A Fractional CEO brings senior leadership, operating discipline and accountability to a business that is not ready for a full-time chief executive.
A Fractional CEO sets strategy, runs the operating cadence and leads the executive team part time. Engagements are priced like other senior Fractional executive mandates, most commonly $8,000 to $22,000 per month depending on days per week, company stage and whether the role carries full P&L ownership. Interim mandates with hiring and firing authority sit at the top of that range. Treat these as Fractional executive benchmarks rather than a CEO-specific rate card, because public CEO rate data is thin.
A short list of things that matter this quarter, and the discipline to say no to the rest.
Weekly and monthly rhythm, metrics and decision forums that replace management by crisis.
Hiring, coaching and holding executives to outcomes instead of activity.
Revenue, margin and spend owned by one accountable person.
Board reporting, fundraising readiness and the credibility that comes with a steady hand.
Building the operator who takes the seat next, then handing it over cleanly.
A Fractional CEO earns trust by making the business legible first. Diagnose, then set a short list of priorities, then install the rhythm that keeps them moving.
Every decision routes through one person, and growth has stalled behind that queue.
A CEO or managing director left, and the search will take months you do not have.
Margins, cash or culture need a firm operator with no history to defend.
One to three days a week, with the authority written down before day one. Ambiguity about who decides is what makes these engagements fail.
One to two days a week on strategy, cadence and executive coaching, with the founder still in the seat.
Two to three days a week owning the operating plan, the leadership team and the numbers.
Full chief executive authority during a transition, turnaround or exit process.
These are Fractional executive benchmarks across senior roles, since published CEO-specific rate data is limited. Scope, days per week, equity and P&L authority move the number more than the title does. Not a Hey CMO rate card.
| Fractional CEO | Interim CEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | One to three days a week, ongoing | Full-time, for a fixed window |
| Mandate | Build capability and cadence alongside the owner | Hold the seat and stabilise until a permanent hire lands |
| Authority | Usually shared with founder or board | Full executive authority |
| Length | Six to twenty-four months | Three to nine months |
| Hire when | You need senior judgment, not a full-time salary | The seat is empty and cannot stay empty |
The distinction is authority and hours, not seniority. Ask who signs, who hires and who the team escalates to, then price the engagement against that answer.
Sell an operating system: the cadence, the metrics and the first 90 days. Vague leadership does not sell.
Anchor on days per week and authority. Interim mandates with P&L ownership command the top of the range.
Private equity operating partners, boards and business brokers are where CEO mandates originate.
Got Fractional pulls Fractional, interim and advisory leadership roles from company career pages, job boards and professional communities into one searchable feed. Access is included for active Hey CMO Fractional Network members.
A Fractional CEO sets strategy and priorities, installs an operating cadence, leads and coaches the executive team, owns the P&L, and carries board and investor communication. The point is senior operating judgment and accountability, delivered part time.
Most engagements land between $8,000 and $22,000 per month. Advisory arrangements of one to two days a week sit at the lower end, embedded operating roles in the middle, and interim mandates with full authority at the top. Days per week and P&L authority drive the number.
A coach advises the founder. A Fractional CEO takes operational responsibility, makes decisions, and is accountable for outcomes. If nobody can be held to the number, the engagement is coaching, whatever it is called.
Hours and authority. An Interim CEO is full-time for a fixed window with full executive authority, usually while a permanent search runs. A Fractional CEO works one to three days a week over a longer period, often alongside the founder.
Sometimes, usually as a smaller cash retainer plus equity or a performance component. Equity is more common in early-stage and turnaround work. Agree the vesting and the exit terms before the engagement starts, not after.
Hey CMO connects business builders with vetted Fractional leaders, and gives Fractionals the systems to run the practice behind the role.
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