"Pineapple created a dashboard to measure our free trial retention so we could easily understand our performance by cohort and product. We've used it to help set targets for the team and stay on top of the free trial program!"
- Caroline @ Compana
What is a Fractional Analyst?
Short version: An affordable partner that builds an analytical machine to help your data-driven growth.
A Fractional Analyst, or Part-Time Outsourced Analyst, is someone who handles the analytics, dashboard and tool building, data work, etc. for a company that doesn't have the internal resources.
They provide anything in the data-world that helps inform the business owner's decisions.
Examples like Financial Dashboards, Marketing Dashboards, Sales Dashboards, All in One Dashboards, etc.
In essence, a Fractional Analyst is a dedicated expert hired to perform weekly data analysis, which becomes the foundation for the business owner's decisions. While they don't always participate in the strategic decision-making process like a Fractional CFO might, they play an indispensable role in supplying vital data and insights.
They dissect complex data sets, identify trends, and bring forward actionable insights. Under a leader's guidance, they paint a clear picture of the company's performance, making decision-making more informed and impactful.
Pineapple's Proven Process:
Data-Driven Growth with a Fractional Analyst
Step 1 - Initial Diagnostic
We dive into your goals, systems, and KPIs to build a Data Strategy Roadmap, and initial dashboard(s).
Step 2 - We Custom Build Your Analytical Machine
Dashboards, analysis, and recommended strategies to fuel your growth.
Step 3 - You Win. We Win.
We continuously improve, build, and analyze to help you grow, and we only win if you do too.
Step 1 - Initial Diagnostic
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We understand your business goals and KPIs and create a Data Strategy Roadmap
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We understand your current data sources & reporting and areas it can be improved
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Together, we agree on baseline KPI values to compare pre/post the start of our work together
Step 2 - We Custom Build Your Analytical Machine
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We custom build dashboards and tools to track progress towards your goals
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We automate processes and integrate AI where it makes sense
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We set up a reporting cadence to make sure you've always got the right data at the right time
Step 3 - You Win. We Win.
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We analyze results, uncover opportunities, and provide recommendations
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We track against the agreed upon baseline KPIs
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You keep 90% of the gains we help uncover
What do you get with a Fractional Analyst?
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One central location to see all your data, visually
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Customized Dashboards that tell the story of your data, directly speaking to your goals
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Analysis to quantifiably understand what's going on
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Data-Driven Recommendations based on the data we see
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Potential Impact calculations so you can look into the future with your next strategic move
Why are Fractional Analysts beneficial?
A Fractional Analyst will build the tools, dashboards, and analysis you need as a business owner in order to make strategic decisions.
They also handle the work of getting data, putting it into a usable format, and the analysis so the decision maker can stick to what they prefer to do, like building relationships and setting the strategic direction of the company.
The Fractional Analyst becomes your go-to for all things data, analysis, etc., so you can grow and scale the business the way you want to while making data-driven decisions!
Common features of working with a Fractional Analyst
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On-demand analysis
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Custom tools and dashboards
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All the benefits of having an in-house employee at a fraction of the cost
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Ongoing support for new tasks/problem fixing/etc.
What's the Value of Making Data-Driven Decisions?
Check out our Ecommerce Value Estimator that shows how much value is on the table, waiting for you, if you're able to be more data-driven.
See your monthly opportunity in a matter of seconds
We build analytical machines to help you grow.
That's why our pricing is tied directly to your growth, so our incentives are always aligned.
Fractional Analysts skills
Versatility in Data Handling
A defining trait of a good Fractional Analyst is adaptability. Our team works with a wide array of data sources. Whether it's financial tools like QuickBooks, marketing platforms such as Google Analytics and HubSpot, or even operations-centric platforms like Clockify and Fishbowl, our analysts are proficient. And the list doesn't stop there! They're equipped to handle everything from Google Sheets and Excel to sophisticated SQL Databases.
Wide Areas of Expertise
A Fractional Analyst isn't limited to a particular domain:
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Financial Analysis: Dive deep into your company's financial health. By integrating with tools like QuickBooks, our analysts provide insights into performance, future forecasting, and more.
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Marketing Analysis: In the digital age, marketing data is gold. Analyze website traffic, determine the efficiency of marketing spend, and identify areas of improvement to maximize ROI.
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Operations Analysis: Operations generate a plethora of data. A Fractional Analyst sifts through this, providing insights that can revolutionize your operational efficiency.
Ability to Serve a Range of Industries
We've working in Ecommerce, Distribution, Manufacturing, Home Services, Consulting, and more - our Fractional Analysts cater to a multitude of industries.
In a world dominated by data, the role of a Fractional Analyst becomes pivotal. Offering insights, efficiency, and versatility, they're the allies businesses didn't know they needed. Explore further benefits and understand the depth of their role in our comprehensive insight article.
What tools & data sources do we work with?
Anything that we can connect to or get a CSV file from (so basically anything in your business), but here are some staples.
...and many many more
See more benefits to hiring a fractional analyst (over full-time) in our insight article.
What areas can a Fractional Analyst help in?
Fractional Analysts can help in almost any area of your business! The goal is always the same - get the data into a usable format that displays the results the owner is looking for, and provide supporting analysis to help inform decisions.
Financial Analysis
We'll link up to QuickBooks (or other systems), build out a dashboard to better show your performance, and add in some forecasting and analysis on top of it!
For some specifics, check out our Financial Dashboards.
Marketing Analysis
From linking up to your Google Analytics and building a website traffic dashboard, to analyzing the marketing spend to create a cost per acquisition and marketing ROI, we are here to help maximize your marketing spend!
More examples on our Marketing Dashboards page.
Operations Analysis
There's a LOT of data getting gathered by your day-to-day operations. Packages delivered, orders fulfilled, time spent on client work, etc. Seeing all of that in one place with some ongoing analysis and adjacent dashboards can give you incredible insight into your operations!
More details on our Operations Dashboards page.
Our Pricing:
Up Front and Transparent
Our pricing is an ongoing partnership with all three components listed here.
It's designed so we're highly incentivized to help you grow.
You keep 90% of the net growth we uncover for you.
Working with Pineapple was great! Our entire team enjoyed the seamless collaboration, and we were very aligned in our goals. They did a great job executing on the work and keeping everything organized with a project management tracker - it was a big win-win for both sides! Happy to refer them in the future.
- 2U Laundry
Part 1)
Initial diagnostic
Purpose
Get you up and running quickly, for low investment.
What's in this phase?
Data Strategy Roadmap and an initial dashboard aligned to the highest priority goal.
Pricing
Flat fee based on complexity of your current set up and goals.
Average of $2.5k
Part 2)
Analytics Retainer
Purpose
"Keeping things up and running" and covering analytics at cost.
What does this cover?
Ongoing analysis, continuously improved dashboard(s), recommendations and maintaining all data flows.
Pricing
Flat fee based on complexity of the "analytical machine" built.
Average of $400/mo
Part 3)
Impact Commission
Purpose
Completely align incentives so our upside is solely tied to yours.
What do you get?
Highly incentivize analysts to uncover growth opportunities and maximize your upside.
Pricing
Agreed upon percentage of net gains for target KPIs.
Usually 10% of measurable growth
Our Pricing Model Works in 3 Connected Parts
Pricing Examples
Ecommerce Company Example
Measurement
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Main KPI: Customer Retention
Main Deliverables Overview
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Cohort retention dashboard
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Monthly analysis on free trial effectiveness and CAC
Pricing
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Initial Diagnostic: $3,000, one-time
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Analytics Retainer: $250/mo
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Impact Commission: 10% of gain from New Customers above baseline
Food Distributor Example
Measurement
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Main KPI: Gross Profit on sales from Sales Reps
Main Deliverables Overview
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Sales Rep dashboard
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Weekly analysis on product & customer recommendations
Pricing
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Initial Diagnostic: $2,000, one-time
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Analytics Retainer: $500/mo
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Impact Commission: 10% of gain from Gross Profit above baseline, capped at $10k/mo
Pricing Comparison: Fractional vs Full Time
Full Time Business Intelligence Analyst
Quantifiable Costs
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Avg salary: $100,334 / yr
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Data for Charlotte, NC for a medium experience analyst in 2025
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Avg benefit package: $9,214 / yr
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Signing or Year End Bonus, PTO, Insurance, etc.
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Avg employer costs: $26,325
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Taxes, payroll provider, benefit contribution
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Total annual Employer cost: $135,873
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$11,323 monthly
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Hidden Costs
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Training & Development
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Paying for hours, not results
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Hiring, recruiting, & onboarding
Fractional Analyst with Pineapple
Quantifiable Costs
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Avg Initial Diagnostic: $2,500
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Compared to avg signing bonus of $7,000
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Avg Analytical Retainer: $400 / month
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Compared to "day-today" Full Time analyst work of 15 hrs / week
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Impact Commission: 10% of what you gain
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If we help find $10,000 / month, we only get $1,000
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Total monthly investment: $1,400
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Performance dependent. The Impact Commission can be $0 if no improvement or opportunity is measurably shown.
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Pineapple's upside is capped to not exceed and agreed upon amount
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Annualized to $16,800 if we find $120,000 ($10,000/month) for you
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Hidden Benefits
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No Training & Development
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Paying for results
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Up and running within days, not months
Go from Data-Frustrated to Data-Confident
Fill out the contact form to get the conversation started.
Talk directly with Jack - just reach out!