The 31-year-old Rachel de foe serves as a fragmentary head of communication.
Courtesy of the enemy.
In the second half of 2019, Rachel de foe burned out, so she took a leap of faith that she had no dreams of many.
For the past few years, Singapore Native has been involved in public relations at a wide range of companies, from large institutions to small boutique companies.
“Every business was chasing what I call ‘agency monsters’… You have too many clients, so you need a (larger) team. “I was burned out multiple times.”
One day she realized that she couldn’t imagine herself in her boss’s shoes. “That’s not the life I wanted, so I decided to quit at the end of 2019,” she said.
Today, the 31-year-old works as head of communication fragments through her public relations and communications company Redfy, which she started in 2020.
She’s only been working her boss to $72,000 (about $56,000) for nine to five jobs, after she’s made her boss about $220,000 a year, according to documents verified by CNBC.
“I had no plans.”
After quitting her job, De Foe thought decompression would take longer during the holiday season before finding another job in the new year.
“To be honest, there was no plan… my plan was to understand that,” she said. “At first I thought I should look for another job. But whenever I see other jobs in the market, it wasn’t interesting and I could see the same pattern happening again.”
Then, in early 2020, there was a sudden global pandemic hit.
“To be honest, it was actually really scary at that point because the ability to be cut during the recession’s weakness (first) was both PR and HR.
However, this also presented new opportunities for Defoe. As businesses reduced their PR and communications teams and reduced many people ultimately had to find a lean solution.
“Essentially, during the peak of Covid, I was a founder and a VC who reached out to me.
Several ad hoc freelances have been transformed into the next chapter of her career. She took in her company and became a fragment of communication.
Why choose fractional tasks?
Freelancers are employed to perform specific projects or hourly tasks, while fractional workers are embedded in the business. Additionally, in contrast to permanent or staff employees, fractional workers contribute part-time to multiple companies or clients.
“As a piece of (communication)… I’m totally responsible for the communication function of the company. But it’s really up to me to make time for myself, as the company may (not need) full-time people,” explained De Foe.
“I answer three CEOs, and I’m my CEO at the same time,” she said.
Fractionation allowed De Foe to escape the burnout cycle she experienced early in her career. Instead of continuing to chase more clients or need more people on a team, she can choose whether to hire a specific client or project.
“It’s very interesting to see the changes in fractions, as people who were seniors at the companies I worked for over the past few years have also started the fractional route,” De Foe said.
“You’re a service,” she said.
“You’re the kind of person that people want to work with, right? So you’re sitting under a (larger) company (if you’re working alone), people are looking for interaction with you.
Her typical client load ranges from 3-5 companies. This working model not only gave her more autonomy, but also gave her more money.
In the past five years, she has made more than $1.4 million in Singapore dollars (approximately $1.1 million), according to documents confirmed by CNBC.
“I’m not going to go back to being a single boss,” De Fo said. “I’m much happier. I’m much more satisfied. I think more than anything. I feel like I can give myself permission to pursue what I want.”
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