Swedish-born revenue architect Mats Forsgren joins Oh Frac! with host Adir Ron to unpack a 25+ year journey from scaling BlueCurve and LinkedIn Nordics to building GrowthGen as a fractional CRO. Mats contrasts New York’s “fast no” sales culture with Europe’s “slow no,” explains why a PE shake-up pushed him out of corporate and into fractional life, and how coaching—and the value of freedom—shaped that leap. We dig into founder-led, B2B tech companies (€0.5–2M ARR) as his sweet spot, why networking beats cold outreach early on, and how a weekly LinkedIn newsletter compounds into inbound. Mats’ frac’d-up story (his startup Clindox) delivers hard-won lessons on focus, timing, and exiting. We close with challenging impossible targets, owning the number, and the toolkit (hello, Remarkable) that keeps him sharp.

Key Takeaways:

* For founders: a fractional CRO can own the number—clarity beats proximity. * Challenge inflated targets; align revenue goals with realistic budget & capacity. * Early pipeline = network-first (referrals, communities, Superconnectors) is better than cold outreach. * Consistency compounds: a weekly LinkedIn newsletter can unlock inbound—even from silent readers. * Values matter: optimizing for freedom and fit prevents burnout and drives better work. * Ideal fit: B2B tech, founder-led, revenue-generating, aiming to professionalize sales. * Europe is catching up to the US on fractional adoption—expect more education-led selling. * Bring a coach to big career pivots; outside perspective accelerates clarity. * Failure ≠ regret: Mats’ Clindox story shows how exits (even hard ones) sharpen judgment. * Fractional survival rule: always build pipe while delivering. * Toolkit shoutout: the Remarkable e-ink tablet keeps notes searchable and workflows tight. * Superpower: fractionals open doors—tap their networks to round out your exec bench.

Chapters: 00:00 Cold open — why fractional work keeps you fresh 03:50 Intro & creds — from Sweden to LinkedIn to GrowthGen 07:40 Toughest sales lesson — NYC’s "fast no" vs. Europe’s "slow no" 11:30 From CCO to fractional — PE shake-up, coaching & values 15:20 Ideal clients — founder-led B2B tech, €0.5–2M ARR, Europe 19:10 Superconnectors — networking as a client-growth engine 23:00 Outreach vs. networking — the LinkedIn newsletter flywheel 26:50 Frac’d Up — Clindox, exits, and the LinkedIn rebound 30:40 Owning/challenging the number — targets, budgets, reputation 34:30 Quickfire & final advice — tools, clients, future of fractional

Mats Forsgren’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mats-forsgren-13152b1/

Adir’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adir-ron/

Keywords: fractional CRO, fractional leadership, revenue architecture, founder-led sales, B2B SaaS, Europe startups, pipeline, networking, referrals, Superconnectors, LinkedIn newsletter, inbound marketing, ARR, sales targets, budgeting, Pavilion CRO school, New York sales culture, freedom at work, executive coaching, Clindox, GrowthGen, Remarkable tablet, sales playbooks, go-to-market, scale-up, VC portfolio support

In this Oh Frac! episode, host Adir Ron sits down with Aylin Abdullah - founder of Human Collective and a powerhouse in culture, communications, and operations, to unpack the rise of fractional leadership across Europe, why “fractional ≠ contractor,” and how neurodiversity can supercharge executive teams. Aylin shares her AUDHD journey, the burnout that pushed her to redesign her career after becoming a mum, and how she now plugs fractional leaders into startups through a bench model to drive real, sustainable impact. From the UK vs. US mindset gap to practical inclusion (think: sensory-safe “bat cave” rooms) to AI tools that lighten the load, this convo is packed with field-tested lessons for founders, VCs, and aspiring fractionals. Stick around for her most “frac’d up” moment—and the quickfire round where she names the one tool she swears by.

Key takeaways: * Fractional ≠ consultant: advisory + sleeves-rolled execution embedded in the business. * Europe’s catching up: demand is rising, but education is still needed on what “fractional” really is. * Value prop founders care about: seasoned C-suite impact, cross-pollinated learnings, and lean cost (Aylin cites \~66% base-salary savings). * Bench model is better than solo act: Human Collective plugs proven fractionals into go-to-market, people, and ops gaps fast. * Chief-of-Staff angle: Aylin’s “5 Ps” approach (people, planning, performance/process, projects, and profit alignment) turns chaos into clarity. * Neurodiversity is an edge: many leaders are ND—design for brains, not just roles—and innovation follows. * Practical inclusion wins: sensory-friendly spaces (e.g., blackout “bat cave”), flexible norms that help everyone. * AI as copilot: she uses purpose-built bots (via Launch Lemonade) for outreach and research acceleration. * Pipeline truth: build runway, network early, and consider stepping down hours before going fully fractional. * Dream vs. nightmare clients: growth mindset vs. closed “I know it all” attitudes.

Chapters: 00:00 Welcome, cold open & setup 03:20 Icebreaker: the KFC-at-Christmas cultural curveball 06:30 Why Aylin went fractional: AUDHD, burnout, motherhood 10:00 From ops leader to fractional Chief of Staff + the “5 Ps” 13:30 First gigs, proposals, and the reality of financial runway 17:00 US vs. UK/EU: maturity gap & educating “fractional ≠ contractor” 20:30 The business case: savings, speed, and cross-industry perspective (+ AI) 24:00 Neurodiversity & inclusive leadership: data points, design, and impact 27:30 “Frac’d Up” moment: the mis-sent holiday email—and lessons learned 31:00 Quickfire: myth-busting, tool of choice, dream/nightmare clients, future & advice

Aylin Abdullah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aylinabdullah/ Adir’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adir-ron/

Keywords: fractional leadership, Chief of Staff, Human Collective, culture & ops, employer branding, neurodiversity, AUDHD, dyslexia, inclusive workplaces, UK vs US, Europe startups, AI for fractionals, Launch Lemonade, portfolio careers, gig economy, founders, VCs, SaaS growth, people strategy, process & performance, fractional bench

Get ready for a masterclass in modern product leadership and fractional work. In this episode of Oh Frac!, host Adir Ron sits down with battle-tested product leader Artyom Chelbayev (ex-Yelp, Contentful, Prisma, co-founder of fintech startup Vitamin). Artyom unpacks a 15-year journey from analytics to founding, shares why he’s bullish on fractional and interim C-level roles, and explains how an AI-enabled “product OS” could unlock capacity far beyond the product team. From closing the gender wealth gap to surviving corporate innovation “sandboxes,” Artyom drops hard-won insights, horror stories, and practical frameworks you can apply tomorrow. If you’re a fractional executive, founder, or product geek looking to scale smarter and faster—this conversation is your jam.

• Fractional ≠ interim: know the overlap, respect the differences

• How to spot red-flag clients before you sign

• Why product teams should share “build power” with support & GTM

• The 2-question framework Artyom uses to audit any product org

• Lessons from founding Vitamin: bridging literacy & financial products for women

• Reclaim AI & NotebookLM: Artyom’s productivity power duo

• Navigating corporate innovation without drowning in 5-year plans

• Building network equity: the #1 lead-gen channel for fractional pros

• Future of freelance makers in an AI world—opportunity & risk

• Crafting focus: ruthless time-boxing as the secret sauce of fractional impact

00:00 Intro & Jamiroquai ice-breaker 06:10 Artyom’s four-phase career arc 12:45 Fractional vs interim vs freelance 18:30 Berlin vs SF startup mindsets 25:00 Founding Vitamin & gender wealth gap 31:40 Product discovery lessons from fintech 38:20 Building an AI-enabled product OS 44:55 “Fracked-Up Moment” – capacity reality check 51:20 Quick-fire: tools, dream clients, myths 56:40 Future of fractional & final advice

Artyom's: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artyomchelbayev/

Adir’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adir-ron/

Keywords: fractional leadership, interim CPO, product strategy, fintech for women, Vitamin app, AI product OS, Berlin startups, Jamiroquai, Reclaim AI, NotebookLM, corporate innovation, product discovery, network building, Oh Frac! podcast