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Empowering Startups with Fractional CMOs

July 10, 2024

Empowering Startups with Fractional CMOs

In today's fast-paced business landscape, startups need to stay agile, efficient, and competitive. One effective strategy that more and more startups are adopting is leveraging the expertise of fractional marketing executives. These part-time professionals bring a wealth of benefits, helping young companies scale their marketing efforts without the full-time commitment. Here are some key advantages:

Cost-Effective Expertise

Hiring a full-time CMO or marketing director can be prohibitively expensive for startups, often costing upwards of six figures annually. Fractional marketing executives, on the other hand, provide top-tier expertise at a fraction of the cost. This arrangement allows startups to access seasoned professionals who bring a strategic vision and deep industry knowledge without breaking the bank.

Flexibility and Scalability

Startups often face fluctuating demands and evolving needs, making flexibility crucial. Fractional marketing executives offer the adaptability to scale efforts up or down based on the company's current priorities. This flexibility ensures that startups can respond quickly to market changes, launch new campaigns, or pause initiatives without the constraints of a fixed salary.

Immediate Impact

With extensive experience across various industries, fractional marketing executives can hit the ground running. They quickly assess the startup's needs, develop effective strategies, and implement them without the learning curve associated with onboarding a full-time employee. This immediacy is vital for startups looking to gain traction and grow rapidly.

Diverse Skill Set

Fractional marketing executives often have a broad range of skills honed from working with multiple companies and industries. This diverse expertise allows them to bring innovative solutions and best practices to the startup, enhancing marketing efforts across digital, social, content, and traditional channels. They can fill specific gaps in the team, providing specialized skills that might be missing internally.

Focused Strategy Development

Startups can greatly benefit from the strategic insights of seasoned marketing professionals. Fractional executives excel in developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies tailored to the startup's goals and market conditions. This focused approach ensures that every marketing dollar is spent wisely, maximizing ROI and driving growth.

Reduced Risk

Hiring a full-time executive involves significant risk, especially if the fit isn't right. Fractional marketing executives offer a lower-risk alternative, as startups can test the waters and ensure alignment with the executive's vision and style. If the arrangement doesn't work out, it’s easier to part ways without the complications of severance packages or long-term contracts.

Enhanced Team Productivity

Bringing in a fractional marketing executive can also boost the productivity of the existing team. These executives provide mentorship, guidance, and leadership, helping to upskill junior team members and streamline processes. This enhancement leads to a more cohesive and efficient marketing operation.


Gyde connects you with experienced marketing executives who can help drive your business forward.

Featured Experts

Featured Fractional CMOs

John Robert Hatherly

Brand Strategy, Design, and Innovation Expert
Chicago
13
Years of Experience
Services Offered
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Content Planning & Strategy
Fractional CMO
Front-End Design & Development
Visual Design
About
John is the founder and principal of Chamber, where he leads with a commitment to thoughtful, impactful design solutions. An interdisciplinary artist and designer with a background in Mathematics and Economics, John brings a unique analytical perspective to organizational transformations and creative problem-solving. His passion for ethical and sustainable design has driven successful collaborations with clients in finance, luxury consumer goods, mental health, wellness, fitness, non-profit, public relations, commercial real estate, museum, and cultural industries. John blends creativity with purpose, ensuring every project aligns with the client's values and vision.

In addition to leading Chamber, they are the executive producer and host of the heart-centered podcast, The Infinite Search, where they explore the lives of individuals making a positive impact in society. As a queer, neurodiverse, first-generation American, they are passionate about advocating for the lived experiences of diverse individuals, sustainability, and the rights of nature.

Leading with love, they believe wholeheartedly that the world is what we make of it.

"I sought out John to create a comprehensive brand and website for my business. John’s work exceeded my expectations. He was receptive to my comments, demonstrated interest in my field, and created a product that helps to define myself, my practice, and my business. John’s work was truly impeccable, it was clear he conducted thorough research and he impressed me with his knowledge, not only of web design and branding, but of the specifics important to my field of work. I know my business will greatly benefit due to John’s creative, thoughtful, and professional work." - Very Happy Client

"I had the pleasure of working with John when I was the Chief Creative Officer at The Brand Consultancy. John was a Designer on my team and together we worked on a variety of brands and projects, both analog and digital. There are many things that set John apart, but here are five that rise to the top: 1) His willingness to learn, evolve and roll up his sleeves to figure things out; 2) He's insightful and inspiring, never settling for quick and easy; 3) He's a strategic thinker who understands how to align business strategy to brand strategy to creative strategy; 4) He has empathy and infuses that into everything he does; 5) He brings no ego, only an optimistic attitude mixed with an abundance of creative spirit." - Former co-worker and mentor

John is the founder and principal of Chamber, where he leads with a commitment to thoughtful, impactful design solutions. An interdisciplinary artist and designer with a background in Mathematics and Economics, John brings a unique analytical perspective to organizational transformations and creative problem-solving. His passion for ethical and sustainable design has driven successful collaborations with clients in finance, luxury consumer goods, mental health, wellness, fitness, non-profit, public relations, commercial real estate, museum, and cultural industries. John blends creativity with purpose, ensuring every project aligns with the client's values and vision.

In addition to leading Chamber, they are the executive producer and host of the heart-centered podcast, The Infinite Search, where they explore the lives of individuals making a positive impact in society. As a queer, neurodiverse, first-generation American, they are passionate about advocating for the lived experiences of diverse individuals, sustainability, and the rights of nature.

Leading with love, they believe wholeheartedly that the world is what we make of it.

"I sought out John to create a comprehensive brand and website for my business. John’s work exceeded my expectations. He was receptive to my comments, demonstrated interest in my field, and created a product that helps to define myself, my practice, and my business. John’s work was truly impeccable, it was clear he conducted thorough research and he impressed me with his knowledge, not only of web design and branding, but of the specifics important to my field of work. I know my business will greatly benefit due to John’s creative, thoughtful, and professional work." - Very Happy Client

"I had the pleasure of working with John when I was the Chief Creative Officer at The Brand Consultancy. John was a Designer on my team and together we worked on a variety of brands and projects, both analog and digital. There are many things that set John apart, but here are five that rise to the top: 1) His willingness to learn, evolve and roll up his sleeves to figure things out; 2) He's insightful and inspiring, never settling for quick and easy; 3) He's a strategic thinker who understands how to align business strategy to brand strategy to creative strategy; 4) He has empathy and infuses that into everything he does; 5) He brings no ego, only an optimistic attitude mixed with an abundance of creative spirit." - Former co-worker and mentor

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Eric Henry

Brand Strategy Executive (ex. Apple, Spotify, Sony)
Philadelphia, PA
17
Years of Experience
Services Offered
Content Planning & Strategy
Marketing & Brand Strategy
Fractional CMO
Landing Page Creation & Design
Lead Generation
About
17+ years of marketing, creative, and branding experience across multiple industries, including Tech, Entertainment, Healthcare, Legal, and Restaurants/Hospitality. Not only have I worked at the biggest companies in the world (Apple, Spotify, Sony, etc), I have also worked with influencers and celebrities with some of the biggest global brands (Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, etc). With experience from every direction, I also have experience at the highest levels (CMO) and the lowest levels, to understand how to roll my sleeves up and get the job done, whatever it takes. Having so much experience from so many areas allows me the ability to bring new ideas and be creative where those in your industry may still be thinking inside the box.

From a marketing perspective, I can handle whatever you need: Subscription marketing with Acquisition/Retention/Winback, Lead generation, all advertising across the board (digital/physical/audio/etc), e-comm and merchandising, social media marketing, influencer marketing, CRM, data analytics and so much more.

From a branding perspective, I can help you create or iterate on a new company/product identity, inclusive of logos and all design, web and app development, physical packaging, and mission/vision statements.

From a creative/content perspective, I am here to guide you on your journey of creating video/audio/static assets, plan and execute photoshoots, and more, all to be used for your marketing initiatives to grow client bases and sell product.
17+ years of marketing, creative, and branding experience across multiple industries, including Tech, Entertainment, Healthcare, Legal, and Restaurants/Hospitality. Not only have I worked at the biggest companies in the world (Apple, Spotify, Sony, etc), I have also worked with influencers and celebrities with some of the biggest global brands (Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, etc). With experience from every direction, I also have experience at the highest levels (CMO) and the lowest levels, to understand how to roll my sleeves up and get the job done, whatever it takes. Having so much experience from so many areas allows me the ability to bring new ideas and be creative where those in your industry may still be thinking inside the box.

From a marketing perspective, I can handle whatever you need: Subscription marketing with Acquisition/Retention/Winback, Lead generation, all advertising across the board (digital/physical/audio/etc), e-comm and merchandising, social media marketing, influencer marketing, CRM, data analytics and so much more.

From a branding perspective, I can help you create or iterate on a new company/product identity, inclusive of logos and all design, web and app development, physical packaging, and mission/vision statements.

From a creative/content perspective, I am here to guide you on your journey of creating video/audio/static assets, plan and execute photoshoots, and more, all to be used for your marketing initiatives to grow client bases and sell product.
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Ashley Triscuit

Experienced B2B Growth Marketer
Boston, Massachusetts
15
Years of Experience
Services Offered
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Marketing & Brand Strategy
Email Marketing & Campaigns
Fractional CMO
Inbound Marketing
About
I am a senior marketing professional with 14+ years of marketing experience focused on demand generation and leveraging technology to support growth goals. I have a wide range of skills that runs from coding to creative and have worked at a strategy level but also down in the trenches. I have served as fractional marketing support for the last 7 years, supporting small to medium sized businesses looking for turnaround support, go to marketing campaigns, marketing and sale technology stack implementations, ideal customer determination, customer engagement programs, conversion rate optimization, and more. I have worked in a wide range of industries, largely B2B, including healthcare, life sciences, financial services, retail, oil and gas, and commercial real estate. Marketing has always been a crucial piece of success for the companies I have worked at - leading to acquisitions, growth from $3 million to $30 million ARR, growth from $9 million to $56 million ARR, and renewal rates from 30% to 90%.
I am a senior marketing professional with 14+ years of marketing experience focused on demand generation and leveraging technology to support growth goals. I have a wide range of skills that runs from coding to creative and have worked at a strategy level but also down in the trenches. I have served as fractional marketing support for the last 7 years, supporting small to medium sized businesses looking for turnaround support, go to marketing campaigns, marketing and sale technology stack implementations, ideal customer determination, customer engagement programs, conversion rate optimization, and more. I have worked in a wide range of industries, largely B2B, including healthcare, life sciences, financial services, retail, oil and gas, and commercial real estate. Marketing has always been a crucial piece of success for the companies I have worked at - leading to acquisitions, growth from $3 million to $30 million ARR, growth from $9 million to $56 million ARR, and renewal rates from 30% to 90%.
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