Beginning Fractional

Beginning Fractional is the starter guide for builders, creators, and technologists who want to pursue a fractional lifestyle but don’t know where to start.

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Introduction

Have you always yearned for an independent career that aligns with your passions and values?

Are you uncertain about your place in the ever-changing world of tech?

Do you want to forge a career path that withstands massive layoffs and economic uncertainty?

The last few years have unraveled many systems of work that we used to take for granted as the only way to do things.

When we pivoted to remote work, we unlocked a way of living and working where we could be productive while living as best we could amid global health and economic crises.

The world is different now, and so are you.

This guide affirms that you can design a mode of work that empowers you and reflects your entire self.

Gain insights from industry leaders and members of Swarm, the community for fractional tech professionals. Learn how they got started, how to set yourself up for success, and why being part of a professional community is a growth multiplier.

Reframe your professional career and personal brand, identify what kind of work aligns with your values and goals, and define what success looks like for you.

Welcome to fractional.

Part 1: Fractional Work is the Future

There is a lot of negative baggage around the word “freelancer”. Anyone from consultants to gig economy workers co-opts the term.

The earliest recorded use of the term, in Thomas N. Brown’s “The Life and Times of Hugh Miller” (1809), referred to mercenary medieval warriors not sworn to any lord’s services.

From the conception of the word to its contemporary use, there is always a connotation that choosing flexibility and freedom from traditional full-time employment signifies low skills, low pay, and in its worst context, a low level of commitment to the work.

Enter, fractional leadership.

If you look up fractional work, you get positions for C-level executives. Fractional executives, while still relatively new, perform the full role of an executive in a particular domain but not full-time.

Fractional leadership shows us that high skill, high commitment, and high compensation roles can be fulfilled so that one can serve multiple organizations and companies at the same time.

Fractional work is the mode of taking on multiple roles for more than one company, engaging like a founder while protecting your flexibility like a freelancer.

The future of work is fractional. Are you ready for it?

The future of work is fractional clients and consultants

With more than two decades of experience in workforce development, Swarm CEO and Co-Founder Dexter Ligot-Gordon sees a shift in workforce dynamics.

“Increasingly, professionals and companies need flexibility for working arrangements. For professionals, it’s a matter of aligning how they spend their time with their desire for independence,” Dexter says.

“On the other hand, companies need different skills at different times. So fractional careers and workforces create flexibility for both sides to work how and when they want, aligned with their personal and business goals in the given moment.”

• More professionals prioritize flexibility as a requirement for choosing work.
• Clients will look into fractional consultants for specific requirements at different stages.

Fractional is inevitable

Sabrina Dermody, Chief Revenue Officer at Swarm and AppliedAI at OpenAI, eyes three critical shifts that reflect both the mindset of top talent and the market forces at play in a post-COVID world.

“Tapping into a diverse pool of talent without committing to full-time positions allows organizations to scale up or down more efficiently. On the flip side, sought-after experts increasingly demand the freedom to work on multiple projects simultaneously.”

Gone are the days of excessive spending for talent as a marker of growth. “Leveraging the expertise of fractional consultants who work remotely and are compensated for the specific deliverables limits hiring risk. Likewise, fractional consultants can make considerably more than they’d make full-time with the option to spend extra on benefits that move the needle for them.”

“In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, adaptability and agility are crucial for success,” says Sabrina. “Fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and best practices from various industries are required for sustained success through what will continue to be turbulent times.”

• Flexibility allows clients to scale up or down efficiently.
• Fractional consultants have the freedom to work on different projects.
• Working with fractional consultants de-risks hiring and leverages in-demand expertise and innovative perspectives.

Becoming a Fractional CTO

“I never actually woke up one day and said, ‘You know what? I will work in a fractional capacity, I will work part-time for companies. It happened organically,” Sergio Pereira recounts dreaming of high-paying jobs from foreign companies because wages in Portugal were low.

Managing chaos and global teams as a Fractional CTO

“I was going through a startup accelerator program and as a technical guy, I sort of became a go-to person for non-technical founders to help with interviewing engineers, doing some integration, fixing a bug, and all sorts of things. I started helping them for free, kind of helping out my buddies, and then I started charging for it.”

“Fractional work is the mode of taking on multiple full roles for more than one tech company, engaging like a founder while protecting your flexibility like a freelancer.”

Part 2: Getting started with fractional work

Starting your journey of becoming a fractional professional is an exciting endeavor, particularly because there is no single definitive path to doing fractional work.

Here are some of our most esteemed community members and how they started in the tech industry, took on fractional work, and found work they love doing.

From corporate worker to design agency owner

“Right out of college, it wasn’t really common to do independent work,” says Angela Salud-Chua. “UX, product, and mobile app design was in its infancy so it almost behooves you to go into corporate.”

As time went on, Angela couldn’t shake the feeling that she was neglecting a crucial part of herself—the creative side that yearned for expression and fulfillment.

One of her friends commissioned her to do design work, and she realized there was a difference when she was working on something she loved.

“Eventually there comes a point where you just think to yourself, okay what do I actually like doing better between [full-time corporate work] that actually consumes more time, and yet the other one is the one that’s making you happy. So I jumped the gun and just went fully independent.”

This leap of faith led to an unconventional path, opening doors for Angela to build her agency, Toffeenut Design.

Find and create your niche

“I started my first company in 2019 as a growth design consulting business, and I worked with tech companies on contract full time. I had done a lot of freelancing, but that was my first time making the leap into [working] for myself full-time,” says Lex Roman.

Lex has worked in and with companies in Silicon Valley, supporting companies with growing their user base, converting their user base into customers, retaining them, and addressing things like churn.

After acquiring years of experience and several skills in Silicon Valley, Lex decided to apply her expertise to help small businesses build and grow their online presence through her company Super Easy Digital.

Full-time fractional straight from university

“I started freelancing directly after university. I’ve been doing it on the side, not full-time, while I was a student. But then after graduating, I pursued my career full-time as a freelancer,” Matthias Cordes recounts how he got his start.

Unlike previous generations, Matthias and his peers have more career pathways available to them. With freelance jobs available online, he was able to identify which industries were in high demand and showcase his skills and expertise even before he graduated from university.

“I made sure to not only follow the passion that I have but also make sure that this is actually something that can sustain me. And I noticed that design is something there's always a demand for. There are so many different types of businesses that need or want a website for their business. So that was what I ultimately chose.”

Part 3: Finding a path with fractional work

As with all endeavors, the simple yet overrated key to success in fractional work is preparation.

Here are some insights from community members on how they got their start, paving a path to success for themselves.

Try multiple disciplines before specializing

Frances took time to figure out what she loves doing by delving into different creative streams.

“Before I was a web designer I did many things: I was an illustrator, I did some fine art, graphic design, some photography. I learned how to write a bit and I guess all those different skills mixed together and when you apply it, it has a better outcome.”

Prepare a safety net to de-risk pivoting

“A lot of people go, ‘All right, I’m gonna make the leap’ and they have no safety net. Then the pressure becomes really high,” Dan points out.

Preparing a set amount of money for your safety net is sound financial advice, but it is more than that. It de-risks the pivot to working independently because there’s no pressure to sustain a living at the onset.

Build in public and bring people along on your journey

It is a common misconception that simply building something good guarantees instant recognition and celebration from others.

KP makes a case for building in public, a practice that unlocks your staunchest supporters by bringing them along your journey through storytelling.

“I believe in the philosophy of sharing as we go and leaving a trail of content: thoughts, ideas, frustrations, lessons learned, tips.”

Build trust with clients through honesty and collaboration

“One thing I’ve found is that you just have to be really honest,” says Andrei Gonzales, who is currently the Senior Manager for Service and Experience Design for Deloitte Digital Canberra.

“Your day one is basically you telling them, ‘Hey listen, I am not an expert in your industry. I will lean on you and your subject matter experts for a little bit until I gain enough confidence to understand the intricacies.”

Part 4: Working fractional is not working alone

When pivoting to fractional, being part of a community may not be at the top of your list. You may want to upskill or learn new tools, and brush up your portfolio and social media presence.

The future of work is community

Being part of a community that supports continuous learning, provides access to economic mobility through financial security, and leverages technology and innovation significantly benefit individuals looking to pivot to fractional tech work.

• Pivot to fractional work as a strategy to hedge against workforce shifts and economic uncertainty.
• Leverage online platforms and professional networks to access opportunities and build your reputation.
• Embrace the value of lifelong learning as a way to stay productive throughout your life.

A final word

If there is one thing you should take away from this guide, it is that you are more than capable of building a robust, creative, and fulfilling professional life through fractional work.

You now have all the tools you need to get started living that life, now.