transition to monthly retainers. Over time, you’ll find the approach that works best for you and your clients.

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Q4: How do you balance your startup and Fractional consulting work?

Taylor: Balancing multiple roles, such as running a startup and working as a fractional consultant, requires careful time management. Taylor shared his own experience, where he treated fractional jobs like any other client and used time tracking to ensure he managed his commitments effectively. By tracking time, it’s easier to allocate hours efficiently between multiple clients and projects.

The key is ensuring that once you've committed a certain number of hours to your clients, you free up time for your own startup without feeling overwhelmed. Time management and keeping a clear sense of priority will help avoid burnout.

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Q5: How do you handle multiple identities when you have a full-time job and Fractional consulting work, especially on LinkedIn?

Taylor: If you're still employed full-time but want to pursue fractional work, it's important to manage how you present yourself publicly. For LinkedIn and public-facing platforms, it’s better to position yourself as a fractional consultant rather than as a founder of a startup—especially if your startup is still in stealth mode or pre-launch. This makes it easier to attract clients without raising concerns about your full-time role.

It’s essential to have a conversation with your full-time employer if you plan to publicly promote your fractional business. Ensuring transparency about your outside commitments will prevent any potential conflicts.

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Q6: What’s the demand for Fractional roles in international markets?

Taylor: Fractional roles are most in demand in U.S.-based companies, which tend to be more forward-thinking about the future of work. Companies in the U.K. and Australia also show some interest, but the demand is smaller compared to the U.S. While there’s growing interest in places like India, the adoption of fractional work is still quite limited in most regions outside the U.S.

U.S.-based companies are more likely to hire fractional talent, but if you’re looking for international opportunities, focusing on the U.K., Australia, and Canada may yield better results.

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Q7: Is there a sweet spot for the number of Fractional roles to take on at one time?

Taylor: Managing multiple fractional roles is common in the fractional world. The key challenge is balancing your time and managing client expectations. It’s important to track your time carefully and learn how to allocate your hours effectively. Over time, you’ll develop the skills to manage multiple clients at once, but there will be a learning curve.

As for perception, working with multiple clients while in a leadership role can create issues if not handled well. Being transparent about your time commitments and building trust with clients is key. It's crucial to manage the relationships well and ensure everyone understands that you're working with multiple clients.

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Q8: How do you handle the perception of being spread across multiple Fractional roles while working in a leadership capacity?

Taylor: Balancing multiple fractional roles can lead to perceptions that you're not fully committed. The key to managing these perceptions is through communication and trust-building with the teams you're working with. Be transparent about your capacity and make sure everyone knows you're dedicated to delivering results.

It's important to manage expectations from both the people who hire you and the teams you're embedded in. With time, fractional roles will become more normalized, and these concerns will likely lessen.

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Q9: How do you position Fractional work with larger companies versus startups?

Taylor: While fractional work is more commonly associated with startups, larger companies are beginning to adopt it, particularly for short-term projects or skunk works initiatives. These are often strategic projects that require leadership but don't necessarily require a full-time hire.

For example, a larger company may hire a fractional leader to handle a new initiative or project that’s outside the scope of their regular business operations. However, this is still less common compared to startup environments where fractional roles are more naturally embedded into the company culture.

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10. How do you handle time-based pricing when Fractional work requires expertise that can get results more efficiently?

Taylor:The issue with time-based pricing is that it assumes the time commitment for a fractional role will be the same as a full-time employee. However, fractional professionals bring expertise and experience that allow them to deliver results more efficiently, often in less time.

The solution to this is shifting to value-based pricing, where you price based on the outcome or deliverables rather than the time spent. A monthly retainer is often more appropriate for fractional work, where you're committing to a set scope of work rather than charging for the number of hours worked. This model ensures that you’re not penalized for working efficiently and allows for a clearer value exchange between you and your client.