Podcast Guest: Fractionals Unplugged Show - The Insider's Story On The Fractional COO Collective

Jen Hamilton was a featured guest on the Fractionals Unplugged podcast.

Hosted by Jay Kingley of Maven, the episode dives into Jen’s journey as founder of the Fractional COO Collective and explores why business development—not operations—is the hardest (and most important) skill Fractional COOs need to learn. Jen shares candid insights about the challenges, fears, and breakthroughs fractional executives face as they step out of the corporate world and into entrepreneurship.

Let’s be honest: no one becomes a Fractional COO because they love business development.

But here’s the thing most Fractional COOs learn the hard way: if you can’t consistently get clients, your expertise won’t save you.

In this episode of Fractionals Unplugged, Jen Hamilton shares what she’s learned leading nearly 500 operations professionals through the emotional and tactical rollercoaster of building a fractional practice—and why community is the most overlooked growth strategy out there.

1. Business Development Isn’t Optional—It’s Survival

Most operators are wired to serve, not sell. But without a steady flow of the right clients, even the most skilled Fractional COOs will burn out or give up.

“You don’t have a business if you don’t do business development. And you would never let your clients skip that part—so why do you?” 

Schedule a 1-hour CEO date with yourself weekly to review pipeline, outreach, and follow-up—just like you'd build a dashboard for a client.

2. You’re Not Bad at Sales—You’re Missing a System

Fractional COOs thrive with structure, process, and clarity. So why do so many approach business development with chaos?

“We apply systems, processes, templates, and data to everything—but we don't do it for ourselves when it comes to getting clients.”

Treat your lead generation like client ops. Build a repeatable system for outreach, conversations, and follow-ups.

3. Community Is a Business Development Strategy

Isolation is the enemy of momentum. Surrounding yourself with peers—people who understand the exact struggle—can dramatically shorten the learning curve.

“The real benefit is community. It’s having a place where you’re not alone—and where others are solving the exact problem you’re facing.”

Join a niche peer group (like our Fractional COO Collective) where the discussions are tailored to your unique business development and delivery challenges.

4. You Don’t Need to Do This Alone

Too many fractional leaders try to “muscle through” without support. But this is one of those problems where white-knuckling it won’t work.

“You figured out every other thing in a business. But this? This one’s too important to go solo. You need tools, mentorship, and partners.”

Make a list of people or platforms that could help you with lead gen. Reach out to them and test if they truly will help or if you need to move on.

Let’s Make This Personal

Ask yourself:

• What’s my current mindset around business development—avoidance or ownership?
• Am I trying to DIY something I’d never ask a client to handle without support?
• What kind of support would actually help me move forward right now?

You’re not alone in this. But the longer you act like you are, the harder it gets.

Next Steps

 Block time weekly to work on your pipeline like an ops problem—not a personal flaw.
Build or adopt a system to track and manage leads. Keep it simple.
 Plug into a niche community of Fractional COOs for accountability and shared insight.
Ask for help—from a peer, mentor, or expert—before you hit a wall.
Stop trying to “figure it out later.” Future You is already busy.

Being great at operations isn’t enough. If you want to build a thriving Fractional COO business, you have to master the other half: getting and keeping the right clients.

That’s one big reason the Fractional COO Collective exists—to make sure you’re never doing that work alone.

Want real support from people who get what you're building?
Join the Fractional COO Collective, for free, and get access to monthly roundtables, mentorship, and a community that won’t let you stay stuck.

Let’s stop white-knuckling this. Let’s grow—together.

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