Sometimes a business needs a marketing director before it can hire one. Your marketing lead leaves. Or maybe a new CEO arrives with a new strategy. The team is capable but has no one steering. Or the budget is due and nobody owns the marketing numbers.
I can step in as your part time marketing director, sometimes called a fractional CMO, for as long as you need. I've held this role many times for global brands, regional companies, and mission-driven organizations. I know how to lead a team through change without losing momentum.
A fractional marketing director makes sense when your marketing leader has left and the team needs direction now, or when your organization is going through a leadership change, restructuring, or new strategy. It also fits when your team is doing good work but has no senior person setting priorities, or when you want marketing leadership but aren't ready to hire a full time director.
Steady the team. Change is hard on people. My first job is to give your team clear priorities, a steady hand, and confidence that someone has their back.
Protect revenue first. I focus the team on the activities that keep sales coming in while longer term plans take shape.
Build the budget. I create a marketing budget grounded in what each channel is expected to deliver, so leadership and finance can plan with confidence.
Get leadership aligned. I plan and facilitate strategy sessions that end in clear decisions, not more discussion. That includes the hard questions, like which channels should deliver leads and which should build the brand.
Connect marketing to sales. Whether you sell online, through retailers, or through a sales team, I make sure marketing supports the channels that bring in the most revenue.
Hand off well. When thetime is right, I help you define the permanent role, recruit for it, and train thenew leader.
In the first 30 days, I listen, assess, stabilize the team, and deliver a short plan with clear priorities. From there, I work with your team every week, report to leadership regularly, and adjust as the business changes. When it's time to transition, I document what's working and hand off to your permanent leader or internal team. Engagements are part time with a set monthly cap, so your costs are predictable, and either side can end the arrangement with 30-days' notice.
A mission-driven retailer lost two key marketing staff members during a difficult financial period. I stepped in as interim marketing director, kept the team steady, and kept its online sales efforts on track. I built the annual marketing budget and led the executive team through a planning process that redefined the roles of its sales channels, putting growth behind its most profitable channel and repositioning its website as a brand builder.
I've spent more than 30 years in marketing, including leadership roles at agencies, consumer brands, and a regional media company, where I built a digital marketing business from scratch. I've founded two businesses, so I think like an owner. And I'm hands on: I can set the strategy and also run the Google Ads campaigns, review the content, and read the analytics.
Every transition is different. Tell me what's happening and I'll give you an honest view of what your marketing needs right now, whether or not that involves me.
