From a traditional career to Fractional CPO

For Mihai Brătășanu, the transition to the fractional model was not a break, but a natural evolution. With over 10 years of experience in software product development, he has held complex roles in companies across Finance, Healthcare, and AI, building products from idea to scale.

During the period when he worked full-time, he was already involved in multiple internal initiatives—some mature, others in early stages. Early-stage projects attracted him the most. Where there is uncertainty, there is also the real opportunity to build.

At the same time, he began developing his own software products, personal projects that turned into live MVPs. This was followed by collaborations through the global platform Toptal, where he worked fractionally with multiple companies. That was when he realized that this way of working—intense, results-oriented, independent of presence—could become more than an alternative. It could become the main model.

The final step was formalizing his Fractional CPO services and diversifying his client pipeline. More importantly, there was a mindset shift: from being an employee dedicated to a single organization to becoming a strategic partner for multiple companies, focused exclusively on impact.

Product leadership as a decision accelerator

What attracted him most to the fractional model was the accelerated learning curve. Exposure to different industries, cultures, and business models constantly pushes him outside his comfort zone—a space where, he says, he performs best.

The freedom to apply accumulated experience quickly and see results in a shorter timeframe is another major advantage. Instead of gradual progress typical of a traditional role, the fractional model compresses years of experience into months of intense execution.

Of course, there are challenges. Frequent context switching, rapid integration into different organizational cultures, and the need to gain trust quickly are part of daily reality. In this model, credibility is built exclusively through clarity, structure, and measurable results.

From 0 to MVP and Product-Market-Fit

Mihai prefers early-stage projects, where impact can be significant: building a product from scratch, launching an MVP, validating Product-Market-Fit, and entering the Growth phase.

A relevant example is the development of an MVP for a fintech platform. Through a rigorous prioritization process and strategic focus, the launch timeline was reduced from 12 months to just 4. The result: a live product that quickly moved into optimization and large-scale validation, in a much shorter time and at significantly lower costs.

In another project, he took on the role of CPO and Product Coach for a company generating approximately €50 million from mobile applications. He reorganized the global team of Product Managers, implemented clear processes, playbooks, and templates, and within a few months the team was operating fully autonomously. The CEO’s direct involvement in the product vertical decreased significantly, and the company entered a phase of accelerated scaling.

For Mihai, the fractional role is that of a catalyst: he does not execute in place of the team, but accelerates decisions and optimizes processes so that the organization performs better in the medium and long term.

The real value of a Fractional CPO

When facing a skeptical CEO, the argument is simple: C-level expertise without the costs and complexity of a full-time commitment. No long-term benefits, no equity, no extended HR processes.

But beyond financial efficiency, the major difference is speed. In three months, a company can gain strategic clarity and concrete direction where an internal team might need a year.

There is also an essential element: external perspective. A fractional leader sees the organization without internal filters and can bring best practices from different industries. After working across multiple companies and cultures, you quickly identify what works and what needs adjustment.

AI and the inflection point of the fractional model

Mihai sees the fractional model at a maturation point. After accelerated growth in the post-pandemic period, the market has shifted. AI is already taking over part of the research, prototyping, and strategic decision-support activities, while the availability of full-time specialists has increased.

Yet this is precisely where competitive differentiation appears. Fractionals who integrate AI into the product-building process can significantly increase both execution speed and quality. Professionals positioned at the level of vision, strategy, decision-making, and coordination—who know how to effectively use AI agents for execution—represent a setup with enormous potential, especially in the start-up segment.

In the medium term, Mihai expects fewer operational fractional roles and more high-impact collaborations focused on strategy, product, go-to-market, and the intelligent integration of AI into business processes.

Entrepreneurial thinking, not just expertise

For senior professionals considering this path, his advice is clear: network, speed, quality of delivery, and professionalism will determine success in this model. The intensity is high, and the comfort zone becomes rare.

The fractional model requires entrepreneurial thinking: managing clients, contracts, deliverables, cash flow, and multiple engagements simultaneously. Technical expertise alone is not enough.

His recommendation is simple: build and launch a product, even a small one. Go through all the stages. Understand what “Founder Mode” means, a concept popularized by Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb. Only then does the gap between consultant and founder begin to narrow.

Mihai Brătășanu’s journey reflects the maturation of a new type of leadership—one focused on rapid impact, clear strategic decisions, and measurable results. In a market where speed and adaptability are becoming decisive, fractional leadership is no longer an alternative, but a strategic option.

This material is an original editorial feature created based on an interview previously published in our niche publication, Fractional. The full interview is available here.

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Behind companies that manage to grow without chaos, scale without breaking, and move to the next level without constant crises, there is often invisible work. It is not the work on stage, nor the one in pitch decks or PR campaigns, but the work of structuring, discipline, and decision-making. Mykhailo Zimin is one of the professionals who operate precisely in this invisible yet essential space.

A fractional COO and CEO strategist, Mykhailo has over a decade of experience in operational management and business systematization. His professional journey began in project management and naturally evolved into the role of Chief Operating Officer within the international Business Constructor group, where for six years he simultaneously coordinated six businesses and over 120 employees. There, he learned in practice what it means to build processes, scale operations, and keep complex, fast-growing organizations functional.

Today, Mykhailo works as a fractional leader alongside entrepreneurs and CEOs, helping them design efficient business systems, balance strategy with operations, and create structures that can function without the founder’s constant presence. In parallel, he develops educational products for training the next generation of managers and is the founder of Play Padel Camp in Portugal, a project that blends entrepreneurship with community and an active lifestyle.

The transition to the fractional model was not an abrupt leap, but a natural continuation of his professional path. After more than five years in a full-time COO role within a group of companies spanning EdTech, consulting, events, recruitment, and business clubs, Mykhailo reached a point of professional burnout. Not because the work had lost its meaning, but because the impact was limited to a single organization.

At the same time, more and more CEOs and business owners began seeking his advice on management structuring, processes, and systems. It became clear that his expertise could help many more businesses if delivered in a different format. The fractional model offered exactly that framework: the ability to work with multiple companies in parallel and focus on strategic impact rather than daily “firefighting.”

Freedom, diversity, and a market that needs education

What attracted him most to fractional leadership was the combination of diversity and freedom. Working with multiple companies at different stages of maturity allows him to identify recurring patterns, avoid common mistakes, and quickly transfer best practices from one industry to another.

The freedom to choose his clients and level of involvement is another major advantage. Mykhailo accepts only projects where he knows his expertise will generate real value and where there is openness to change. At the same time, one of the biggest challenges has been explaining this model in Eastern European markets, where the idea of a fractional executive is still perceived as an exception rather than a mature solution.

Here, efficiency is not proven through theory, but through concrete results. Why hire a full-time COO with a high fixed cost when you can access the same level of experience strategically, exactly as much as you need?

What a truly strategic project looks like

Mykhailo does not enter projects out of inertia. He carefully looks at three things: the founder’s willingness to delegate and change, the existence of a clear point of impact, and his genuine interest in the industry and team. He avoids situations where a CEO is looking for quick fixes without being willing to do the difficult work behind the scenes.

A relevant example of impact came from a collaboration with an international IT company at a critical transition stage, from the “Go-Go” phase to “Adolescence,” according to the Adizes model. This is the moment when many businesses get stuck, because the founder must let go of operational control and build a real management system.

In this context, Mykhailo’s role as a fractional COO involved organizational redesign, implementation of management practices, documentation of key processes, recruitment optimization, and the development of a managerial reporting system. Perhaps most importantly, he trained an internal operations manager who gradually took over operational responsibilities. The result was not just growth, but growth without crises, based on clarity and predictability.

Why fractional does not mean “temporary”

The fundamental difference between a full-time executive and a fractional one is not time, but perspective. The internal executive is caught in operations, urgencies, and internal politics. The fractional leader comes from the outside, with objectivity, cross-industry experience, and the ability to see the bigger picture.

Mykhailo describes the fractional role as that of a systems architect. He does not just solve today’s problems, but builds structures that work tomorrow and a year from now. Another major advantage is the transfer of know-how: teams do not just execute, they learn to think differently, more maturely, more strategically.

Fractional leadership, however, only works in a context of real trust. That is why Mykhailo begins almost every collaboration with a business audit, which gives the CEO a clear roadmap for the next 6–12 months. If there is reluctance, excessive need for control, or lack of openness, he prefers not to continue. Impact appears only when change is genuinely desired, not merely simulated.

A future model for businesses in transition

Mykhailo sees fractional leadership as an inevitable model of evolution, especially for companies caught between the startup stage and that of a corporation. In the US and Western Europe, this format is already standard, and in Eastern Europe it is beginning to take shape as entrepreneurs look for more flexible and efficient solutions.

For him, this direction is more than a professional choice. It is a mission to demonstrate, through concrete examples, that a fractional leader is not a temporary consultant, but a strategic partner who can help businesses build the foundation needed for real, sustainable growth.

In a world where speed is often confused with progress, Mykhailo Zimin delivers a different message: true scaling begins when the business is built well enough that it no longer depends on a single person.

This material is an original editorial report, created based on an interview previously published in our niche publication, Fractional. The full interview is available here.

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Behind every company that manages to scale in a healthy way lies a solid operational foundation — even if it often remains invisible. Clear processes, well-structured teams, and coherent operational decisions are not flashy elements, but they are what make the difference between a business stuck in chaos and one that is ready for growth. For Yuliia Symenovych, Chief Operating Officer at Profit Wales and Fractional COO with over a decade of experience in operational leadership, this reality is the starting point of every collaboration.

A natural transition to fractional leadership

With a professional background spanning service companies, product-oriented organizations, digital, IT, and marketing, Yuliia arrived naturally at the fractional leadership model. It was not a disruptive decision, but a gradual and organic transition. After years in full-time executive roles, founders and CEOs began approaching her for targeted support with specific operational challenges — from inefficient processes and fragile team structures to a lack of clarity around priorities.

“Most of them didn’t need — or couldn’t afford — a full-time COO, but they urgently needed real operational expertise,” she explains. This is how the Fractional COO role became the ideal solution: access to senior-level experience, proven frameworks, and strategic guidance, without the costs and rigidity of a permanent executive.

What attracts her most to this model is the constant exposure to different contexts. Working simultaneously with multiple companies allows Yuliia to continuously expand her perspective on how businesses, teams, and leaders operate. This diversity, however, comes with a clear pressure: delivering results quickly. In fractional leadership, value must be demonstrated within the first few months — sometimes even within the first few weeks.

Project selection is therefore essential. Yuliia works primarily with companies in digital, IT, services, marketing, and product-based businesses — industries where market dynamics and the need for adaptation are constant. Beyond the industry itself, the founder’s mindset matters even more. Collaborations work only when there is openness to change, a willingness to create structure, and an acceptance of modern operational practices. “If a leader is rigid or resistant to optimization, the results will be limited for both sides.”

When the founder steps out of operations and the company begins to scale

One of the most relevant examples of impact was a collaboration with an Amazon-focused agency, where the founder was deeply involved in every operational detail. The lack of structure made real growth impossible. By rebuilding the organizational chart, hiring key roles, and implementing clear processes, the company reached a point where it could operate independently of the owner’s constant presence. The result: better client delivery and a scalable foundation for long-term growth.

Fractional versus full-time: results, not presence

The fundamental difference between a full-time and a fractional role, in Yuliia’s view, is the focus on results rather than presence. A Fractional COO is not there to “do the work,” but to guide, prioritize, and create clarity. Execution remains with internal teams, while fractional leadership ensures direction and operational discipline.

For skeptical CEOs, the message is simple: growth is often slowed not by a lack of ambition, but by a lack of operational competence. A fractional leader does not merely offer theoretical recommendations, but integrates into the company, understands real bottlenecks, and maintains accountability over time. It is a strategic partnership, not surface-level consulting.

That said, the success of this model also depends on how it is understood. One of the most common mistakes is treating fractional leaders as occasional consultants. Without access to real data, teams, and processes, impact is limited. Equally problematic is expecting results without actually implementing the proposed changes.

Looking ahead, Yuliia sees fractional leadership becoming increasingly present in modern business structures. Remote work, global teams, and the need for flexibility have normalized the idea of part-time executives, especially in operations, finance, HR, and marketing. For senior professionals considering this transition, her advice is clear: sharp positioning, adaptability, and a strong focus on fast results. In the fractional space, reputation is built through tangible impact, not promises.

This material is an original editorial feature, developed based on a previously published interview in our niche publication, Fractional. The full interview is available here.

The post Why Growing Companies Choose a Fractional COO: Yuliia Symenovych’s Operational Leadership Lessons appeared first on careers-business.com.

Ioana Arsenie is a business strategist with expertise in financial, tax, and management consulting. Since 2015, Ioana has decided to make top-level expertise available to SMEs through integrated financial strategy and accounting services, within her own firm, Trusted Advisor Strategy & Finance.

She is focused on innovation and has already created two digital products that facilitate performance at the level of Romanian companies.

Trusted App is the proprietary application that digitizes financial reporting and budgeting for SMEs.

Ioana is the founder of the From Accountant to CFO Program, dedicated to professionals in the financial-accounting field as well as entrepreneurs—an innovative career development product that includes an e-learning platform.

Ioana Arsenie holds roles as a board member or external CFO and is the author of numerous studies, analyses, and opinions mainly dedicated to SMEs.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, which were the key moments that defined you?

Ioana Arsenie: There were certainly turning-point decisions that marked my progress. I am referring here to my beginnings in consulting, top roles in a multinational company, and the decision to start my own business. However, I would rather emphasize two more important elements, which are present in my life every day and create the context for growth and fulfillment. First of all, there are the valuable people who accompany me, reflect me, and sometimes challenge me—and to whom I am grateful. Just as important are my vision, values, and life principles. I believe that these things—what we do every day—determine our evolution and our responses in key moments.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment so far in your journey, and how did you overcome it?

Ioana Arsenie: Beginnings are always full of challenges, and that was the case both in the early years of the multinational we were opening in Romania in 2006 and at my own company, Trusted Advisor. I am a builder by nature and I constantly seek new projects, trends that help companies prepare strategically for what comes next, and people who want to grow and have the courage to push beyond their limits. I offer what I know has impact at different stages of development, based on my own experience.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Ioana Arsenie: I live through what I do; I am a person of work done well, with soul, and with impact for those around me. All my energy is channeled toward results achieved with optimal effort and a structure that supports their multiplication.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you have transformed up to the present?

Ioana Arsenie: I was a very ambitious young woman and I sacrificed a great deal for my career. I went through some difficult moments that showed me I also needed to work on myself, to take care of myself and my development as an individual, emotionally and spiritually. Not having this component in my education, which was largely oriented toward work principles and effort, I had to learn to make room for these new directions of growth, which are just as important for anyone, as a whole, in their evolution. It is a very vast area, full of satisfaction, and I believe it is good to be more open to this type of communication in business as well.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Ioana Arsenie: Certainly, the people in my teams would emphasize the fact that they have learned a great deal from me. What I want now is to help them discover what is relevant and impactful for them and to make an individual effort toward learning and development at the same time, with greater long-term benefits. It is very important for us to understand that collective and individual results are permanently interconnected.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?

Ioana Arsenie: It is a decision in my personal life, which also has an impact on the business side. A few years ago, I decided to place my personal life first. Even if imbalances still exist, I have the great joy of prioritizing my personal agenda—activities that, once planned, actually happen and take place despite all existing constraints.

C&B: How do you build a relationship of trust with entrepreneurs, considering that you work with one of the most sensitive areas of business—finances?

Ioana Arsenie: Expertise is undoubtedly the key that opens any partnership relationship based on trust. Equally important is delivering on what you promise and being consistent in the results you provide. You also need to “be there” in special situations, often at a personal level, but with business impact. Firmness is another appreciated aspect, as entrepreneurs want a partner who can guide them strategically and financially, and who has an equal level of positioning.

C&B: How do you manage to adapt Trusted Advisor’s services both for start-ups and for companies already in advanced stages of development?

Ioana Arsenie: For us, different client categories have different objectives and needs, equally important, with different deliverables, and we engage the appropriate resources accordingly. Within my team, there is a continuous transfer of knowledge and a process of maximum transparency, which helps us all evolve and respond to demands in a rather complex economic environment.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Ioana Arsenie: Every ordinary day is a good day, with maximum involvement and connection to people and projects. For me, a normal day brings the pleasure of contributing through what we do and of creating well-being within the team and in our relationships with partners.

C&B: Tell us about a defining moment in the evolution of Trusted Advisor—a bold decision or a client who confirmed that you were heading in the right direction.

Ioana Arsenie: The first years were difficult in building a portfolio, followed by other years marked by high standards and the creation of benchmarks that helped us attract the right people to the team, then a period in which we worked extensively on processes and internal optimization. These mechanisms help us operate without stress and dedicate the necessary energy to atypical situations. I believe the strongest proof that we are where we need to be is the way clients recommend us and the fact that they turn to us in moments of crossroads for their businesses.

C&B: How did the Contabil CFO story begin, and what need did you observe among finance professionals that led you to start this project?

Ioana Arsenie: The Trusted CFO Program is the first experiential program in Romania that provides the necessary resources for progress in a financial career, with a 360-degree approach: facilitation and mentoring, soft skills development, finance training (e-learning), and networking and experience exchange.

Throughout my journey and in my interactions with financial departments, I observed the need for rigorous support for the individual career project of finance professionals who, constantly caught between the priorities of shareholders or CEOs and those of their teams, tend to neglect their own agenda.

Among consultancy firm owners, I noticed the challenge of managing their portfolio and team as priorities, without constantly reverting by reflex to the role of consultant or expert.

This is a broad issue that we address through the Trusted CFO Program, in which participants train for an entire year with concrete objectives and continuous feedback.

C&B: What is your long-term vision for Trusted Advisor—how do you see the company evolving in the coming years?

Ioana Arsenie: In our 10 years of activity, we have consolidated a portfolio of over 150 SMEs and large companies from fields such as e-commerce, hospitality, medical services, agribusiness, transportation, as well as NGOs with diverse activities, from Bucharest-Ilfov and other cities—Craiova, Tulcea, Focșani, Timișoara, and others.

Our priorities remain quality and the impact produced in clients’ results, both through core tax and accounting recommendations and through real support for organizational development—of professionals in financial-accounting departments and beyond, as well as the tools they operate with. In this way, we maintain our motivation and develop our own team. We see in the SME environment a growing concern for personalized consulting, cost optimization, and controlled business development, as well as digitalization and agility in operational and financial reporting.

Ioana Arsenie’s journey clearly demonstrates that sustainable financial performance begins with people, vision, and the courage to build for the long term.

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