For years, boardrooms across the United States have been out of reach for the majority of small and mid-sized businesses . The benefits of having a seasoned Board Advisor or Independent Director are well understood – investor confidence, growth oversight, and exit readiness – but the costs of finding one have been prohibitive.
Traditional search firms in the U.S. charge anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 to recruit an Independent Director or Chair. And that’s often just for a single appointment, excluding performance fees, equity structuring, or onboarding support. For early-stage companies and family-run businesses, that kind of budget simply doesn’t exist.
That’s where Virtualnonexecs.com is breaking the model—and opening the door for the 90% of businesses previously locked out of board-level expertise.
A Global Network Now Powering U.S. Businesses
Founded in the UK, Virtualnonexecs.com has grown to over 27,000 Board Advisors, Independent Directors, and Non-Execs across 80+ countries, with increasing traction in the U.S. SMB ecosystem. The platform is being used by business owners, investors, and advisors looking for commercially relevant, fractional board talent.
Rather than charging per-placement fees, the platform operates on a subscription-based model, enabling SMBs to identify and engage board-level professionals for as little as $1,995 annually – a fraction of the cost of working with a traditional retained search firm.
As one U.S.-based founder put it, “We were quoted $60,000 by a recruiter to help us find a board chair with SaaS experience. Through Virtualnonexecs, we met three former CEOs with board experience in under two weeks—and hired one for two days a month at a fraction of the cost.”
The Cost Problem No One Wants to Talk About
In the U.S., it’s estimated that only 1 in 10 SMBs seeking board support actually hires due to budget constraints. The executive search industry is built around large enterprise clients – Fortune 500s and publicly traded companies with deep HR and legal departments. The 6 million+ SMBs that drive most of the American economy are left out.
This creates a major gap: companies that could benefit from structured board oversight, governance, or fundraising support simply go without.
Virtualnonexecs.com addresses this directly. By removing the recruiter, standardising onboarding, and allowing SMBs to browse, shortlist, and engage Board Advisors or Independent Directors directly, the platform removes a huge layer of friction and cost.
Internal, Fractional, and Value-Driving
The platform is optimised for fractional board support – meaning Advisors who can spend one or two days per month engaged inside the business. This isn’t just high-level governance – it’s commercially relevant work: helping prepare for a capital raise, refining pricing strategy, advising on talent gaps, or even guiding an M&A process.
As one PE-backed portfolio CEO shared, “We brought on a Board Advisor through Virtualnonexecs for exit prep. He wasn’t just a name on the board—he sat in on diligence calls, reviewed decks, and helped us clean up the cap table. He’s worth ten times what we pay him.”
A Business Model Built for America’s Growth Engine
At its core, Virtualnonexecs is a network, not a recruiter. It doesn’t charge success fees or hidden commissions. Instead, it gives founders and leadership teams direct access to a highly curated pool of Board Advisors and Independent Directors – many of whom are exited founders, ex-C-suite execs, or retired investors looking to support growing companies.
The result is a democratisation of board access. SMBs no longer have to choose between overpaying or going without. They can now afford to bring in real experience, fractional commitment, and strategic value at the exact moment it matters most.
America’s SMBs are the engine of the economy – but too many are still flying blind when it comes to board-level thinking. With traditional executive search models pricing out 90% of the market, it’s no surprise that many companies stall at scale, struggle to raise capital, or fail during transitions.
Virtualnonexecs.com is changing that. By removing the gatekeepers and radically lowering the cost of access, it’s giving ambitious business owners the ability to bring in board expertise that was once reserved for the Fortune 500.
For the cost of a consultant’s day rate, any SMB can now tap into decades of leadership, strategy, and investor know-how – without giving up equity or blowing the budget.
And in today’s competitive market, that’s not just helpful – it’s transformational.