What this project is and where it comes from

We are a team of seven seasoned executives from different disciplines, each a veteran in our area and with a long history of nurturing both startups and established companies. We’ve seen a lot, made our mistakes, and learned the hard way what makes companies successful.

The use of fractional executives is a rising trend in the business world. The world knows that the best leadership teams involve a mix of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Since the pandemic it has dawned on many that leadership teams don’t necessarily need to involve a full roster of permanent onsite executives. Many companies are finding tremendous benefit in shorter-term and/or part-time leaders to augment or expand the contributions of full-timers, often serving remotely or on a hybrid basis. This can be especially wise for fast-moving startups or established companies going through changes. It’s a way to incorporate high levels of experience without high levels of cost.

We call it “experience hacking.”

In 2023 we assembled a cross-functional team of CXOs to contribute to the fractional movement. We are CFOs, CTOs, CPOs, CDOs, COOs, CROs, and CMOs, each with our own clients and fractional practice, and more than 100 years of collective experience. We wanted to find ways to spotlight the opportunities of fractionalism, work through the challenges, and compare notes on best practices that work in the real world.

We’re also passionate about cross-functionalism, having learned the hard way that siloed thinking and bad team dynamics are a critical handicap to business performance. The ExperienceHack is therefore also an effort to put our money where our mouths are: we approach every project we undertake with a team-based approach, believing that the results will always be better than anything we could do on our own.

As a group, we share a goal in expanding the awareness and appreciation for the role fractional leadership can play in the business world. We envision a day – not so far from now – when the option of including fractional executives on a leadership team is something that every business considers as logical and advantageous as we do.

ExperienceHack and the projects we’ll undertake are still a work in progress. We know we’ll be creating and highlighting content related to our mission, whether that’s in the form of blog posts, videos, events, or books (including our first major project Don’t Raise Money). We also know we want to expand the community to include all those who share – or are curious about – our vision.

If that applies to you, please join us. Welcome aboard!