Marketing leadership on a retainer,
not a full-time hire you are not ready for
A full-time CMO hire is expensive and hard to reverse if it does not work out. Most growing businesses need the judgment, not the headcount. We act as fractional marketing leadership: setting the plan, running the team and agencies you already have, reporting honestly. The same role one of us has held as COO and co-founder of a real media-buying operation.
Too big for one specialist, too early for a six-figure hire
A business that has outgrown ad-hoc marketing but is not ready for a full-time executive hire ends up in a costly middle zone. Too much complexity for a single specialist to own alone. Not enough budget certainty to justify a six-figure salary and the risk of getting the hire wrong. Meanwhile the team, freelancers or agency relationships that already exist often lack a single point of accountability tying their work to one coherent plan. Each piece optimizes for itself, and the whole adds up to less than it should.
We have operated inside this role directly, not just advised around its edges. Running a media-buying company as COO and co-founder, building and managing a team of six, investor reporting and all. Leading marketing for a consulting brand’s full launch from zero to first profit in six weeks. Directing the marketing and sales turnaround behind a ×2.7 sales quarter and a separate ×10 sales year, one client each, results vary. In each case the job was not advisory. It was running the function with real accountability for the number at the end.
How the retainer works
We set a quarterly plan with specific, ranked priorities, not a broad strategy document. Then we run it. We manage your existing team, freelancers or agency relationships directly toward that plan, instead of handing it to them and hoping it gets executed as intended. Budget and channel decisions get made with real data behind them. We pull on the same attribution and unit-economics work we do as standalone engagements, so the plan is not built on assumption.
You get a weekly check-in and a monthly report in money: revenue, cost per order, the metrics tied directly to the plan. Not a vanity-metrics deck. Where the team genuinely needs to grow, we help hire for it. Where something in the plan is not working, we escalate that honestly and early, before a quarter is lost to a direction that was quietly not performing.
What we need from you
Real decision-making access, not a filtered version of the business. Introductions to your current team, freelancers or agencies. Leadership only works with direct access to the people actually doing the work.
What you see in the report
The plan’s own quarterly targets against what actually happened, reported honestly including the parts that did not go as planned. A fractional CMO who only reports wins is not doing the job.
Price and timeline
| Option | Price | What it covers | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch or audit | from $1,200 | A 90-day plan and team assessment before any ongoing retainer | 2 weeks |
| Monthly management | from $2,500 / month | Full fractional leadership, team management, weekly check-ins | monthly, 3-month minimum |
| Full control, handover to your team | from $2,200 | Leadership through a search and transition to a full-time in-house hire | 3 to 6 months |
Related
A fractional CMO engagement typically starts with a growth audit and 90-day plan and runs alongside monthly growth reporting and marketing budget allocation and forecasting. The full build spans the performance marketing and analytics service pages. Real examples: the sports nutrition relaunch and the supplements brand’s ×10 year.
Have a marketing team or agency relationship that needs one person accountable for the plan? Get in touch and we will look at what is in place today.
FAQ
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
From $2,500 a month, scoped to your team size and how much of the marketing function needs direct leadership versus advisory input. A three-month minimum, so the plan has time to show real results.
How is this different from hiring a marketing consultant?
A fractional CMO does not just advise. We set the plan and then run it, managing your team, freelancers or agencies directly, and we are accountable for the numbers, not just the recommendations.
What size business is this a fit for?
Businesses with an existing marketing function. A small team, a mix of freelancers, an agency relationship that needs direction. They need senior leadership without the cost or risk of a full-time executive hire.
What do you need from us?
Real decision-making access, not a filtered version of the business. Also introductions to your current team, freelancers or agencies, so leadership can actually happen instead of staying advisory from a distance.
How do you report?
A weekly check-in on what moved, and a monthly report in revenue, cost per order and the specific metrics tied to the quarterly plan. Honest flags the moment something is off track, not at the end of the quarter.