For founders between $500K and $10M

Should I get a fractional CMO?

Most companies asking this don't need one. A few badly do. Four minutes tells you which you are — and what to do about it either way.

Run the diagnostic

The verdict comes first. The email is optional.

Founder still closes every deal■Third agency in two years■A junior marketer with no one to learn from■No one can say what you do in one sentence■Leads that never turn into revenue■Everything is a one-off■$2M and stuck■Founder still closes every deal■Third agency in two years■A junior marketer with no one to learn from■No one can say what you do in one sentence■Leads that never turn into revenue■Everything is a one-off■$2M and stuck■

Question 01 / 08

Where is revenue today?

Trailing twelve months, roughly.

What it is · what it isn't

The title is doing a lot of work. Here's what's actually underneath it.

It is

A decision-maker
Owns positioning, offer, channel mix, and the calendar. Says no to things.
Part-time by design
One to two days a week. Enough to lead; not enough to do the doing.
A 90-day shape
Works best against one measurable outcome, then renewed or ended on the number.

It isn't

A cheaper agency
If you need output, buy output. A strategist without hands is a slide deck.
A fix for founder time
They will need four hours a month of you. If those don't exist, neither does the result.
A replacement for a full-time CMO
Above roughly $10M, part-time leadership is the wrong shape. Hire.

When the answer is no

Three cases where the answer is no.

The diagnostic returns these word for word. A right answer you leave with beats a wrong purchase you stay in.

01
You're under $500K.
Strategy is cheap at this stage and execution is everything. A fractional CMO will tell you to build a system. Skip the telling; build the system.
02
You already have a senior lead.
Two people who own strategy is one too many. What you're feeling is an execution gap. Give the lead hands, not a peer.
03
You can't give it four hours a month.
Every decision they make needs one from you. Without the hours you'll pay for a plan nobody runs, and conclude marketing doesn't work.

How it's scored

Three numbers decide it. Any one of them can veto the other two.

Under $500K in revenue, a senior marketing lead already in the building, or fewer than four founder hours a month — each is a no on its own, whatever the rest of the answers say.

Need
Is marketing the constraint, or just the loudest complaint?
Revenue, what's broken, what happened the last time you paid someone to fix it.
Readiness
Would a strategist's decisions actually get acted on?
Who's on the team, the hours you can give it, and who closes the deals today.
Fit
Is part-time the right shape at all?
Budget, timeline, and whether you've outgrown a two-day-a-week leader before you've hired one.

From the wire · the category this month

Google News · “fractional CMO” · refreshed hourly

If the verdict was worth a conversation

Scope it in one call.

Book a scoping call →

Thirty minutes with Fracs. You leave with a 90-day scope and a number, or with a reason not to do it.

Should I get a fractional CMO?

Where is revenue today?

The title is doing a lot of work. Here's what's actually underneath it.

Three cases where the answer is no.

You're under $500K.

You already have a senior lead.

You can't give it four hours a month.

Three numbers decide it. Any one of them can veto the other two.

Is marketing the constraint, or just the loudest complaint?

Would a strategist's decisions actually get acted on?

Is part-time the right shape at all?

Scope it in one call.