Equity is pretend money (until it isn't)
Most equity deals don't work out. Here's the only filter worth using.
Read essay →The
Fractional
Playbook
Built a $2M+ fractional practice from nothing. Every Sunday I share what actually worked — pricing, positioning, and the messy parts nobody writes about.
All essays
- 5 min read
The pricing mistake that punishes you for getting better
Notes from someone who did it wrong first
Pricing - 4 min read
Your content is working. That's the problem.
Why your engagement is growing and your client list isn't.
Clients - 5 min read
I asked my accountant to pull last year's numbers. Here's what I found.
Half the money leaves immediately. The other half has a lot of explaining to do.
Pricing - 5 min read
I sent the price too late
The gap between understanding & agreeing
Pricing - 7 min read
He Was Making $50K a Month. He Still Called Me.
How to grow without building the agency you never wanted.
Fractional - 7 min read
6 months of runway. 60 days of nothing. Then this.
A conversation with a former Big Tech staff engineer who rebuilt his pricing, reclaimed his calendar, and found out what freedom actually costs and what it gives back.
PricingOperations - 5 min read
Before You Post on LinkedIn Again
Why good fractional people still get overlooked
Fractional - 5 min read
Good at the Work. Bad at the Words
A one-hour exercise to get words people can actually repeat
Fractional - 3 min read
If You Feel Behind on AI
What I’d tell someone smart who hasn’t found their way into AI yet
Pricing - 3 min read
How to Handle Referral Fees
An intro and help closing a deal are not the same thing.
PricingGetting Work - 5 min read
Do you actually want to grow, or do you want things to work better?
At a certain point, growth changes your job.
Fractional - 8 min read
AI Made Work Fun Again
The loop between idea and execution got a lot shorter.
Fractional - 4 min read
You Don’t Need Case Studies to Start Fractional Work
I made about $750k in my first year of fractional work without case studies.
Fractional - 4 min read
How Fractionals Get Better Clients
Better clients usually come from one trusted client, not more networking.
ClientsFractional - 4 min read
The Easiest Way to Ruin Fractional Work
If demand goes up and your life gets worse, you rebuilt a job.
Fractional - 3 min read
Should You Show Pricing on Your Site?
The number takes over the conversation before there’s context.
Pricing - 5 min read
They Didn't Ask for a Proposal
No scope usually means they’re testing how you think, not what you can deliver.
Clients - 4 min read
The Last Two Weeks Decide Your Next Project
When a project ends, your reputation begins—here's how to end on purpose.
Positioning - 3 min read
Inheriting Bad Work? You Can't Just Keep It.
Unlock a clear path forward when the assets you inherit are doing more harm than good.
Fractional - 4 min read
Get Your First 5 Retainer Clients
How to earn trust before asking for commitment
PricingClients - 5 min read
If You’re Booked but Uneasy About Renewals
Why senior fractionals feel anxious when “good” was never defined
PricingFractional - 3 min read
Fractional Work, 2026
What I’m seeing at the high trust end of the market
PositioningFractional - 3 min read
Same Deliverables. Different Price.
Some work you ship. Some work you have to live with.
PricingPositioning - 4 min read
The Awkward Pricing Moment Every Fractional Runs Into
When a potential client realizes senior leadership pricing is not the same thing as junior execution pricing. (And why that awkwardness is actually good.)
PricingClientsGetting Work - 4 min read
How to Raise Your Rates
Why staying underpriced costs you more than money
Pricing - 5 min read
Why Great Fractionals Do the Exact Opposite of Employees
The "Upside Down" playbook for earning more, working less, and actually delivering results.
Fractional - 4 min read
Is the “Unit” Model Bullshit?
(Spoiler: No, it’s just what smart consultants have been doing all along.)
Fractional - 5 min read
When to Fire a Client (and How to Do It Cleanly)
How to recognize early misalignment, decide with clarity, and exit while preserving trust.
Clients - 5 min read
How to Start Your Fractional Practice (14-Day Sprint)
You're not behind. You're waiting. Here's the exact sequence for visibility → work → systematization.
OperationsFractional - 4 min read
Why Retainers Work for Some (Not Others)
Most fractionals burn out on retainers not from bad pricing, but from forcing their discipline into the wrong engagement model. Here's how to tell if yours fits.
PricingClientsOperations - 4 min read
When Is It Time for Fractionals to Rebrand?
Every version of your business tells a story. The question is whether it’s still telling the right one.
OperationsFractional - 3 min read
Your Day 91 Problem: Why Fractional Contracts Die (and How to Save $60K)
Most fractionals lose $24K a year after their first contract ends. Not because clients change their minds — but because we train them that our time is flexible. Here’s the five-part system that keeps
ClientsOperationsFractional - 3 min read
7 Contrarian Ways to Get Clients (While Everyone Else Wastes Time Networking)
Stop chasing coffee meetings and networking events. Here's how to build a seven-figure fractional practice using exclusivity, transparency, and strategic generosity instead.
ClientsOperationsFractional - 3 min read
🔥 The 30-Day Crisis That Saved My $15K Retainer
Most fractionals grind harder when clients go cold. I opened a Google Doc instead — and saved a failing $15K monthly retainer.
PricingClientsGetting Work - 4 min read
She Built a $500,000 Consulting Business. Then Maternity Leave Hit.
There’s no bench when you’re independent. Here’s the structure she built so life didn’t break the business.
Fractional - 3 min read
The $2,000 Nightmare: How Scope Creep Nearly Killed My Business
The 5-question framework that prevents scope creep disasters and protects your sanity (plus the exact scripts that actually work with pushy clients).
ClientsFractional - 3 min read
From 65-Hour Weeks to $100K Months: The One-Contractor Framework
How one fractional consultant scaled to 100k-dollar months—without building an agency or sacrificing margins
ClientsFractional - 3 min read
The Brutal Truth About Fractional Labels: How to Actually Get Hired as CTO, UXR, Designer, and Marketer
Most founders ghost "fractional" anything. Here's what actually works for CTOs, UXRs, designers, and marketers.
PositioningFractional - 1 min read
Why Honest Playbooks, Not Growth Hacks, Got Me into Substack’s Top 100
How honest, actionable playbooks propelled a previously unknown newsletter into Substack’s Top 100 in just 21 days.
Fractional - 3 min read
The Calendar Tax: Why Most Fractionals Stall Out at $200K
The calendar's killing me.
OperationsFractional - 5 min read
21 Scripts Every Fractional Needs to Close Deals
Stop freezing. Start closing.
Fractional - 3 min read
How to Get Steady Monthly Clients
One of the biggest fears when moving from hourly pricing to monthly retainers is scope.
PricingClientsMindset - 1 min read
The Hidden Referral Network That Brought Me $1M+ in Fractional Work
Most fractionals chase founders with cold pitches. I built relationships with the people around them instead—and it changed everything.
ClientsGetting WorkFractional - 2 min read
Why Pricing Menus Backfire on Fractionals
Three tiers don’t make you easier to hire, they make you easier to negotiate down.
PricingClientsFractional - 3 min read
The $70K vs. $25K Conversation That Changed Everything
Hint: it’s quoting without solving. Here’s the shift that lands bigger, better clients.
Clients - 4 min read
No Network, No Problem: How I Found Clients Anyway
Turning strangers into clients, even if you don’t know anyone (yet)
Clients - 2 min read
If a Founder Can’t Repeat Your Pitch, You’ve Already Lost the Deal
PricingGetting WorkFractional - 2 min read
The First Hack to Landing Clients as a Fractional
How to land your first fractional client without cold outreach or awkward sales calls.
ClientsGetting WorkFractional - 1 min read
How a Dinner Conversation Changed Everything
Real stories + templates for going fractional: how to win clients, price with confidence, scope smart, and run a business without burning out.
PricingClientsMindset