When a fractional COO fits, and when an operations studio does.
A fractional COO is a part time executive who runs operations, manages your team and sets priorities from the inside. An operations studio builds and documents the systems underneath: automation, marketing infrastructure and security. Some businesses need one. Some need both.
The two roles overlap less than they sound like they do.
A fractional COO is accountable for the business running well: the team, the priorities, the tradeoffs nobody else wants to make. That is a leadership role, and it needs someone with the standing to make a call and have it stick.
An operations studio does not lead your team. It builds the systems your team works inside: the automation, the marketing pipeline, the dashboards, the security basics. A good COO often decides that work needs doing. A studio is who does it.
Fractional COO or Satsuma.
General terms, not a quote. Every engagement is scoped to the business.
| Category | Fractional COO | Satsuma |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A part time executive who sets priorities, runs meetings and manages your team. | A team that builds and documents the systems your operations run on. |
| Who does the work | Directs your existing team and hires. Does not usually build the tools. | Builds automations, dashboards and marketing systems directly, inside tools you already pay for. |
| How it is priced | A retainer for ongoing part time hours, agreed month to month. | A fixed fee for the review, then a fixed scope for each build. Monthly after that if you keep us on. |
| Time to first result | Depends what the business needs. Often a quarter before real change shows. | A two week review, then a build usually 4 to 10 weeks. |
| What you own at the end | Better run operations and a team that reports to someone. The judgment leaves with them. | Every account and every automation, documented, whether or not you keep working with us. |
| Best for | A business that needs leadership, hiring decisions and someone accountable for the team. | A business whose systems and marketing need rebuilding, not its org chart. |
When you need both.
Start with a two-week review.
Fixed price. At the end, you get a ranked plan: what to fix first, what it saves you, and what it protects.
Prefer email? Write to hello@satsumahq.com
A 30, 45 or 60 minute call on Google Meet. You pick the time.