From Corporate Leader to Fractional Expert: How Helene Found Freedom Through Gigomy

When Helene reflects on her 16-year corporate marketing career, she doesn’t talk about burnout or dissatisfaction. Instead, she describes a powerful realisation: she was thriving on variety, but corporate constraints were holding her back from the work-life she truly wanted.

Today, Helene works as a fractional Head of Marketing across two businesses (Bittn and Holiday Rental Specialists) managing strategic marketing initiatives two days a week for one client and three days for the other. It’s the career she spent five years trying to build on her own, before discovering Gigomy.

The Corporate Foundation That Sparked a Vision

Helene’s marketing career took her across multiple countries before settling in Australia 12 years ago. Rising from Marketing Coordinator to Head of Marketing, she accumulated deep expertise across diverse industries.

Five years ago, she landed what many would consider a dream role: overseeing marketing strategy for a company with three separate businesses running simultaneously. It was demanding, high-pressure work but it revealed something unexpected.

“I had the skills and experience to work with different businesses at the same time, to split my time between different companies, because that’s all I did for over 3 years. And I wanted freedom.”

The variety kept her “switched on.” But something was still missing.

When Success Isn’t Enough

After her multi-business role, Helene moved to a very small company. The contrast helped crystallise what she really wanted: the diversity and challenge of working across multiple businesses, combined with genuine autonomy over her time.

“For me, it’s the flexibility and a bit of freedom. I never got annual leave refused, but it’s still good to know that you can do it when you want, or if you want to take 3 hours in the afternoon, you can do it without feeling guilty.”

That guilt, the invisible weight every corporate employee carries, was the issue.

“When you’re an employee, even if I was still doing my hours later, I felt guilty. I felt like there was a contract. But when it’s your own contract, you do it without feeling that guilt.”

The Five-Year Struggle Nobody Talks About

Recognising what you want is one thing. Making it happen is another entirely.

Helene spent five years trying to build an independent consulting practice. She had a solid network, attended events, and reached out to contacts. But finding clients independently proved far more challenging than anticipated.

“I was probably spending a lot of time trying to get answers on different forums and websites… I didn’t know anyone who had done it before.”

The constant prospecting, endless networking, and pitching were exhausting work with no guaranteed outcomes. Meanwhile, she still needed an income, which meant staying in traditional employment.

The challenge wasn’t her capability. It was the sheer difficulty of connecting with businesses who needed her skills, without agencies taking significant commissions.

Helene learned about Gigomy through her previous colleague and co-founder. As an early tester, she immediately recognised how different it was.

“Everything I saw previously, they’re all agencies. So, I would imagine they would take a percentage. Gigomy is definitely a unique concept… We don’t have to pay anything except the membership.”

Unlike recruitment agencies that take ongoing commissions, Gigomy operates on a membership model. Professionals pay a membership fee to join a verified community, then connect directly with businesses seeking expertise.

No middlemen. No commissions eating into earnings. Just direct access to opportunities.

Within weeks of building her profile, Helene secured both fractional roles.

After five years of trying, the transition she wanted finally became real.

Starting her first fractional role felt markedly different from a traditional job. With only two days per week to make an impact, Helene knew she needed to be prepared.

“I definitely went into the deep end in the ocean really quickly… I probably felt like the expectation from the business would be for me to deliver results faster than I would in a full-time role.”

She came with clear questions and a structured approach. Her level of preparation actually surprised the client in a positive way.

Managing Multiple Clients Without Fixed Boundaries

One of the most common questions about fractional work: How do you actually manage time across multiple clients?

Helene’s approach is fluid rather than rigid. She doesn’t assign fixed days to each company.

“I don’t think you can do fixed days for each company, because that means you will leave 3 days without anything. And it’s impossible – I mean, it’s not impossible, but it’s not the way I like to work. If I receive an email, I don’t want to take 4 days to answer.”

Instead, she maintains a spreadsheet tracking hours for each business, splitting her time across all five working days based on what each company needs.

“You can’t say, ‘Something happened in one business and it’s going to have to wait.’ You can jump on it.”

The Unexpected Challenge

Interestingly, Helene’s biggest challenge isn’t juggling priorities or switching contexts. It’s managing the temptation to overwork.

“I think the challenge that I’m going to have more is being careful not to do overtime. Because you’re paid for a certain number of hours… When you’re an employee, there’s kind of an unspoken expectation to do more. It’s a little bit different as a fractional.”

What No One Tells You

One theme emerged repeatedly: the practical administrative requirements of contractor work are rarely discussed and can be overwhelming.

“I was spending a lot of time on different forums and websites trying to get started. Like, what do I need? Do I need an ABN? I already had it, but you know, these kinds of things…”

The list of necessities caught her off-guard: registering for GST, understanding insurance requirements (professional indemnity, public liability, cyber insurance), drafting contractor agreements, calculating day rates that include holiday pay, sick leave, and superannuation.

“I needed insurance. I didn’t know what type until my new contract asked me… they were asking me for cyber insurance.”

Why She Wouldn’t Go Back

Despite the learning curve, Helene is unequivocal about her choice.

“It’s more like the freedom and feeling of ownership of your own life, other than just being, I don’t want to use strong vocabulary, but a bit of a slave to your corporate role.”

The ability to take a walk in the middle of the day, to get sunshine when her brain needs a reset, to respond to her natural energy rhythms, all without guilt, has been transformative.

“Even though you’re still doing the work and you’re still producing results, you don’t have this corporate pressure.”

The variety she always thrived on is now a daily constant.

“I’m pretty outgoing, and talking with different teams and different people keeps you switched on. It’s really exciting.”

Success After Five Years

Perhaps the most powerful element of Helene’s story is the timeline. Five years of trying independently. Weeks to secure two fractional roles through Gigomy.

“I think you have your success story. I’ve been trying for 5 years. I had a good network, but it was very challenging for me to prospect and find clients. The time to go to networking events or whatever… Gigomy really helped me with this.”

The platform removed the exhausting burden of constant self-promotion, allowing Helene to focus on strategic marketing leadership.

For businesses, the benefit is equally clear: access to a senior marketing leader with 16 years of experience, without the commitment and overhead of a full-time executive hire.

Advice for Professionals Considering the Transition

• On readiness: It’s the freedom and feeling of ownership of your own life that matters most.

• On timing: The “perfect” moment won’t arrive. After five years of waiting, what made the difference was taking action through a platform that reduced barriers.
• On preparation: Get the administrative foundations right early. Talk to an accountant, understand your insurance needs, and set up proper systems for tracking time and invoicing.
• On finding support: Going completely solo is extraordinarily difficult. Finding a platform that provides structure, credibility, and direct access to opportunities makes the path significantly more achievable.

Helene’s story represents a growing shift in how experienced professionals think about careers. The traditional corporate ladder is no longer the only definition of success.

Portfolio careers, fractional leadership, and flexible expert work are becoming legitimate, sustainable paths. But the transition requires infrastructure; platforms like Gigomy that provide the connective tissue between businesses needing expertise and professionals wanting to work differently.

For Helene, after 16 years in corporate and 5 years of trying to break free, the future finally looks like freedom.

“Everything happens for a reason… I’m really excited about finally making this happen for me.”

---

Gigomy is Australia’s membership-based platform connecting businesses directly with specialist consultants, credentialled coaches & training providers, and fractional executives. Unlike traditional recruitment agencies, Gigomy charges no commissions, just a membership fee to join a curated professional community.

• For professionals: Build your profile, connect directly with businesses, and design a portfolio career without a third party taking a cut of your earnings.
• For businesses: Access senior-level expertise flexibly, affordably, and directly for strategic projects, interim leadership, or ongoing part-time support.

Ready to explore a different way of working? Visit www.gigomy.com.au to learn more.