PE firms in the lower-middle market consistently use a Fractional COO across four distinct scenarios. Each requires a different emphasis — but the same underlying capability: an operator who has built and run things at scale.
You've closed the deal. Now the investment thesis requires the business to scale — more volume, new geographies, higher operational throughput. The current systems and team weren't built for that.
What I do: Build repeatable systems, implement new technology, optimize supply chains and order-to-cash cycles. Create the operational infrastructure the investment thesis actually needs.
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Post-Acquisition Integration
The first 100 days post-close determine the trajectory of the entire holding period. Most companies aren't ready for the governance, reporting, and operating discipline PE ownership requires from day one.
What I do: Standardize operations immediately post-close. Build board-ready reporting. Establish operating cadence. Manage the transition from founder-led to institutionally-governed within the quarter.
12–18 months before a planned exit, every operational gap becomes a valuation discount. Buyers pay more for businesses with clean operations, documented processes, and systems that don't depend on key people.
What I do: Clean up operations, institutionalize gains, document processes, and build the operational story that commands a premium multiple. Make the business look — and actually be — buyer-ready.
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Turnaround & Crisis Management
A portco is underperforming. Margins are compressing, execution is breaking, and leadership is overwhelmed. You need someone who can step in fast, diagnose accurately, and stabilize without disrupting the entire organization.
What I do: Rapid operational diagnostic in the first 30 days. Identify the highest-leverage stabilization moves. Restore execution discipline and reporting clarity before the situation becomes a write-down.
