Most companies that need a CMO can't afford one, or don't need one 40 hours a week. A Fractional CMO gives you senior strategic marketing leadership, a full-funnel growth system, and executive accountability at a fraction of the cost.
A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a senior marketing executive who works with your company on a part-time, contract, or project basis. Unlike a full-time hire, which can cost $250,000-$400,000 per year in salary, benefits, and equity, a fractional CMO delivers the same strategic horsepower at 20-40% of the cost.
The Fractional CMO model has exploded in the last five years for one simple reason: it works. Companies from seed-stage startups to $50M private equity-backed firms have discovered that they don't need a full-time marketing leader on payroll, they need a great one, available when it matters most.
This isn't consulting from a distance. As your Fractional CMO, I embed into your business, attending leadership meetings, managing your marketing team, setting KPIs, and building systems that generate revenue long after my engagement ends.
You need a Fractional CMO if any of the following sound familiar:
You've found product-market fit and raised seed or Series A funding. Now you need to grow, fast and smart. A full-time CMO hire takes 6 months to recruit and onboard. A Fractional CMO starts delivering in week one.
Revenue between $5M-$100M. You have a marketing team but no senior leader. Campaigns run without strategy. Budget gets wasted. A Fractional CMO brings structure, accountability, and results.
Private equity firms use Fractional CMOs to drive EBITDA growth between acquisition and exit. Faster than a full-time hire, more strategic than an agency, and directly aligned to value creation.
Your CMO just left. You're mid-rebrand, mid-launch, or mid-crisis. A Fractional CMO steps in immediately, stabilizes the team, and keeps the engine running while you search for the right permanent hire, or decides if you even need one.
My background spans industries that most marketing consultants have never touched. This gives me a decisive advantage, I understand your customers, your compliance requirements, your competitive dynamics, and your growth levers from the inside.
Engagements are customized to your needs, budget, and growth stage. Most clients start with a 90-day sprint and extend to 6-18 months of ongoing partnership.
Agencies execute. A Fractional CMO thinks, leads, and owns outcomes. Agencies report to you, but someone still needs to lead the strategy, manage the agency, and translate marketing activity into business results. That's the Fractional CMO's job. I work alongside your agencies, vendors, and tools, and make them better.
Tell us about your business and we'll respond within 24 hours with a clear plan of action.
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing executive who works with a company on a part-time, embedded basis. They own the full marketing function - strategy, team, budget, and revenue accountability - at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Engagements run $4,000-$15,000/month vs. $280,000-$420,000/year for a full-time CMO.
A consultant delivers recommendations and exits. A fractional CMO owns implementation, manages your team, and is accountable to business outcomes - pipeline, CAC, and revenue - not just deliverables. The accountability structure is fundamentally different.
The right time is typically $500K-$15M in revenue when you need senior marketing leadership but can't justify a $280K+ full-time hire. Common triggers: growth plateau, CEO hitting their marketing ceiling, fundraise preparation, or needing a functional marketing leader above your current team.
Fractional CMO retainers range from $2,500/month (strategy advisory) to $15,000/month (full function ownership with board reporting). Mark's engagements typically run $4,000-$10,000/month depending on scope and hours. No benefits, no equity, no recruiter fees - just results.
Yes. Mark manages marketing teams, agencies, and vendors - providing direction, setting priorities, reviewing work, and holding everyone accountable to outcomes. This is standard in a true fractional CMO engagement and a key differentiator from marketing consultants who advise without managing.