What is a Fractional COO?

Have you heard of the term “Fractional COO” (Chief Operating Officer) before? Well whether you have, or you haven’t, I’m sure you’re wondering: what is it, and do I need one? Cue Jordyn DiOrio, serial entrepreneur and founder of JDP Consult — your Fractional COO! 

In your own words, what is a Fractional COO?

A Fractional COO, by definition, is an interim second-in-command and they are your problem solver. If you are familiar with Traction, a fractional COO is the integrator to the visionary. 

They are the ones that can manage the multiple and complex layers of a business that a CEO just doesn’t have time for. Typically in a business structure, the CEO is usually driving the big vision of the brand or business, making the key decisions or ultimately selling. The CEO’s are usually the face of the brand that are trying to bring in more business. 

The COO, on the other hand, is the one that then takes that vision and brings it to reality whilst also being the reality check for the CEO or founder of the company. A COO can bring levity, clarity and a plan to what actually needs to be done.

When or how do I know when I need to bring in a fractional COO?

Brands or businesses typically will bring in a Fractional COO when they are trying to scale in three areas: finances, people, or processes and systems. If your business has ever had any challenges in these three buckets, that’s when you know you need to bring in additional help.

As a fractional COO, I’m present in every part of your business and work closely with the CEO, big decision makers, and employees to ask: why? 

• Why are we doing this? 

• Is there a purpose? 

• Is there a plan?

• Is there a way to measure it? 

• Do we have the resources to actually deliver on it?

It’s one thing to have the strategy and ideas, but where a fractional COO comes in is to identify where your business is getting stuck and pave the path forward to help implement those ideas. 

Where in the business do you typically work?

Operations take place in every single facet of the business! A fractional COO will oversee the day-to-day operations of a business to identify and ultimately solve the problems that your business is facing. 

You will find us working across the entire business identifying problems within these three buckets that can ultimately :

• Finances: Is cash flow an issue? Are products or services priced appropriately to scale? Do we have enough money to hire? Are we profitable?

• People: Do we have the right people on staff? Do we need to hire for additional positions? Are our people performing?

• Processes and Systems: Do we have clear processes? Do we need to implement new systems? Are we spending too much time on certain things due to lack of a process?

A Fractional COO will come in to assess what the issues are (yes, across the entire business) and identify a plan on how to improve, streamline, or ultimately solve within the three buckets so your business can move past the road bump(s).

What can a client expect in hiring you for their business?

1. A partner in your business. I will be the person who you can go to to have conversations about your feelings about the business, the issues you’re facing, and what’s going on. Treat me as someone who will be your sounding board for all your problems.

2. Honest conversations about the state of the union. My job is to be candid about the challenges, changes, opportunities and threats your business is facing or will face — I’m basically a living and breathing SWOT analysis for your business and I will help to validate and hold you accountable throughout the entire process of learning, identifying, and implementing changes.
   
   Growing pains exist because they are in fact painful experiences while growing! They wouldn’t call it that if it wasn’t in fact true. I’m here to help bring clarity (and relief, too) to the pains you experience while growing your business by being your professional problem solver.
   
   I operate on a FIOF — Figure It Out Factor — where I offer a direct, clear, but FUN experience bringing your visions to reality. I learned this killer phrase from our go-to fractional financial resource, Paige Batcha — the VP of Finance and Accounting Interim Solutions Consulting at Versique! Work is serious, and there is sh*t that needs to be done, but a good attitude goes a very long way, and that’s what I will always bring to the table in our partnership.

3. Detailed deliverables. Every company is different, so projects flex all the time, but an in-depth analysis of the business identifying the challenges and the fix/plan will always be provided. During our 6-week auditing period, I will audit every single area of the business and put together an ops report with a plan.
   
   The business will then have the chance to hire me to fully implement the plan over a 6-week, 3-month, or 6-month period (depending on the scale and scope of the project) or be referred to a different resource or department if the issue is not one for ops to resolve. 

What is a piece of advice that you have for every business owner after having worked with so many? 

This is a hard one, but I have three pieces of advice:

1. Self awareness is key - if you are not self aware as a business owner, you are not going to know what your downfalls are or when to hire. It’s OK to not know what you’re doing! Everyone is figuring it out and the best leaders are the ones who can confidently say they need help or that they don’t know what to do. Everybody is a work in progress! 

2. Your attitude is everything! - You need to have a good attitude through everything you do. No one wants to work with someone who has a bad attitude. 

3. Take care of your mental health or nothing else matters! 

HI THERE, I’M JORDYN

Serial entrepreneur, strategic integrator and financial aficionado.

My mission is to revolutionize the way businesses grow with strategic clarity and implementation. It goes beyond consultancy—as I want to be a dedicated partner in propelling your success with strategy and impactful execution with zest and honesty.