HIRING: A Fractional Future

The world of business is changing. It’s adapting to the new environment that was inevitable post-COVID. The world is turbulent which drives a short-term mentality.

The old way of hiring are changing to fit these needs. People and therefore culture is more important than ever. Getting it wrong can be expensive. Or worse still, terminal. Brewdog utilised fractional support and James Watt captures this perfectly.

“Hiring someone on £60,000 can cost your business well over £160,000 in their first year. I’ve made over ten thousand hires across BrewDog and the other businesses I’m involved in. Some of them were game-changers.

Whilst others were very expensive lessons. And I see this mistake all the time, especially with growing companies. But hiring someone isn’t just a salary investment. It’s a minefield of hidden expenses that almost every company ignores. 

Here’s what it really looks like:”

— James Watt

💥 £60,000 – Base salary

💥 £8,250 – National Insurance

💥 £5,000 – Pension

💥 £600 – Healthcare

💥 £2,000 – Extra HR resource needed

💥

 £3,000 – Tech, tools, kit

💥

 £2,500 – Onboarding

💥 £15,000 – External recruiter (if used)

💥 £20,000 – Internal Recruitment Costs

💥 £3,000 – Travel/expenses

💥 £20,000 – Time until they’re effective

💥 £15,000 – Manager time

💥 £5,000 – Office & overheads

💥 £2,500 – Training

💥 £2,000 – Perks
Total: £163,850”

What does this mean in practice?

Fractional working cuts out 95% of the overheads you'd face with a full-time hire. It gives you the flexibility to pivot and brings you senior-level experience that would typically sit far beyond your salary band. Someone who's been there, done it, and learned the hard lessons already.

Yes, there's a clear cost saving versus a full-time role.

But in marketing, experience is also cost-efficient.

Fractional talent has made the mistakes, paid for them elsewhere, and now brings that insight to you. Alongside that, they bring a network of contacts and proven practices that deliver value in the short and long term.

A recent example:

I supported a client planning a major product launch for Q4 2024.

One element of the project was quoted at £55k. After reviewing the brief, the pitch, and the deliverables, we reshaped the scope, brought in freelance expertise, and delivered a higher-quality output for £32k. That’s a £23k saving — and better work.

If you're looking for impact without the overhead, and experience that delivers from day one, I’d love to chat.