Most corporate veterans leaving a 30-year career assume consulting is their only independent income option. This episode examines a structurally different model that pays on a monthly retainer, embeds you as a part-time leadership team member, and does not require you to hunt for a new client every time a project ends.

A fractional CFO working 8 to 10 hours per week per client commonly earns $3,000 to $12,000 per month per engagement. Two clients at $5,000 each generates $120,000 annually on a roughly 20-hour week, according to rate data from Graphite Financial and CFO Hub (2024).

Note: Average rates can be from $150 to $350+ per hour.

You will leave this episode with a three-element positioning framework, a realistic client acquisition timeline based on whether your professional network is warm or cold, and a clear picture of when a placement firm makes financial sense versus when direct outreach produces better economics.

The decision this episode helps you make is whether fractional executive work fits your situation before you leave your salary, not after you already need the income.