Fractional CEO Retainer
Fractional CEO engagement: Zodiac Bar & partnerships.community. £1,500/month + 15% revenue share, uncapped. April–June 2026 commitment.
Why this agreement exists. Zodiac is at an inflection point. Without structural intervention — leadership accountability, financial visibility, grant capture, audience growth — the venue faces continued revenue erosion, missed funding cycles, and the loss of a landmark LGBTQ+ cultural space in King's Cross.
This retainer closes those gaps. A fixed monthly fee for committed capacity, plus a revenue share that only pays out when the turnaround delivers real top-line growth. Both parties win when the bar wins.
The Client engages the Consultant to provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and turnaround management on a part-time, fractional basis. This is a consultancy engagement under a contract for services, not a contract of service. No employment relationship, worker status, or agency relationship is created.
The Consultant retains full independence in method, approach, and working hours, subject to agreed outcomes. The Consultant may engage subcontractors or send a suitably qualified substitute, provided the Client is notified in advance. The Consultant is free to provide services to other clients during the term.
Initial term: 6 months (1 April – 30 September 2026). Reviewed monthly against KPIs. Renewable by mutual written agreement for successive 3-month terms.
Termination. Either party may terminate with 30 days written notice. Immediate termination on: (a) material breach not remedied within 14 days, (b) insolvency or winding-up, (c) loss of premises licence, (d) conduct bringing the other party into serious disrepute. Upon termination, the Consultant completes in-progress grant applications and provides an orderly handover within 14 days.
Approximately 2 days per week — on-site presence, remote strategy, stakeholder meetings, grant preparation. Flexes heavier during turnaround sprints, lighter during steady-state.
Reviewed monthly. These are mutual accountability measures — Consultant delivers the work, Client provides access, data, and decision authority.
Hybrid Retainer — fixed capacity + performance-linked upside. Incentives fully aligned with venue growth.
| Metric | Do Nothing | With Fractional CEO |
|---|---|---|
| 6-month cost | £0 | £10,500 retainer |
| Revenue share (uncapped) | – | Unlimited (tied to bar growth) |
| Grant pipeline captured | £0 | £140K+ addressable |
| Revenue trajectory | Declining | Positive by Month 3 |
| Systems (POS, CRM, reporting) | None | Live by Month 2 |
| Events per month | ~1 ad hoc | 4+ programmed |
| Equivalent full-time CEO | £80K–£120K/yr + benefits | Under £30K/yr at cap |
Expenses. Pre-approved, reasonable business expenses reimbursable on receipts. Software subscriptions deployed for the Client's benefit are the Client's responsibility unless otherwise agreed.
Tax. The Consultant is responsible for their own tax, NI, and VAT. No tax deducted at source. Both parties acknowledge this engagement falls outside IR35 and will cooperate to ensure working arrangements reflect this.
Invoice ZB-FCEO-2026-001 issued on receipt.
Both parties keep confidential all financial data, customer information, strategic plans, and operational details. Obligation survives termination for 2 years. Consultant may reference the engagement publicly with prior written consent.
Data protection. Where Consultant processes personal data for the Client, Client is data controller, Consultant is data processor under UK GDPR. Data processed only on Client's instructions, with appropriate technical measures. Breach notification within 48 hours.
Frameworks, templates, and methodologies remain Consultant IP. Bespoke deliverables (event plans, grant applications, brand assets, CRM configs) are assigned to Client upon payment. Consultant retains a non-exclusive licence to use anonymised, de-branded versions in portfolio and future consulting work.
Consultant provides strategic advice and operational coordination. Final business decisions remain the Client's responsibility. Consultant not liable for losses from failure to implement recommendations or decisions made by Client's staff/owners.
Consultant's total aggregate liability: fees paid in preceding 3 months (except fraud, wilful misconduct, death/injury). Consultant maintains PI insurance ⥠£1,000,000 per claim. Client indemnifies Consultant against third-party claims from business operations, premises, licensing, or employment matters. Client maintains adequate public liability, employer's liability, and premises insurance.
Neither party liable where prevented by circumstances beyond reasonable control: government closures, pandemic restrictions, fire/flood, licensing revocation, utility failures >72hrs. Written notice within 7 days. If force majeure continues >60 days, either party may terminate without liability.
Governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes resolved first through good-faith mediation, then the courts of England and Wales.
Retention of title. All IP, deliverables, systems configurations, and strategic documents remain the exclusive property of Partnerships Community Ltd until all outstanding fees are paid in full.
Suspension & remedy. Right to suspend all services immediately on 7 calendar days' written notice of non-payment (not 14 days, not 30 days). Services resume upon payment in full.
Insolvency. In the event of Client insolvency, administration, or winding-up, all unpaid invoices become immediately due. Consultant has first-priority claim over any IP/deliverables created under this agreement.
Personal guarantee. The Client shall provide a personal guarantee from at least one director for the first 3 months of retainer fees (£4,500 total exposure), to mitigate credit exposure to Partnerships Community.
Offset rights. Consultant may offset any amounts owed against the Client's Stripe payment methods on file, subject to Client consent via written agreement.