SaaS growth stalls when acquisition, activation, and retention are owned by nobody in particular.
A fractional CMO aligns the funnel end-to-end — CAC, payback, and net revenue retention — as one owned system.
Fractional CMO leadership means one accountable owner for the whole function: positioning that makes your value obvious, demand generation measured to revenue instead of clicks, attribution you can trust, and a team plus SOPs that keep the engine running long after the strategy is set.
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.
The comparison is simple once you frame it. Full-time CMO: maximum leadership, maximum cost, slowest to onboard. Agency: maximum execution, minimal ownership. Fractional CMO: executive-level strategy and accountability on a part-time retainer, with the flexibility to scale up or transition to full-time when you are ready.
Fractional CMO billing could not be simpler: a set monthly retainer scoped to the work, no equity, no long-term contract, no hidden fees. It generally lands at roughly a third to a half of what a full-time CMO would cost all-in — leadership that pays for itself rather than an added expense.
You get a marketing leader who has actually done the job — built the team, owned the budget, carried the number. Brennen operates inside your business, not adjacent to it, and measures success by the engine he leaves running when he scales down.
Brennen operates like a founder — he owned the number, built the team, and the pipeline followed.
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.