She tripled her income by leaving her 9 to 5 for fractional work

At the end of 2019, Rachael de Foe was burned out, so she took a leap into the faith that many dreamed of, but never did: she stopped her nine-to-five job without anything.

In recent years, the Singapore-Native had worked in Public Relations at various companies, from large agencies to smaller boutique companies.

“Every company was hunting what I like to call the 'Bureau Monster' … you have too many customers, so you need it [a bigger] team. You have too much team [members]So you need more customers. There is never a balance, “said the foe cnbc make it.” I had burned out more than once. “

One day she realized that she could not imagine in the shoes of her bosses. “That's just not the life I wanted. So then I decided to stop at the end of 2019,” she said.

Nowadays, the 31-year-old works as a fractional head of communication through her public relations and communication company, Redefy, that she started in 2020. What she did not expect was that this jump in the dark would eventually enable her income to be more than to triple.

She started earning $ 72,000 Singaporean dollars (around $ 56,000) in her nine-to-five job to around $ 220,000 a year as her own boss, according to documents that have been verified by CNBC.

After she had left her job, the foe thought she would take some time to decompry during the holidays before she found another job in the new year.

“I had no plan, if I was very honest … My plan was to find out,” she said. “In the beginning I [thought] Maybe I should look for another job. But every time I looked at other jobs on the market, it was just not interesting and I saw the same patterns happening again. “

Then, suddenly, a global pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020.

“I will be honest, it was really scary at the time, because I think two of the functions [first] cut [during an] Economic decline, was both PR and HR … So in my mind I had something like: “Oh no, what am I going to do?”

However, this also offered a new chance for the foe. As companies shrink and cut their PR and communication teams, many ultimately had to find slimmer solutions.

“At the height of Covid, I essentially had founders and VC's contact with me in the style of:” Rachel, we've just got rid of our desk, but we have this reputation problem … Can you solve this problem? “She remembers.

What started as what ad hoc freelancing changed in the next chapter of her career. She recorded her own company and became a fractional head of communication.

Although freelancers are hired to carry out specific projects or hour tasks, fractional employees are more embedded in a company – often help the general strategy to lead at a company. Also, in contrast to a permanent or personnel employee, fractional employees contribute part -time to several companies or customers.

“Like a fractional head of [communications] … I am fully responsible for the communication function of a company. But because the company is not allowed [need] A full -time person, it's really up to me to make my own hours, “the foe explained.

“I answer three CEOs, but at the same time I am my own CEO,” she said.

Going fractional has enabled the enemy to escape from the Burnout cycle that she had experienced earlier in her career, she said. Instead of continuously having to chase more customers or need more people in the team, she can now choose whether they want to take specific customers or projects.

“In recent years it was very interesting to see the shift in fractional, because people who used to be seniors at companies for which I worked also started the fractional route,” said the foe.

She says that fractional work can be useful in services -based companies, because “you are the service,” she said.

'You are the person with whom people want to work, right? So it doesn't matter if you are under one [bigger] company or [if you’re working alone]. People are looking for that interaction with you, and if you have done that [the experience or seniority]That's enough to start alone, “she said.

Her typical customer tax varies from three to five companies at the same time. This work model has not only offered her more autonomy, but also more money.

In the past five years she has earned more than $ 1.4 million Singapore Dollars (around $ 1.1 million), according to documents verified by CNBC.

“I will never go back to one boss,” said the foe. “I am a lot happier. I am fulfilled much more, and I think more than anything else – I feel that I can give myself the permission to chase the things I want.”

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