Question 1

What is a fractional COO?

Accepted Answer

A fractional COO is a part-time Chief Operating Officer who takes ownership of a company's operations function without being a full-time hire. Engagements typically run 8–20 hours per week for 3–9 months, with full accountability for ops outcomes and a trained internal owner at handover.

Question 2

When do founders hire a fractional COO?

Accepted Answer

Most commonly between $500K and $10M ARR, when the founder is the operational bottleneck but the company cannot yet justify a full-time C-level hire. Triggers include team growth past 15–20 people, multiple product lines, geographic expansion, or preparing for a fundraise.

Question 3

What does Valentina Pshenichnaya specialize in?

Accepted Answer

Operations leadership for SaaS, EdTech, and e-commerce companies. Specializations include process design and SOPs, AI/BI implementation (ChatGPT, Claude, n8n, Metabase, Looker), team building, and releasing founders from day-to-day operations.

Question 4

What languages and regions does Valentina work in?

Accepted Answer

English and Russian. Based in Cyprus, working internationally with founders in EU, UK, US, MENA, and CIS.

Question 5

How does a typical engagement start?

Accepted Answer

Free 30-minute intro call to confirm fit, then either a 4-week operational diagnostic (audit + roadmap) or a direct fractional engagement, depending on how well-scoped the brief is.

Valwheat Operations — Business Operations Practice