CMO School

There are WAY more ways to find Fractional CMO clients than you probably realize. I've personally used 12 different strategies to find clients over the years, which is exactly why I don't believe there is one "right" way to build your pipeline. And in this episode, I'm breaking all 12 of them down. I'm sharing: How I think about finding clients before I ever start looking for them The two client a...

One of the biggest unlocks in my Fractional CMO business was realizing I could make more money by selling LESS of my time. Because if every new client requires another 10, 15, or 20 hours of your week, there's eventually a ceiling on how much you can earn. And if getting faster and better at your job means you simply have to take on more work to make more money... something about that model is bro...

You know those seasons where business (or life) just feels harder than it should? A few things haven't gone your way. You've lost some momentum. You're questioning decisions you normally feel confident about. And somehow, without really noticing when it happened, you just don't feel quite like yourself. I've been through enough of these seasons to know that there are a handful of patterns I fall i...

Anyone can put together a deck full of marketing recommendations. Building a strategy that actually feels like it came from a really good CMO requires a completely different level of thinking. Over the years, I've realized there are a handful of principles I come back to every single time I'm building strategy for a client. They've changed the way I make recommendations, how I work with founders,...

Ever found yourself questioning whether you're actually good at marketing? Maybe you had a client launch go poorly, or they were unhappy with their marketing results. Either way…cue existential crisis. It doesn't matter how much experience you have – most marketers go through periods where they lose confidence in themselves. It's easy to assume the problem is you, when it’s usually just a mismatch...

If you've built a successful marketing business, you've probably realised that making more money often means taking on more clients, more projects or working more hours. And at some point, you stop wanting that. The problem is, most marketers only see one obvious next step: build an agency. But that's not the right path for everyone. In this episode, I'm talking about the three different direction...

Thinking about becoming a Fractional CMO but worried you'll be on Slack all day, stuck in back-to-back meetings, and responsible for absolutely everything? I hear these concerns from marketers all the time. And honestly? Almost every one of them comes from a misunderstanding of what the Fractional CMO role actually is. In this week’s episode, I'm breaking down: The 5 biggest myths that stop great...

What if you could leave your full-time job, work fewer hours, and nearly double your income - all while doing work you actually love? In this episode, I’m joined by Fractional CMO School alum Miranda Holland to talk about how she went from working 40+ hours a week, to doubling her income, working just 30 hours a week as a Fractional CMO. Before Fractional CMO School, Miranda found herself reacting...

I think a lot of us have been there, - sitting in a job that looks amazing from the outside, the kind where people go "wow, you work THERE?" - and slowly realizing it's just not filling your cup anymore. That's exactly where my guest this week was. Sydney Hagel left a big-name corporate job to start The Cozy Agency, and just over a year in she's on track to 6x her income. But the part I loved most...

I've watched smart, capable marketers and Fractional CMOs burn out, lose money, and start to wonder if the whole Fractional path was a mistake — all because they said yes to the wrong client. And I've done it myself, more times than I'd like to admit. Because the thing is, you cannot out-strategize a bad-fit client. It doesn't matter how good your boundaries, your packages, or your process are — i...

"Will the Fractional model actually work in MY niche?" — I get this question all the time. And it's the one that keeps people stuck: not starting, saying no to clients who'd be a great fit, or waiting to feel ready before they let themselves go for it. But here's what I want you to hear — the niche is NOT what makes the Fractional model work. What you're selling has nothing to do with the industry...

Contracts are probably one of the least exciting things we could possibly talk about, BUT I get so many questions from marketers making the leap into Fractional CMO work and feeling completely overwhelmed by the contract side of things. OR not thinking about it at all… until something happens and they've got serious regrets. If your immediate thought is "cool cool cool, can I just copy yours?" 😂...

The advice to "use AI to work faster" is great (I've cut my $15K client strategy build time nearly in HALF) but it’s really easy to get generic output if you’re not careful. That’s why I’m breaking down the exact process I use to build my client strategies. In this episode, I break down: The 5-step process I use to build my $15K client strategies with AI (so you can set yourself up the same way) T...

Here's something I've learned building this business: at a certain point, doing more of what's comfortable stops moving you toward what you actually want. And the most powerful thing you can do is get radically honest about where you're putting your energy. For years I’ve wanted to grow Fractional CMO School. This year, I finally am — and I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly why, what I'm build...

Choosing a niche is one of the hardest decisions you'll make as a Fractional CMO. It determines what you charge, how sticky your retainers are, and how long it takes you to hit consistent six figures. In this episode, I'm sharing the top niches for Fractional CMOs in 2026 — the ones I think you can make the most money in, why they're the best, and where to find them. Inside this episode: Where the...

Quitting your corporate job too early is why so many new Fractionals undercharge, take on bad-fit clients just to pay the bills, and burn out 6 months in wondering if they made the right call. The advice to "just take the leap" is great — I'm a huge believer in moving fast — but going Fractional is a business build, not a job change, and the best time to start building it is while you've still got...

The worst thing that happens on a fractional CMO engagement isn't bad strategy — it's good strategy with no one to actually execute it. Every Fractional CMO will eventually land a client who doesn't have the right team to do the work. How you handle is everything. In this episode, I break down: The 3 types of team gaps every fractional CMO will eventually hit The common mistakes that shift you fro...

You can be a Fractional CMO without ever having held the CMO title before. If you've been counting yourself out of Fractional CMO work because you’re not sure you’re experienced enough, this episode is for you. I’m breaking down: Why your past job title is not as important as you think it is The three things you need to be a CMO What to do when you’re not *quite* qualified for a role And the shift...

Posting on social media is one of the least effective easy to get clients as a Fractional CMO. I'm a huge believer in being visible online — but social media for lead generation is the SLOWEST and most exhausting route to landing high-ticket Fractional CMO clients. In this episode, I break down: 3 reasons social media isn't landing you high-ticket Fractional CMO clients Where high-ticket clients D...

Imposter syndrome is why most Fractional CMOs undercharge, second-guess their strategy, and shrink in client meetings. And the advice everyone gives you to "work on your mindset” is great, and I'm a huge believer in it — but that takes TIME. And if you've got clients you're leading right now, you need something that works IMMEDIATELY. In this episode, we break down: 5 tips to help you get past imp...

So many people start Fractional work then find themselves burnt out, and questioning if this model is even a fit for them. I sat down with one of my Fractional CMO School students, for a live coaching call. Lisa came to me feeling disillusioned with the fractional model after a few client experiences, and wondering what to do next. I helped her see that didn't hate the model, she just wasn’t opera...

Sales is the one skill nobody teaches you as a fractional CMO — and it's the one that determines whether your business actually grows. Most of us got into this because we're good at marketing. Not because we love selling. For a long time, I hated it. I wasn't comfortable doing it, I didn't feel like I was good at it, and the idea of getting on a call where someone might say no felt awful. Four yea...

What you spend your time on determines everything — how visible you are to your client, how much authority you actually have, how much they'll pay you, and whether you burn out. If you've ever felt like you're executing all the marketing while your client sees you as someone who takes direction instead of sets it, this episode will help you understand why. In this episode, I break down: The four t...

What you call yourself matters less than what you actually do. And when you code-switch with the same client — saying CMO, operating as contractor — you're losing authority and pricing power. If you've ever found yourself executing work for a client while also calling yourself their Fractional CMO, this episode will help you understand why. In this episode, I'm breaking down: Exactly what to do in...

How you structure your first 90 days changes everything about your business. When you step into a new client engagement, the order of what you focus on determines whether you're seen as a strategic leader or just another executor. In this episode, I break down: The exact order of what to focus on first How to integrate with the team and establish your rhythm When and how to prove the strategy work...