What is Fractional Sales Leadership?

Fractional Sales Leadership is when a company brings in an experienced sales executive — part-time — to build or stabilize their sales team before hiring full-time leadership.

We act as the VP of Sales for startups or growing companies that either:

• haven’t hired one yet,

• aren’t ready for one,

• or hired one too early and it didn’t work out.

We build the playbook, set up the team structure, install the right processes, and get sales moving — so that when it’s time to hire a full-time VP, they’re walking into a machine, not a mess.

Why Early-Stage Companies Should Consider Fractional

In early-stage companies with little or no sales infrastructure, the common scenario is that whoever is doing the selling is simply doing what they think works. It’s tribal, not transferable. When that person leaves, they often take the relationships, processes, and playbook with them — leaving the company scrambling to recover. The business must own the sales system, not the rep.

On top of that, many founders delay building a formal sales organization, choosing instead to invest in product or operations with the idea that “we’ll get to sales when we have to.” But when the time finally comes to scale, they’re forced to go back and build the foundation under pressure — wasting time and money while competitors pull ahead.

As fractional sales leaders, we solve this problem by designing scalable sales infrastructure from the start. We build the processes, systems, and team structure that make revenue generation a company-owned function — not a gamble on individual talent.

Why Growth-Stage Companies Should Consider Fractional

If you’re in the midst of scaling but it feels like you’re pushing a boulder uphill, you’re not alone — and you’re not broken. It likely means your sales infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with your growth. Missing structure, undefined processes, and patchwork systems are common culprits.

If you don’t pause to course-correct, the consequences compound quickly:

• Sales rep turnover increases as reps lose confidence and feel unsupported

• Sales managers underperform due to lack of clarity and direction

• Revenue plateaus despite increased activity

• Selling expenses rise as productivity drops

Fractional sales leadership steps in to stabilize the chaos. We assess what’s missing, install the right systems, and align the team around clear, repeatable execution — so you can scale with confidence instead of friction.

What is the Investment?

At Dark Horse Strategic, everything we build is custom — no proprietary templates, no forced-fit playbooks. We start with your reality: your product, your team, your market, and your goals. Then we engineer the right structure to support sustainable growth.

Founders are often surprised by how accessible we are. This isn’t an agency model or a six-figure executive hire. We operate lean and fast — delivering strategic sales leadership, hands-on system design, and team development at a fraction of the cost of a full-time VP.

We’re not here to bill you forever. We’re here to build something that lasts — and hand it off when it’s ready to run without us.

What are the Risks?

We don’t believe in locking clients into long-term contracts they can’t walk away from. That’s not how we operate.

Instead, we break the work into clearly defined sprints — each scoped, executed, and billed independently. If at any point you want to pause, shift direction, or step away entirely, you can. No hassle. No hard feelings.

We earn every next phase — one sprint at a time.

What are your Qualifications?

Kevin Brown, Founder & Principal Consultant, has spent 20 years building and leading B2B sales teams — from direct selling as a frontline rep to serving as a VP of Sales overseeing a 75+ sales team and $55M+ in revenue. Along the way, he’s led scale-ups, realignments, and rebuilds in different markets and industries.

He’s not a theorist. He’s lived the reality of what it takes to build high-performing sales teams in the field — and he’s done it without the luxury of perfect conditions.

At his last company, he was responsible for scaling a $40M business toward $100M. He rebuilt the sales org: hiring, onboarding, designing compensation plans, building KPIs, enhancing Salesforce, and driving team performance — all while navigating the real-world resistance that comes with rapid change.

What he brings to founders and executives now is that same hands-on experience — but distilled into the essential systems, structure, and leadership needed to scale without chaos.

This isn’t academic. It’s operator-level execution designed for early and growth-stage companies that need a proven hand on the wheel — not another “advisor.”

What are the Next Steps?

1. Discovery Call

   We start with a quick call to make sure there’s a real fit — for both of us. No pitch, no pressure. Just a conversation to understand your situation and see if we can help.

2. Deep-Dive Session

   If there’s alignment, we schedule a more in-depth virtual or in-person session. We’ll dig into where you are, what your growth goals look like, and where the gaps may be in your current sales structure.

3. Formal Proposal

   From there, we build a tailored proposal that includes a defined scope of work, phased approach, and transparent cost structure — so you know exactly what to expect.