Senior operational leadership on retainer, without carrying a full-time executive salary.
A fractional COO who runs your operations, process design, and team structure so leadership can focus on growth. Senior leadership on a retainer, with three fulfillment studios behind it when execution needs to move.
A fractional COO gives you experienced operational leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. Most companies reach a stage where growth outpaces the systems holding it together. Processes live in a few people's heads, hiring is reactive, and leadership spends its time inside the business instead of on it. Rule27 embeds a senior operator into your company to own operations, design the processes that scale, structure the team, and give leadership real visibility into how the business runs. This is leadership on retainer, not a recommendation deck. We are accountable for how operations actually perform.
What makes this different from a standalone consultant is the roof it sits under. Rule27 runs four studios, creative, growth, engineering, and strategy, under one team. When an operational fix requires real execution, a systems build, a growth process, a rebranded set of internal collateral, the fractional COO can pull that fulfillment directly instead of leaving you to coordinate three separate vendors. The operating principle is four studios, one roof, zero hand-offs. You get a leader who can both design the plan and mobilize the team to ship it.
This service is built for founders and executive teams scaling past the point where informal knowledge holds up, typically companies growing fast in professional services, agencies, SaaS, or product operations. It is a lean, senior engagement, sold on relationship and fit rather than volume. Coaching and disruption work runs at $225 per hour for founder and C-suite engagement; active fractional leadership is structured as a monthly retainer scoped to the hours your stage of growth actually requires.
Built to deliver.
Operations strategy for your stage of growth, identifying the highest-impact changes to make first rather than trying to fix everything at once
Process design and optimization, mapping current workflows, removing waste, and rebuilding around throughput and quality
Organizational design, evaluating team structure, span of control, and role clarity for the company you are becoming
KPI and performance frameworks that give leadership honest visibility into how the business is actually running
Vendor and procurement review, examining contracts, evaluating alternatives, and tightening operational spend
Quality control systems, building the checkpoints and standards that catch problems before they reach customers
Scaling playbooks that document core processes so the business can grow without depending on individual people
See how Fractional COO would work for your business.
Book a consultationThe engagement.
Operations Audit
We embed briefly to see how the business actually runs, where work stalls, where knowledge is trapped in individuals, and where cost or quality is leaking. You get a clear read on your operational reality.
Operating Plan
We prioritize the highest-impact changes for your stage of growth and set the sequence, so effort goes to what moves the business rather than to everything at once.
Embedded Leadership
We lead the work, managing teams, redesigning processes, and standing up the systems. When execution needs real hands, we pull fulfillment from Rule27's other studios instead of adding vendors for you to manage.
Measure and Hand Off
We track against agreed operational KPIs and document every core process into playbooks, so the improvements hold whether we stay engaged or step back.
Priced like a product.
Not sure which tier fits? We will scope it with you.
Start with Fractional COOWe identify at least $25,000 in annual operational savings or efficiency gains within the first 30 days, or that month is free.
Asked often.
What does a fractional COO actually own day to day?
Operations, process design, team structure, vendor and procurement management, hiring and onboarding workflows, and KPI tracking. The role keeps the business running well so leadership can focus on growth and strategy. Fractional means a part-time commitment with full accountability, not advice from the sidelines.
How many hours per month is the engagement?
It varies by company size and operational complexity. Lighter advisory engagements can run around a dozen hours a month, while active leadership through a scaling period can run sixty or more. We scope the right level for your stage rather than selling a fixed package. Founder and C-suite coaching or disruption work is billed at $225 per hour; ongoing fractional leadership is structured as a monthly retainer.
How is this different from hiring a business consultant?
Consultants advise and leave a deck. We lead and operate. A fractional COO is embedded in your business, managing teams and processes and accountable to operational KPIs, not just delivering a recommendation. The other difference is the team behind the role. When a fix needs real execution, we can pull creative, growth, or engineering fulfillment from Rule27's other studios, so you are not left coordinating separate vendors to carry out the plan.
Can you help us scale from a small team to a mid-sized one?
This is the most common reason companies bring us in. Businesses that grew quickly often run on processes held together by informal knowledge. Before the next stage of growth, those processes need to be professionalized and documented so the company does not break under its own weight. That is exactly the work a fractional COO leads.
What kinds of companies do you work with?
Primarily professional services, agencies, SaaS, and product companies. Operational challenges translate more across industries than most people expect, so the principles of throughput, quality, structure, and clear measurement carry over even when the specifics differ. We are honest about fit before starting, since this is a senior, relationship-led engagement rather than a volume service.
Do you replace our existing leadership or work alongside them?
We work alongside them. The point of a fractional COO is to add senior operational leadership your team may not have in-house yet, not to displace the people running the company. We integrate with your existing leadership, take ownership of the operational function, and document what we build so the capability stays with you.