Fractional CMO in Canada, and the two lighter ways to start
A fractional CMO owns your marketing plan and budget, and manages the people who carry it out, for about a day a week. This page sets out all three monthly tiers side by side, because the right question isn't "do I need a CMO?" but "how much involvement do I need?"
Fractional CMO · $5,600/month · up to 32 hours
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What changes at each level of involvement
Talent doesn't change from tier to tier. What changes is how often we meet, who owns the plan, and whether I produce the work, manage it, or both.
What's in the Fractional CMO tier
- Month one: a full marketing audit, plus a 12-month plan and budget allocation.
- A weekly 60-minute meeting, and a monthly 90-minute review with you or your leadership team.
- Ownership of the plan and the budget. I decide what gets proposed and I answer for it in the monthly review.
- Agency and freelancer management: I write their briefs, review their work and check it before it goes out.
- Hiring support when you're ready to bring marketing in-house: the job description and the interviews.
- A monthly leadership report and a quarterly planning session.
- Investor or board calls, joined remotely when needed.
- Everything in Working Partner, including the hands-on work, the KPI sheet and the hours log.
- Same-day replies to messages received by 1 pm ET, Monday to Friday.
What it costs
Fractional CMO
$5,600/month
Up to 32 hours (about a day a week) · weekly 60-min meeting + monthly 90-min review · same-day reply by 1 pm ET · 3-month initial term, then month-to-month with 30 days' notice
Extra hours are $185 an hour, approved by you in writing before I use them.
Not included: ad spend, software, design or video production, printing, and the agencies and freelancers themselves. You contract and pay them directly, and every account stays in your name.
Prices in CAD, before applicable taxes.
See full pricing and terms →Questions about a fractional CMO
What does "fractional" mean here, exactly?
It means up to 32 hours a month, which is about a day a week, capped and logged. I'm not on your payroll. You get one invoice a month, and the hours log shows where the time went.
Will you manage the agency and freelancers we already have?
Yes. That's most of the job at this tier. I write their briefs, attend their meetings, review their work and tell you plainly what's working. They stay under contract with you and you pay them directly.
What size of business is this for?
It usually suits a business that already spends real money on marketing through an agency or freelancers, has enough going on that someone senior needs to own it, and doesn't need a full-time marketing executive. If you haven't launched yet, the Go-to-market launch plan is the better first step.
Can I start on a lower tier and move up?
Yes. Ask before the 25th and the new tier applies from the next billing month, with no fee. Plenty of the work in the lower tiers carries straight over.
What happens if I need to pause?
Once the initial term is over, you can pause once in any 12 months, for up to a month. Ask before the 25th of the month before. If you need longer than that, give 30 days' notice to end it, and start again when it makes sense.
Often next to this
Not sure which column you're in?
Most people aren't before the call. Tell me who's doing the marketing now and what it costs, and I'll tell you which tier I'd put in the proposal, including a lower one if that's the honest answer.
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