ON DEMAND EXECUTIVE
MARKETING LEADERSHIP

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer & Advisor

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  • 15+ Years of Marketing Leadership Experience
  • 35+ Industries
    Experienced
  • 50+ Businesses Coached Advised, & Employed
  • $30M+ In Marketing Spend Management

WHO WE WORK WITH

Direct to Consumer + Business to Business
bootstraped

BOOTSTRAPPED

A self-funded startup that has achieved product-market fit
seed-stage

SEED STAGE

Requires investment for brand & marketing ops development
series

SERIES A/B

Recently raised funding and aiming to scale
high-growth

HIGH-GROWTH

A proven product and is focused on rapid expansion

WE WORK BEST WITH THE READY MINDSET:

Ready to take their marketing seriously
Actively wants to invest in marketing to grow their business
Needs an experienced marketing leader to drive marketing operations
Understands that strategic marketing plays a key role in their business

HOW WE COLLABORATE

While each relationship is tailored to the specific needs of the organization, the following outlines general structures that serve as the foundation for creating these unique partnerships. Please feel free to contact for more detailed information.
  • Short Term
  • Long Term
1
CMO Short Term
Guidance
Navigate Specific Territory
  • Tailored Solutions: Address unique challenges and seize opportunities with customized strategies. This service is designed to provide specialized support for businesses facing distinct marketing challenges, ensuring precise and effective solutions.
  • Project Leadership: Steer your critical projects to success with seasoned guidance.
  • Branding & Website Transitions: Smoothly manage brand overhauls and website migrations.
  • HubSpot Expertise: Implement, revitalize, and optimize your HubSpot operations.
  • Team Advancement Planning: Develop and execute plans to elevate your marketing team’s capabilities.
  • Flexible Support: Solve a wide range of marketing issues—even those not listed here.
2
CMO Short Term
Full Day Consultation
Identify Immediate Opportunities
  • Deep Dive: Conduct a thorough examination of your entire marketing operations.
  • Comprehensive Audit: Perform an in-depth assessment with a pre-consultation questionnaire, reviewed in person.
  • Focused Conversations: Address 1-3 specific business questions, providing clear answers and guidance.
  • Actionable Deliverables: Receive a detailed punch list of action items, an implementation plan, and identification of blind spots.
  • Strategic Roadmap: Gain clarity on your current marketing status and a clear direction for future growth.
3
CMO Long Term
Advise
Guide the Program
  • Empowerment: Elevate your marketing team’s capabilities with expert leadership and strategic direction.
  • Efficiency: Ensure your team is focused, motivated, and making smart, impactful decisions.
  • Growth: Foster both personal and professional development within your team.
  • Alignment: Keep your marketing efforts aligned with company goals and priorities.
  • Support: Receive continuous guidance and support, freeing leadership to focus on core business functions.
  • Sustainability: Commit to a long-term partnership that drives lasting success.

Who we’ve worked with:

UPS
brhr
wordbird
FP
LW
MO
MDL
TMX
RL
LIM
MM
VV
PKA
AHS
PAC
HAL
SVM
GBL
CNC
JPA
AMS
ADS
SVMR
SVMC

What they’ve said

"Justin showed serious dedication to our project and worked skillfully to build and lead our Marketing Department. He provided significant contributions to vision, finance, and business development and was always willing to do whatever was necessary and worked above and beyond what he was hired to do. His leadership, operations, and communication skills are at a very high level. Your operations and culture will benefit greatly."

J.B, FinTech Founder

What they’ve said

"Justin showed serious dedication to our project and worked skillfully to build and lead our Marketing Department. He provided significant contributions to vision, finance, and business development and was always willing to do whatever was necessary and worked above and beyond what he was hired to do. His leadership, operations, and communication skills are at a very high level. Your operations and culture will benefit greatly."

J.B, FinTech Founder

Case Studies

Consumer-FinTech

Consumer FinTech

Consumer-Franchise

Consumer Franchise

B2B-Cybersecurity

B2B Cybersecurity

What is a fractional CMO?

A fractional CMO is a contract Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), retained on a part-time basis to provide executive marketing leadership for a growing business. A fractional CMO is a great way to add executive-level marketing leadership to a team without adding the full cost of employment and benefits to payroll or having to manage any efforts associated with finding critical talent. A fractional CMO is not an “agency” or a “social media manager,” they are a member of the executive team and serve as the executive leadership for the marketing function of a business.

FAQ

Common Questions

A fractional CMO is an experienced marketing executive who is responsible for ensuring that your marketing operations, procedures, teams, tools, technologies, and strategies are optimized to provide the highest return on investment. This professional is equipped to operate at an executive level, providing valuable insights and strategic guidance to help your organization achieve its marketing goals.

A fractional CMO functions as an integral member of your team, and the nature of their engagement can vary depending on the specific needs of your organization. Two common engagement models are high touch and low touch, with high touch engagements involving more hands-on day-to-day activity and management from the CMO, while low touch engagements typically involve weekly guidance and oversight of an existing marketing operations program.

Fractional CMOs are often sought out when a company lacks executive-level marketing oversight or a dedicated CMO. This often occurs when there are only a few marketing operators or managers reporting to a non-marketing executive or founder, and/or the leadership team lacks experienced executive marketing leadership.

Although fractional CMOs are not intended to be a long-term, permanent placement, there are exceptions when the right company and individual are matched. Relationships between fractional CMOs and businesses can range from high touch to low touch, with each relationship being unique and dependent on the needs of the organization.

A fractional CMO typically works with a company for at least three months, and often for 6 to 12 months. While fractional CMOs are not intended to be a long-term solution, they can help businesses grow and deliver results. Ideally, a fractional CMO should be able to help a business grow to the point where a full-time marketing leadership position can be brought on board.

If a business outgrows the capacity of their fractional CMO, it is important to have a conversation between the CMO and the CEO to determine next steps. A business should strategically plan for the fractional CMO to decrease in capacity over time as full-time marketing leadership is brought in, similar to a baton handoff in a relay race.

Is marketing an art or a science?
The Importance of Process
The Foundations of Marketing: 3 Crucial Steps to Guarantee Success Long-Term
3 Life-Saving Tips To Avoid A Broken Marketing Department (from a CMO)
The Ultimate Marketing Guide For Startups
Startups: Here’s How To Structure Your Marketing Department Based On Your Current Stage
Who Should You Hire? Diff Between Consultants, Agencies, FCMOs
Silver Bullet vs Gold Bullet Marketing
justin

ABOUT JUSTIN TRUE

I began learning HTML at the age of 11 and sold my first website at 12. By age 14, I had taught myself Photoshop. At 18, I created and executed my first marketing strategy for a local bowling alley. During my college years, I switched majors four times before realizing that marketing was my true calling.

Since 2012, I've been formally coaching and advising a diverse array of industries, products, and services across the United States and internationally. I've had the privilege of speaking at over 50 conferences and events, addressing audiences of up to 15,000 people. I've lived in various places, including Fort Lauderdale, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Memphis, and I currently reside in Chicago and love a good hot dog.

Throughout my journey, I've coached, crafted strategies, and implemented solutions for startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. Every step of this journey has been immensely fulfilling. My life's purpose is centered around creation — whether it's from wood or in the digital realm of websites. This is what I live for.

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