Your Campaigns Aren’t the Problem—Your Strategy Is
How a Fractional CMO turns scattered efforts into strategic growth.
If your team’s doing “all the things” and growth still feels stuck, the problem isn’t your marketing activity. It’s the lack of a strategic leader steering it.
You’ve run ads, hosted webinars, launched content, gone to trade shows. The wheels are turning but growth is inconsistent, results are unclear, and your team is overwhelmed.
This is the moment many companies hit a wall, not because they’re not trying hard enough, but because they’re trying without a clear, strategic direction.
You don’t need another campaign. You need a leader who can unify your marketing, sales, and business goals—and make every effort work harder.
As Nick Lodestro, former CEO of VetEvolve, put it:
“You can’t scale chaos.”
And he’s right, without a clear mandate and empowered leadership, all the tactics in the world won’t move the needle.
That’s why he brought on a Fractional CMO with a defined mission and real authority. The result? A short-term engagement that evolved into a multi-year growth partnership.
That’s where a Fractional CMO comes in.
CEO Perspective: You Can’t Scale Chaos, Featuring Nick Lodestro, Entrepreneur & Former CEO, VetEvolve
In every edition of Thavma Insights, we feature voices from across the industry, leaders who turn insight into action and strategy into growth. To deepen this conversation, I spoke with Nick Lodestro, a founder and operator who knows what it takes to scale. As former CEO of VetEvolve, Nick didn’t just grow a business, he grew a leadership system that turned complexity into clarity.
“Scaling a business can take many forms. As leaders consider how to grow—whether by expanding headcount or investing in new systems—leveraging fractional resources can be a highly effective strategy.
At VetEvolve, we brought on a fractional Chief Marketing Officer in 2020 with a clear and time-bound mandate to grow our business. What began as a short-term engagement quickly evolved into a long-term partnership, with our CMO continuing to lead marketing efforts through 2024. The results spoke for themselves.
One key factor in that success was organizational transparency. From day one, we clearly communicated why this resource was joining the team and what they were tasked with accomplishing. With that understanding in place, we empowered them to lead. Once a team knows the “why,” all that’s left is to deputize and support the “how.”
When adding marketing resources, it’s critical to think beyond executional tactics. The right leader can sharpen your executive strategy, bring clarity across functions, and align your message. Just as importantly, they must align with your culture and have the freedom to challenge it when needed. A strong marketing leader will push you to think differently. Embrace that dynamic, and the results will follow.”
What Is a Fractional CMO and Why Does It Make Sense?
A Fractional Chief Marketing Officer is a part-time, executive-level marketing leader who brings the strategic insight and leadership of a full-time CMO, without the cost or long-term commitment.
They don’t just offer advice. They embed within your team, lead like an owner, and connect strategy to execution.
A Fractional CMO gives your business:
Executive-level leadership without the overhead
Alignment across internal teams, vendors, and sales
Consistent traction across the entire customer journey
Marketing that delivers momentum not just motion
It’s a smart move for companies that are scaling fast, managing complexity, or preparing for investment, but aren’t ready to hire a full-time CMO.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about leading better.
10 Signs You’re Ready for a Fractional CMO
Growth has stalled and you’re not sure why. You’ve got traction, but it’s plateaued. You’re spending time, money, and energy, but the results aren’t adding up.
A Fractional CMO audits what’s working, identifies what’s not, and builds a roadmap to accelerate growth without guesswork.
Your messaging is inconsistent or worse, confusing. A Fractional CMO defines your core message and ensures it’s crystal-clear across every touchpoint, so you connect faster and convert more often.
Your team is executing, but there’s no strategy behind it. Nick Lodestro called this out clearly: It’s not about doing more. It’s about unifying strategy across functions and giving someone the mandate to lead. A Fractional CMO turns scattered efforts into an integrated strategy, aligned with business goals and driven by metrics that matter.
Your founder is still doing the marketing (late at night). The vision lives in your CEO’s head and so does the burden of telling the story. A Fractional CMO takes the reins, translating that vision into a scalable system your team can run with.
You’ve hired freelancers or agencies, but you’re still in the driver’s seat. Nick shared how VetEvolve made it work: “From day one, we clearly communicated why this resource was joining the team and what they were tasked with accomplishing. With that understanding in place, we empowered them to lead.” A Fractional CMO leads the team, manages partners, and ensures execution stays on-brand and on-track.
Marketing and sales aren’t aligned, and your leads are going cold. A Fractional CMO bridges the gap with shared goals, messaging, and pipeline visibility to close the loop and drive revenue.
You’re launching something new, and the stakes are high. A new product, service, or market entry demands precision. A Fractional CMO builds a go-to-market plan based on your positioning, buyer journey, and growth goals.
You’re preparing for funding, acquisition, or board scrutiny. You don’t just need activity, you need to show clarity, traction, and strategic direction. A Fractional CMO makes your growth story investor-ready.
You’re collecting metrics but not learning from them. Dashboards look nice, but what’s driving results? A Fractional CMO sets up systems that deliver insights, not just data.
Marketing always falls to the bottom of the list. Everyone’s busy. No one owns it. And it shows. A Fractional CMO becomes the owner of your growth engine, bringing focus, accountability, and results.
What a Fractional CMO Actually Brings to the Table
A Fractional CMO isn’t just a consultant or stopgap. They’re a strategic growth leader, embedded in your business, focused on outcomes, and accountable for performance.
They don’t replace your team. They lead it.
They bring clarity. Cutting through noise to focus on what drives growth.
They bring alignment. Uniting sales, marketing, and product around a shared plan.
They bring systems. Building a repeatable process that stops the guesswork.
They bring accountability. Holding vendors, partners, and internal teams responsible for outcomes.
As Nick put it:
“They must align with your culture—and have the freedom to challenge it.” Because a great marketing leader isn’t just a fit. They’re a force multiplier. And most importantly: “The job of a Fractional CMO isn’t to do more marketing, it’s to make the marketing you’re already doing work harder for your business.”
Common Mistake: Thinking You Need a Full-Time CMO
When growth slows or marketing gets messy, many founders jump to one conclusion: “We need to hire a full-time CMO.”
But here’s the reality:
A seasoned CMO can cost $200K+ in salary plus benefits, bonuses, and equity.
Hiring takes months. Onboarding takes longer. And if it’s the wrong fit? You're back to square one.
Many full-time CMOs end up underutilized in early- and mid-stage companies, doing execution, not leadership.
That’s not lean. That’s not strategic.
Why Fractional Makes More Sense—Right Now
A Fractional CMO gives you:
Executive-level strategy without the full-time commitment
Immediate structure while your team keeps executing
Flexibility to scale up or down as you grow
A trusted partner who’s done this before across industries and stages
Just like VetEvolve discovered—sometimes the right fractional partner doesn’t just fill a gap…
They grow with you.
You get the experience and impact of a full-time CMO, at a fraction of the cost and risk.
If you're not ready to make a $250K decision, but you are ready to stop spinning your wheels, fractional is your next smart move.
Ready to Lead With Strategy Instead of Spinning Your Wheels?
If you’ve been nodding along, chances are you’ve outgrown reactive marketing and you’re ready for structure, leadership, and real traction.
A Fractional CMO gives you the strategic clarity and ownership of your business needs without the cost or delay of a full-time hire.
This is where traction starts.
Download the Fractional CMO Readiness Checklist (coming soon—let me know if you want help creating it!)
P.S. I’ve helped funded startups, innovation-driven brands, and growth-stage companies turn scattered marketing into strategic traction. If you're ready to work smarter, not just harder. I’d love to help.
Helpful Links:
Ready to sharpen your strategy? Start here!
Access our free strategy resources and learn more about Thavma Consulting.
Let’s connect on LinkedIn: Fotine A Sotiropoulos | LinkedIn.
Let’s talk about what’s really getting in your way and map out your next phase of growth, contact me to get started.
