A fractional executive or team is a professional or group of professionals who provide specialized services to one or more companies on a part-time or project basis, rather than working full-time in-house.

This allows start-ups and small-to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to access high-level expertise and support without incurring the cost and commitment of hiring a full-time employee.

The main difference between fractional pros and consultants are that fractional pros become part-time team members accountable to outcomes, whereas consultants are primarily only responsible for outputs/deliverables.

There are two main types of fractional professionals on solace, each with a diverse mix of disciplines (e.g. finance, marketing, software development, data science, IT, corporate development, and more):

1) Fractional Executives - senior leaders with vast experience in their industry and domain who are working with multiple companies each on a part-time basis (e.g. CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CHROs, Chief Data Scientists, and more)

2) Fractional Experienced Professionals - individuals or teams with specialized skillsets such as developers, digital marketing, controllership, IT services, HR business partners, and more.

We've been developing relationships for many years with folks joining solace that we're essentially now bringing our network to the world to use (starting with Western Canada). We're actively meeting and being introduced to new people with diverse experiences and skillsets and vetting them ahead of time so that they're ready to meet start-ups and SMBs like you as soon as you need them.

We've developed a comprehensive vetting process that allows us to qualify and classify fractional executives, pros, and teams in terms of skillsets, industry experience, business and cultural values, and working styles. This allows us to match your business with a fractional executive that not only has the skillsets required to offer immediate returns on your investment, but offers longevity in your professional relationship by matching your cultural and business values and working styles (remote, in-person, hybrid).

We conduct 3 reference checks for each fractional executive and team that we bring into Solace's network. This includes speaking with past and current clients to validate the executives skillsets, impact, working style, and values.

We only provide a shortlist of 3-5 candidate profiles based on an identified need from a start-up or SMB rather than allowing them to scroll through profiles. We heard loud and clear from our clients that they'd much rather someone get to know them and their business well and have tailored short-lists provided to them vs. business leaders taking time out of their evenings and weekends to scroll through potential candidates. Our vetting process, experience in identifying right talent for start-ups and SMBs, and team with strong emotional intelligence makes this possible.

There is no upfront fee or cost for start-ups and SMBs to use Solace. You only pay for the fractional pros you hire, not Solace. We only get paid when you pay your fractional pros' invoices through our platform - we collect a small % of that payment.

If you decide to hire a fractional pro on a full-time basis that you met through Solace, that is the only time we will ask for payment via 25% of your hire's first year total cash compensation.

Cost of hiring fractional professionals ranges on a per hour basis, anywhere from ~$100 per hour to ~$500 depending on the type of fractional professional and experience.

While other platforms allow anyone to sign up and start bidding on opportunities, we only admit fractional executives and professionals that we’ve vetted, reference checked, and feel confident introducing to start-ups and SMBs. From there, we support each side every step of the way to ensure the right talent is paired with the right business and able to have an immediate impact.