A fractional COO provides strategic leadership and operational oversight 10–20 hours per week. Ironback provides an AI execution layer that handles the high-volume, repetitive operational work a COO would otherwise delegate. These aren't competing solutions — they're complementary — but if you can only afford one, the question is whether your bottleneck is strategy or execution.
Trade businesses whose primary bottleneck is operational execution — calls aren't getting answered, estimates aren't going out fast enough, follow-ups are falling through the cracks — and the owner knows what needs to happen but can't get it done consistently.
Companies whose primary bottleneck is strategic direction — the owner doesn't know what to fix first, needs help restructuring the organization, or requires an experienced executive to lead a team through a major transition.
Third-party figures are planning estimates based on public pricing and market benchmarks, not vendor quotes. Verify current pricing and scope before making a purchasing decision.
Flat $8,000/month retainer ($96K/year), 3-month minimum, month-to-month after.
Fractional COO: $150–$350/hour × 40–80 hours/month = $6,000–$28,000/month. Typical engagement: $8,000–$15,000/month = $96,000–$180,000/year. Some require 6–12 month commitments.
Ironback is $96,000 for twelve months at the current flat retainer. Fractional COO pricing depends on hours, responsibilities, and market. If using both, request separate scopes so strategic leadership and implementation work are not double-counted.
If you know what's broken and need it fixed, start with Ironback. If you're not sure what's broken and need someone to diagnose the business, start with a fractional COO. Most trade businesses in the $1M–$20M range know their problems — they just can't execute the solutions. That's Ironback's sweet spot.
Ideal combination. Your fractional COO sets strategy and priorities. Ironback's AI partner handles execution — automating the operational tasks your COO would otherwise need to hire people to perform. The COO gets leverage without adding headcount.
Absolutely — for things that require human judgment, relationships, and strategic thinking. But most trade businesses spend 70% of their operational time on repeatable execution tasks, not strategic decisions. Paying COO rates for someone to oversee scheduling and follow-up is like hiring a general contractor to hang drywall.
These specialty trades see the biggest impact from choosing the right AI operations approach.
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Ironback is a dedicated AI operations partner for service businesses doing $1M–$20M. Flat $8,000/month, 3-month minimum. We find where AI unlocks value, build it, and run it. Start with the free Operations Scorecard. It recommends the first workflow to investigate in about a minute.
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