Executive teams are quickly finding themselves drowning in all the ways to use AI. Too many tools, too many options, not enough clarity on what’s actually worth your time as a leader. We’re here to help fix that. Below you’ll find 30+ AI prompts for executive teams, organized by the areas where leaders spend most of their time. Copy them, …

There’s a conversation that comes up often in our team meetings here at Work Heartily. It usually starts with someone saying, “So I thought I was being brought in to fix X, but once I got inside, I realized the real problem was Y.” Every fractional executive on our team has a version of this story. And honestly? It’s one …

A Practical Guide from Nashville Fractional CMO, Kari Brown When I step into a company as a fractional CMO, I don’t start with social media. I don’t start with ads. I almost start with the website. Because your website tells me whether your marketing is aligned… or just active. If you want to evaluate your own website the way an …

Growth is exciting… until your brain refuses to shut off at 2:17 a.m. Most founder-led companies hit a point where success starts creating a new kind of pressure. Revenue is climbing. The team is growing. Opportunities are everywhere. But somehow, everything still runs through one person. Decisions pile up. Problems escalate. Leaders wait for direction. Slack never sleeps. And the …

One of the first questions we get before a fractional engagement starts is a smart one: “How many clients does a fractional executive typically take on at one time?” If you’re considering bringing on a fractional leader, you are looking for someone who can provide time, focus, and judgment. It’s completely reasonable to want reassurance that your business won’t be …

If you’re leading a growing company and finding yourself pulled into more decisions, more escalations, and more “quick check-ins” than ever before, it may not be a people problem or a motivation issue. It may be a structural one. So how do you know when your founder-led company has outgrown its current leadership structure?Below are the most common signs we …

(Seriously. Don’t Bring These Into 2026.) We spend a lot of time inside our clients’ businesses, sitting in leadership meetings, working alongside founders, and helping teams untangle things that feel way more complicated than they need to be. Here’s what we see often: Most companies aren’t struggling because they’re doing too little.They’re struggling because they’re carrying too much that no …

A Work Heartily perspective December tends to bring clarity. Not the loud, spreadsheet-heavy kind, but the quieter kind that shows up when things slow down just enough to reflect. We hear it all the time from founders this time of year: “We grew… but I’m not sure the way we’re running things will hold up much longer.” If you’re leading …

If you’re a founder or CEO heading into 2026, marketing probably feels louder and scarier than ever. Every week, it feels like there’s a new platform, a new AI tool, a new “must-do” tactic promising to fix growth, pipeline, or visibility overnight. And yet, many founder-led companies are still asking the same questions:Why does marketing feel so busy, but not …

A Practical New Year Reset for Founders & C-Suite Leaders The end of the year brings a different kind of pressure when you’re responsible for growth, payroll, team morale, and the vision ahead. Before January fills with meetings and momentum, there’s a small but powerful window to step back, zoom out, and reset, so the new year feels focused and …

When a company reaches the $5 to $10 million revenue mark, technology becomes a critical driver of growth. Systems either accelerate your momentum or create costly friction. We recently sat down with Work Heartily Fractional CIO Wayne Easterwood to answer the top questions founders ask when scaling technology the right way. This Q&A includes practical strategies for technology prioritization, digital …

Work Heartily | Thanksgiving Edition If you’ve been around Work Heartily for any amount of time, you know we’re big believers in pausing, reflecting, and celebrating the good. And as we head into Thanksgiving, we can’t help but think about how grateful we are, not just for the work we do, but for the people, partners, and places that make …

Work Heartily exists to take the weight off founder-led businesses. A big part of that is equipping you and your leadership team with tools and tech that make running your company smoother, smarter, and more scalable. If you’ve met with any of our executives lately, chances are you’ve gotten an earful about a new tool they’re obsessed with. We’re full-on …

Running a growing business can feel like juggling flaming torches, especially when every major decision still runs through you. If your team can’t move without your approval, your to-do list never ends, and you’re constantly reacting instead of leading, it might be time to re-evaluate how your business is built. Here’s how to know when you’ve reached the stage where …

A Q&A with Work Heartily’s Shane Sloan When a founder-led business starts to scale quickly, everything can feel urgent. Systems strain, roles blur, and the founder’s to-do list never ends. That’s where Shane Sloan, Fractional COO at Work Heartily, steps in. Shane specializes in helping growth-stage and founder-led companies bring operational clarity, strengthen processes and systems, and build the foundation …

By Jonathan Barnes, Founder of Work Heartily If you’re a founder, you know what it feels like to wear every hat… at once. Some days you’re fired up and full of ideas. Other days, even the simplest task feels like walking through mud. For me, that difference used to feel like a mystery until I discovered Working Genius. It changed …

Bringing in fractional leaders can be a game-changer for a company. But, we understand it’s also a big decision. Naturally, founders have a lot of questions about how it actually works. Here are our best answers to the most common questions we hear from founders who are considering fractional leadership for the first time. 1. What does the onboarding process …

Written by Jonathan Barnes / Founder & CEO at Work Heartily For over 20 years, I’ve been building teams. Some from the ground up. Some in seasons of uncertainty. Some that simply needed the right leadership and structure to take the next step.I didn’t start out planning to build a fractional executive firm. But the truth is, I came to …

We hear this a lot from founders around Nashville: “Why would we bring in someone from the outside to lead part of our company?” It’s a fair question. When you’ve built something from the ground up, trusting an outsider with any part of it can feel risky. But sometimes the clarity you’re looking for comes from someone who isn’t deep …