In this solo episode of Self Funded, Chrissie Francona explores a simple but powerful idea: you already have the foundation of a business inside you. Drawing inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, she breaks down how to identify your “spark” using lived experience, professional expertise, and real feedback from others. Chrissie shares practical exercises for uncovering what you are uniquely qualified to build, why confidence and action are often the real blockers, and how to systemize yourself into taking action even when fear shows up. She closes with concrete ways to approach 2026 differently, focusing on small, repeatable habits that help you turn clarity into momentum and finally start building on your own terms.

(00:00:01) Unleashing Unique Strengths for Entrepreneurial Success

(00:02:15) Embracing Your Internal Spark for Success

(00:04:54) Stepping Out of Comfort Zone in Business

Self Funded Links:

Substack: https://selffundedbychrissie.substack.com/

Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded/id1845157459

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5u4zA43k4hC183fM0PisKq?si=26bf586458934e49

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxW6fdMBQaTaLXsrAneZ2aQ

The Long Game:

I help growth-stage companies close the gap between strategy and execution for growth or exit through The Long Game. Learn more at longgametalent.com.

My Self Funded Tech Stack:

These are some of my favorite tools I use everyday in my business and podcast (affiliate links):

Collective: Powers my S-Corp from bookkeeping to paying contractors to tax prep. https://share.collective.com/mQHI7Bf

Flodesk: The easiest email platform with clean, easy-to-customize designs and a simple workflow interface: https://flodesk.com/c/19VL1X

Granola: I’ve tried several AI notetakers and this is my favorite. I take my own notes in the interface which are the enhanced after the call: https://go.granola.ai/chrissie-francona

Airtable: I’ve built my business operating system in Airtable, including my CRM, content management tool, and to-do list: https://airtable.com/invite/r/uq7tgTC3

In this episode of Self Funded, Chrissie Francona sits down with Taylor Crane, founder of Fractional Jobs, to unpack how fractional work became both his career path and his business. Taylor shares how burnout from a venture-backed startup led him to fractional product work, why he deliberately used that income to bootstrap his next company, and how Fractional Jobs grew from a simple newsletter into a revenue-generating marketplace and media business. They dive into the realities of building a two-sided platform, why network is the hardest part of fractional work, how Taylor iterated his business model in real time, and why he believes fractional leadership is becoming the default starting point for modern companies.

(00:01:13) Engaging in Part-Time Roles with Fractional Executives
(00:01:19) Cost-Effective Senior Expertise for Startups
(00:02:14) Expertise-Based Fractional Leadership Talent Platform
(00:02:14) Hands-On Expertise: The Essence of Fractional Work
(00:08:54) Strategic Evolution of Fractional Work Concept
(00:17:49) Fractional Jobs: Empowering Startup Leaders
(00:32:38) Equitable Referral Fee Model for Talent
(00:32:49) Referral Fee Model Adaptation in Revenue Streams

Check out Fractional Jobs here: www.fractionaljobs.io
Follow Taylor on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taylorcrane/

Self Funded Links:

Substack: https://selffundedbychrissie.substack.com/

Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded/id1845157459

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5u4zA43k4hC183fM0PisKq?si=26bf586458934e49

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxW6fdMBQaTaLXsrAneZ2aQ

The Long Game:

I help growth-stage companies close the gap between strategy and execution for growth or exit through The Long Game. Learn more at longgametalent.com.

My Self Funded Tech Stack:

These are some of my favorite tools I use everyday in my business and podcast (affiliate links):

Collective: Powers my S-Corp from bookkeeping to paying contractors to tax prep. https://share.collective.com/mQHI7Bf

Flodesk: The easiest email platform with clean, easy-to-customize designs and a simple workflow interface: https://flodesk.com/c/19VL1X

Granola: I’ve tried several AI notetakers and this is my favorite. I take my own notes in the interface which are the enhanced after the call: https://go.granola.ai/chrissie-francona

Airtable: I’ve built my business operating system in Airtable, including my CRM, content management tool, and to-do list: https://airtable.com/invite/r/uq7tgTC3

In this episode, Chrissie sits down with Tamara Muñoz-Whilden, founder of Behind the Screens, to unpack how she transformed a decade of Disney and Starbucks operations experience into a fast-growing agency that helps founders finally step out of the weeds. Tamara shares her path from burnout to entrepreneurship, why scalable systems are the “secret sauce” to consistent delivery, and how she evolved from virtual assistant to fractional COO to leading her signature CEO Extraction program. They dive into what actually keeps founders stuck in the day-to-day, how to build a business that runs without you, and why operations is both the bottleneck and the unlock for growth.
Check out Behind the Screens here: https://behindthescreens.biz

Follow Tamara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamaramunozwhilden/

Take her Bottleneck Assessment: https://behindthescreens.biz/bottleneck
(00:08:29) Strategic Transition: Balancing Risk in Entrepreneurship
(00:15:58) Scaling Expertise into Self-Funded Success
(00:18:55) Evolving Service Offerings for Business Growth
(00:24:18) Optimal Team Composition for Business Growth
(00:26:09) Optimizing Business Growth Through CEO Extraction
(00:26:35) Transitioning for Growth: CEO Extraction Strategies
(00:38:30) Iterating Business Ideas for Market Demands
Self Funded Links:
Substack: https://selffundedbychrissie.substack.com/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded/id1845157459
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5u4zA43k4hC183fM0PisKq?si=26bf586458934e49
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxW6fdMBQaTaLXsrAneZ2aQ
The Long Game:
I help growth-stage companies close the gap between strategy and execution for growth or exit through The Long Game. Learn more at longgametalent.com.
My Self Funded Tech Stack:
These are some of my favorite tools I use everyday in my business and podcast (affiliate links):
Collective: Powers my S-Corp from bookkeeping to paying contractors to tax prep. https://share.collective.com/mQHI7Bf
Flodesk: The easiest email platform with clean, easy-to-customize designs and a simple workflow interface: https://flodesk.com/c/19VL1X
Granola: I’ve tried several AI notetakers and this is my favorite. I take my own notes in the interface which are the enhanced after the call: https://go.granola.ai/chrissie-francona
Airtable: I’ve built my business operating system in Airtable, including my CRM, content management tool, and to-do list: https://airtable.com/invite/r/uq7tgTC3