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Fractional Chief of Staff

For founders who need
execution leverage.

I work with founders and leadership teams to bring structure to priorities, drive cross-functional execution, and keep important work moving without the founder carrying every thread themselves.

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Embedded part-time. Trusted like an operator. Measured by what ships.

Kevin Mercado
Experience & Approach

Built for founders who
need more than advice.

The role works best when there is too much at stake for strategy alone and too much complexity for the founder to keep holding everything together personally. I step in where priorities need structure, decisions need follow-through, and important work needs real ownership across teams.

My background spans strategy, operations, communications, hiring, and cross-functional execution. That means I do not just help companies think more clearly. I help them move more clearly.

I work with founders across different industries and stages. The common thread is not a company type — it is a specific problem: execution is the constraint, and the founder is carrying more of it than they should be.

What active ownership actually looks like
Real work. Real accountability. Not a report.
Running the operating cadence — weekly leadership syncs, priority reviews, and decision forums so the company stops losing a week every time something shifts.
Owning cross-functional projects — holding accountability across teams so important work does not stall because it belongs to everyone and no one.
Sharpening communications — investor updates, board materials, internal messaging, and external positioning written to land clearly with the people who matter.
Supporting hiring and team build — coordinating recruiting, structuring roles, and helping founders make faster, better decisions under pressure.
What I Do

The work founders usually end up
carrying themselves.

01
Priority and decision structure
I help leadership clarify what matters now, sequence decisions, and create operating rhythm so the company stops losing speed to ambiguity.
02
Cross-functional execution
I take ownership of the projects that cut across teams so important work keeps moving without the founder needing to sit in every conversation.
03
Ops, hiring, and communication
I support the systems, hiring efforts, and key communications that help a company scale with more clarity, less friction, and better follow-through.
Who This Is For

A strong fit
if you're here.

You have too many important threads resting on the founder.
Work is slowing down between teams, priorities, or decisions.
You need more structure and follow-through at the leadership level.
You want a true operating partner, not just outside advice.
You are not ready — or do not yet need — a full-time Chief of Staff.
On fit
There is no single profile. The founders I work with come from different industries, company types, and stages of growth. What they share is a specific constraint: the company is moving, but execution is the bottleneck — and the founder is carrying more of it than they should be.

If that is the problem, the background and business model rarely change whether there is a fit.
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Engagement Options

Choose the level of
support you need.

Every engagement is scoped around the company's priorities, pace, and stage.

Advisory
For founders who need a sharp thought partner and occasional support without a fully embedded operator.
$2,500 / month
Starting point — always custom scoped
  • Two 90-minute sessions per month
  • Async Slack access between sessions
  • Document and communications review
  • Priority question turnaround
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Most Common
Embedded Chief of Staff
For companies that need an active right hand inside the business — owning cross-functional work, driving execution, and keeping priorities on track.
$6,500 / month
Starting point — always custom scoped
  • Approximately two days per week embedded
  • Weekly leadership syncs
  • Cross-functional project ownership
  • Async comms and Slack integration
  • Monthly scope and priority review
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Full Engagement
For inflection points, heavier operating needs, or periods of intense execution that require more bandwidth and deeper integration.
Custom
Scoped to your specific need and timeline
  • Three to four days per week embedded
  • Full project and operations ownership
  • Board and investor support
  • Direct team integration
  • Comms strategy and execution
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How It Works

What working together
actually looks like.

This is not advisory in disguise. I embed into the business, get context quickly, and take ownership of the work most likely to unblock progress.

01
We start with a call
We talk through where things are getting stuck — what is slowing down, what is falling between teams, and where the founder is carrying work that should not be on their plate.
02
I identify the highest-leverage areas
Based on what I learn, I determine where ownership, structure, or execution support will have the most immediate impact — not from a generic playbook, but from where your company actually is.
03
I embed into the team
I integrate into your cadence, communication flow, and priority stack. I am in the room — or in the thread — as an operator, not an outside observer sending weekly summaries.
04
We adjust as the business evolves
We review progress regularly and adjust scope around what the business actually needs. The engagement is built to move with you, not stay fixed at the starting point.
FAQ

Common questions.

Fractional means embedded part-time — typically two to four days per week, depending on the engagement level — but operating as a genuine member of the leadership team, not an outside contractor. You get someone who understands your context deeply, is present in your meetings and communication channels, and is accountable for real work getting done. It is not advisory. It is operational.
Consultants deliver a recommendation and move on. I own the work. There is no report that completes the engagement — there is a result the business needs, and I stay accountable for it until it is done. The difference matters because execution problems are almost never solved by better analysis. They are solved by someone who takes real ownership, follows through across teams, and treats outcomes as their responsibility.
Fit is less about stage and more about the problem. If the founder is carrying too much, important work is stalling between functions, or the company is growing faster than its operating structure can support — those are the signals. I have worked with companies at different stages, in different industries, with technical and non-technical leadership teams. The engagement adapts to where you actually are.
No. My current engagement is at a technical company, but the work — priorities, cross-functional execution, communications, hiring support, operating rhythm — translates across industries and leadership types. The founder does not need to be technical, and neither does the business. What matters is that execution is the real constraint and that embedded operational ownership is what the company needs.
Typically two to three weeks after a signed agreement. I run a focused onboarding conversation before we begin so we are not burning the first week getting oriented. By the first real working session, I should already have enough context to move on the things that matter most.
Ready to talk?

You do not need to keep carrying
the operating load alone.

If the company is growing faster than your capacity to coordinate it, let's talk. One conversation is usually enough to tell whether this is the right fit.

Book a Call → See Engagement Options