I hate the term “fractional.”
If you’re unfamiliar, “fractional” is a term people use to describe how others might work with them. You’ve probably seen people call themselves fractional CTOs, fractional CFOs, fractional creative directors… fractional anything.
The term took off in the 1990s in executive consulting circles. Over the last five years, it’s exploded, driven by remote work, the gig economy, and the rise of flexible, part-time leadership roles at early-stage startups.
But what does “fractional” actually mean? More importantly, what does it signal?
Let’s start with the obvious: the definition.
“Fractional” means you’re selling a slice—a fraction—of time is for a fraction of the price.
Clients save money; you stay flexible. Sounds like a win-win, right?
You may have heard about Soham Parekh, the engineer who quietly worked multiple full-time jobs at the same time… three, four, maybe five.
Outrage followed. How could someone deceive so many startups? How could he take full salaries and give only a sliver of his time?
Parekh’s strategy ultimately failed, partially due to of poor performance.
But what if he was doing well? What if he was working with 4-5 companies, and each was getting what they expected of him?
What if he had called himself a “fractional engineer?”
If the companies knew they were only getting a portion of his time—and still got the results they expected, of course—would this have been a scandal at all? Would the narrative have changed?
Instead of being seen as a fraud, he might’ve been seen as scrappy. Entrepreneurial. Efficient. Frugal.
Or, he might have been seen as a freelancer. Or a contractor.
That’s the power of language. “Fractional” isn’t just a label. It’s expectation-setting. And in Soham’s case, it’s the absence of a label that broke trust.
Which begs the question: what expectations do these words actually carry?
Titles are typically shorthand expectation setting.
In practice, people use “fractional” to mean one of two things:
These two meanings aren’t interchangeable, but the word is. So when you say “fractional,” your client may be hearing something completely different than what you intended.
That’s the real risk: “fractional” tries to communicate clarity, but often creates confusion.
Like most titles, “fractional” only makes sense in relation to something else.
So “fractional” means: not full.
Not the full person, not the full time, not the full commitment.
Which begs the question:
What does “full” even mean?
When we say “full-time,” we usually mean:
But in reality:
So why does “full-time” still hold so much emotional weight?
Because we’ve confused employment with time ownership.
We’ve accepted a model where your value is measured in hours served, not outcomes earned.
Until it isn’t.
You get paid for 40 hours.
You work 60 hours? That’s your problem.
You work 20 hours? You owe us PTO.
In essence, “full-time work” really means “minimum hours expected before we start judging you.”
Let me be clear: I’m not here to bash the word altogether.
If you’re finding great clients and making great income by using that language, by all means: keep on keeping on! Go get that bag. I’m fully in your corner.
For great fractional work to happen, these conditions usually need to be true.
You:
Your client:
When those conditions are true on both sides, fractional work can be an ideal setup. You deliver meaningful outcomes without burning out. They get exactly what they need without overextending.
But that alignment is rarer than people think.
And when it’s not there? That’s where fractional starts to fall flat.
Here are 5 scenarios when fractional work isn’t all it’s cracked up to be:
You’re telling people how much of you they’re getting, but not what they’re getting.
Would you hire a fractional heart surgeon? It’s accurate; each patient gets a fraction of their attention and time. But adding the “fractional” part makes it sound worse, not better.
Why isn’t Elon Musk known as a fractional CEO, even though he’s the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and holds equivalent leadership positions at other companies?
High-value contributors are defined by impact, not availability.
When you work with a high-value professional making impact, how much time they put in is the least of your worries.
Let’s be real: some folks say “fractional” because they’re in between jobs. That’s fine; sometimes we take what we can get.
Calling it “fractional” can feel like trying to make it sound more desirable than it is.
It’s a reframe that avoids the negative connotations of “part-time” as the kinds of retail and food service jobs you may have had before you were a “professional.”
But that’s ego rearing its head.
If you’re using the term to signal a specific working model, that’s great.
But if you’re doing it because you think it makes you look more valuable than a part-timer? Think again.
Saying “I offer a fraction of the hours at a fraction of the price” signals that they’re getting a discount.
But “a fraction of the time for a fraction of the price” isn’t a discount. It’s a reduction in scope.
A real discount is when you get the full thing at a fraction of the full price.
Is that what you’re offering?
If so, you might be giving away too much.
If not, your “discount” may not be as appealing as you think.
“Fractional” signals budget-friendly. That’s an appealing idea, and it’s just as risky for you.
To many prospective employers, the word “fractional” makes it sound like the biggest value is being inexpensive.
Once you’re framed as the affordable option, you enter a race to the bottom.
There’s always someone more available, more desperate, or more willing to say yes.
Even someone who works 40 hours/week is only giving you a fraction of their week.
The only “non-fractional” hire would be someone who works 168 hours/week.
I don’t hate the term “fractional” because it’s inaccurate.
I hate it because it often undersells the people who use it.
The value a great professional delivers is clarity, strategy, and leadership.
The value a great fractional professional delivers is clarity, strategy, and leadership.
Not half clarity, a quarter strategy, or a third leadership. Those things aren’t measurable in hours. Half clarity is unclear. A quarter strategy is confusion.
If you can deliver clarity in 10 hours instead of 40, that’s not a smaller version of the job.
That’s a better version.
If you’re doing high-value work in a limited-time package, don’t call yourself fractional.
Call yourself what you are:
A multiplier.
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