From 'Help!' to 'How Can I Help?' — My Playbook for Fractional Networking

When I decided to go contract / fractional, I had no idea where to start. I asked friends what they were doing, read a stack of articles, and cobbled together my own playbook.

1. Flip the script from "Help!" to "How can I help?" I've always offered to help, but it wasn't my default move. I used to insist on getting paid for everything—or get cranky when I wasn't. The root problem? I didn't really care about most of those tasks. Now I volunteer only when I genuinely want to, with zero expectation of anything in return. I've built apps, spun up websites, and made introductions simply because I could—and because it felt good.

2. Build connections, not contacts Skip the "networking for networking's sake" scene. Look for meetups or Slack groups where people show up to collaborate, brainstorm, and lift each other up. If everyone is introducing themselves with "I'm Matt, I do this one thing, what can you do for me?"—bounce. Rooms filled with curiosity beat rooms filled with quotas every time.

3. Stop showing off The hard sell doesn't stick. We're all trained to forget ads—whether digital or standing right in front of us. I rarely remember anyone who pitched me; I always remember the people I had a real conversation with.

4. Stay curious Fractional gigs drop you into wildly different problems. I stay sharp by taking courses, jumping into webinars, and playing with new tools—then sharing what worked (and what flopped). A quick "Here's what I tried, here's what I learned" post saves someone else the experiment and sparks better ideas all around.

5. Be a real human Corporate life loves a mask: be a robot, but smile exactly on cue. Forget that. Show up as yourself. Laugh, ask questions, offer help, follow through, and—when you need a hand—ask. Authenticity attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones. Win-win.

6. Say thank you Circle back to the folks who opened a door, taught you something, or simply said a kind word. A thoughtful thank-you goes a long way—and it feels great on both ends.

*Image note: I asked ChatGPT to make an image for this post, the image attached is what it gave me. It's so damn cheesy, I kind of hate it and it makes me feel weird at the same time, so it's perfect.*