Definition
What is a fractional executive?
The category answer in plain English: seat vs project, pay range, how to become one.
ReadUnrigged
Kirk's podcast, writing, and newsletter on building an independent practice without the luck.
Start here
Pick the question you came with.
These are the maps. Latest drops below are weekly writing. If you are looking for an answer, start with a hub.
Just laid off
Corporate layoff over 50: what to do next
Stabilize runway and options before you bet the house on going independent.
ReadBuild the practice
How to build an independent consulting practice
Positioning, demand, sales conversations, multi-client delivery, and a Tuesday rhythm.
ReadWho built this
Kirk Coburn and The ReTern
Category pioneer, Chief Outsiders origin, and what the practice operating system is.
ReadCompare labels
Fractional coach vs career coach vs consultant
Different jobs. Pick the product that matches the problem you actually have.
ReadPeers vs system
Community vs operating system
Belonging is not a pipeline. Know which job you are buying.
ReadLaunch vs run
Sales Xceleration alternatives
What SX finishes well, the run-layer gap, and when a full practice OS is the next bet.
ReadMatch vs system
Hiring marketplace vs practice operating system
Marketplaces find work. An OS runs the practice after the match. Different jobs.
ReadBTG vs OS
Business Talent Group vs practice operating system
Heidrick-family on-demand and interim matching is a channel. It is not Tuesday.
ReadCatalant vs OS
Catalant vs practice operating system
Consulting 2.0 project work can fund runway. Between scopes you still need a system.
ReadCommon questions
One question per page.
Start path
How to become a fractional executive
Real seat and retainer, not a headline change. Five requirements before the costume.
ReadTuesday rhythm
How to run a fractional practice
Delivery, pipeline, and money every week so the practice does not live in your inbox.
ReadPipeline defined
What a fractional executive pipeline actually is
Short warm list, plain stages, and a cadence that survives busy delivery.
ReadMoney
How fractional executive retainers work
Seat pricing, scope fence, effective rate, and when to raise or walk.
ReadLabels
Solopreneur vs freelancer
Practice and retainer versus gig and project. The label changes how you get paid.
ReadPipeline
How do fractional executives find clients?
Relationships first, why luck stalls, and how to put the network on a weekly schedule.
ReadContinuity
Where does my next client come from when a contract ends?
The warm list decides the next twelve months. Delivery is when it usually goes cold.
ReadSystem
How do I stop relying on luck for my consulting pipeline?
Positioning, sales methodology, and a weekly rhythm so Tuesday does not depend on chance.
ReadAI honesty
Can ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini run my practice?
One honest split for every chat model. Drafts yes. Practice memory no. No triplicate clones.
ReadDefinition
What is a practice operating system for a company of one?
Weekly machinery for who you are, who you talk to, what to do next, and how money comes in.
ReadLatest
Freshest from the independent path.
Latest drop
ArticleOct 13, 2026
Goodbye Is a Crime
A proposal that has gone quiet for ten days is not a maybe. Somebody else has to say yes, the price is stuck on the symptom, or the problem is not urgent, and just checking in fixes none of them.
Unrigged · Podcast
Conversations from the independent path.
Episode 4
Your Niche Is More Valuable Than You Think: What 30 Years in Software Testing Taught Stuart Du Casse About Going Independent
Stuart Du Casse spent 30 years in software testing. Now he's a fractional QA exec charging for outcomes, not hours. here is what he learned about going solo.
Episode 3
When Corporate Betrayal Hits During Cancer Treatment
Tyler Wells was denied PTO during brain cancer treatment. His employer said it 5 times: 'we are not obligated to help you.' here is what happened next.
Episode 2
She Saw the Rigged System at 25. Most of Us Needed a Layoff at 45.
Samriddhi Chakraborty saw the rigged system at 25 and built a fractional practice in India. Her advice: 'In an age of instant gratification, learn to qualify better.'
Episode 1
you are Not Getting Another Corporate Job: The Data Behind Age Discrimination (And the Bypass)
60% of executives over 50 face age discrimination in hiring. here is the data, why the system is rigged, and the fractional executive bypass that changes everything.
Unrigged · Writing
Answer-first pieces on building a practice.
October 2026
Goodbye Is a Crime
A proposal that has gone quiet for ten days is not a maybe. Somebody else has to say yes, the price is stuck on the symptom, or the problem is not urgent, and just checking in fixes none of them.
ReadOctober 2026
You Replaced a Boss With a Client
You can have no boss at all and still have one client who pays for most of the year, and a client never has to fire you, because the checks can simply pause on a Friday.
ReadSeptember 2026
The Storm I Wanted and the Storm I Got
My first Nor'easter was a disappointment, and that turned out to be the whole lesson. A new study puts four hours a week on the cleanup after AI, and why that is a memory problem instead of a tool problem.
ReadSeptember 2026
Send Me the Comp Number
I asked 35 people what really happened to late-career pay. Nobody was lying and everybody was arguing from one story. I am counting instead. Here is how to build your own row, and your Freedom Number.
Read