Fractional management is priced in one of four formats, and the right one depends on how much of a manager's time your business needs and for how long. Consulting starts at $175 an hour, projects at $3,500 and monthly retainers at $2,500. Prices are in Canadian dollars, and BC clients add 5% GST. The first 30-minute consultation is free, with no obligation. These ranges follow the published pricing on BusinessConsulting.ca, our parent firm.
Hourly consulting
$175–$350 /hour
Strategy sessions and expert advice by the hour.
Project
$3,500–$25,000 per project
Defined-scope work such as a plan, assessment or launch, with milestone payments.
Monthly retainer
$2,500–$12,000 /month
Ongoing advisory and execution support.
Growth Partner Program
Custom
Performance-based partnership: Ali invests time upfront and is paid on measurable results. Limited partnerships available.
Free initial consultation · no lock-in. The initial 30-minute consultation is free, with no obligation.
Prices in Canadian dollars. Sales tax is added based on the client's province (as of October 2026, CRA rates): 5% GST in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, NWT and Nunavut; 13% HST in Ontario; 14% HST in Nova Scotia; 15% HST in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI; 5% GST plus 9.975% QST in Quebec. Provincial sales tax (BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) only where it applies to the service. See full pricing on businessconsulting.ca/pricing.
The four formats
| Format | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly consulting | $175–$350/hour | A single decision, a second opinion on a hire, a review of a procedure |
| Project | $3,500–$25,000 per project | A defined piece of work with an end: an owner time audit, a scorecard build, a set of written procedures |
| Monthly retainer | $2,500–$12,000/month | Ongoing fractional management: running the weekly meeting, owning the open items, coaching leads |
| Growth Partner | Custom | A performance-based partnership where Ali invests time upfront and is paid on measurable results; limited partnerships available |
All figures exclude 5% GST for BC clients. Projects are usually paid in milestones, set out in your proposal.
How each service usually maps to a format
Answer first: the smaller, defined services are usually projects, and the fractional manager role is usually a retainer.
- Owner time and delegation: often a small project, sometimes a few hourly sessions.
- Scorecard and meeting rhythm: a small project, or the first month of a retainer.
- Systems and written procedures: a project sized by the number of procedures.
- Roles, hiring and first managers: a project, sometimes followed by hourly coaching for the new manager.
- Fractional operations manager: a monthly retainer with a planned end point.
What drives the cost
Five things move the price more than anything else.
- Hours per week. A retainer for a short weekly meeting is very different from one for a manager in your business most days.
- Team size. More direct reports means more roles to define and more people to coach.
- Locations and crews. Each extra site or crew adds scheduling and supervision work.
- State of your records. If job, booking and accounting data are scattered, the first month includes pulling them together.
- Pace. A faster timeline needs more hours in the early weeks.
What doesn't move the price: the industry you're in or which part of Coquitlam you operate from.
A worked example of choosing a format
Here's a way to compare formats with your own numbers. Suppose you need help with three things: an owner time audit, a scorecard, and someone to run the weekly meeting for six months.
- All hourly: perhaps 60 hours over six months at $250 an hour is $15,000, but you'd be booking every session yourself.
- Project plus short retainer: a $5,000 project for the audit and scorecard, then a $3,000 monthly retainer for five months, is $20,000, with the manager owning the follow-up.
- Retainer only: a $4,000 retainer for six months is $24,000, which suits a business that also needs procedures and roles done along the way.
Those figures are illustrations inside our published ranges, not quotes. The cheapest option on paper is often the one that leaves the owner doing the chasing, which is the problem you came to solve. Add 5% GST to any of them for a BC business.
Choosing well
A few rules of thumb help most owners.
- Start with a project if you're unsure. It produces something you keep, and it shows you how we work before you commit to a retainer.
- Use a retainer only with an end date. Fractional management that never hands over is a cost, not an investment.
- Ask what's included in writing. Hours, meetings, outputs and notice terms all belong in the proposal.
- Compare against your real alternative. For most owners that's not another consultant; it's carrying on as now, at 60 hours a week.
For contract and timeline questions see the FAQ, or call, text or email to start with a free 30-minute conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum commitment?
There's no lock-in. Notice periods and payment terms are set out in writing in your proposal, so you know them before you agree to anything.
Do you charge GST?
Yes. Fees are quoted in Canadian dollars, with 5% GST on top and provincial sales tax only where it applies to the service.
Why is the retainer range so wide?
Because a retainer for a six-person crew that needs a weekly meeting and a scorecard is very different from one for a two-location clinic that needs a manager most days. Your proposal states the hours, outputs and price.
What is the Growth Partner option?
Under Growth Partner, Ali puts his time in first and is paid according to measurable results. Each one is custom, and only a few are offered at any time.
Is the first conversation really free?
Yes. The initial 30-minute consultation is free, with no obligation to continue.
Sources
- BusinessConsulting.ca: Pricing (2026-10-23)