Do you offer a fractional CMO for startups and SaaS?

Yes. Much of my background is scaling startups and B2B technology companies, so a fractional CMO engagement suits founders who need senior go-to-market leadership but are not ready for a full-time executive hire.

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FRACTIONAL CMO & CRO

Fractional CMO services, without the executive fees.

Q: What is a fractional CMO?

A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who owns your strategy, budget, and growth plan on a part-time retainer. You get the experience and accountability of a chief marketing officer without a full-time executive salary. With CairnsCom you work directly with one operator, Tom Cairns, who implements the work rather than only advising.

Q: How much does a fractional CMO cost?

A fractional CMO is a monthly retainer scaled to the scope of work, typically a fraction of a full-time chief marketing officer, who in the US often costs 250,000 dollars or more per year before bonus and equity. Exact pricing is shared after a short qualification call so it matches what you actually need.

Q: Do you implement or just advise?

I implement. I have worked every floor of a business, from technical and sales to marketing leadership, so I set the strategy and then build the systems, using the right tools for the rest. You are never handed a plan with no way to execute it.

Hire a fractional CMO who owns the strategy, builds the systems, and answers for the revenue. You get a senior chief marketing officer's experience on a retainer that fits, not a six-figure salary plus bonus and equity.

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What Is a Fractional CMO?

THE SHORT VERSION

What is it?
One senior marketing leader, part time, who implements as well as advises.

What does it cost?
A monthly retainer, a fraction of a full-time CMO. Shared after a short call.

Who is it for?
Startups, SaaS, and growing B2B not ready for a full-time hire.

Where?
Dallas and Valencia, serving the US, UK, and EU.

WHAT IS A FRACTIONAL CMO?

One person accountable for how you grow.

Fractional CMO

A senior marketing leader who owns your strategy, budget, and growth plan on a part-time retainer. You get the judgment and accountability of a chief marketing officer without the cost of a full-time executive.

The difference with CairnsCom is simple: you are not hiring an agency or a strategist who hands over a deck and disappears. You are hiring me, Tom Cairns, and I implement the work as well as direct it. Most growing businesses do not need another agency selling them tactics. They need one senior person who can set the direction, hold the budget, manage the people doing the work, and answer for the result, across marketing, sales, and the systems underneath. A whole executive team's range, in one person.

WHAT I OWN

The work of a marketing department, led by one head.

Marketing strategy

A clear plan for who you serve, how you are positioned, and where growth comes from over the next four quarters, owned end to end rather than handed off.

Budget ownership

Honest decisions on where money goes and why, with spend tied to expected return and reviewed against results, not vanity metrics.

Systems that get built

Website, CRM, and the infrastructure behind the strategy, implemented by me, not handed back to you as homework for someone else to figure out.

Revenue planning

A model that connects marketing activity to inquiries, pipeline, and closed revenue, so the spend can be judged honestly and adjusted.

Team and agency oversight

Direction and quality control for the freelancers, agencies, or staff you already use, so your existing investment finally performs.

Reporting and cadence

A regular leadership rhythm and reporting you can act on, because marketing activity does not equal revenue until it shows up.

FRACTIONAL CMO VS AGENCY VS FULL-TIME HIRE

Why a fractional CMO, and not the alternatives.

A marketing agency sells execution against a brief. A full-time chief marketing officer owns the whole picture but costs a heavy six figures. A fractional CMO sits between the two and removes the downside of both.

Marketing agency

Sells execution against a briefWill not own your strategyWill not fix your CRM or systemsOne channel or discipline at a timeYou still need someone accountable

Best fit

Fractional CMO

Owns strategy, systems, and revenueImplements, not just advisesScales up or down on a retainerNo recruitment risk or long noticeOne accountable senior leader

Full-time CMO

Owns the whole picture250,000 dollars plus bonus and equityMonths to recruit, risk if wrongSeverance and notice to exitOverkill for many growing businesses

HOW MUCH DOES A FRACTIONAL CMO COST?

A retainer scaled to the work, not a salary.

A fractional CMO is priced as a monthly retainer that matches the scope you actually need, which is why it sits well below a full-time hire. A full-time chief marketing officer in the US frequently costs 250,000 dollars or more per year before bonus, benefits, and equity, plus the time and risk of recruiting one. With a fractional engagement you get the same level of senior judgment for a defined monthly fee, you can change the scope as your needs change, and there is no severance or long notice if priorities shift. I share specific pricing after a short qualification call, so the number reflects your situation rather than a package you do not need.

PROVEN RESULTS

Senior leadership that has delivered.

£15M

Pipeline I generated in a single year, then built and led the team that scaled it.

TREND MICRO · VIA OPERATIX

£8M

Pipeline I personally generated for HP, before I ever managed a team.

HEWLETT PACKARD · VIA RAINMAKER

+30%

Organic traffic growth in eight months through strategic SEO.

CHARTSQUAD

+25%

Lift in lead generation from a HubSpot sales and marketing deployment.

CHARTSQUAD

Results delivered across senior roles throughout my career.

He has proved to be the standard that every consultant wishes to emulate. A dedicated and devoted professional who leads by example, consistently performing at the top level month in, month out.

JASON CALHAU · ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, SALESFORCE

COMMON QUESTIONS

Fractional CMO questions, answered plainly.

What is a fractional CMO?

A senior marketing leader who owns your strategy, budget, and growth plan on a part-time retainer. You get the experience and accountability of a chief marketing officer without a full-time salary, working directly with one operator who implements as well as advises.

How much does a fractional CMO cost?

A monthly retainer scaled to the scope of work, a fraction of a full-time CMO, who in the US often costs 250,000 dollars or more per year before bonus and equity. I share specific pricing after a short qualification call.

Is a fractional CMO better than an agency?

An agency sells execution. A fractional CMO owns the whole picture, including managing any agencies you already use. For most growing businesses, one accountable senior leader beats another vendor selling tactics.

Do you work with startups, SaaS, and B2B?

Yes. Much of my background is scaling startups and B2B technology companies, so the engagement suits founders who need senior go-to-market leadership but are not ready for a full-time hire.

Do you implement or just advise?

I implement. I have worked every floor of a business, so I set the strategy and then build the systems myself, using the right tools for the rest. You are never handed a plan with no way to execute it.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

Where do you want to go?

A thirty minute call is enough to tell whether a fractional CMO is the right fit. No pitch deck, no pressure, just an honest conversation about your business and the number you want to move.

Book a Call

Email Me