Podcast Guest: Finding Fulfillment in Fractional Roles with Jen Hamilton

Jen Hamilton was a featured guest on an episode of the Secret Ops Podcast. Host Ariana Cofone talks with founder, Jen Hamilton, about the rise of Fractional executive roles in operations, and how mentorship and community are transforming the way Fractional COOs lead and support small businesses.

What if the key to transforming your business isn’t working harder, but thinking differently about how you lead?

In today’s fast-moving world, operations are no longer just back-office tasks. They are the heartbeat of sustainable growth, and for small business owners who feel trapped in the weeds, a Fractional COO might be the lifeline they didn’t know they needed. 

In this blog, Jen Hamilton shares her personal journey into fractional leadership, the growing demand for strategic ops minds, and how embracing this path can radically change your business—and your life.

1. COVID Unlocked the Seat at the Table for Operations

Before 2020, few saw operations as mission-critical. But chaos exposed the cracks, and businesses realized their "glue" was missing—or burned out.

“It proved that we are the glue in an important way, and that our roles matter... See what happened—or didn’t happen—that’s based on your operations.”

Audit your last big client mishap. Was it marketing? Sales? Or an ops breakdown? Trace it back and map what better infrastructure could have prevented it.

2. The Real Power of Fractional COOs? Purpose-Driven Impact

Fractional roles allow high-level talent to do meaningful work with small businesses that need them most—without the full-time cost.

“To be able to move these levers strategically for small businesses allows us to feel like we're making a greater dent in the world.”

If you’re a founder, ask yourself: Are you looking for doers or decision-makers? Hire accordingly. A Fractional COO is the latter.

3. Operators Aren’t Born, They Evolve

Most COOs didn’t start in operations—they came from finance, tech, or producing products or services. The thread? A hunger to connect systems, people, and purpose.

“I combined the systems and the human side... and that really is what operations is.”

Look at your team’s backgrounds. Who has a hidden ops mind? Who sees the dominoes before they fall? 

Start developing them now.

4. Founders Need Operators. But Operators Also Need Each Other.

Operators often find themselves solving problems solo. That isolation stifles innovation and support—which is why our community, Fractional COO Collective matter.

“Just to have this safe, supportive environment where we could truly be able to make that difference through small businesses.”

Join a community of peers—even if it’s just one monthly call. Founders shouldn’t lead alone, and neither should COOs.

5. Even Operators Need to Let Go

Being both founder and operator is a trap. Your ops brain might build perfect processes, but if you’re not attracting clients, what good are they?

“I was overly operating myself... I realized if I don’t get clients, all these processes are great, but who’s going to use them?”

If you’re a Fractional COO-founder, consider hiring your own ops support. Yes, really. Strategic detachment is where your growth begins.

Let’s Make This Personal

• Are you the glue holding everything together?
• Are you giving away time, energy, and vision just to survive the day-to-day?
• What would it feel like to wake up knowing your business is running without you—and for you?

If you’re operating in survival mode, you’re not alone. But you don’t have to stay there.

Next Steps

1. Identify one operational breakdown that cost you time, money, or reputation last quarter.
2. Write down the one role or decision you need help delegating.
3. Explore communities of peers.
4. Shift from being the "fixer" to the strategist by tracking where your energy goes.

Fractional COOs aren’t a trend. They’re a response to a broken system that expects founders to do it all. Whether you’re a small business owner drowning in the day-to-day or a Fractional COO seeking greater impact, the path forward is clear:

You weren’t meant to carry it alone.

Book a Quick-Solve Session today and let’s identify the one operational shift that will change everything.

Let’s build your business around freedom, not firefighting.