An Embedded
CMO Without the
Full-Time Burn.
Embedded executive leadership for founder-led companies and Series A-C scale-ups. Weekly cadence, board-level accountability, strategy + execution under one roof. The CMO you need at $200K-$400K all-in cost, not $400K-$600K.
The PWR Fractional CMO Model.
Five disciplines, one continuous engine. Embed inside your team with executive presence, run strategy as a living system (not a quarterly deck), execute alongside your team rather than from above, build team accountability through weekly rituals, and report up to board + CEO with the rigor of any full-time executive — at half the all-in cost.
Slack channels, weekly all-hands attendance, 1:1s with marketing team leads, calendar for ad-hoc availability. Embedded enough to be the CMO — not a consultant.
In-the-room
Annual planning, quarterly recalibration, channel-mix modeling, GTM strategy. The strategic system that owns marketing direction.
Owns the plan
Strategy embedded in execution rituals: weekly stand-ups, sprint planning, monthly read-outs, quarterly retros. Strategy stays alive instead of dying in week three.
Strategy-as-system
Direct reports, performance management, hiring + firing decisions, IC career development. The executive role, not the advisor role.
Owned outcomes
Board reporting cadence, CEO 1:1s, CFO budget defense, executive-team alignment. The CMO seat at the table, weekly.
C-suite presence
Six readings. Executive leadership without the burn.
AGGREGATE BENCHMARKS · YOUR NUMBERS WILL BE UNIQUELY YOURS
Fractional CMO, instrumented.
We engage with companies at specific stages and scenarios. Honest about when the model works — and when you need full-time instead.
Founder is the de facto marketing lead but past the point where that scales. Fractional CMO transitions the function from founder to professional executive without the FT hire risk.
Marketing function needs senior leadership but full-time CMO budget is 6-12 months away. Fractional CMO fills the gap with same-quality strategy + team management.
Previous CMO left, full-time replacement is 3-9 months out. Fractional CMO ensures the marketing function does not lose velocity during the gap.
Company is going through a pivot, new market entry, or major repositioning. Fractional CMO brings outside strategic perspective + execution chops.
Marketing function needs to mature before next funding round. Fractional CMO professionalizes the function so investor diligence sees a credible operation.
PE firms backing multiple portfolio companies use Fractional CMO model to bring senior marketing leadership across portfolio without full-time burn per company.
Use Fractional CMO to define the role, build the function, hire the team, then transition to a full-time hire when ready. We help recruit our replacement.
Short-term (3-6 month) engagement covering a known transition window. Same model, defined end date.
Your free Fractional CMO intro call.
45 minutes. We discuss your company stage, marketing function state, executive team, and whether the Fractional CMO model is the right fit (we are brutally honest — sometimes it is not). If yes, we map a 6-month engagement scope.
- Company stage + funding read — Series stage, runway, growth targets
- Marketing function audit — team, channels, performance, gaps
- Fit assessment — is Fractional CMO right for you right now?
- Engagement scope proposal if fit is right (typical 6-month engagement)
Frequently asked.
How is Fractional CMO different from a marketing consultant?
Consultants advise; Fractional CMO executes. Consultants deliver decks; Fractional CMO leads teams, runs weekly stand-ups, manages performance, owns outcomes. Consultants are external; Fractional CMO is in your Slack, on your calendar, in your executive team meeting. The model is closer to a full-time C-suite role at part-time cost than to advisory.
How many companies can a Fractional CMO serve at once?
We cap at 3 concurrent engagements per Fractional CMO. More than that and you are getting consulting, not executive presence. Our model: 15-20 hours/week per engagement (vs. the 50-60 hours a full-time CMO works), delivered in weekly cadence — leadership team meetings, marketing all-hands, 1:1s with direct reports, sprint planning, board prep.
What stages of company do you work with?
Series A through Series C is our sweet spot ($5M-$50M ARR, 10-100 employees). Below Series A, the founder usually still needs to own marketing — Fractional CMO would be premature. Above Series C, most companies should have full-time CMO + a marketing team that does not need fractional leadership. We turn down engagements that do not fit.
How much does Fractional CMO cost?
$8K-$25K/month all-in, scaled to company stage + team size. Smaller engagements (Series A, small team): $8K-$12K/mo. Mid-size (Series B, growing team): $12K-$18K/mo. Larger (Series C, multiple direct reports): $18K-$25K/mo. Compare to full-time CMO total cost (salary + bonus + equity + benefits): $400K-$600K/year. Fractional model is roughly half the all-in cost for senior leadership.
Can you help hire our full-time replacement?
Yes — this is one of our most common engagements. We build the marketing function, document processes, train the team, then run the search for our full-time replacement. We typically write the role description, screen candidates, sit in on final interviews, and onboard the hire with full context transfer. Engagement transitions smoothly rather than ending abruptly.
Will my team report to you or to my CEO?
Direct reports report to the Fractional CMO (us) for day-to-day work + performance management. Dotted-line to CEO for strategic alignment. Same structure as any full-time CMO. We work for the CEO, the team works for us, the company benefits from senior leadership without the full-time burn.
Executive marketing leadership, at fraction-of-CMO cost.
Get your free Fractional CMO intro call. 45 minutes. We will be brutally honest about whether the model is right for your stage — and if yes, map a 6-month engagement scope that fits.