XO
Executive Officer — a military term for the officer who executes the commander's vision and keeps operations running
Fractional Chief of Staff for Founders

Your business is growing.
Is it running you?

I step in as your Fractional Executive Officer — bringing the structure, operating cadence, and team alignment that turns a good strategy into consistent results. So you can focus on growth, and stop carrying everything yourself.

Let's have a conversation
30+ Years of senior leadership
$1M–$20M Founder revenue sweet spot
XO Executive Officer — military term for the officer who executes the mission
Craig Bloodworth, Fractional Chief of Staff
Craig Bloodworth Fractional Chief of Staff
Sound familiar?

The messy middle every growing founder knows

Growing businesses don't fail because founders lack vision. They stall because execution breaks down.

Craig Bloodworth — BloodworthXO

How I Help

Four pillars that bring order to growth

I don't just design plans — I make sure they get implemented. Here's how I create clarity and momentum in your business.

01
Clarity

Strategy, goals, KPIs, and dashboards — so you and your team know exactly what you're aiming for and how you're tracking.

Strategy & Visibility
02
Control

Financial visibility, process documentation, systems, and risk management — so the business runs on information, not instinct.

Finance & Operations
03
Coordination

Your bookkeeper, accountant, marketing team, legal, and IT — all aligned and moving in the same direction. Nothing falls through the cracks.

Teams & Vendors
04
Readiness

Due diligence prep, investor readiness, and exit preparation — so your business is buyer-ready before buyers ever see it.

Growth & Exit
Engagement Options

Three ways to work together

Most founders start with the XO Assessment — a low-risk way to see exactly where the gaps are before committing to anything ongoing.

Start here
The XO Assessment

A focused business diagnostic that reveals what's actually slowing your business down — and gives you a clear, prioritized plan to fix it.

  • Founder interview + operations review
  • Prioritized action plan (top issues)
  • 30/60/90-day roadmap
  • Quick wins identified immediately
  • Retainer proposal included
Core engagement
Fractional XO Retainer

I become your embedded right-hand operator — quarterbacking priorities, coordinating your team, and making sure execution actually happens.

  • Weekly leadership cadence + KPI tracking
  • Cross-functional coordination
  • Execution accountability
  • Operational system building
  • Confidential founder support
High-value project
Pre-Sale / Growth Readiness

Like staging a house before listing — I get your operations, financials, and documentation into shape before buyers or investors ever see it.

  • Financial cleanup + normalized reporting
  • Process documentation + org design
  • Contract and IP organization
  • Data room preparation
  • Buyer-ready business package
Craig Bloodworth, Fractional Chief of Staff
Craig Bloodworth Fractional Chief of Staff
About Craig

30 years of getting important things done

I built my career at the intersection of finance, operations, and leadership — spending 25+ years at Invesco, one of the world's largest investment management firms, where I served as Global Key Account Manager and Client Portfolio Manager, delivering innovative solutions to institutional relationships.

Those years gave me a front-row seat to how high-performing organizations actually operate — the systems, the rhythms, the accountability structures separating businesses that scale from those that stall. I now bring that same discipline to founder-led businesses as a Fractional Chief of Staff.

My approach is practical, execution-focused, and low-ego. I draw from proven frameworks — without locking you into any single methodology. Every engagement is fully remote, flexible, and confidential.

Invesco (1994–2020) Global Key Account Manager & Business Development
Priority Investor Loans Chief of Staff / Controller & CFO
Texas A&M University B.S. Agricultural Economics, 1994
Houston, Texas Serving U.S.-based founders remotely
Who I Work With

Built for founders in the messy middle

My ideal client is a founder-led business doing $1M–$20M that's growing — but starting to feel the strain of that growth.

Common trigger moments
01

"We just crossed $5M and things are starting to break."

02

"I'm working 70 hours a week and still feel behind."

03

"We might sell in the next 1–3 years and I don't know if we're ready."

04

"My team is capable, but execution keeps slipping."

The founder I partner with

You don't need a full-time COO yet — but you know you need experienced operational leadership.

Still deeply involved in day-to-day operations and feeling like the bottleneck

Has a capable team, but execution and alignment aren't fully there yet

Lacks consistent visibility into performance, priorities, and financials

Founder-led business in the $1M–$20M revenue range

Preparing for growth, investment, or exit in the next 1–3 years

Values confidentiality, directness, and a partner who will push back honestly

What Changes

The outcomes founders actually feel

Beyond the deliverables, here's what shifts in your business after 60–90 days of working together.

You get your time back

Operational decisions stop landing in your inbox by default. You lead the business instead of running it.

The numbers make sense

Real visibility into financials, cash, and performance — not gut feel or outdated reports.

The team executes

Roles, rhythms, and accountability are clear. Things stop falling through the cracks.

Advisors align

Your accountant, attorney, marketing, and IT are coordinated — not contradicting each other.

The business is documented

Processes, contracts, IP, and decisions live somewhere other than your head.

You're ready when opportunity arrives

Growth, capital, or exit doesn't catch your operations off-guard. You're already prepared.

Common Questions

A few things founders ask before we start

Straightforward answers to the questions that come up most often.

Most founders start with a 2-week XO Assessment to surface what's working, what's broken, and where to focus first. From there, the majority convert into an ongoing Fractional Chief of Staff retainer — typically 8–20 hours per week depending on scope. Pre-sale and investment-readiness projects are scoped separately based on your timeline.

A fractional COO or CFO operates within a narrow function. A Fractional Chief of Staff (XO) operates across the whole business — coordinating finance, operations, marketing, HR, IT, and external advisors. I'm the operator who makes sure everything moves together, not the specialist who owns one function.

No — I coordinate them. Most founder-led businesses already have good external experts in place; what's missing is someone making sure they're aligned and acting on the business's actual priorities. I quarterback those relationships so nothing falls between the cracks.

Consultants diagnose and recommend. I diagnose, recommend, and then stay to make sure it actually gets implemented. Most founders have had consultants hand them a plan and disappear. That's not how I work — I'm embedded in your business until the work is done.

Houston, Texas. All engagements are fully remote, conducted over video, shared documents, and async tools. I work with founder-led businesses across the United States. Every engagement is fully confidential.

The $1M–$20M range is where this model fits best — smaller businesses usually can't justify the investment, and businesses past $20M often need a full-time executive. That said, exceptions happen on both ends. The right way to find out is a quick conversation.

Book a Call

Let's find 20 minutes

No pitch. No pressure. Just a straightforward conversation to see if there's a fit — and most founders walk away with at least one useful idea regardless.

Let's Talk

Ready to get your business running the way it should?

No pitch. No pressure. Just a 20-minute conversation to see if there's a fit. Most founders leave with at least one useful idea regardless.

bloodworthcraig@gmail.com
Craig Bloodworth (281) 235-6125 Houston, Texas Serving U.S.-based founders remotely