You're An Expert At What You Do. We Make Your Business Run Well While Doing It.

Fractional Chief Operations Officer Services - Columbus, Ohio

Running a business is challenging enough without your operations getting in the way. When processes are unclear, your team is stretched thin, and projects stall out, it can feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle just to keep moving forward.

That's where we come in.

While you focus on serving your clients and building your business, we put the right systems, processes, and structure in place so your team can actually deliver on your goals.

Start Operating Efficiently →

What is a Fractional CMO?

A fractional Chief Operations Officer (COO) gives you access to executive-level operational leadership, without the commitment or cost of a full-time hire. You get process improvement, systems oversight, and team development on a schedule that fits your business. If your operations are struggling to keep up with your growth but you’re not ready for a permanent executive, this approach lets you tap into proven expertise exactly when you need it.

Bringing on a fractional COO is like having a seasoned operator join your team. Someone who rolls up their sleeves, fixes what’s broken, and builds what’s missing, all without the overhead of a full-time executive salary. Full-time COOs often cost between $175,000 and $350,000 a year, before bonuses or benefits. With a fractional COO, you get that same level of expertise for a fraction of the investment. Whether you need support for 5, 10, or 20 hours a week, you get flexible leadership that grows with your business.

Operational strategy and execution: We build the operational plan behind your business goals, then make sure it actually gets carried out.

Team leadership and development: We work alongside your operations team, giving them the structure, training, and support they need to perform at a higher level.

Growth planning and scalability: We ensure the systems and processes you have today will support the business you want to build tomorrow.

Financial oversight and budgeting: We help you see where your money is going operationally, and where it could be working harder for you.

Process optimization: We dig into your workflows, find the bottlenecks, and make changes that boost efficiency and cut wasted time and cost.

Cross-department alignment: We connect the dots between operations, sales, and marketing so your whole business works together.

Project management: We keep your projects on track, on budget, and up to your standards, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Workflow automation: We automate the repetitive tasks, freeing up your team to focus on the work that actually moves your business forward.

What Does a Fractional CMO Do?

A fractional COO is more than just a consultant. We become part of your executive team, making sure your operations can actually support the growth you’re aiming for. Here’s what our fractional COOs do to help your business run smoothly:

Workflow automation: We automate the repetitive tasks, freeing up your team to focus on the work that actually moves your business forward.

Systems and vendor management: We handle your MIS, CRM, and other core systems, plus the vendors and freelancers that support them, so everything works together.

Efficiency consulting: We offer practical, hands-on advice to help your business run better, backed by real-world experience.

Performance tracking and reporting: We track the numbers that matter and keep you in the loop on what’s working, so your decisions are based on data, not guesswork.

Technology and systems implementation: We help you choose, implement, and adopt the tools your business needs, from MIS platforms to project management software. If your print MIS or CRM needs an overhaul, our CRM/MIS consulting can take you even deeper.

Executive-level counsel: We become part of your leadership team, making sure operations has a seat at the table for every major business decision.

Problem-solving: We step in when something’s not working, whether it’s a bottleneck on the production floor, a broken handoff between teams, or a process that only lives in one person’s head—and find the fix.

What Is Creative Operations?

Creative Operations is our approach, built on a simple idea: operations and marketing aren’t separate problems; they’re two sides of the same coin.

Creative Operations means managing and optimizing your internal processes while ensuring your sales, marketing, and creative projects align with your business goals. We blend creative, marketing management, and operations improvement into one seamless, effective workflow, instead of treating them as separate departments that just happen to share a building.

Here’s what that looks like in practice: maybe you’re generating plenty of leads, but your team doesn’t have the bandwidth to answer every call. A traditional consultant might just say, "hire more staff." We work with your team to fix the real bottleneck, whether that’s call routing, staffing, or process- so more of those leads actually turn into customers. Effective marketing needs a strong operational foundation, and that’s exactly where Creative Operations comes in. If you want to see how this works on the marketing side, our fractional CMO services cover that half of the equation.

Why Hire a Fractional COO?

Growing your business takes real operational leadership, but that doesn’t mean you need a full-time executive. With a fractional COO, you get the same strategic oversight and accountability—without the overhead of a full-time salary, benefits, or a long-term contract.

Here's how a fractional COO can make a difference for your business:

A fractional COO helps you build the operational foundation your business needs, so every process supports your real goals, not just today’s urgent problem.
Whether you need just a few hours a week or more hands-on support, our engagement flexes with your business, so you’re never locked into costs you’re not ready for.
A fractional COO connects your team, your systems, and your vendors, making sure everyone is working toward the same outcome, not in silos.
Full-time COOs often come with a hefty price tag. A fractional COO gives you the same level of leadership for a fraction of the investment.
Instead of handing you a report and walking away, we stay involved, adjusting as your business grows and making sure things actually get done.

How Is a Fractional COO Different from an Operations Consultant or an Internal Ops Hire?

A fractional COO does more than hand you a report or manage day-to-day tasks. We become part of your leadership team, set operational strategy, make decisions, and own outcomes just like an in-house executive.

An operations consultant typically comes in for a specific project, hands you recommendations, and steps back, leaving your team to execute. An internal operations hire can execute well, but rarely comes with the executive-level strategic experience needed to build systems that scale, at least not without the six-figure salary that comes with that level of hire.

A fractional COO sits above both. We set the direction, manage your team and vendors, and make sure your operations actually support your business goals.

Compare Fractional CMO with Consultant

  
			Fractional COO
			Consultant
		
			Role
			Owns operational strategy and outcomes
			Advises, hands off recommendations
		
			Engagement
			Ongoing, part of the leadership team
			Project-based or fixed term
		
			Scope
			Overall operational leadership
			A specific project or problem
		
			Team / Vendor Management
			Manages your team and any agencies or freelancers
			You execute their advice
		
			Decision-making
			Decides where the budget goes and what operations should focus on
			Tells you what they'd recommend, but you make the final call
		
			Accountability
			Owns the business results
			Delivers advice, not outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions

The number of hours you need each month depends on your goals and budget. Here’s what we typically see for businesses at different stages:
- $1 Million - $3 Million: 10 - 20 hours per month
- $4 Million - $6 Million: 20-30 hours per month
- $6 Million - $10 Million: 30 - 60 hours per month
- $10 Million +: 60+ hours per month
We work alongside your team, building processes, training staff, and removing the obstacles slowing them down. You'll always know where things stand as we move forward together.
How long we work together depends on your needs and goals. Many clients partner with us for years as their business and teams grow, while others bring us in for extra support when needed. Our aim is to help you build a strong, independent team or reach the stage where you’re ready for a full-time COO.
Yes. We regularly work with the CRMs, MIS platforms, and vendors businesses already have in place, and help evaluate whether those systems still fit as the business grows.
We’re a great fit for businesses with revenue between $1 million and $20 million.
A fractional COO focuses on the internal systems, processes, and teams that keep your business running. A fractional CMO focuses on the strategy that brings in new business. Many of our clients use both, since marketing results depend heavily on the operations behind them, which is the whole idea behind Creative Operations.
If you decide to bring on a full-time COO, we’ll support the transition and make sure your new leader is fully up to speed on everything we’ve built together.
We begin by learning what success looks like for you. Then we create a tailored plan to reach your goals, focused on achieving ideal operational cost based on your industry.
We’re flexible. Most clients choose remote collaboration because it’s convenient, but we can work on-site if that’s what you prefer.
We’ve partnered with businesses in manufacturing, construction, entertainment, live events, pest control, and many other industries.
How do we get started? Reach out to schedule a discovery meeting. We'll talk through your operational challenges and goals and see how we can help.