Early-stage startups need marketing leadership but cannot justify a full-time executive hire on limited runway.
A fractional CMO installs repeatable growth systems and hires the right first marketers — capital-efficiently.
The job is to own marketing the way a full-time CMO would: strategy and positioning, a demand engine that produces qualified pipeline, attribution that ties spend to revenue, and the hiring and process work that leaves you with a functioning department rather than a dependency.
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.
A full-time CMO gives you dedicated leadership but costs $250,000 or more all-in, takes months to hire, and is a heavy bet for a company still finding its stride. An agency gives you execution capacity but runs tactics against your brief — it does not own your strategy or answer for your revenue. A fractional CMO sits between: the ownership of an executive, part-time, at a fraction of the cost, scalable when you are ready.
Wondering how much a fractional CMO costs? Everything runs on a transparent monthly retainer. You are not giving up equity or signing a long contract, and the invoice does not move around. The retainer is set to your scope and, as a rule of thumb, comes in around 30–50% of full-time CMO comp — leadership that pays for itself in pipeline.
Brennen is an operator who has built and led marketing teams from the inside — owning the number, not just advising on it. You get senior judgment, hands-on execution, and a system your team keeps running after the engagement scales down. He works like a member of your leadership team, not a consultant who hands you a deck and disappears.
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.