Fractional Leadership. Consulting. Coaching. Choosing the right support as your business grows

Laia Sastre
14 minutes ago
3 min read

Growth is exciting. It can also be messy.

As businesses scale, complexity increases:

More people
More decisions
More moving parts
More pressure on leadership

Many founders reach a point where doing more themselves is no longer the answer — but hiring full-time senior leaders still feels like a big (and sometimes risky) leap.

At this stage, the real challenge isn’t finding help.

It’s understanding what kind of help the business actually needs.

Before the solution, get clear on the problem

In a market full of consultants, coaches, and fractional leaders, it’s easy to jump straight to a model without first pausing to ask:

Where are we really stuck?
What’s creating the most pressure right now?
Is the issue clarity, capability, capacity — or leadership?

Different problems need different types of support. And choosing the wrong one can leave founders feeling frustrated, disappointed, or like they’re still carrying too much.

Fractional Leadership. Consulting. Coaching

Fractional leadership is a flexible model where an experienced senior leader joins your business part-time, with real responsibility and accountability.

Unlike traditional consulting, fractional leaders don’t just advise — they execute.

They sit inside the business, lead teams, build systems, and create operational clarity.

In simple terms:

You get senior leadership without the full-time cost
Support scales as your business grows
Decisions turn into action

But fractional leadership isn’t always the first or only answer — and that’s where understanding the wider landscape matters.

Fractional Leadership, consulting or coaching — How they interlink

At a recent meetup with fellow fractional leaders, we spent time discussing how our work overlaps with consulting and coaching. It stuck with me, because like many people in this space, I do a bit of everything by integrating within my fractional work a little bit of consulting and coaching. And I think it is important that businesses choose support fully understanding the differences.

As more senior leaders step away from permanent roles and into independent work, founders are presented with more choice than ever. That’s a good thing — if you know what you’re looking for.

Here’s how I explain the three models to founders.

Consulting

Consulting is ideal when you need direction:

You need an expert perspective
You want clarity on what’s not working
You’re facing a strategic decision or inflection point

Consultants typically:

Diagnose problems
Provide strategy and recommendations
Offer insight based on experience and expertise

If the question you’re asking is “What should we do?” — consulting is often the right place to start.

Coaching

Coaching focuses on the person leading the business.

It’s particularly powerful when:

Decision-making feels heavy or stuck
Confidence or clarity is wavering
The founder or leader needs space to think

Coaches:

Ask the right questions
Challenge limiting beliefs
Support sustainable leadership growth

If the question is “How do I show up better as a leader?” — coaching can be transformative.

Fractional Leadership

Fractional leadership comes into its own when the issue isn’t knowing what to do — it’s having the capacity to do it.

Fractional leaders:

Implement strategy
Lead teams and own outcomes
Build systems and structure inside the business

If your challenge sounds like:

“We know what needs to change, but it’s not happening”
“Everything still comes back to me”
“Our team needs more structure and direction”

…then fractional leadership may be the missing piece.

Fractional leadership bridges the gap between knowing and doing.

It’s not about the model — It’s about the need

What is that you need right now?

The most effective setups often combine different types of support:

Consulting for clarity and direction
Coaching for leadership growth
Fractional leadership for execution and operational ownership

When used intentionally, these models don’t compete — they complement each other. This is how I see fractional leadership, consulting and coaching could go hand by hand:

Senior expertise without the full-time cost
Someone who owns operations (in my case), not just advises
A right hand to share ideas and consult with who frees up your headspace so you can lead
When paired with coaching (for you) and consulting (for direction), it’s a powerful combo: The business grows — and you grow with it.

Needing support usually means your business has grown — and the way you’ve been operating no longer fits. Before choosing who to bring in, take the time to understand: