A $100M solar cladding launch, from nothing.
Months before production, Mitrex had no real website, sales materials or positioning. I built the positioning and the launch plan.
Read the case study →Fractional CMO for founder-led B2B companies.
I lead your marketing a set number of days a month. I find out what your spend is producing, build the plan and budget, run the work with a small group of specialists and report to you every quarter.
"Any company seeking CMO-level guidance without hiring a full-time CMO would benefit greatly from Mark's hands-on expertise."
Companies I've worked with
What a fractional CMO does
A fractional CMO does the job of a full-time marketing executive for part of the month. You get someone who has run marketing at many companies, and you can start in a couple of weeks instead of spending months recruiting. Here's what I take on.
01
The plan
Who you sell to, what you tell them and which channels are worth the money. It ends up in a plan for the next 120 days with owners, budget and measures.
02
The budget
Where your marketing money goes now, what each lead costs and what to stop paying for. I tell you up front what the plan needs.
03
The work
Your website, HubSpot, emails, Google Ads and sales materials. I do some of it myself and bring in specialists for ads, web and design.
04
The reporting
A marketing call every week and a report to leadership every quarter on what worked, what didn't and what we decided.
When to hire a fractional CMO
It usually fits B2B companies doing $1M to $25M in revenue that are growing but stuck. If a few of these sound familiar, it's probably time.
- Most of your sales still come from the founder's network.
- You're spending on marketing and nobody can say what it's producing.
- The website looks fine, but it doesn't bring in leads.
- Good-fit deals start strong, then slow down or go quiet.
- Buyers compare you on price because they can't see the difference.
- You have a junior marketer or a few freelancers, and nobody senior setting direction.
When a fractional CMO isn't the right hire
You need ads running next week.
If the plan is clear and you just need campaigns built, an agency will get you there faster for less.
There's no budget to act on a plan.
My fee covers the thinking and the managing. The website, ad spend and specialists cost extra, and a plan nobody can fund doesn't help.
You want someone in the office every day.
Then you need a full-time hire. I'm happy to help you write the role and interview for it.
How a fractional CMO engagement works
Every client starts with a three-month roadmap, so we both know what needs to happen before I run anything.
- Week 1
Kick-off
A 90-minute deep dive on your business, a questionnaire about your buyers and results, and access to your analytics, ad accounts, website and email tools.
- Months 1 to 3
The roadmap
I talk to you, your sales team and your customers, review your website, sales materials, competitors and channels, then build the plan.
- Month 3
The plan, in writing
Who to target and what to say, ranked channels with tests, the materials to fix first, an action plan with owners and budget, and how we'll measure it.
- After that
I run it, or hand it over
Either I stay on as your fractional CMO and run the plan, or your team runs it with a monthly advisory session with me.
What a normal month looks like
Once the plan is running, you see me every week and always know what I'm working on.
- A weekly marketing call
- Slack between calls
- A shared Google Drive folder for plans, notes and the dashboard
- A Trello board showing what I'm working on and what's next
- A quarterly report to leadership
What a fractional CMO costs
You pay for the days the work needs, and you know the fee before we start.
The roadmap: a fixed fee
About three months of research and planning, priced as one project. We agree on the fee before anything starts, so there are no surprises.
Running the plan: a monthly retainer
If I stay on as your fractional CMO, the retainer depends on how many days a month the plan needs and whether I'm managing specialists or your team is doing the work.
Paid separately
Ad spend, website builds and specialists. The plan spells out what each costs before you commit to it. Compared with a full-time CMO, you skip the recruiting fees, the equity and the months it takes a new executive to ramp up.
Weighing your options? Read fractional CMO vs agency vs full-time CMO or fractional CMO vs strategic advisor.
Fractional CMO work for B2B clients
See all case studies →
One CRM among 600.
I repositioned Wingmate around field sales teams, then rebuilt the website, sales materials and emails. Demo requests went up.
Read the case study →
A rug brand built for interior designers.
Positioning, a new brand identity and a plan to reach interior designers, plus outreach for design shows.
Read the case study →How I work with clients
The terms in my proposals, in plain words.
What you share stays private.
I never publish or repeat anything you tell me, publicly or privately.
Record any call you like.
You don't need to ask first.
I reply within 24 hours.
During business hours it's usually much faster.
You make the final calls.
I'll tell you what I'd do and why. It's your company, so the decisions are yours.
Fractional CMO FAQ
What founders usually ask before hiring a fractional CMO.
A fractional CMO is a senior marketer who leads your marketing part time. They set the strategy and budget, manage the people and vendors doing the work, and report results to leadership, the same as a full-time CMO, for a set number of days a month.
Fractional and part-time CMO mean the same thing: a senior marketer who works with you some of the month, often for a year or more. An interim CMO usually works full time for a few months to fill a gap while you hire a permanent one.
With me it's two parts. The roadmap is a fixed fee we agree on before we start. If I stay on to run the plan, it's a monthly retainer based on how many days a month the work needs. Ad spend, website builds and specialists are paid separately, and I tell you up front what the plan needs.
The roadmap takes about three months. After that, clients usually keep me on until the plan is running well and the team can carry it, or until they're ready to hire a full-time marketing leader.
Yes. I work with your marketing and sales people every week, manage the agencies and freelancers you already have, and bring in specialists only where there are gaps.
Yes. I'm based in Toronto and work with B2B companies across Canada and the US. Most of the work happens over video calls and Slack.
A budget to act on the plan, access to your marketing tools and data, and some of the founder's time in the first month, since you know the buyers better than anyone. One person on your side should keep things moving internally.
I help you write the role, interview candidates and hand over the plan, so your new hire starts with a strategy that's already working.
Tell me what's going on with your marketing.
You'll leave the call with an honest read on what to fix first, whether or not we work together.