Fractional Growth Partner
Most owner-managed businesses reach a point where they need senior commercial experience but not a permanent commercial director. I work alongside you on a retained basis, acting as your senior growth partner: building pipeline, developing partnerships and driving commercial momentum without the overhead of a full-time hire.
There is a gap in the market for growing businesses that sits between "founder does all the BD" and "we can justify a full-time commercial director." Most businesses stay in that gap for too long, losing momentum and opportunity while the conditions for a hire mature.
The cost of that gap is rarely made explicit. It shows up as pipeline that never gets built, opportunities that drift without follow-through, pitches that underperform, and commercial relationships that plateau because no one is actively managing them.
A fractional engagement closes the gap. You get the commercial judgment, pipeline discipline and senior presence of an experienced growth director at a fraction of the cost, deployed where it creates the most value, and scalable as the business grows.
Every engagement is led personally by Matthew Steiner. Not delegated, not managed at a distance. The work is hands-on, senior throughout, and focused on results rather than reports. This is what that looks like in practice.
Commercial clarity
I start by understanding the business properly: where you are commercially, what the pipeline actually looks like, which opportunities are real, which relationships matter most, and what is getting in the way of growth. Most businesses have more to work with than they realise.
Active pipeline management
I lead the commercial function, not just advise on it. That means qualifying opportunities, leading or supporting pitches, developing proposals, maintaining momentum on relationships that need senior attention, and ensuring nothing of value drifts.
Strategic partnerships
Drawing on over 20 years of relationship-led commercial work, I identify and develop the partnerships that create recurring opportunity. Not introductions that happen once, but structured relationships that generate a consistent commercial flow.
Engagements run on a retained monthly basis with a defined scope. Typically two to four days per month. No long-term lock-in. No unnecessary overhead.
Built pipeline
A structured, qualified pipeline built from first principles with clear stages, values and timelines. No more guessing what is in the funnel or when it might close.
Senior commercial judgment
Experience-led decision-making on which opportunities to pursue, how to price and position, when to walk away, and where to concentrate effort for maximum return.
Commercial partnerships
Strategic partnerships identified, structured and activated. Referral pathways built and maintained. A commercial network that generates opportunity consistently rather than occasionally.
Measurable results
Commercial output tracked and reported from day one. Pipeline value, meetings generated, pitches led, partnerships formed. The return on the engagement is visible throughout, not just at the end.
Digital presence where it matters
Where it strengthens your commercial position, I can ensure your digital presence reflects the quality of your business. That means a site that performs in search, reads well to AI systems, and gives the right first impression to every prospective client who looks you up.
A Fractional Growth Director is an experienced senior commercial leader who works with a business on a part-time retained or project basis, rather than as a full-time employee. They perform the strategic and operational BD functions of a commercial director at a fraction of the cost, typically deployed two to four days per month depending on the scope of the engagement.
A sales consultant typically focuses on a specific campaign or channel. A Fractional Growth Director takes responsibility for the commercial function more broadly: pipeline strategy, opportunity development, commercial partnerships, pitch leadership and senior relationship management. The engagement is strategic and ongoing rather than tactical and campaign-based.
The Fractional Growth Director engagement is most valuable for SMEs and owner-managed businesses that have proven their model and are actively growing, but are not yet at the stage where a full-time senior commercial hire is justified. Typically businesses with between five and fifty people and revenue between £500k and £5m.
Unlike a new hire, a fractional engagement produces commercial output from the first month. There is no onboarding curve. The starting point is a clear view of the existing pipeline, the most immediately available opportunities, and where effort will generate the highest return.
Retained engagements are priced based on scope and time commitment, typically between one and four days per month. The benchmark comparison is the cost of a full-time senior commercial hire: fully loaded, typically £120,000 to £160,000 per year before recruitment fees. A fractional engagement delivers the same calibre of commercial judgment at a fraction of that cost.
Yes, and this is a common outcome. A fractional engagement often provides the pipeline validation and commercial proof points that justify a permanent hire. In many cases the fractional director plays a role in defining the hire profile and supporting the transition.
The starting point is a direct conversation about your commercial position, what the pipeline looks like now, and where the most immediate opportunities sit.
Start the conversation