Which Lever to Pull: A Simple Decision Framework for Fractional vs Full-Time vs Consultant vs Agency

A founder once asked me, over a long lunch, whether she should hire a fractional CRO, hire a full-time VP of Sales, retain a sales consultant on a project basis, or sign with the agency her board had been recommending.

Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Organization, RecruitingHenning SchwinumAugust 23, 2026Vendux LLCfull-time, consulting, fractiona, decision

Building Yourself Out of the Job: The Fractional Exit Nobody Plans

That is not how most fractional engagements end. A more common pattern is the slow fade — fewer meetings, more autonomy for the team, a renewal conversation that drifts past its date, and eventually a polite email about wrapping up.

Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Organization, RecruitingHenning SchwinumAugust 21, 2026Vendux LLCexit, fractional, executive, engagement

After the Close: Designing the Handoff That Turns Acquisition Into Loyalty

There's a moment in every deal that almost no one designs. The contract is signed, the sales team rings the bell, and the customer — who has just spent real money on a promise — is quietly passed to whoever happens to handle “onboarding.” That handoff is where loyalty is won or lost, and most companies treat it as an afterthought.

Best Practice, Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Organization, SalesHenning SchwinumAugust 14, 2026Vendux LLCCXO, Experience, handoff

The Ownership Structure Problem - PE-backed and Venture-backed

Private equity firms have stopped debating whether fractional executives belong in their portfolio companies. It is standard practice now. Venture-backed founders, by contrast, still treat the same decision as a step down.

Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Start-up, TeamManuel SalcedoAugust 9, 2026Vendux LLCvc, pe, private equity, venture capital, fractional, executive

Is AI Making Us Dumber?

AI engine are, without exaggeration, one of the most remarkable tools I have worked with in my career. But I am concerned that AI is making us dumber.

Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, SkillsHenning SchwinumAugust 1, 2026Vendux LLCai, artificial intelligence, learning

Show Your Work: How to Prove the ROI of a Fractional Engagement

He liked working with the executive. His team liked working with her. The pipeline had grown. The conversion rate had improved. The forecast was more honest than it had been when she started. What was on the page was a monthly retainer that. He asked, politely, what he was paying for.

Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and FractionalHenning SchwinumJuly 25, 2026Vendux LLCROI, fractional

Tiered Pricing and the Trap of Quoting a Range

The principle is simple: when you sell less time, you charge a higher rate per hour. When a client commits to more time, the per-hour rate goes down, but the total compensation goes up.

Best Practice, Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Organization, Sales, SkillsHenning SchwinumJuly 15, 2026Vendux LLCpricing, quote, range, tier

Why Discounting Will Cost You More Than the Discount

Every sales rep who has ever worked with me will quote you one of my favorite sayings: “do not discount.” I mean it. Discounting feels generous in the moment, and as consumers we love it. As sellers, we should be very careful with it.

Best Practice, Fractional Sales Leader, Interim and Fractional, Sales, SkillsHenning SchwinumJuly 5, 2026Vendux LLCpricing, discounting

Fractional CXO vs. CRO vs. CCO: Who Owns What in the Revenue Lifecycle

Every few weeks a founder or owner asks me some version of the same question: “Do I need a CRO, a CCO, or a CXO — and what's the actual difference?” It's a fair question. The titles have multiplied faster than anyone's ability to keep them straight, and hiring the wrong one is an expensive way to find out you misread the problem.

Sales, Organization, Interim and Fractional, Fractional Sales LeaderHenning SchwinumJune 14, 2026Vendux LLCCXO, CRO, CCO, Hiring, retention, churn

When Cash Isn't the Whole Story: Equity and Alternative Comp in Fractional Work (1)

A founder once slid a term sheet across a coffee table and asked, with the practiced casualness of someone who had done this many times, whether I would consider taking part of my fee in equity. He named a percentage. He named a valuation. He did the math out loud.

Recruiting, Motivation, Interim and Fractional, Fractional Sales LeaderHenning SchwinumJune 9, 2026Vendux LLCcompensation, equity, cash, startup

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