Our Founders

---

Having successfully led massive growth through multiple booms and bombs, DK and Melanna had mastered the art of scaling companies. They had seen the rise and fall of mega-funded Unicorns and the effects of the blank check at the next big FANG/MANGA endeavor. They also saw startups struggle under the pressure to grow -- often for the sake of growth -- and suffer the consequences of scaling inefficiently and unsustainably with diffuse direction. After spending a year restructuring the last startup he was part of to bring costs down by over 75% and rebuilding with a combination of fractional leadership, near-shore technical teams, and thoughtful outsourcing, DK realized that there was a better path for most startups and small businesses. One evening over a brainstorm session happy hour with Melanna...

Our company is founded on the premise that most early stage companies have a far greater chance of success by adopting a lean model and growing with sustainable, scalable teams, business processes, and tools. In the 2020's, Fractional leadership has grown in popularity as more and more CEOs discover that they gain far more benefit from multiple, part-time strategic advisors in each functional area rather than breaking the bank on one or two C-suite hires. However, most fractional executives are solopreneurs and while their expertise is incredibly valuable, company operators are still left with a gap on execution.

DK and Melanna asked themselves, "How can we help startups scale sustainably and build highly productive, lean teams?"  The answer is full stack fractional teams. Why stop at fractional executives?  Many small businesses and startups will spend months or even years of their journey in a stage where a full-time team spanning strategy and execution just isn't needed or feasible. They set out to build a company that could fill this gap by providing fractional executive talent supported with mid-level team leadership (i.e. fractional directors+) and tactical subject matter experts who would relentlessly execute. After a combined 50 years of experience buliding teams, they discovered that many of their highly regarded past employees and colleagues had reached a place in their career where they were best suited to part-time work while they freed themselves up for other pursuits. Pulling together an all-star cast, many of whom shared experience in the trenches of companies like Amazon, Meta, and other major success stories, FractWorks was born.

Unlike typical outsourcing or consultancy, DK and Melanna strive to create fractional (part-time) teams that truly operate as a part of your company, under your leadership, working to realize your vision. We support you by providing day-to-day team management, executive advisory, and strategic guidance. Because most of our talent are individuals who would never be available for full-time work, your company gains the benefit of highly accomplished leaders and executors who have reached a level of success in their careers that allows them to work part-time and choose to engage with companies they are excited about and believe in.