Standards and quality
Governance policies, operating standards, clear ownership, consistent processes and practical quality control.
Fractional COO for growing businesses
Experienced COO leadership. Fractional commitment.
Fractional COO leadership for consulting firms, SaaS and gaming companies, startups and SMEs preparing to grow, raise capital or scale after investment.
Let’s talkSlovakia · Central Europe
Refined / Operating model
01—03
Leadership in practice
01
DirectionPriorities & planning
02
OperationsPeople & processes
03
ExecutionOwnership & follow-through
Fractional COOSlovakia · Central Europe
Who we are
What is a Fractional COO?
A Fractional COO is an experienced operations leader who works with a business on a part-time or clearly defined basis, bringing COO-level experience without adding a full-time executive role.
Refined SK focuses on small and medium-sized businesses that need stronger governance, operating standards and quality control, but want to keep the leadership structure and cost base lean. We work with the CEO and founder to connect business priorities with day-to-day execution.
Across sectorsConsultingSaaSGamingStartupsSMEsGrowth businesses
Actively advised clients
Fractional COO scope
Operational leadership, from governance to growth.
Responsibilities are agreed with the CEO and founder and shaped around the company’s operational priorities.
Finance and targets
Coordination across accounting and finance, implementation of budgets and targets, and management reporting routines.
Systems and resources
ERP and CRM, vendor management, internal resource planning, capacity planning and the tools that support delivery.
Capital readiness and scale-up
Operational preparation for capital raising and due diligence, followed by governance and execution support after investment.
The Fractional COO adds operational leadership and board-level input where agreed. The role complements the CEO and existing executives; it does not replace them.
When it helps
Is your business ready for a Fractional COO?
Fractional COO support can be useful when the business has outgrown informal ways of working but a full-time COO is not yet the right step.
The founder is the bottleneck
Too many decisions, escalations or everyday problems still depend on one person.
Growth is stretching operations
Teams, customers or complexity are growing faster than the company’s processes.
Plans are not turning into action
Priorities are known, but ownership, coordination or consistent follow-through is missing.
A major change needs an owner
The business needs experienced operational leadership through a transition or key initiative.
Our approach
A Fractional COO, integrated with your priorities.
Responsibilities and decision rights are closely agreed with the CEO and founder. The Fractional COO can contribute at board level while adding operational leadership alongside, not in place of, existing executives.
Understand the context
We learn about your goals, how the business works and what is holding back its next step.
Agree on priorities
Together, we identify where operational leadership can make the greatest difference.
Move things forward
We work alongside leaders and teams to deliver the changes you have agreed on.
Operator’s perspective
Built from experience inside a growing business.
Igor Skibickij is Chief Operating Officer at BONARD. He joined the company as a part-time assistant and grew into a senior operational leadership role. In 2014, he established BONARD’s Asian office in China, managing its operations and APAC client base through 2018. Today, he oversees strategic initiatives and serves on the company’s executive board.
His international experience is complemented by a Managerial Finance certificate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Mandarin studies at Tianjin University, where he passed the HSK 4 Chinese proficiency exam. Through Refined SK, Igor brings hands-on operating experience to founders and CEOs navigating governance, capital readiness and sustainable scale-up.
Common questions
Fractional COO, clearly explained.
A few useful answers before we speak.
How is a Fractional COO different from a consultant?
A consultant often focuses on analysis and recommendations. A Fractional COO brings ongoing operational leadership and works with the team to support execution. The exact role and decision-making scope are agreed for each engagement.
What can a Fractional COO take responsibility for?
The scope can include governance, operating standards and quality control; accounting and finance coordination; budgets and targets; ERP and CRM; vendor management; resource and capacity planning; and implementation of management systems and processes.
Can you support a capital raise and due diligence?
Yes. The Fractional COO can help coordinate operational readiness, governance, documentation and cross-team inputs before and during due diligence, then support execution and scale-up after investment. Financial, legal and investment advice remain with the relevant qualified advisers.
Does a Fractional COO replace the CEO or existing executives?
No. The role is agreed closely with the CEO and founder, adds operational leadership and may include board-level participation where agreed. It complements the existing executive team rather than replacing it.
What engagement options are available?
Refined offers fixed-term engagements with a minimum 12-month term, or a monthly subscription with a minimum initial three-month period. Scope and pricing are tailored to each client and provided on request.
A first step