Fractional CMO
Part-time CMO support that takes ownership of marketing for a defined business stage or complements the capability of an existing CMO.
Fractional CMO
Owns goals, people, budget and performance within the marketing function.
Working situations
Are you a start-up?
The product is ready, but the target customer, positioning, channel choices and first marketing hires are unclear. The founder carries sales and marketing decisions at the same time.
→ We build the go-to-market plan, set the first priorities and define the right team and agency structure. We allocate the budget around the assumptions that need testing.
Are you moving from start-up to scale-up?
Initial growth has arrived, but channels, teams and reporting do not scale at the same speed. Founder-led decisions begin to slow the company down.
→ We rebuild the growth model, organisation, budget and KPI system, turning marketing into a measurable and manageable function.
Are you preparing to hire a senior marketing leader?
The company plans to hire a director or CMO, but the scope, ideal profile and timing of a permanent appointment are not yet clear.
→ We take on the role temporarily, define it through real work and establish the criteria for the permanent hire. The new leader joins a working system.
Is your CMO taking 6, 9 or 12 months of leave?
Leaving strategy, team, agency and budget management uncovered for months creates delays and business risk.
→ We take over the current plan and team, maintain the management rhythm and complete an orderly handover at the end of the period.
Does your current CMO need complementary expertise?
A CMO with a strong brand and communications background may need support in data, performance, MarTech or AI. The reverse can also be true.
→ We take ownership of the capability gap and work alongside the current leader on data-led growth, technology, measurement and operations.
Does the marketing organisation need to change?
The company needs new capabilities, some roles no longer match the work, or the budget requires a leaner structure. Delaying the change weakens performance and team confidence.
→ We define role and capability needs from evidence, then manage team building, leadership selection or necessary resizing against clear criteria. We establish the operating rhythm, controls and internal training for the new structure.
A Fractional CMO takes ownership of marketing leadership.
We connect goals, budget, people and priorities through one management system. SEO, CRM, paid media, measurement and technology operate within that system.
As Fractional CMO
We take ownership of marketing outcomes and priorities. We manage the team, agencies, budget and leadership reporting together. We resolve decisions and resource conflicts across specialist disciplines. We give the CEO and leadership team one accountable marketing decision point.
In specialist advisory work
We diagnose and solve a defined problem directly. We work within a defined field such as CRM, SEO/GEO, measurement or performance. We take ownership of the agreed output.
Common problems
Marketing activity exists but lacks one direction. Teams and agencies work without clear ownership. KPIs and OKRs are disconnected from outcomes. Manual work consumes time needed for decisions and production. The CEO or founder still manages marketing directly.
Scope of delivery
Marketing strategy and a 90-day priority plan. KPI, OKR, target-setting and control system. Leadership, team management and organisation design. Team building, responsible resizing and role clarity. Automation opportunities and implementation plan. Internal training and capability development. Regular performance reporting for leadership. A working model across sales, product and marketing.
Working capacity
Fractional CMO work is not offered hourly. Depending on the scope of responsibility, capacity is planned at half a day, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days or 8 days per month. The suitable capacity is defined in the initial call according to ownership, team and agency structure, decision cadence and required follow-through.
- Half a day per monthDiagnosis and direction
- 1 day per monthRegular decision and operating support
- 2 days per monthTarget and performance management
- 4 days per monthFractional leadership
- 8 days per monthMarketing-function ownership at leadership level
Experience in numbers
Compiled from brands worked with as an advisor, in-house executive and mentor.
Regions
Business models
Working process
Review the situation
We review the goal, available data, team and current decision process.Define the scope
We set the decisions, owners and measures that affect the business outcome.Execute and track
We run the plan against dates and owners, then measure the result.Common questions
What does a Fractional CMO do?
A Fractional CMO leads the marketing function on a defined part-time basis and takes ownership of strategy, people, budget, targets and performance decisions.
Who is it for?
It suits start-ups, scale-ups, companies with an interim CMO need and teams that need to complement an existing CMO’s expertise.