Full-time CMO
- • $200K+ salary plus benefits
- • Months to recruit
- • Strategy, often still needs a team to execute
Fractional CMO
Is it time to hire a fractional CMO?
Most owners don't need another vendor. They need someone to own the plan, hold every channel accountable, and tell them plainly what's working. Here's how to know if you're there.
The signs
You're ready if this sounds familiar
Three or more of these? It's probably time.
- You're spending on marketing but can't say what's actually working.
- You (the owner) are still the de facto marketing department.
- You have vendors for SEO, ads, and social, but no one owns the strategy.
- Growth has plateaued even though leads used to come easily.
- You're planning a rebrand, new location, or new service line.
- A full-time CMO salary doesn't make sense yet, but the stakes do.
- Reports arrive full of vanity numbers instead of calls, jobs, and revenue.
- Your team is growing and marketing needs real leadership and process.
Your options
How it compares
Traditional agency
- • Executes tasks it sells
- • Account managers, not leaders
- • Contracts and limited visibility
Fractional CMO (AMP)
- • Executive strategy at agency pricing
- • Plans and implements, one accountable team
- • No contracts, transparent reporting
What to expect
Your first 90 days
Days 1–30
Baseline
Audit spend, channels, tracking, and the KPIs that actually matter to your business.
Days 31–60
Plan
A clear roadmap: priorities, budget allocation, owners, and timelines you can see.
Days 61–90
Execute
Launch, measure, and adjust, with reporting tied to calls, jobs, and revenue.
Questions
Fractional CMO FAQ
What is a fractional CMO?
A senior marketing leader who works with your business part-time, owning strategy and coordinating execution, without the cost of a full-time executive.
When is a business too small for a fractional CMO?
If you don't yet have a consistent offer or any marketing budget, start with fundamentals. Once you're investing in multiple channels, leadership pays for itself.
Just getting started? See our retained marketing consulting.How is this different from hiring a marketing agency?
An agency sells tasks. A fractional CMO owns the outcome: deciding what to do, holding every channel accountable, and reporting in plain language.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. We don't tie partners down with contracts. We earn the relationship with results.
Want to see who you'd be working with? Meet the owners.
LET'S BUILD YOUR ROADMAP
One plan, one team, one direction. Set up an introduction call to layout your goals and gain insight where to focus.
Start with a conversation