Fractional CMO · · 5 min read
Fractional CMO vs. Full-Time CMO: How to Know Which One You Actually Need
By Scott Hashisaki, Fractional CMO & Growth Executive
Not every company needs a full-time CMO. Here's how to determine which model fits your stage, budget, and growth goals.
Key Takeaways
- Full-time CMO fits $30M+ revenue and 10+ marketing team
- Fractional CMO fits $2M-$30M revenue range
- Full-time CMO loaded cost: $350K-$500K year one
- Fractional engagement: $8K-$20K per month
The full-time CMO makes sense when you're generating $30M+ in revenue, have a marketing team of 10+ people, are preparing for a liquidity event, or are in a market where marketing velocity is the primary competitive differentiator.
The fractional CMO makes sense when you're in the $2M-$30M revenue range, have a marketing budget but no strategic leadership, just raised a Series A or B, are between CMOs, or want to test marketing hypotheses before committing to full-time leadership.
The math is usually decisive: a fully-loaded senior CMO hire runs $350,000-$500,000 in year one. A fractional CMO engagement at senior level runs $8,000-$20,000 per month.
For a company that isn't ready to fully utilize a CMO 40+ hours per week, the fractional model is the smarter allocation of capital — not a compromise.