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If you’ve been calling yourself a freelancer but it never quite felt right, there’s a good chance you’re actually doing something called fractional work — and there’s a real difference between the two.

I recently recorded an episode of the Optimization Toolbox Podcast with John Arms , who runs Voyager University and is one of the leading voices on fractional work in the country. We talked for almost an hour about what fractional work actually is, why it’s growing fast, and what it means for people building solo businesses right now.

Here’s what I took away.

What is fractional work?

Fractional work is permanent part-time. You work with a client on an ongoing basis — not as a full-time employee, not as a project-based consultant — but as their embedded expert for a set number of hours per week. Usually around 10 hours, sometimes across two or three clients at once.

The key word is permanent. Unlike freelancing, which tends to be project-to-project, fractional relationships are long-term. You’re not just completing a deliverable — you’re functioning as a part-time version of a role the company needs but can’t justify hiring full-time.

Common fractional roles include fractional CMO, fractional COO, fractional marketing director, and fractional operations lead.

Fractional vs. freelancing: what’s the difference?

This is the question I asked John right away because honestly the line felt blurry to me.

The short version: freelancing is episodic, fractional is stable.

Freelancers typically work on projects with a clear start and end. The work is done, you move on, you find the next client. It’s unpredictable by nature.

Fractional work is ongoing. You’re not selling a project — you’re selling your expertise applied consistently over time. Companies get a senior-level person without the full-time cost. You get stable, recurring income without the 40-hour week.

John describes it as fractional heaven vs. purgatory. Purgatory is the feast-or-famine cycle most freelancers know too well. Heaven is consistent clients, work in your zone of genius, and income that reflects your actual value.

Why fractional work is growing in 2026

A few things are driving this:

Companies are realizing they don’t need 40 hours of your expertise. They need your sharpest thinking applied consistently. A startup doesn’t need a full-time CMO — they need someone senior-level guiding their marketing strategy for 10 hours a week. That’s fractional.

The traditional job market is harder than ever for experienced professionals. John shared a stat that stopped me: only 24% of people over 50 who leave a job will find a new one at the same pay level. Fractional gives experienced professionals a direct path to monetize their expertise without competing in a difficult hiring market.

AI is accelerating the shift. As AI handles more tactical work, what companies actually need is senior-level thinking, judgment, and relationships — exactly what fractional professionals provide.

What this means if you’re a solopreneur

Here’s the practical takeaway for anyone running a solo business:

If you work with clients on an ongoing basis, apply your expertise in a specific area, and operate in a part-time capacity — you’re probably already doing fractional work. You just might not be packaging or pricing it that way.

The difference between freelancing and fractional often comes down to how you position yourself. Fractional professionals aren’t selling hours or deliverables — they’re selling a role. That shift in framing tends to lead to longer client relationships, more stable income, and higher rates.

John’s framework for building a fractional business starts with what he calls your inner nerd — your specific combination of fascinations, skills, and obsessions that make you the go-to person in your lane. The clearer you are on that, the easier it is to attract the right clients and charge what your expertise is worth.

The biggest barrier to going fractional

Spoiler: it’s not skills or experience. According to John, the two biggest barriers are:

* Health insurance — the lack of portable, affordable benefits keeps a lot of people tied to full-time employment even when they’d rather be independent. John is actively working on solutions in this space.

* Mindset — specifically, unlearning the idea that your value is measured in hours worked. That’s a hard reset for a lot of people, but John says it’s faster than most expect once you’re in the right environment.

Listen to the episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or above on Youtube or on this webpage

Want to build better systems for your solo business? Join me Wednesday 👇

If this resonated and you’re thinking about how to actually structure a solopreneur business that works with your brain — come to my workshop this Wednesday.

Notion + Claude for ADHD Brains 📅 Wednesday, May 13th · 12:00–1:00 PM CT · Zoom

We’re going hands-on with how to use Notion and Claude together as a practical system for running your business — task management, client work, content, all of it. Built specifically for ADHD and neurodivergent solopreneurs.

→ $10 general admission — grab your spot here

→ Free for paid Substack subscribers — promo code is just below the paywall. $5/month gets you into every workshop and office hour going forward.

The Optimization Toolbox by Jenna Redfield is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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See you Wednesday.

— Jenna

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