Fractional CMO Services
Your Growth Problem Is Ownership. Not Effort.
Your team is executing. Tools are in place. But revenue is still unpredictable and the board wants answers. The gap isn't effort or headcount — it's that no one owns the system end-to-end. That's what this model fixes.
Starts with the Upstream Diagnostic · $6K–$10K/month · 30-day cancellation
Engagement at a Glance
Why Other Models Don't Work
The Problem Isn't the People. It's the Model.
Most growth models — agencies, consultants, fractional advisors — are designed to optimize something. Not to own the system. That structural gap is why revenue stays unpredictable.
Marketing Agency
- Accountable to deliverables — impressions, leads, reports
- Optimizes one channel or campaign at a time
- No visibility into what happens after the MQL
- When they underdeliver, you absorb the gap
- No ownership of your growth system
- Churns when the retainer runs out
Full-Time CMO
- 6-month ramp before they're fully productive
- $180K–$250K/year all-in before seeing results
- Wrong hire = 12-month setback, not just a missed quarter
- Builds a team and budget request before they build results
- Misaligned stage: designed for scale, not for diagnosis
- Hard to exit if the fit is wrong
Embedded Operator
- Accountable to outcomes — pipeline, CAC, LTV:CAC, revenue
- Owns the full system: demand, pipeline, conversion, attribution
- Embedded in your team — not an external vendor
- Accountability stays when something breaks — no handoff
- Starts with a diagnostic — no guessing about what's broken
- 30-day cancellation. No lock-in.
What This Model Owns
Six Domains. End-to-End Accountability.
This isn't a consulting engagement where you receive a document and execute on your own. The Fractional Growth Operator takes active ownership of each domain below — embedded in your team, driving execution, accountable to outcomes.
Demand Generation Strategy
Build a repeatable demand generation model — not campaign execution. Strategy, channel selection, ICP messaging, and the system for generating qualified pipeline consistently.
- ICP segmentation and targeting clarity
- Channel strategy and resource allocation
- Content and messaging framework
- MQL quality and lead scoring model
Pipeline Velocity
Own the pipeline from MQL to closed-won — including the hand-off points where deals stall, get lost, or convert below potential.
- Pipeline coverage and velocity tracking
- Sales-marketing alignment and SLA definition
- Deal stage conversion rate improvement
- Pipeline forecasting methodology
Conversion Optimization
Identify and systematically eliminate the conversion gaps that create leakage between awareness and revenue. Landing pages, nurture, proposal, close.
- Funnel-stage conversion rate analysis
- Website and landing page conversion
- Nurture sequence optimization
- Win/loss pattern analysis and action
Attribution & KPI Framework
Build the single source of truth Evan's board expects — CAC by channel, LTV:CAC, MQL→SQL, pipeline coverage, and payback window — with dashboards that tell a clear story.
- Multi-touch attribution model design
- Board-ready KPI dashboard specification
- CRM hygiene and data quality standards
- Weekly reporting rhythm and accountability structure
Team Alignment & Execution
Close the gap between strategy and execution — not by doing it all, but by aligning your team around the right priorities and owning accountability for follow-through.
- Marketing team structure and priority setting
- Vendor and agency oversight
- Sprint planning and execution rhythm
- Hiring roadmap and role specification
Board & Investor Reporting
Build the growth narrative investors and board members expect — not just activity metrics, but a defensible story about what's driving revenue and where it's going.
- Board deck growth section ownership
- Investor-ready growth narrative and metrics
- Series A/B fundraising prep — marketing system proof
- Quarterly strategic review facilitation
How It Works
Three Phases. Clear Outcomes at Each Stage.
Every engagement starts with the Upstream Diagnostic — because the roadmap has to be built on an accurate picture of what's actually broken, not assumptions.
Diagnosis & System Mapping
The Upstream Diagnostic runs first. We audit your growth system end-to-end — pipeline, conversion, attribution, ownership gaps — and deliver a prioritized 90-day roadmap before execution begins.
- Full growth system gap analysis
- Prioritized 90-day roadmap
- KPI framework and dashboard spec
- Ownership map — who's accountable for what
Execution Sprint
With the roadmap in place, we move fast against the highest-impact priorities — demand generation, pipeline velocity, conversion gaps, and the KPI infrastructure needed for board reporting.
- Demand generation system operational
- KPI dashboard live and reported weekly
- Pipeline velocity improvements underway
- Quick wins delivered within 30 days of sprint start
Ongoing System Ownership
The engagement moves into a steady-state operating rhythm: weekly execution, monthly performance reviews, quarterly roadmap updates, and board prep as needed.
- Weekly execution and accountability rhythm
- Monthly performance reviews with trend analysis
- Quarterly strategic roadmap update
- Board and investor prep each cycle
The Engagement Cadence
Embedded Means You Always Know What's Happening.
Fractional doesn't mean occasional. The engagement has a defined operating rhythm so you always know what's in motion, what's coming next, and where the numbers stand.
The goal is that by Month 3, you stop wondering "is marketing working?" — because the answer is visible every week.
-
WeeklyStatus report + pipeline update. Key metrics, what moved, what's blocked, and what's next. Async-first — no unnecessary meetings.
-
Bi-weekly1:1 working session with you. Decisions, priorities, and progress against the 90-day roadmap. 45–60 minutes.
-
MonthlyExecutive summary and performance review. Full KPI review, trend analysis, roadmap adjustment, and a plain-language narrative for your board pack.
-
QuarterlyStrategic roadmap update and board prep. Roadmap refresh, updated growth narrative, and any board or investor materials as needed.
The Investment
What It Costs vs. What It Costs to Get It Wrong Again.
The Fractional Growth Operator model is priced as a monthly engagement — not a project, not a retainer for deliverables. You pay for system ownership and accountability to outcomes.
The relevant comparison isn't the monthly fee. It's what you've already spent on marketing that isn't working — and what another bad hire or another agency cycle will cost you in time, money, and board confidence.
- Upstream Diagnostic (first 4 weeks, fixed fee)
- Full growth system ownership — demand, pipeline, conversion, retention
- KPI framework and board-ready dashboard
- Weekly status reports + bi-weekly 1:1
- Monthly executive summary and performance review
- Quarterly roadmap update and board prep
- Team alignment and vendor oversight
- Series A/B fundraising narrative and investor prep
Is This Right For You?
We Only Work With a Small Number of Companies at a Time.
By design. Embedded ownership only works when focus is protected. At any given time, we work with approximately three companies — all of them in FinTech, regulated SaaS, or B2B financial services at the stage where growth systems matter most.
The Right Fit
- You're in FinTech, regulated SaaS, or B2B financial services
- You're at $1M–$25M ARR and pipeline is unpredictable
- You're preparing for a Series A or B in the next 6–18 months
- You have a CRM and attribution stack — even if they aren't working perfectly
- You've tried agencies or in-house marketing and it hasn't delivered
- You want a system and accountability, not just execution
- Your board or investors are asking about growth metrics you can't cleanly answer
Not the Right Fit
- You need a single-channel manager (paid media, SEO, content)
- You want deliverables without accountability to revenue outcomes
- Your ARR is below $1M or runway is under 9 months
- You have no CRM or attribution stack in place
- You're looking for a vendor relationship with defined scope and exit
- You need execution only — no strategic ownership or system-building
At any given time, we work with approximately three companies. Not because of capacity — because embedded ownership requires deep focus. If you're evaluating whether this is the right fit, the best first step is the Revenue Clarity session. We'll tell you honestly whether this model makes sense for where you are.
Get Revenue ClarityWe were executing constantly, but nothing felt predictable. LMG helped us step back, identify what was actually broken, and rebuild our growth system with clear ownership. For the first time, we had visibility into what mattered and what didn't.
Ready to Stop Guessing?
Start With a Diagnosis. Not a Commitment.
Every engagement starts with the Upstream Diagnostic — a 4-week, fixed-fee audit that surfaces exactly what's breaking your growth system and delivers a 90-day roadmap. If the full engagement doesn't make sense after the diagnostic, you keep the roadmap and move on. No obligation.
Typical response time: 24 hours · ~3 active clients · 30-day cancellation after diagnostic