Since I launched FOAF nearly a year ago, I’ve received all kinds of feedback – praise, skepticism, constructive and non-constructive criticism, offers to help, and so much more.

But I never received a message like the one that arrived in my LinkedIn inbox this week, and it’s one I must respond to.

The context: I got a LinkedIn connection request from someone whose name I know well – someone who’s a leader in the fractional executive world.

I quickly accepted and sent a personal response praising their work with a detailed note, saying that they are well respected by many members of my communities, including FOAF.

Here’s what they said, after a few brief pleasantries:

“FOAF has come up a few times…Many of us feel it actually hurts the fractional movement since it belittles what we do and bring to the table.”

That’s one hell of an introduction.

And I respect it. I thanked them for their candor.

“I appreciate your candor,” I said.

Let’s break this down though, shall we?

“FOAF has come up a few times…”

Okay, that made my day.

If I felt like maybe I wasn’t marketing FOAF enough, this is the best validation that our message is getting out in some of the right circles.

So, thanks for that. You made a founder and marketer’s dream come true.

“Many of us”

Manna, manna, manna! Let it rain, baby. I’m here for all of it.

I have no clue who the “us” is, mind you. But there are many!

“feel”

And more importantly, the masses (is that a stretch?) FEEL something.

I don’t know if the number one rule of marketing is “don’t be boring,” but it’s up there.

“it actually hurts”

My initial note to them was all “Love, Actually,” but the sequel is “Hurts, Actually,” and that doesn’t sound like a box office draw.

I went through five stages of something seeing that h-word.

And it doesn’t just hurt, but it actually hurts?

After my note about the candor, I told my new connection, “It’s meant to be a way of creating more opportunities for fractional execs – or even execs who don’t see themselves as fractional talent.”

This expands the pie, not contracts it.

More on that shortly.

“the fractional movement”

Let’s get into two big reasons why there’s such a movement, if it even is a movement.

One is that the corporate world largely doesn’t see itself as having any obligations toward its workers.

There are plenty of exceptions among firms of all sizes, but the rule for most is to prioritize profitability at all costs.

In turn, a lot of people moved away from wanting corporate jobs. They’ve shifted toward fractional work, whether it’s to pursue economic freedom, work-life balance, a greater variety of assignments, or all kinds of things that sound way better on paper than they usually are for most who go this route.

I still wouldn’t call the fractional approach a “movement.”

Most of us fractional folks are trying to do what we’ve always done: get paid, do honest work, work with people we respect, and not burn ourselves down to ashes.

Does that make FOAF or I part of a movement?

On one hand, I hope not.

On the other, if it means we get to wear silly hats or learn secret handshakes, I might be able to get behind it.

“since it belittles what we do”

Belittles, eh?

There are two reasons I can think of for this.

One is the FOAF tone. Look at our site or marketing materials, and you’ll see we don’t check our personality at the door.

Some of it comes from the name itself. When I stumbled on the concept and discovered the acronym that went with it, “FOAF” was brimming with personality. Saying it aloud (rhyming with “loaf”) just sounds goofy.

Try it. Say it aloud. Loud enough that you startle your pets. Or a nearby squirrel.

We have five values at FOAF, and the last but not least one is “fun.”

Here is how we describe it:

“Fun: We love what you do, and what we do. We apply our expertise to exciting projects and match CXO executives who want to work with you, not have to work with you.”

That’s the FOAFing dream, ain’t it?

But then there’s the other part of “belittling,” which I felt was the reason the fractional masses seem aghast at our feather-ruffling.

I think it’s because we dare say this on our site and elsewhere:

“You don’t need a fractional CXO. You need a Fraction of a Fraction… or a FOAF. And you’ve come to the right FOAFing place.”

I’ll be honest: there’s some slight of hand in my phrasing.

That’s because no one really knows what “fractional” means. What kind of fraction are we talking about? 1/3? 1/2?

4/5 is a fraction. 1/1 is a fraction. 2/1 is a fraction. 500/1 is a fraction – and it means you’re probably overpaying your agency.

My hypothesis is that most people equate “fractional” with “part-time.”

“Part-time,” I’d imagine, is somewhere between 1/5 and 4/5 of someone’s time. I’d wager most think it’s somewhere between 1/5 and 1/2.

For the companies I was working with before and since my last full-time role, that was more than many companies needed, and it would cost more than they could afford.

What these clients needed was an advisor who could also roll up their sleeves and get stuff done.

But in the more limited window where the exec is getting stuff done, that exec is bringing their 10 or 20 or 50 years of experience, so they can get their client further along.

That buys time until the client has the needs and budget to fill their leadership and skills gaps.

This is why we’re not “belittling” but rather “elevating.”

We’re increasing the pool of who can tap into this fractional, ahem, movement.

And we’re increasing the supply of execs who might consider themselves buying the silly fractional hat.

By the time someone gets to FOAF.pro, it’s true, they probably don’t need a fractional CXO in the way most people think about it.

But if someone comes to us needing a part-time hire or even an agency recommendation, am I going to talk them out of it?

Hell no! I’ll open my rolodex.

Try me. I’ll give you a recommendation for whatever you need.

Need a carpenter in Monmouth County, NJ? I’ve got one!

What about an acting coach? I know one of the all-time greats.

Name it.

“what we do and bring to the table.”

You thought I was never going to get there, right?

I think it’s a big table.

But I think there are a lot of boring folks at the table.

And I don’t want to do anything boring.

So if our brand’s a little feistier than others, and we like talking about our favorite four-letter F-words, and we get a little brash about our offering, we don’t need to apologize for that.

If that means we’re not invited to the table, we’ll eat in the car, going 88MPH.

Where we’re going, we don’t need FOAFing roads.

David

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WHAT TO WATCH & READ:
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Recent content shared by Serial Marketers and friends:

• Test Yourself: Which Faces Were Made by A.I.? by Stuart A. Thompson

• How to use ChatGPT for market research | Zapier by Althea Storm

• Why AI Is This Year’s Ad Industry Buzzword (Again) – Infillion by Caroline McCarthy 

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EVENTS
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UPCOMING SERIAL MARKETERS EVENTS:
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GENERATIVE AI FOR MARKETING SUMMIT 2023
February 27-28 2024, London UK
“The Generative AI for Marketing Summit 2024 is set to take place on February 27th-28th, 2024, at a venue to be confirmed in London. This pioneering event marks a significant milestone as the first gathering of strategic marketing leaders, creatives, and technology enthusiasts to explore the transformative power of Generative AI. Generative AI has ignited unprecedented levels of excitement and curiosity within the marketing and creative industries. Its potential to revolutionize marketing workflows is undeniable, and this summit aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Generative AI can shape the future of marketing.”
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STAYING HUMAN IN THE AGE OF AI
February 28, New York
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10TH ANNUAL LDV VISION SUMMIT
March 21, 2024, Virtual
“LDV Capital’s Annual LDV Vision Summit is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! Throughout 9 previous summits, this premier gathering in visual tech and AI has welcomed over 300 speakers – deep tech researchers, founders and investors – to explore cutting-edge computer vision, machine learning and AI solutions that will improve the world we live in! This year’s LDV Vision Summit promises to be especially captivating with speakers from Sequoia Capital, Princeton University, Meta, Synthesia (the #1 platform for AI video valued at $1B), Snap, Future Ventures, the University of California, Nobias Therapeutics, Breakout Ventures, and DCVC Bio, among others.”
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GLOBAL AI SHOW
April 16-17, Grand Hyatt Dubai
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CONVERSATIONAL AI INNOVATION SUMMIT
May 9-10, San Francisco
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Also, check out the AI Marketers Guild job board. For other job resources for marketing jobs, see a long and regularly updated list here.

LINQ
Vice President of Revenue Operations
Remote
“The VP Of Revenue Operations has/is: -Proven player-coach revenue operations leader with 8+ years of B2B Enterprise SaaS experience and 5+ years people management. Ideally has collaborated with a team of 20+ reps, is familiar with FSR & ISR motions, and has reported directly to CRO or COO in the past. -Industry Experience: B2B Enterprise SaaS (company revenue greater than $100M), ideally PE or venture-backed. -Experience leading territory planning, quota allocation models, delivering reporting requests, creating compensation plans, and onboarding; preparation of board presentations and monthly operating reviews; heavy interaction with PE partner stakeholders..Location: Remote (EST/CT only) – Target Atlanta, Philadelphia and Austin.”
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CONFIDENTIAL B2B CLIMATETECH COMPANY
Marketing Leader
United States (On-site)
“The Marketing Leader has: -10+ years of experience in marketing B2B SaaS products, and experience in the Renewables or Environmental Services industries. -Marketing channel expertise and working knowledge of the following: SEO, email, social, content, display, events. -Built and managed a team with excellence. -Location: Austin, TX preferred (open to relocation and remote with frequent travel possible)”
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TROVEC SERVICE
Digital Marketing Manager
United States only
“If you live and breathe digital marketing, we want to talk to you. We are looking for a Digital Marketing Manager to develop, implement, track and optimize our digital marketing campaigns across all digital channels. You should have a strong grasp of current marketing tools and strategies and be able to lead integrated digital marketing campaigns from concept to execution. Digital marketing managers will work with the marketing team, supporting teams (such as programmers), and vendors to launch campaigns on time and on budget. Responsibilities: 1. Plan and execute all digital marketing, including SEO/SEM, marketing database, email, social media and display advertising campaigns. 2. Design, build and maintain our social media presence. 3. Measure and report performance of all digital marketing campaigns, and assess against goals (ROI and KPIs)…”
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G2
Chief Marketing Officer
United States
“G2 is the world’s leading B2B software and services review platform. The Chief Marketing Officer has 15+ years experience at market leading B2B software businesses ideally leading marketing in driving growth across segments including enterprise. Has experienced material financial transaction in either an IPO, acquisition, reporting to a public company board or PE Has owned marketing in a $60 to $200-300M+ environment. Managing large teams from 50 to 200, with ability to scale as needed…”
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