What a fractional CMO actually does

Most small business owners have heard the term fractional CMO. Fewer know what it means on a Tuesday afternoon.

It's not consulting. A consultant delivers a report and leaves. A fractional CMO stays in the work. I'm in your Slack, in your meetings, looking at your numbers with you. The deliverable isn't a document. It's a functioning marketing operation.

It's not an agency either. Agencies execute. They build ads, write copy, post content. That execution matters, but someone still has to decide what to build, why, and in what order. That's the gap a fractional CMO fills.

What the role actually looks like

It depends on where a business is, but the pattern is consistent.

The first few weeks are diagnostic. I look at what's working, what's costing money without returning anything, and what's missing entirely. Most businesses have some version of all three.

From there, the work is strategic and ongoing. I build the roadmap. I hold the strategy across every channel so nothing operates in a silo. I work with whoever is executing. Sometimes that's an in-house team member. Sometimes it's a freelancer or an agency. My job is to make sure everyone is building toward the same thing.

I also handle the thinking that doesn't fit neatly into a job description. How should we position this new service? Is this the right moment to run ads? Why is our website traffic flat? Those questions need someone who understands the full picture, not just their lane.

What you get that you can't hire for

A full-time CMO at a mid-size company earns $150,000 to $250,000 a year, plus benefits. For most small businesses, that's not a realistic hire. And even if it were, a business with eight employees and $2 million in revenue doesn't need a full-time CMO. It needs senior-level thinking part-time.

That's the case for fractional. You get someone who has built marketing functions before, run campaigns across multiple channels, and made budget decisions under pressure. You get their judgment, not their calendar.

Who it's right for

The fit is specific. Fractional CMO work makes the most sense when a business is past survival mode but hasn't yet built marketing infrastructure. Revenue is coming in, usually through referrals or reputation, but the owner knows the current approach won't scale. They need a system. They need someone to build it.

It also works well when a business has execution resources (an internal person, a freelancer, an agency) but no one directing the strategy. The pieces are there. The plan isn't.

If you can't describe your marketing strategy in two sentences, you probably need one before you need more execution.

I work with service-based businesses in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area that are ready to build something that lasts. If that sounds like where you are, let's talk →