Fractional CMO
Senior marketing leadership inside your business, without the full-time hire.
Who it is for
A fractional CMO makes sense when marketing has become too important to run without senior leadership, but a full-time chief marketing officer is not yet the right hire. That is usually a founder-led business that has found its market and now needs growth to become predictable, a scale-up preparing for investment, or an established brand whose marketing has drifted into a collection of activities rather than a plan.
It also suits businesses between hires. If your marketing leader has moved on, or you are not sure what kind of leader you actually need, a fractional CMO keeps everything moving, steadies the team and helps you define the role properly before you recruit for it.
Most of the founders I work with are brilliant at their product and their customers. What they want is someone who has run marketing as a business, who can sit in the leadership meeting and talk about pipeline, margin and payback, then walk into the creative review and explain why an ad is not landing.
If you recognise any of that, the model is simple: senior leadership for a set number of days each month, accountable for results, without the cost and commitment of a full-time executive.
What I do
Marketing strategy and annual planning
I turn your commercial goals into a marketing plan the whole business can follow: where growth will come from, which audiences and channels matter, what it will cost and how progress will be measured. The plan is reviewed every quarter, so it stays a working document rather than a deck that gathers dust.
Brand positioning and messaging
Clear positioning makes every other piece of marketing cheaper. I work out what you stand for, who you are really for and why people should choose you over the alternatives, then turn that into messaging your team, your agencies and your sales conversations can all use.
Go-to-market and launch plans
New products, new markets and new propositions need more than a launch date. I plan the sequence, the audiences, the channels and the creative, and line up the measurement so you can see quickly what is working and change course while it still matters.
Customer acquisition and growth
I build the acquisition engine around your economics: what a customer is worth, what you can afford to pay for one and how fast that money comes back. That keeps growth ambitious without letting spend run ahead of the numbers.
Paid social and paid search
From Meta and TikTok to Google and LinkedIn, I set the strategy, the budget split and the testing approach, and hold whoever runs the accounts to clear targets. The aim is creative that people stop for, backed by structure and data that let it scale.
SEO and AI search visibility
Search has moved from results pages into AI answers. I make sure your brand shows up in both, with the content, technical foundations and signals that assistants such as ChatGPT and Google's AI rely on when they recommend one business over another.
Email, CRM and retention
Growth is not only about new customers. I shape the lifecycle programme that turns first purchases into loyal customers: welcome journeys, post-purchase flows, win-back campaigns and the segmentation that makes every message feel relevant.
Outbound and lead generation
For B2B and high-value services, I design outbound that starts real conversations: the right target accounts, a point of view worth hearing, and sequences across email and LinkedIn that feel personal rather than automated.
Marketing funnels and conversion
Traffic only matters if it converts. I look at every step between first click and purchase or enquiry, find where people drop away, and fix the pages, offers and follow-ups that are leaking value.
Budget setting and media allocation
I help you decide how much to invest, where to put it and when to move it. Budgets are tied to clear return targets and reviewed regularly, so money flows towards what is working rather than what was planned months ago.
Reporting, KPIs and board updates
You get a small set of numbers that genuinely describe the health of your marketing, reported in plain language. For boards and investors, I present the story behind the numbers: what happened, why, and what changes next.
Hiring and leading the marketing team
I lead the people you already have, coach them and help you hire the right people next, including, when the time comes, the full-time leader who will take over from me.
Agency and freelancer management
Most businesses rely on outside partners. I write the briefs, set the standards, review the work and hold agencies to account, so you get their best people and their best thinking rather than whatever is easiest for them.
Marketing technology and tracking
Good decisions need trustworthy data. I make sure your analytics, attribution, CRM and marketing tools are set up properly, talk to each other and tell you something useful.
How it works
A first conversation
We talk through where the business is, where you want it to go and what is getting in the way. If a fractional CMO is not the right answer, I will say so and point you towards what is.
The first month
I spend the opening weeks listening and looking: your numbers, your customers, your team, your agencies and your existing marketing. You get an honest view of what is working, what is not and where the biggest opportunities sit.
The plan
Together we agree priorities, budgets and targets for the next quarter and the year ahead, with a clear owner for every piece of work.
Leading the work
I join your leadership rhythm a set number of days each month, run the marketing team and partners, sit in the reviews that matter and keep everything moving between them.
Review and evolve
Every quarter we look at what has changed and adjust the plan, the budget and, if needed, how much of my time you need. When the business is ready for a full-time CMO, I help you hire them and hand over properly.
Signs it is time
Growth has stalled and nobody agrees why
Revenue has flattened, the leadership team has three different theories, and every month spent debating is a month of lost momentum. A senior outside view usually finds the real cause quickly and turns it into a plan everyone can get behind.
Marketing is a list of activities, not a plan
The team is busy and the agencies are busy, but nobody can say how it all adds up to the targets. You need someone to set priorities, connect the work to the commercial goals and say no to the rest.
You are spending more and getting less
Acquisition costs keep rising and returns keep falling. Someone needs to look across channels, creative and conversion together, and rebuild the engine around your real economics rather than last year's habits.
You are preparing to raise or to sell
Investors and buyers look hard at growth, customers and brand. A fractional CMO helps you build a credible plan and the numbers to back it up well before the process starts.
Your marketing lead has left
Rather than rushing a replacement, a fractional CMO keeps everything moving, steadies the team and helps you work out what kind of leader you really need next.
The founder is still running marketing
Founders often carry marketing far longer than they should. Handing it to an experienced leader frees you to focus on the business, while marketing finally gets the attention it deserves.
What changes when I join
The first thing most leadership teams notice is clarity. Marketing stops being a list of activities and becomes a plan with priorities, owners and targets, and everyone knows what matters this quarter and why.
The second is pace. Decisions that used to wait for the next meeting get made, briefs get sharper, agencies get clearer direction and the team spends less time guessing what good looks like.
Over time, the real change is confidence. Spend is tied to return, reporting tells a story the board can trust, and the brand feels more like itself everywhere it shows up. That is the point where marketing stops being a cost you manage and becomes the engine you invest in.
Every engagement is shaped around the business, but the rhythm is always the same: understand first, then lead, then deliver, and keep reviewing as the business changes.
Ways to work together
Strategic
A few days a month of senior direction: setting the plan, guiding the team and agencies, reviewing performance and reporting to the board. Ideal when you have good people who need leadership rather than more hands.
Embedded
More regular time inside the business, leading the team week to week, running key projects and owning delivery. Ideal around launches, rebrands, fundraising or periods of fast growth.
Interim
Full-time or close to it for a defined period, typically while you recruit a permanent CMO or through a major change. I lead the function, then hand over properly to your new hire.
Sectors I know well
eCommerce →
For eCommerce and direct-to-consumer brands, a fractional CMO brings acquisition, retention and brand into one plan, tied to margin and lifetime value rather than vanity metrics, with creative that keeps paid channels performing.
eLearning →
For eLearning and course businesses, I bring the experience of building online training businesses myself, from proposition and pricing to launches, funnels, webinars and the paid acquisition that fills them.
B2B →
For B2B companies, I connect positioning, LinkedIn, content and outbound with the sales team, so marketing produces the kind of pipeline the sales team actually wants to work.
Agencies →
For agencies, I lead marketing and new business the way I would in an agency of my own: positioning, proposition, credentials, case studies, outbound and the pitch itself.
Why work with me
I have spent over a decade in marketing and advertising, most of it building businesses of my own. I have founded and exited two agencies and co-founded start-ups across training platforms, ad networks and dining apps, so I have sat where you sit: setting budgets with my own money and answering for the results.
I cover the whole of marketing, from brand strategy and creative through to performance, data and operations. That means I can hold a strategic conversation with your board and a detailed one with your paid media team in the same afternoon, and spot when one is undermining the other.
Through Vertical Brands, my agency, I also have a senior team behind me when the work needs more hands, working with brands such as FACEGYM, Canagan and Decant Group. You get one leader with a joined-up view, rather than a patchwork of consultants and suppliers.
Fractional CMO questions, answered
What is a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with your business part-time, usually for a set number of days each month, rather than as a full-time employee. You get the strategic leadership, accountability and experience of a chief marketing officer, focused on the work that moves the business, at a fraction of the cost and commitment. It is a well-established model for growing companies that need senior marketing leadership now but are not ready, or do not need, to hire for it full-time.
How is a fractional CMO different from a consultant or an agency?
A consultant usually advises and leaves, and an agency usually executes a defined scope. A fractional CMO sits inside your leadership team and owns the outcome. I set the strategy, lead the people and partners delivering it, manage the budget and answer for the results, in the same way a full-time CMO would. Many clients use me alongside their existing agencies, and part of my job is to get more out of them.
How much time will you spend with my business?
It depends on your stage and what needs doing. Some businesses need a couple of days a month of senior direction, others need me embedded with the team every week, especially in the early months or around a launch or fundraise. We agree the commitment up front and review it each quarter, so it can flex up or down as the business changes.
How much does a fractional CMO cost?
Every engagement is priced around the time involved and the scope of the role, so I quote after a first conversation rather than publish a rate card. As a guide, a fractional CMO costs a fraction of a full-time executive's salary, bonus, equity and recruitment fees, and you can start in weeks rather than months. You also avoid the cost of a wrong senior hire, which is one of the most expensive mistakes a growing business can make.
How quickly can you start?
Usually within a couple of weeks of agreeing the engagement. The first month focuses on understanding the business, the numbers, the team and the existing marketing, so the plan we build is grounded in reality. Most clients see early improvements in focus and decision-making well before the full plan is in place.
What size of business do you work with?
Mostly founder-led and growing businesses that have found traction and now need marketing to scale with them, as well as established brands that want a fresh, senior perspective. I work across eCommerce and direct-to-consumer brands, eLearning and education businesses, B2B companies and agencies, from early-stage start-ups through to businesses with established teams and significant marketing budgets.
Will you work with my existing team and agencies?
Yes, and that is usually the point. I lead and develop the people you already have, give your agencies clearer briefs and higher standards, and only recommend changes where something is genuinely holding the business back. If you need extra hands, I can bring in my own agency, Vertical Brands, but there is never any obligation to use it.
How do you measure success?
We agree a small number of measures at the start that reflect what the business actually needs, such as revenue growth, customer acquisition cost, payback period, retention or pipeline, alongside brand measures where they matter. I report on them in plain language every month and present the bigger picture to the leadership team or board each quarter.
Can you help us hire a full-time CMO later?
Yes. Part of a good fractional engagement is building something that lasts beyond it. When the business is ready, I help define the role, write the brief, assess candidates and hand over the strategy, team and partners properly, so your new leader starts from a strong position rather than a blank page.
Do you only work in the UK?
No. I am based in London, but my clients and colleagues are all over the world and I travel a lot. Much of the work happens remotely, with time in person when it adds the most value, such as planning sessions, team workshops and board meetings.
What is the difference between a fractional CMO and an interim CMO?
An interim CMO usually works full-time for a fixed period, often to cover the gap between permanent hires. A fractional CMO works part-time on an ongoing basis, for as long as the business benefits from it. I offer both, and many engagements move between them as the business changes, for example stepping up to more time around a launch, then back to a lighter rhythm.
Is a fractional CMO right for an early-stage start-up?
Often, yes, as long as there is something to grow. Before you have found your market, the priority is usually the product and a handful of early customers. Once there are signs of traction, a fractional CMO helps you turn them into a repeatable growth engine without the cost of a senior full-time hire.
Do you get involved in the creative work?
Yes. Brand and creative are where much of marketing's value is made or lost, so I am closely involved in briefs, ideas and reviews. I will not design your ads myself, but I will make sure the people who do have a clear brief, a high bar and honest feedback.
Can you work with our board and investors?
Yes. I regularly present marketing plans and performance to boards and investors, and I can help prepare the marketing and growth sections of investor updates and fundraising materials. The aim is a clear, honest story about where growth is coming from and what it costs.
What happens if it is not working?
We review the engagement every quarter, so neither of us is locked into something that is not adding value. If the business needs something different, such as more time, less time or another kind of support, we change it. And if a fractional CMO is no longer the right answer, I will tell you.
