1–2 Days / Week
Fractional CPO
Embedded product leadership one to two days per week, accountable to outcomes rather than deliverables. Roadmapping, prioritization, stakeholder alignment, team coaching, and AI strategy from someone who has done this before. Most engagements run three to six months.
Book a CallThe Problem
“You have people who can build. What you are missing is someone at the intersection of product strategy, business outcomes, and engineering reality.”
Is this you?
This engagement fits if
What You Get
Deliverables
Product Strategy and Roadmap
Deciding what to build and why, tied to your actual growth targets. Every item on the roadmap earns its place by connecting to a business outcome, not to what the loudest customers asked for.
Prioritization and Sprint Alignment
Making sure engineering always knows the highest-leverage thing to ship next. Eliminating the ambiguity that causes teams to slow down, re-estimate, and re-scope at the worst possible times.
Stakeholder Communication
Translating product decisions for your board, investors, and sales team so everyone is aligned and the engineering team can stay focused on building.
Team Structure and Hiring
Building the product function you will need at your next stage. Whether that means your first PM hire or structuring a team of five, the org design decisions made now compound fast.
User Research and Discovery
Staying close to real users so strategy does not drift from what the market actually wants. The best roadmaps are grounded in evidence, not intuition alone.
After We're Done
Expected Outcomes
- 91% patient booking conversion rate from LLM-powered clinical workflows built on existing EHR infrastructure
- 75% reduction in manual data processing after redesigning a product and its underlying operational workflow
- 60,000+ daily active users on a mobile consumer product with 150% month-over-month engagement growth during the growth phase
- Billing cycle compressed from 30 days to 9 after restructuring the product operating model around real-time data capture
- A product operating rhythm the team keeps using after the engagement ends
How It Runs
The process
- 01
Month 1: Orientation
Into the meetings, the customer conversations, and the numbers. Attending weekly leadership or product team meetings plus async availability for decisions between sessions. Listening before reorganizing anything.
- 02
Months 2–3: Operating rhythm
Roadmap and prioritization basis established, measurement model agreed, and the cadence of product decisions made explicit. Monthly strategy check-ins tied to business metrics, not just delivery velocity.
- 03
Ongoing: Execution and coaching
Running the product function week to week while developing your PMs, with the explicit goal of the team needing less outside support over time rather than more.
- 04
Wind-down: Handoff
As your full-time team matures or a permanent hire lands, a deliberate transfer of context. The product operating rhythm, templates, and decision frameworks stay in place.
Where You Are
Commonly a fit at these stages
Each stage page covers the situation in more detail, including what changes and which engagements tend to fit.
Related Reading
All posts
Fractional PM vs. Full-Time PM vs. No PM: What It Actually Costs Your Startup (In Dollars and Momentum)
Compare the true cost of fractional, full-time, and no product leadership for startups. Make a clear-eyed decision for your stage and budget.
From Napkin Sketch to Launch Day: How to Get the Most Out of an End-to-End Product Partner
Learn how to engage an end-to-end product partner like Free Range Solutions at every stage, from raw idea to shipped product, without wasting time or money.
How to Hand Off the PM Role From Founder to Fractional (Without Losing Momentum)
Learn how to transition product ownership from founder to fractional PM using a 3-phase handoff framework that keeps your roadmap moving.
FAQ
Common questions
How is a fractional CPO different from a product consultant?
+
A consultant diagnoses and recommends. A fractional CPO is accountable to execution: attending your sprint reviews, making prioritization calls, communicating with your board, and showing up week over week until the product is moving in the right direction.
What stage of company is this right for?
+
Pre-seed through Series B. The sweet spot is seed-stage companies that are shipping but do not yet have senior product leadership, and Series A companies that need someone to build a scalable product operating model before the next round. At Series B and beyond, the engagement often transitions to building and mentoring an internal product team.
How long does a fractional CPO engagement typically last?
+
Most engagements run three to six months with a monthly renewal option. Some clients extend for a year or more as they scale through multiple product stages. A minimum of three months is required to move from diagnosis to visible outcomes.
Do you work with teams outside Ohio?
+
Yes. Free Range Solutions works with founders and product teams across the US. Many clients are fully distributed teams. For companies based in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, or anywhere else in Ohio, in-person strategy sessions are also available.
What industries does this work for?
+
Andrew's deepest experience is in health tech (clinical AI, EHR integrations, HIPAA-compliant workflows), B2B SaaS, and AI-native consumer products. He has also worked in genomics, enterprise data, and sports technology. The common thread is products where data, operations, and user behavior all have to align for the business to work.
More on how engagements are scoped, priced, and run on the full FAQ.
Also Consider
Related engagements
8-Week Engagement
Product Strategy Sprint
A focused eight weeks that ends in a prioritized twelve-month roadmap your team can execute.
Learn moreMonthly, A Few Hours
Product Advisor Retainer
A few hours a month of senior product input on a standing cadence, without a hire or a long contract.
Learn moreAudit + 6–12 Month Roadmap
AI & Workflow Modernization Audit
A structured read on what AI can genuinely do in your context, and a phased plan your engineers can build.
Learn moreReady to get started?
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll talk through your situation and confirm whether this engagement is the right fit.