Fractional CMO services accountable for revenue.

You need someone who owns your marketing numbers and has the authority to move them. Senior marketing leadership at 10 to 20 hours per month. Strategy, vendor management, and accountability for revenue results, without the $280K to $380K all-in cost. Engagements start at $3,500 per month.

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The cost case

$280K to $380K all-in year one for a full-time CMO
$4K to $15K/mo for an agency, revenue accountability still yours
$3,500 to $8,500/mo for the plan, accountable for results

Marketing activity without strategy is expensive noise.

At some point in the growth of most businesses, the founder-does-marketing phase stops working. The business has grown past the point where one person can run operations, manage a team, handle sales, and think strategically about marketing. Something gets dropped. Usually it is marketing strategy.

Your team is executing but every task sits disconnected from growth
You are spending on marketing but cannot tell what is working
Every vendor optimizes for their channel and nobody watches the whole picture
You need senior judgment but cannot justify a full-time CMO hire
Decisions get second-guessed, campaigns stall, momentum dies

The difference between a fractional CMO and an agency is accountability.

Agencies get paid for output. We get measured on the same number you are. We function as a working member of your leadership team, with real ownership of the marketing function and real accountability for whether it produces business results.

We have run marketing for businesses we owned. That means we understand the difference between marketing that looks good and marketing that drives revenue. We make calls, hold vendors accountable, and align your team around a plan that shows up in the bank account.

Fractional CMO cost vs. full-time hire vs. agency: the full picture.

Full-Time CMO Hire

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median marketing manager at $161,030 as of May 2024, and a CMO sits above that. On top of base comes benefits, payroll tax, equity, recruiting fees, and a three to six month ramp before the hire is fully productive.

Base per BLS, May 2024. Everything after it varies by company.

Traditional Agency

Retainer of $4,000 to $15,000 per month. The agency executes while strategy and business accountability stay with you. Execution spend without the leadership that makes it produce.

Revenue accountability stays on your side of the table

louislynn Fractional CMO

Senior leadership, strategy ownership, vendor management, and revenue accountability. Zero benefits load, equity, recruiting fees, or ramp time.

$3,500 to $8,500/mo · 10 to 20 hours of working time

Fractional CMO engagements: 30, 60, or 90 days.

Every fractional CMO engagement starts with an audit. From there, we match the depth and duration to what your business needs.

Quick hit

30-Day Sprint

Ideal for a specific problem: a product launch, a stalled campaign, or a team that needs immediate direction. Includes marketing audit and diagnosis, a 30-day execution roadmap, four weekly leadership sessions, and a clear handoff document at close.

Most common

60-Day Alignment

Enough time to audit, strategize, begin execution, and see early results. Everything in the sprint plus full channel strategy, vendor and agency oversight, team alignment, and month-two execution and iteration.

Full transformation

90-Day Fractional CMO

Three months of embedded strategic leadership, designed to rebuild the marketing function end to end. Adds hiring strategy, board or investor reporting, and a full marketing infrastructure buildout.

Fractional CMO leadership is for businesses ready to get serious about growth.

Founders doing marketing themselves who know it is not their highest use of time
Companies with a marketing team executing without a clear strategy
Businesses spending across multiple agencies while the full picture goes unowned
Organizations preparing for a growth push, a new market, or a funding round
Businesses that tried agencies and want someone accountable for revenue

These engagements often deploy demand generation for B2B pipeline, local SEO for local visibility, and content production, under one accountable strategy.

Fractional CMO FAQs.

What is a fractional CMO and how is it different from a consultant?

Consultants hand you a recommendation. A fractional CMO runs the function and answers for what it produces: sets strategy, manages vendors, directs the team, and answers for the results, on a fraction of a full-time schedule. The difference is accountability.

Do you execute, or oversee?

Both, by design. Strategy and leadership hours come first, and where execution is needed we deploy the right louislynn service or manage your existing vendors to the plan.

What if I already have an internal marketing person?

Even better. A fractional CMO gives your internal talent senior direction and prioritization, which is usually the missing ingredient. We make your people more effective.

How is success measured?

We agree the metrics upfront: leads, pipeline, rankings, revenue. You see the same dashboards we do, in accounts you own, and we report against those numbers every month.

Can you work with the agency we already have?

Yes. Vendor management is a core part of the role. We hold your agencies to the strategy and to their numbers, which usually makes them better too.

How involved do I need to be as the owner?

A focused leadership session each week and decision availability when it matters. We come with recommendations already formed.

Stop second-guessing your marketing. Get a direction.

Book a free strategy call. We will talk through where your marketing is today, where the gaps are, and whether a fractional CMO is the right fit.