For scale-up CEOs
Your pipeline shouldn't depend on you closing every deal.
For CEOs of growth-stage companies who need commercial marketing leadership, without the cost, risk, or delay of a full-time CMO hire.
Does this sound familiar?
Most growth-stage companies have the same five problems. Here they are.
- 01
- Content goes out. Campaigns run. The pipeline doesn't move. Sales blames marketing, marketing blames sales. You're still the one closing every important deal.
- 02
- You struggle to explain in one sentence why a customer should choose you. Your sales team says different things to different prospects. Your website, your pitch deck, and your sales conversations tell three different stories.
- 03
- No shared definition of a good lead. No feedback loop. Marketing produces content that sales ignores. Deals close that marketing never heard about.
- 04
- Everything lives in people's heads. When someone leaves, knowledge walks out with them. There is no playbook, no process, no way to scale without starting from scratch.
- 05
- The tactics that got you to €5M don't scale to €20M. You need a commercial marketing function but you are not ready, financially or structurally, for a full-time hire.
Your marketing team is busy but not contributing to pipeline.
Your positioning and messaging are unclear.
Marketing and sales operate as separate companies.
No repeatable systems or documented processes.
You've outgrown founder-led marketing but haven't replaced it.
The decision in front of you
You have three options. Only one makes sense at your stage.
You know the marketing situation needs to change. The question is what form that takes.
A full-time CMO costs €150–200k in base salary, before recruitment fees, employer costs, and a three to six month ramp-up period where you are paying full price for zero commercial output. And if it doesn't work out, you've lost twelve months.
An agency gives you execution without strategy. They will produce content, run ads, and report on reach, exactly the pattern you are trying to break.
A fractional CMO gives you senior strategic leadership embedded in your business, at the cost and flexibility your stage demands.
What the first quarter looks like
No ramp-up. No guessing. A clear plan by the end of month one.
Diagnose and align
I start by understanding your business, your market, and where the commercial gaps are. I interview your team, review your pipeline, and map your current marketing against your revenue goals. By the end of month one, you have a clear picture of what's broken and a plan to fix it.
Build the foundations
Positioning, messaging, GTM alignment. I build the commercial infrastructure your team needs to start generating pipeline, not just activity.
Drive and scale
With foundations in place, the focus shifts to pipeline contribution, team development, and the systems that make your marketing run without depending on me.
What you get
Three things most CMOs can't deliver. One engagement that does.
A marketing function that drives revenue
Commercial accountability from day one. Sales and marketing aligned under one GTM. Measurable pipeline contribution within the first quarter, most clients see the first qualified pipeline movement within six to eight weeks.
The foundations to scale
Clear positioning. A value proposition your sales team can actually use. Messaging that works across every channel. Documented, systemised, and handed over so your team can run it without me.
Cross-functional fluency most CMOs don't have
Product, marketing, and sales. Most CMOs cover one, maybe two. You get someone who designs the full commercial system, not just the marketing layer.
Proof it works
Words from the people who've been through it.
Case study
How a strategic LinkedIn campaign under Nuno's leadership transformed lead generation for Ultimaker, delivering lower costs, higher engagement, and scalable revenue growth.
Download the Ultimaker case study (PDF)Full-time CMO vs. fractional
Full-time CMO vs. fractional: see the real cost.
Adjust the inputs to model your situation. Cost, ramp-up, and pipeline impact update live.
Your assumptions
Fractional monthly fee: €6,000 Fixed, Leadership Role
Live results
Total cost over engagement period
- Full-time
- €265,400
- Fractional
- €72,000
- Difference
- €193,400
You save
€193,400
Months generating pipeline
- Full-time
- 8 months
- Fractional
- 11.5 months
Full-time ramp-up = 4 months at full cost, zero pipeline output
Cost of ramp-up with no commercial output
- Full-time
- €76,800
- Fractional
- €0
Side-by-side comparison
| Full-time CMO | Fractional (Leadership Role) | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | €230,400 | €72,000 (€6k × 12) |
| Employer costs | €50,400 | None |
| Recruitment fee | €35,000 | €0 |
| Time to embed | 8–12 weeks | 2–3 weeks |
| First commercial output | Month 5 | Week 2–3 |
| Ramp-up dead cost | €76,800 | €0 |
| Total cost (12 months) | €265,400 | €72,000 |
Ready to see the numbers for your situation?
One conversation. No pitch. A direct assessment of what makes sense for your stage.
Book a 30-minute callRevenue leak
How much is the gap costing you right now?
Most growth-stage companies underestimate the revenue impact of a misaligned marketing function. This tool calculates the gap, in euros, per month.
Your numbers
Based on B2B benchmark: a commercial marketing function generates 30–40% of pipeline. This tool uses 35% as the benchmark. Your current input is compared against that standard.
Live results
Annual pipeline target for marketing
€3,150,000
Based on 35% B2B benchmark
Annual pipeline marketing generates today
€1,350,000
Based on your current input
Monthly revenue at risk
€50,000
The gap between where you are and where you should be
If nothing changes
- In 3 months€150,000
- In 6 months€300,000
- In 12 months€600,000
Your sales team of 5 people are carrying the pipeline gap that a commercial marketing function should be closing.
The next step
This gap doesn't close on its own.
Book a 30-minute callOne conversation to assess whether this is fixable and how long it takes.
FAQ
Common questions
- What does the first 90 days look like?
- Month one: commercial audit and diagnosis. I interview your team, review your pipeline, and map your current marketing against your revenue goals. By the end of month one, you have a clear picture of what is broken and a plan to fix it. Months two and three: build the foundations. Positioning, messaging, GTM alignment. Month three onwards: pipeline contribution and team development.
- Will you work with our existing marketing team or replace them?
- Work with. The goal is to build a function that runs without me. That means developing your existing team, not bypassing them. If there are gaps, we address them together, whether through hiring, agency support, or restructuring how the team operates.
- What KPIs will you own?
- Pipeline contribution from marketing, qualified lead volume, and sales and marketing alignment metrics. We agree these at the start of the engagement, not after the fact.
- How many hours per week does this actually involve?
- The Leadership Role is two structured days per week, allocated in advance. You always know when I am working on your business. The Strategy Sprint is more intensive in months one and two, lighter in month three during handover.
- What happens when we are ready to hire a full-time CMO?
- I help you define the role, write the brief, and assess candidates. Most engagements end with a clear handover to an internal hire and a marketing function that can run independently. The goal from day one is to make myself unnecessary.
Ready to build a marketing function that sells?
One conversation. No pitch. Just an honest assessment.
Not a sales call. A conversation about whether this is the right fit for your stage and situation. If it isn't, I'll tell you in the first ten minutes.