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Inio Brands
Fractional COO

A fractional COO for founder-led consumer brands.

A fractional COO is a senior operations leader who joins your team part-time and owns the outcome. Not a consultant with a deck. We run the operations, fulfillment, and systems that let a small consumer brand scale without breaking.

The Role

What a fractional COO owns.

We take ownership of the operational engine of your brand, the machinery behind every order. That means the systems, the vendors, and the day-to-day execution that decide whether growth is a good problem or a breaking point.

Shopify & tech stack 3PL & fulfillment Order management Inventory & demand planning Supply chain Vendor management AI tooling & automation Hiring & org design
Signals

When founder-led brands bring one in.

(01)

Ops are breaking

Orders, inventory, and 3PL headaches are eating the week. What worked at your last revenue level is cracking at this one.

(02)

Founder in the weeds

You're the one chasing tracking numbers and copackers instead of building the brand and the roadmap.

(03)

Not ready for full-time

You need senior operational leadership, but a full-time COO salary doesn't fit the stage or the P&L yet.

(04)

Scaling a channel

Retail, wholesale, or a new SKU line is coming and the operation has to be ready before the volume shows up.

How We Work

Embedded, not advisory.

(01)

Discovery

A look at the numbers and the business as it actually runs, and a clear read on what's blocking the next stage.

(02)

Strategy

A short, sharp plan you can actually run: priorities ordered, owners named, and the busywork dropped from the list.

(03)

Execution

We do the work, leveraged with AI and automation so a small crew moves like a big one.

(04)

Handoff

Documented, trained, running without us. The point isn't to be needed forever. It's to leave it better than we found it.

Selected Work

Operations we've owned.

Stacks of vibrantly printed custom packaging

Built three channels under one roof (DTC, retail, and trade manufacturing) from zero into 8,000+ doors including Walmart, Office Depot, and Staples. Eleven years running every function.

Custom packaging, 8,000 doors

CEO2008-2019
Dewey Crush canned cocktails on a beach

Owned GTM, co-packer selection, distributor strategy, retail rollout, and the brand systems built to survive a crowded shelf. Four years in the deep end of alcohol.

RTD cocktails, retail rollout

Fractional COO / CMO / CFO2021-2025
Boomstick Sports Gum canisters

C-store on one side, DTC on the other. Running digital, retail, ops, and supply chain across both.

Sports gum, two channels

Fractional COO2026-Present
Fractional COO FAQ

Questions, answered honestly.

Straight answers on how a fractional COO engagement works. Something more specific? Get in touch.

What does a fractional COO do for a consumer brand?
A fractional COO owns your operational engine part-time: the Shopify stack, 3PL and fulfillment, order management, inventory and demand planning, supply chain, vendor relationships, and the systems and AI tooling that let a small team run like a big one.
How is a fractional COO different from an operations consultant?
A consultant hands you a plan; a fractional COO executes it. We embed inside your team, make operational decisions, manage vendors and hires, and own the outcome against the same numbers you report to your board.
When should a founder-led brand hire a fractional COO?
Usually post-revenue and pre-Series A, when operations start breaking as you scale and the founder is stuck in the weeds of fulfillment and vendors instead of building the brand. A fractional COO gives you senior operational leadership without a full-time executive salary.
How much does a fractional COO cost?
Less than a full-time COO and scoped to the work. We engage per project (defined scope, fixed window) or as an ongoing quarterly partnership. The right structure depends on what needs to move; we scope it honestly on a discovery call.

Need an operator in the building?

No pitch, no hard press. Worst case, you walk away with our read on your operation. Consider it free counsel.

Let's Talk