Fractional COO services for founders who are done being the bottleneck
You did not start this company to spend every day firefighting operations. Our fractional COOs embed directly in your business, do the real work, and deliver measurable results in weeks, not quarters.
0% client churn · 25+ businesses scaled · results typically begin in week one
Trusted by
You have tried advisors. They gave you a deck and disappeared.
You bring in a consultant, they charge a significant retainer, and hand over a deck full of recommendations. Months later, nothing has changed, because no one stayed to do the work. That is not what we do.
We do not advise from the sidelines. We join your team.
Our fractional COOs do not deliver reports, they take direct reports. They are on your org chart, not your vendor list. We own the outcomes, not just the advice.
Embedded, not visiting
Your fractional COO integrates into your team from day one. Full-time accountability. Fractional cost. They own their outcomes the way an employee does.
Operators, not advisors
Every COO on our team has built companies, managed P&Ls, and led teams. They know how to actually do the work, not just explain it.
Results in weeks, not quarters
Our COOs have solved your exact problem before, at dozens of companies. They move faster because they've already seen the pattern.
Hire one COO. Get the collective intelligence of 12.
When you hire fractional COO talent anywhere else, you get one person’s experience. When you hire ScaleUpExec, you get one dedicated fractional COO, backed by a team of 12 top operators, 25+ active engagements, and hundreds of hard-won playbooks.
Every week, our team shares what is working across their clients. Your COO brings that pattern recognition directly to your business: the unfair advantage of a firm, at the focus of an individual.
Deep experience across the industries that matter to you
Our fractional COOs have operated in the trenches of every industry we serve.
Real Estate
SaaS & Technology
Healthcare
Medical Practices
Telecom
Capital & Finance
Manufacturing
Professional Services
Law Firms
E-commerce
Supply Chain
Construction
The talent that was previously out of reach for your business
Our fractional COO services have scaled operations at companies like Apple and McKinsey, built businesses to 8- and 9-figure exits, and led every major function: sales, finance, HR, technology, and operations. Just as importantly, they have also sat in the operator’s seat at startups and small businesses, so they know exactly what it’s like to be in your shoes. Before the fractional model, companies your size simply could not access this caliber of operator.
They are entrepreneurs at heart. They have felt the weight of payroll, fought for every dollar of margin, and know what it is like to bet everything on a business, just like you.
Ashish, our CEO, personally interviews every candidate. Of hundreds reviewed, only 12 have made the team. The vetting process is unusually rigorous, because the wrong person is worse than no one.
“We are not looking for decent. We are looking for the top 1%.”
A clear process and path from day 1
We follow a proven 30-60-90 day methodology, built from dozens of engagements across industries, so you know exactly what to expect from week one.
The deep-dive audit
We examine your revenue, margins, team, systems, processes, and culture. You get a clear gap analysis and a prioritized action plan, not a generic textbook framework.
Drive high-impact fixes
We move fast on the priorities with the biggest upside. Changes happen quickly enough that you will see measurable movement before your first 60 days are up.
Measure, refine, expand
We track results, optimize what is working, and expand the impact across new areas. By Day 90, your business runs differently, and better.
Some engagements move even faster. When the priorities are clear on day one, or when your COO is retained for more hours per week, we compress the audit and start executing immediately. Either way, results begin in week one.
Strategy becomes systems, automatically
Most fractional COO firms stop at strategy. We do not.
ScaleUpExec’s in-house AI services & techOps developers with MBAs turns your COO’s operational priorities into automated systems, custom AI workflows, and tech stack upgrades. No separate vendor. No additional contract. Available as-needed, at accessible rates.
What 25+ engagements look like in practice
Real businesses. Real numbers. Real outcomes.
Docked Living
The Challenge
Cash flow negative. Founders burned out. Manual processes. Below-market contracts.
The Result
+40% revenue in 4 months. Cash flow positive. Burnout resolved.
Telecom ConstructionTower Communications Expert
The Challenge
3 consecutive quarters of losses. No data visibility. Crew underutilized.
The Result
+30% revenue growth. 66% gross margin improvement. Exit secured in 18 months.
Capital BrokerageSkylatus Property Capital
The Challenge
50%+ revenue from 2 clients. Founder doing everything. No scalable team.
The Result
+25% revenue. Founder stepped back. Scalable remote team in place.
Psychology PracticeMinnesota
The Challenge
Worker classification risk. Accounting errors. No budgeting process.
The Result
Avoided 30% profit drop. Governance restructured. Owner back on payroll.
What founders say after working with us.
Every one of these engagements is still running, or ended in an exit.
“
The impact of ScaleUpExec on my organization has been nothing short of extraordinary. There is a clear demarcation between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ stages of their involvement. And we saw the impact within months, including our monthly revenues growing 40%.
Santi Estrada
CEO of Docked Living
“
Working with ScaleUpExec has been transformative for Skylatus. In just a few months, they helped us diversify revenue streams, grow by 25% (with further growth in sight), and build a culture of accountability that has allowed me to begin stepping back from daily operations to spend more time with clients.
Randy Efron
CEO of Capital Raising Firm
“
My startup system was very unorganized. My team had various complaints about how we operate. ScaleUpExec helped me with organizing the structure and systems of our company. Their approach is simple but very deep. I would recommend ScaleUpExec to anyone who is looking for more organization and efficiency in any stage of their business.
Ilan Gelberg
CEO of CPG business
“
ScaleUpExec gave us access to executive-level talent that had previously been out of reach for TCE. That caliber of expertise made the difference: we went from losses to profitable growth to a successful exit in under 18 months.
Laura Kaleinikovas
Founder of Tower Communications Expert
Ashish Gupta
Founder & CEO · ScaleUpExec
20+ years operating inside founder-led businesses, $2M to $50M. Operator first: he has run the seat he is advising on. Ashish personally interviews every candidate. Of hundreds reviewed, only 12 have made the team, because the wrong person is worse than no one.
“We are not looking for decent. We are looking for the top 1%.”
We do not lock you in. We do not have to.
25+ engagements. Zero client departures. Every single fractional COO services engagement has continued because the ROI is undeniable.
Rolling 3-month contracts. A 2-week easy-out at the start. No equity, no benefits, no long-term commitment. If your fractional COO ever is not the perfect fit, Ashish personally manages the full transition, knowledge transfer, replacement onboarding, all of it. You never have to recruit for this role again.
“
What attracted me initially was the confidence in the contract. You are not bound by something long-term, you can get out of something you are not happy with. You should have that much confidence in what you're selling.
CEO of Healthcare SaaS firm
From conversation to COO in under two weeks
The strategy call
30 minutes with Ashish. He listens to your challenges, your team dynamics, and your goals. No pitch. Actionable insights regardless of whether you move forward.
Your COO match
Ashish personally selects the right operator from his vetted team, considering your industry, your culture, and your specific challenges. No algorithm. No guesswork.
30-60-90 begins
Your COO joins the team, starts the deep-dive audit, and delivers a prioritized action plan within 30 days. Results typically begin in week one.
Book your free 30-minute strategy call
Ready to hire a fractional COO? No obligation. You will leave with actionable insights regardless of what you decide. 30 minutes with Ashish, our founder.
Revenue growing but you are more overwhelmed than ever?
If every decision, escalation, client issue, and operational fire still runs through you, growth can start to feel like a trap. The Founder Bottleneck Worksheet helps you identify where the business is depending too heavily on you and what to fix first.
Trusted by 25+ founders
Operators who have scaled businesses to 8- and 9-figure outcomes.
What this helps answer
- Am I the reason my team cannot move faster?
- Is the business growing faster than our systems can handle?
- Are we operationally ready for investors, compliance, or an acquisition?
- Do I need a fractional COO, operations consultant, or internal operator?
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a fractional COO and just hiring someone part-time?
A fractional COO is a senior executive who has already scaled businesses from $0 to eight or nine figures. You are paying for accumulated pattern recognition, not hours. A part-time hire brings availability. A fractional COO brings leverage: they have already solved your exact problems, usually multiple times, and they solve in weeks what an inexperienced part-timer might take a year to figure out. See what a fractional COO actually does.
How does a fractional COO work day-to-day in a remote or distributed business?
The engagement begins with a 30-day deep-dive: reviewing your org chart, P&L, key team member one-on-ones, and current systems. The COO identifies the two or three biggest operational gaps, builds the recovery plan, and then rolls up their sleeves to execute alongside your team. Most work is remote, with in-person options for quarterly planning sessions. Here is how to hire a fractional COO.
My business is growing but I am more overwhelmed than ever. Is that normal?
Yes, and it is the most common pattern we see in the $5M-$20M range. Revenue growth without operational infrastructure creates a multiplier effect on founder workload: more customers, more fires, more decisions that only you can make. The solution is not working harder. It is building the systems so the business can grow without you being in every loop. Start with a free growth audit.
Can a fractional COO help if my business is under regulatory or compliance pressure?
Yes, and this is often when it matters most. Some of our most impactful engagements start with a regulatory audit, a board review, or investor due diligence that requires demonstrated operational improvement on a defined timeline. The COO reviews your operational gaps, builds the documentation and reporting infrastructure regulators want to see, and executes against it. Compliance issues are almost always operational issues in disguise. Learn more about business operations consulting.
What industries does ScaleUpExec work with?
Our COOs have deep experience in construction and real estate, solar and home services, insurance and financial services, healthcare and social services, SaaS and technology, professional services, and e-commerce. The common thread is not the industry, it is the company stage: founder-led businesses between $2M and $50M that have outgrown the way they have been run. See our pricing and engagement plans.
Learn more about fractional COO services
Looking for a fractional COO for hire? Browse our guides to understand what working with a fractional chief operating officer looks like, what it costs, and whether our COO consulting services are right for your business.
