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Why Work With a Fractional People Executive & Operator

AI-generated photo Most startups don't think about People strategy until something breaks. A hire doesn't work out. A manager has no idea how to manage. Comp decisions get made without any real framework behind them. That's not a failure on the founder's part. It's what happens when growth outpaces the systems meant to support it. This is usually the point where founders start asking about fractional. (New to the model? Start with What Fractional HR Is (and What It Isn't).) W

Sholeh Esmaili-Montoya

Sep 113 min read

What Fractional HR Is (and What It Isn't)

"Fractional" is everywhere on LinkedIn right now. Most founders have heard the word. Far fewer know what they'd actually get from a fractional leader, or how that differs from hiring a consultant for a project. That gap costs money. Choose the wrong model and one of two things happens. You overpay for help you don't need yet. Or you get a polished deliverable with no one around to make it stick. Here's how I define it. I've spent two decades building People and Talent functio

Sholeh Esmaili-Montoya

Aug 26, 20254 min read

People Debt: The Cracks You Can't Outgrow

You can't outgrow the cracks in your people strategy. They grow with you. AI-generated image growing crack Startups move fast. The people side usually doesn't. In the rush to build product, land customers, and raise the next round, the people work gets pushed to "later." That includes: How you hire How you lead How you communicate How you support your team Most early teams don't ignore this on purpose. They just assume, "We'll figure it out when we get there." That delay crea

Sholeh Esmaili-Montoya

Jun 23, 20252 min read