Fractional
People Officer
Business Accelerator for revenue growth, lower turnover and a high-performance culture.
Four Reasons You Need an FPO,
even with good HR people
Most Founders don’t think they need an FPO—until they realize how much money, time, and stress they’re losing without one.
- Crisis Prevention (Avoiding Expensive Problems
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- “Most SMBs lose 6 figures per year to bad hiring, turnover, and compliance mistakes. Are you one of them?”
- “HR issues are like legal issues—by the time you feel the pain, it’s already costing you.”
- “80% of employment lawsuits happen in companies under 200 employees. Are you protected?”
2. Competitive Advantage (Win the Talent War)
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- “Your competitors are poaching your best people. Are you making it easy for them?”
- “The businesses that retain top talent win in every market. Do you have a retention strategy?”
- “Pay raises aren’t enough—your people want leadership, growth, and culture. Are you providing it?”
3. Revenue Impact (Turn HR into a Profit Center)
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- “Every great hire you keep = higher profits. Every bad hire you lose = wasted payroll.”
- “Low turnover = higher customer retention and team performance. That’s the compounding effect of great people leadership.”
- “Do you want a culture that prints money or one that quietly bleeds it?”
4. Founder Burnout (Buying Back Time & Sanity)
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- “Are you the HR department? What’s that costing your business?”
- “If you’re spending 10+ hours a week on people problems, you’re losing 40+ hours of CEO time per month.”
- “Your business can’t scale if you’re stuck in HR chaos.”
What is a FPO?
A fractional people officer (FPO) is a part-time or fractional executive who provides small businesses leadership and guidance on people-related matters:
- Create/manage the strategy and processes related to building and retaining an exceptional team of professionals
- Create/develop a well-defined company culture
- Advisor to the executive team that consistently keeps people in focus as part of the overall growth and strategy of the company
Daily, this can include hiring, firing, promoting, and training employees, creating a positive work environment, and resolving employee conflicts.
People problems are profit problems. Fix them.
Why Fractional?
Fractional CPOs are important for small businesses because we offer a number of benefits, including:
- Cost-effectiveness: Fractional is less expensive than hiring a full-time CPO. This is because we only work on a part-time basis, so you only pay for the hours we work. This is typically 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%
- Flexibility: Fractional CPOs can be hired on a short-term or long-term basis, so you can scale our services up or down as needed. This is helpful for small businesses that are growing or that need temporary assistance with people-related matters.
- Expertise: Fractional CPOs are typically experienced professionals with a deep understanding of people-related matters. In fact, you get the expertise of our entire Be Legendary team. This can be helpful as you do not have the internal resources to handle these tasks on your own.
Here are some of the specific benefits of hiring a fractional CPO for a small business:
- Increased efficiency: A fractional CPO can help you to streamline your HR processes and improve your overall efficiency.
- Reduced risk: A fractional CPO can help you to avoid making costly mistakes in the areas of hiring, firing, and promotion.
- Improved morale: A fractional CPO can help you to create a positive work environment and improve employee morale.
- Enhanced productivity: A fractional CPO can help you to increase employee productivity by providing them with the training and development they need.
- Attraction and retention of top talent: A fractional CPO can help you to attract and retain top talent by creating a positive work environment and providing employees with the opportunities they need to grow and develop
You don’t need an HR person—you need a people strategy that scales.
How does it work?
Pick Your Focus as a Starting Point
Cultivate
To create a high-performing organization, it is important to establish and/or deepen the beliefs and values of the company. This will help to create a strong foundation for collaboration and creativity. When people share the same beliefs and values, they are more likely to work together effectively and come up with innovative solutions.
Additionally, it is important to build strong relationships between people. This can be done through team-building exercises, social events, and simply taking the time to get to know each other. When people feel connected to each other, they are more likely to be loyal to the company and go the extra mile when needed.
Optimize
To increase productivity without adding more time, we need to maximize the performance of individuals and teams within the organization. This can be done by providing them with the resources they need, setting clear goals, and creating a positive work environment. When people are happy and productive, they are more likely to go above and beyond their job descriptions.
Growth
Hiring, onboarding, and retaining new people are essential for any organization that wants to succeed. By focusing on these areas, we can reduce high-cost turnover and attract and retain high-quality employees who will love working for our company. These employees will be the internal change that helps us take our company to the next level.
Activate
To ensure that everyone is aligned with the organization’s high-level strategy and goals, connecting each person to these in their everyday activities is essential. This can be done through consistent communication, training, and development. By identifying and addressing areas where micro-learning is needed, we can ensure that everyone has the skills they need to be successful in their role. The net effect of this is a task-oriented, clear, and efficient workforce.