Location-Independent Fractional Consulting: Why Small Towns Can Build Big Businesses

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Ever convince yourself you need to move to Toronto or New York to build a real consulting business?

Laurie de Fleuriot runs her fractional fundraising practice from a town of 6,500 people, two hours north of Toronto. She's built a distributed team of six fundraisers serving clients across North America. Her small town became the foundation for a big business—not a barrier to it.

Here's why I'm sharing Laurie's story: too many brilliant consultants are holding themselves back because they don't live in the "right" place. They're convinced that success only happens in big cities, with big networks, and big overhead costs.

That's bullshit. And Laurie's proof that small towns can compete globally when you build location-independent systems that scale.

The Rural Advantage You Didn't Know You Had

Let me flip the script on everything you think you know about location and consulting success.

While city consultants are fighting for attention in oversaturated markets, Laurie's building relationships in a community where authenticity matters more than networking events. While urban consultants are paying $3,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, Laurie's operating from a place where she can actually think clearly.

But here's the real kicker: her clients don't care where she lives. They care about results.

"My distributed team is all over Ontario and the U.S.," Laurie told me. "We're supporting clients in Canada and the States. Being in a small town hasn't limited us at all."

The fractional model is designed for remote work. Your clients aren't hiring you for your proximity—they're hiring you for your expertise. And expertise travels anywhere there's Wi-Fi.

Click on the image to listen to this private conversation with Laurie de Fleuriot, who built her fractional practice from cottage country.

From Summer Burnout to Year-Round Success

Laurie's transition to fractional work wasn't just about geography—it was about boundaries.

In her hospital foundation role, summers were brutal. Tourist season meant working 50-hour weeks trying to capture both year-round residents and seasonal visitors. She wanted to be on the lake with her kids, but she was stuck fundraising for other people's causes.

Sound familiar? That trapped feeling when everyone else gets to enjoy summer while you're grinding through your busiest season?

"I wanted to be like on the lake or on a dock, but for myself and not for fundraising," she laughed.

The fractional model gave her something her full-time job never could: the flexibility to build her schedule around her values. Snow days don't create panic—they create opportunities for family time. School pick-ups aren't guilt trips—they're priorities.

This is what happens when you stop trading time for money and start trading expertise for sustainable income.

The Business Development Evolution That Changes Everything

Here's where Laurie's story gets really interesting.

She didn't start with some complex marketing strategy or expensive lead generation system. She started with referrals—people who knew her work and trusted her enough to send business her way.

But then she did something most consultants never do: she systematized her growth.

"I went through a visual rebrand, renamed my business, and built a more formal partner referral program," she explained. "I brought on a team member who supports business development because I wasn't going to spend my time on cold outreach."

This is what scaling looks like in practice. You don't do everything yourself forever. You invest in support that allows you to focus on what you do best while other people handle what drains your energy.

And yes, Laurie's team is even experimenting with cold outreach. But here's the thing: she's doing it strategically, with support, as part of a diversified business development approach.

Why Community Matters More Than Co-Working Spaces

Living in a small town could be isolating for a consultant. But Laurie found something better than geographical proximity: genuine community.

"Having that group of people who are building businesses using the same model has been amazing," she reflected on the Nonprofit Fractional Operating System community. "Being able to bounce ideas off people who understand exactly what you're dealing with—that's been the difference."

Here's what I wish more consultants understood: you need peers who get it. Not just other entrepreneurs, but people who understand your specific challenges, your industry quirks, and your business model.

Geographic isolation becomes irrelevant when you have intellectual and emotional support from people who truly understand your journey.

The Bottom Line for Location-Excuse Makers

Your zip code doesn't determine your income potential. Your willingness to build a real business does.

Stop telling yourself you need to live in Toronto or New York to succeed as a consultant. Stop believing that small towns can't build big businesses. Stop using your location as a reason to stay small.

Laurie built her fractional practice from cottage country. Her clients couldn't care less about her address—they care about her results.

Your expertise travels anywhere there's internet. Your relationships can be global. Your impact can be massive.

The only thing your location determines is your cost of living. And frankly, lower overhead gives you more flexibility to build the business you actually want.

So what's your real excuse?

Ready to stop using geography as a reason to stay stuck?

// The Nonprofit Fractional Operating System teaches you how to build a location-independent consulting business that works from anywhere. Because your expertise belongs in the world, not just in your city. Learn more here.

// In episode 7 of FRACTURE, I talked with Rasheeda about achieving true digital nomad status as a fractional consultant. This episode reveals the exact systems and mindset shifts that turn nomad dreams into a sustainable, profitable reality. You can check out the blog post here, or listen to the full episode and all its bold/honest insights when you sign up for FRACTURE.

P.S. Want to hear Laurie's full story about building a distributed team from rural Ontario? Listen to the Fracture podcast episode here, where she shares her exact business development strategies and the mindset shifts that made it all possible.

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