Fractional Product Leadership
The Product Gap
Engineering excellence is your strength. Let's focus it on what matters most.
Founders should be serving as the heartbeat of the product. But founders also need instant access to senior expertise without being forced to make a full-time hiring decision.
Don't commit to a full-time Product hire at your stage. You need a bridge — a "fractional" full-stack product partner who can author product strategy and then nail the tactical work.
Whether you're leading an early-stage company or heading up a team ready to scale, skip the hiring drama.
Get flexible, fractional product expertise without the overhead.
Hi, I'm Evan Michner
As a fractional product leader, I bring 20 years of battle-tested experience from FullStory, Atlassian, and multiple startups to early-stage companies that need guidance without the full-time commitment.
As VP of Product & Design at LaunchNotes (Series A), I launched an AI agent product featured by Anthropic. At FullStory (Series D), I led product during its growth to $100M+ ARR. Before that, I shaped Atlassian's real-time communication products pre/post IPO, and help build HEB's 200-person digital team to usher the retail giant through digital transformation. I’ve co-founded a company, and worked alongside many founders building, scaling, and navigating the chaos.
I prioritize shipping over debating, designing experiences that are as simple as they are powerful, and making pragmatic decisions that keep teams moving forward. My approach is rooted in tight execution and strong storytelling.
Fractional Product Leadership
What level of product expertise do you need right now?
Think about your team rhythms, time spent on re-working pivots, and the work you'd like off your plate.
2 days per week
$12,000 - $16,000 / month
For companies needing comprehensive PM leadership, roadmap development, regular team coaching, job family and PM competency frameworks, in-depth research synthesis, and ongoing collaboration with engineering and GTM.
1 day per week
$6,000 - $10,000 / month
For companies seeking focused product guidance through critical decisions including product strategy sessions, periodic UX reviews, analytics and metrics development, and regular sparring sessions on market positioning and prioritization.
1-2 hours per week
$3,000 - $5,000 / month
For early-stage founders who need expert product perspectives on specific challenges, like prototype feedback, immediate priorities, MVP scoping and product market fit validation advice.
Additionally, project-based engagements with a specific outcome may be the right way to trial the relationship. These engagements are priced per project, based on scope and duration.
More information on pricing
Monthly retainer ranges are examples and are based on a $190 - $300 / hour rate. While pricing is built from an hourly rate, this is not an hourly relationship. Your customers and business operate around the clock, so this retained product time can be spread across a month, depending on availability, your team rhythms, and your company needs. Unlimited email, Slack communication, and ad-hoc conversations are easy to schedule.
Most engagements are 3 months minimum, and are ideally structured around a long-term partnership of 1-2 years, including helping you hire a full-time replacement, if that's the right next step for your company.
A mix of equity is an option for some engagements, increasing our mutual partnership.
At the end of the day, the value for you is flexibility — and we'll work together on crafting something that's cost effective and suits your needs.
Let's talk.
Testimonials
Our team built a product we thought was brilliant—until we demoed it to Evan. He asked one simple question: "Where does this fit?"That question hit me like a brick. Who would buy this? Why? How did it fit into our broader strategy? Over the next few days, Evan walked me through the gaps with clarity and empathy, helping me see exactly what we had missed. This was a masterclass in product development. Evan didn’t just push his perspective — he made me believe it.He has an uncanny ability to understand people, pinpoint what they’re missing, and guide them toward clarity. If you're a technical founder wondering: We've built things people say they like, so why isn’t the business moving? Let Evan help you figure it out.- Emil Ivov, Founder
Evan has a remarkable ability to distill complexity into clarity, consistently zeroing in on what truly matters…He balances strategic vision with practical execution, setting our product direction through customer-centric thinking and pragmatic decision-making. His calm demeanor and deescalating approach were invaluable in difficult situations.- Salvatore Sodano, Engineering Leader
Evan is that rare product management unicorn who flourishes at the crossroads of engineering, product, and marketing, blending fluency in all three to turn complexity into clarity and vision into reality. His crisp communication style, exceptional drive, and insatiable curiosity make him an unstoppable force in delivering products that matter.- Jake Brereton, Founder
Why Fractional Hiring is Strategic
"Fractional work is part-time work, typically paid on a monthly retainer, performed by experts in their field. A fractional job looks very similar to a full-time job, except the work is done on fewer hours per week for less pay."
25% — and growing — U.S. companies are embracing fractional hiring due to the access to expertise and flexibility.
Cost Efficient
Save 40% compared to a full-time hire, according to Forbes. No need to worry about benefits, bonuses, or healthcare costs.
Reduced Risk
Full-time hiring mistakes can be a six-figure mistake, plus the time invested in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding.
Flexible
77% of companies are prioritizing workforce flexibility. Fractional hiring adapts with projects, market conditions, and internal changes.
Unlike a consultant, you get an expert embedded into the team: On-demand, pay-as-you-go senior product leadership at a fraction of a full-time hire's cost. Start immediately, eliminate hiring risk, and scale as your needs change.
Strategic Product Partnership
For VCs / PE Firms
Set portfolio companies up for success with strategic product guidance to improve investment outcomes by quickly implementing product best practices, validating market fit, and accelerating time-to-value.
For Founders
Unlock seasoned product leadership that translates customer problems into clear priorities, shapes compelling narratives that sell, and eliminates costly product mistakes without committing to a full-time hire.
For CTOs
Maximize engineering impact with a strategic partner who speaks both technical and business, helps translate customer needs into actionable requirements, and ensures investments are focused on outcomes.
FAQs
How do we get started?
First, we’ll hop on a short call to discuss your challenges and see if there’s a fit. If we decide to move forward, I’ll propose an engagement model that fits your needs, and we’ll kick things off.
How involved are you in the day-to-day work?
Every engagement is tailored and I act as an embedded strategic partner. This can involve weekly check-ins, async collaboration, and hands-on work in areas like roadmap strategy, pricing, and hiring. For light engagements (less than 1 day per week) it's more challenging to be truly in the weeds tactically.
What do you typically deliver?
Depending on your needs, I help with things like prioritization, new product builds, product strategy resets, team or founder coaching, UX and product sparring, and refining product narratives with GTM teams.
I've created product management and UX job families and career development frameworks, market analysis to drive new product development decisions, user research scripts and synthesis to raise conviction, company OKRs and goals to create alignment, and more.
- Product vision and roadmap crafting
- Market positioning and competitive analysis
- Team hiring and org design
- Product metrics frameworks
- MVP scoping and validation
- GTM collaboration and refinement
- User research scripts, interviews, synthesis
- Strategic sparring sessions
- Product narrative development
- UX and prototype reviews
What would a typical week look like?
A 1 day-per-week fractional engagement might look like a full Monday every week, or it could be spreading that "day" across the week. This is not an hourly relationship — you get an embedded partner, spread across a month, based on your team rhythms and needs: Joining leadership meetings, founder sparring, UX and product reviews, roadmap planning sessions, synthesizing research into recommendations, or async collaboration.
How long do engagements last?
The goal is partnership — minimally, at least 3 months. The agreement renews each month until terminated. Either party may terminate the agreement for any reason with written notice, as outlined in the contract. During the notice period, all agreed-upon work continues, the client is responsible for payment during this period at the agreed rate.
How do you handle confidential information?
Our work together will be governed by a mutual NDA (if required), and I treat all client information with strict discretion. Any proprietary insights, strategy discussions, or product details shared with me remain private. Each engagement is handled uniquely, and I respect the confidentiality of every founder and team I work with.
Do you offer other services?
1️⃣ Interim Product Leadership [temporary executive]: For mid-sized
organizations who need a product executive to step in during transitions (e.g. parental leave, etc) or product transformations to provide hands-on leadership, stabilize teams, and drive key initiatives.
Full-time, embedded, time bound. Typically 6-12 months.
2️⃣ Product Manager Coaching: 1-1 coaching and structured mentorship — interview prep, growth and development, and communication.
Hourly based.
3️⃣ Advisor-Only: For an advising relationship, the output is advice and network. A periodic thought partner to sharpen your product instincts, clarify strategy, and navigate key growth decisions. Advising engagements range from ad-hoc to regular meetings, and are often equity-based using the FAST agreement, or priced per hour.
©️ 2025 Arbor Product Solutions, LLC