B2B marketing that is not tied to pipeline becomes a cost center the sales team ignores.
A fractional CMO builds marketing that sales trusts: sourced pipeline, clear attribution, and shared targets.
The mandate is total marketing ownership: nail positioning, build channels and campaigns that generate real pipeline, wire up attribution so nothing is guessed at, and hire and direct the marketers, tools, and processes that make the function self-sustaining.
Weeks 1–2: understand your funnel, goals, data, and the gaps holding growth back — talk to sales, customers, and the numbers.
Weeks 2–4: lock positioning, choose the channels that fit your motion, and build a 90-day roadmap tied to revenue.
Weeks 4–8: install the systems, make or manage the hires, launch the channels, and start producing measurable pipeline.
Weeks 8–12 and on: attribution to revenue, cut what is not working, and double down on what is.
A clear go-to-market and a message that converts — one your whole team can repeat.
Channels and campaigns that produce pipeline, measured to revenue instead of clicks.
The right hires, tools, and SOPs — a marketing department that runs itself.
Honest reporting that ties every dollar of spend back to pipeline and closed revenue.
A marketing budget allocated by someone accountable for the return on it.
Marketing that sales trusts and the board understands — one shared number.
Each option trades off differently. A full-time CMO delivers dedication but demands $250k-plus and months of hiring risk. An agency delivers capacity but owns none of your strategy or results. A fractional CMO delivers what most companies actually need — senior ownership and accountability — part-time and at a fraction of the full-time cost.
The fractional CMO cost is a predictable monthly retainer, nothing more. No equity handed over, no multi-year lock-in, no line items you did not expect. The number tracks the work and typically runs 30–50% of full-time CMO compensation — senior marketing leadership for well under the cost of hiring one.
Hiring Brennen means adding an operator to your leadership team, not a vendor to your roster. He owns the strategy, drives the execution, and holds the number — the same way a great full-time CMO would, on the terms your stage can support.
He did not hand us a deck and leave. He built the system, hired the people, and stayed on the hook for results.
Client, B2B SaaS — CEO
A fractional CMO owns your marketing strategy, team, and growth systems on a part-time retainer — positioning, demand generation, analytics, and hiring — with accountability for pipeline and revenue, not just tasks.
Typically 30–50% of a full-time CMO salary, on a flexible monthly retainer scoped to your stage. You get C-suite marketing leadership without the $250k+ commitment or the long hiring cycle.
An agency runs tactics and a consultant advises. A fractional CMO takes ownership — sets the strategy, builds and manages the team, and is accountable for the number, operating like a member of your executive team.
Most engagements ramp in about two weeks. You skip the 4–6 month executive search and start making progress on strategy and pipeline almost immediately.
Seed-to-Series-B startups, SaaS companies, and growing B2B firms — typically doing $1M–$50M in revenue — that need senior marketing leadership but cannot yet justify, or do not yet need, a full-time CMO on payroll.
A clear go-to-market strategy, marketing that sales trusts, attribution tied to revenue, and a team and system that keeps producing pipeline after the engagement scales down. The aim is a self-sustaining marketing function, not permanent dependence on a consultant.
If you have the budget, workload, and revenue to support a $250k+ executive full-time, hire one. If you need senior leadership now but want to de-risk the decision, a fractional CMO gives you the same caliber of leadership scaled to your stage — and can help recruit your eventual full-time CMO when the time is right.
It varies by scope. A company that mainly needs strategy and oversight might need a few days a month; one that needs hands-on building needs more. The retainer is sized to the work, and it can flex up or down as your needs change.