When a CEO Confirms It: Hiding a Fractional Executive Is the Mistake
When a CEO Confirms It: Hiding a Fractional Executive Is the Mistake

In last week’s CEO Masterclass, I laid out the common reasons why fractional executive engagements go sideways. Then one of the CEOs in the room did something that made the lesson land harder than any slide could: he squarely confirmed it.

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Best Practice, Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Leadership, Organization, RecruitingHenning SchwinumVendux LLCMasterclass, ceo, mistakes, CEO, fractional, HR, Executive
Three Siblings, Shifting Alliances: How Time Turned Rivalry into Enduring Partnership
Three Siblings, Shifting Alliances: How Time Turned Rivalry into Enduring Partnership

Today, I am deeply fond of them. We live on different continents, see each other only once or twice a year, and yet every meeting seems to strengthen our bond. It feels stable, intentional, and enduring.

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Organization, Motivation, COVIDHenning SchwinumVendux LLCsiblings, sister, alliances, partnership
AI and the Fractional Executive: A New Operating Model
AI and the Fractional Executive: A New Operating Model

Fractional executives have always sold one thing above all: pattern recognition compressed into fewer hours. Artificial intelligence is now rewriting what those hours look like — for GTM leaders (fCMOs, fCROs), fCFOs, fCOOs, and fCTOs alike.

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Change, Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Leadership, OrganizationHenning SchwinumVendux LLCAI, artificial intelligence, Artificial intelligence, operations, fractional, executive, CRO, CMO, CTO, COO, CFO
Why Sports Technology Companies Keep Cycling Through Sales Leaders. And The Fix.
Why Sports Technology Companies Keep Cycling Through Sales Leaders. And The Fix.

The problem isn't product complexity. It isn't market conservatism. And it isn't price; sports technology is full of non-negotiable procurement decisions made at prices nobody expected the buyer to accept. The problem is translation.

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Leadership, Sales, SkillsPaul ClarkeVendux LLCTechnology, technology, sports, sportstech
Am I Doing Too Many Things at Once?
Am I Doing Too Many Things at Once?

Someone asked me recently — with genuine curiosity and perhaps a touch of concern — how I manage to keep all the plates spinning. They rattled off my activities one by one. By the time they finished, even I had to pause.

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Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, MotivationHenning SchwinumVendux LLCtoomuch, founder, management
Fire in the Cold: What a Winter Hike Taught Me About Motivation and Leadership
Fire in the Cold: What a Winter Hike Taught Me About Motivation and Leadership

This one begins on a cold January Sunday, somewhere far enough from home to feel like an expedition, with frozen ground under our feet and one simple promise that kept us moving: there would be a fire, and we would grill sausages.

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Motivation, Leadership, Organization, TeamHenning SchwinumVendux LLChike, winter, fire, sausage
Who Actually Hires Fractional Executives? A Look at Ownership Patterns
Who Actually Hires Fractional Executives? A Look at Ownership Patterns

Most fractional engagements cluster around a surprisingly consistent set of ownership structures. In our experience placing fractional sales leaders and other CXOs, three types of organizations account for the vast majority of demand.

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Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Organization, Recruiting, TeamHenning SchwinumVendux LLCfamily, vc, private equity, ownership, fractional, executives
The Graveyard in the Attic: How My Broken Gadgets Became a Blueprint for Resilient Leadership
The Graveyard in the Attic: How My Broken Gadgets Became a Blueprint for Resilient Leadership

Some people have photo albums that tell the story of their childhood. I had a wooden chest full of broken electronics—my personal monument to experimentation, triumph, and the occasional small explosion. Oddly enough, that chest has shaped how I lead a business far more than any textbook ever has.

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LeadershipHenning SchwinumVendux LLCsuccess, sustainability, humility, broken
Why Founders Often Go Through Several Sales Teams Before They Get It Right — and How Fractional Leadership Can Change the Equation
Why Founders Often Go Through Several Sales Teams Before They Get It Right — and How Fractional Leadership Can Change the Equation

In the early life of a startup, few challenges are as misunderstood—and as costly—as building the first sales engine. Founders often assume that hiring a few salespeople will automatically translate into predictable revenue.

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Start-up, Sales, Leadership, Interim and Fractional, Fractional Sales LeaderHenning SchwinumVendux LLCstartup, wrong, salesteam, pmf
Niche Positioning in Action: Examples Across Fractional CXO Roles
Niche Positioning in Action: Examples Across Fractional CXO Roles

If fractional specialization is the engine that drives demand, niche positioning is the fuel. But what does a strong niche look like in practice?

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Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and FractionalHenning SchwinumVendux LLCniche, niches, fractional, specialization, CXO