The Six-Figure Side Hustle Redefining Executive Life

In the age of portfolio careers, fractional leadership is turning full-time jobs into optional extras.

A former colleague of mine quietly left her Big Four role last year. 

No LinkedIn announcement, no startup launch, no dramatic farewell post. 

Six months later, she was making six figures from three different companies - none of which listed her as a full-time employee. She wasn’t freelancing. She wasn’t consulting. She was fractional - and she had never felt more in control of her time, her work, or her income.

“Fractional” doesn’t exactly scream career reinvention. It sounds more like something your accountant mutters than a professional power move. But over the past few years, it’s become a quietly powerful trend among experienced operators - those who’ve done the startup grind or scaled up inside large companies and are now rethinking what success looks like. Instead of taking a single full-time executive job, these professionals are opting to work across multiple companies in part-time, high-impact roles - often earning more than they did before, with far more flexibility.

From CFOs to CMOs, COOs to CTOs, a growing number of executives are breaking up the traditional C-suite model. They’re swapping prestige for autonomy and long-term employment for short-term outcomes. And businesses, especially early-stage and scaling startups, are increasingly welcoming the shift. Hiring a full-time CFO can run upwards of £250,000 a year once bonuses, benefits, and equity are factored in. For many young companies, that’s either impossible or irresponsible. But a fractional CFO - charging £5,000 to £10,000 per month - offers access to the same level of strategic insight, without the full-time commitment. The same logic applies across departments: fractional CMOs drive product launches and brand positioning; fractional COOs bring operational rigour during periods of growth; fractional CTOs provide technical guidance and team oversight without demanding equity-heavy packages.

It’s a setup that aligns incentives. Founders get access to seasoned talent, while executives get to design careers on their own terms. And increasingly, those terms include the kind of leverage once reserved for founders and investors. Many fractional leaders structure retainers, tack on equity, and choose only engagements where their input truly moves the needle. They might work with two or three companies at once, shifting hours weekly or monthly depending on need, but the cumulative effect is compelling: six-figure income, reduced hours, and diversified exposure.

Some professionals structure their schedules like a portfolio - one client pays the bills, another offers equity upside, and a third scratches the intellectual itch. Others work in short sprints - six-week stints to get a business through a critical transition, then a break before the next. A few have taken the remote-first model to its logical extreme: alternating between project-based gigs and months abroad, all while maintaining the kind of financial momentum that most full-timers dream about.

The lifestyle shift is significant. Gone are the days of endless status meetings, company politics, or annual performance reviews. Instead, fractional leaders focus on high-leverage work - building financial models, revamping go-to-market strategies, fixing supply chain bottlenecks - and hand off execution once the groundwork is set. Their reputations are built on outcomes, not hours logged.

The economics are shifting too. A single fractional engagement might yield £60k - £100k annually for just a few days of work per month. Stack two or three of those, and you’re comfortably clearing £200k+ - without sacrificing evenings, weekends, or summers. Factor in equity or performance incentives, and the upside begins to rival that of senior founders. In many cases, professionals report higher satisfaction, better mental health, and a sense of agency that’s hard to replicate in traditional roles.

Startups and scaling companies are also adapting quickly. Platforms have emerged to connect companies with fractional leaders, often matching operators with a track record in their specific niche. Need someone who’s taken a SaaS company from £1m to £10m ARR? There’s likely a fractional CRO for that. Preparing for a Series A raise and need a rock-solid CFO to shore up your financials? They’re available - just not full-time. The old executive search model - months of recruiting and six-figure salaries - is giving way to speed, precision, and flexibility.

Culturally, there’s a shift happening as well. Where once career prestige came from climbing a linear ladder, today’s professionals are redefining what it means to “make it.” A LinkedIn headline like “Fractional COO | Advisor | Operator” carries weight. It signals expertise, flexibility, and - perhaps most importantly - demand. These aren’t executives between jobs. They’re choosing this path deliberately, because it offers something that full-time roles increasingly don’t: autonomy, variety, and control.

The post-pandemic professional landscape has accelerated this trend. Remote work normalised asynchronous collaboration. Layoffs reminded people that job security is often a mirage. Burnout made many reconsider what they were giving up in exchange for their salaries. In that context, fractional work doesn’t just offer more freedom - it offers a smarter way to play the game. You get to be in the room where decisions are made, but you don’t have to live in that room 60 hours a week.

It’s not a path for everyone. Early-career professionals still benefit from mentorship and structure. Some people crave the camaraderie (and comfort) of being embedded in one team. But for experienced operators with deep domain expertise, clear personal brand, and a strong network, fractional work offers unmatched leverage. It’s a career design model that turns your experience into a product - and then sells it across multiple channels.

This model mirrors trends in other industries. Just as SaaS unbundled traditional software, fractional roles are unbundling the executive suite. Companies no longer need the whole package - they just need the core features. Instead of hiring a full-time CMO, they rent one for the launch. Instead of onboarding a long-term COO, they bring one in for systems and scale. The result? Leaner teams, faster execution, and better access to top-tier talent.

Professionals, meanwhile, treat their time like a portfolio. Each engagement is an investment. Some offer predictable monthly returns. Others might fail. But a few - those tied to high-growth companies or structured with equity - could deliver windfall outcomes. It’s a more entrepreneurial mindset, even if you’re not the founder. You're not locked into one outcome; you're betting on many.

The flexibility extends beyond work. Many fractional professionals carve out time for writing, angel investing, passion projects, or just life. They work in seasons - heavy in Q1, lighter in summer. They take calls from ski lodges or beach cafés. And yet, their reputations grow. Why? Because when they show up, it’s with impact. They don’t need to sit in every meeting. They just need to move the needle.

My former colleague now splits her time between a climate startup, a fintech platform, and a B2B SaaS business. She’s taken August off. She’s got equity in two of the three. And she’s built a career that operates on her terms: part executive, part strategist, part free agent. The companies she works with think they’re lucky to have her - and they are.

“Fractional” might sound like a slice of something smaller. But for a growing number of professionals, it’s the biggest move of all.