I've sat in the COO seat. Here's the straight answer on what a fractional COO costs, when you need one and when you don't yet.
Published 2026 pricing guides put a fractional COO at about $7,000 to $18,000 a month for two to three days a week. Engagements usually run six to eighteen months. Add it up and you can spend $40,000 to over $300,000 before it's done. Hourly advisory runs about $175 to $400 an hour.
| Fractional COO | The 45-Day Revenue Build | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | About $7,000 to $18,000 a month | From $10,000, one time |
| How long | Usually 6 to 18 months | 45 days |
| What you get | Someone part time running what you have | The system built, run for two weeks, numbers handed to you |
| Best when | There's already a machine to run | Deals still run through you |
| After | Renew or hire full time | Keep me month to month, or run it yourself |
Fractional COO ranges are from published 2026 fractional executive pricing guides.
Three or more of these, and a COO makes sense. Only one, and the problem's probably somewhere else.
When you don't yet: the deals still run through you and nobody else closes. A COO has nothing to operate. Get it built first.
in sales in 24 months, at a firm I run operations and marketing for.
And in my own company: 200%+ growth and scale in 6 months, on systems I built myself. 200+ business owners have trusted me with their business.
"There have been several occasions when Noël asked a question that completely changed how I was looking at an issue. That is difficult to put a price on."
Published 2026 pricing guides put a fractional COO at about $7,000 to $18,000 a month for two to three days a week, and engagements usually run six to eighteen months. Hourly advisory runs about $175 to $400 an hour. Add it up and you can spend $40,000 to over $300,000 before it's done.
A fractional COO runs operations part time: the meeting rhythm, the processes, the systems, the hiring plan and the dashboard. It works best when there's already something built for them to run.
When you're spending more than half your week running operations, delivery is falling behind sales, a big project has nobody owning it, or you're 9 to 18 months from selling, raising money or buying a company. If only one of those is true, the problem is probably somewhere else.
Get the system built first. If the deals still run through you and nobody else closes, there's nothing for a COO to operate yet. The 45-Day Revenue Build builds it, runs it for two weeks and hands you the numbers, from $10,000. Then you'll know if you need a COO at all.
If the question is who runs the business when it isn't you, that's a COO. If it's where the next deals come from, that's growth. Usually it's both. I've sat in the COO seat, so the build covers both.
Usually six to eighteen months, and a good one ends with the business not needing them anymore. The build runs 45 days. After that you can keep me on month to month, or run it yourself and keep everything.
Not by the hour. I've sat in the COO seat, and I do the work a fractional COO would set up in 45 days for a fixed price from $10,000. If you want me in your corner after that, Consigliere Advisory is $5,000 a month, month to month.
Not sure it's operations? See how growth strategy work compares.
A few quick questions. If it's a fit, you pick a time for a 30-minute call right away. One seat per market per industry.
Start here →One big decision instead? Private Strategy Session, $2,000
Not legal, tax or financial advice. © Workplace Intelligence™