Before You Hire
Before you hire a CMO or VP of Sales
A senior hire is one of the biggest bets a growing company makes. Get it right and growth speeds up. Get the timing wrong and you lose a year and a lot of money. Here's how to tell if you're ready, and what to do first if you're not.
The honest answer
Sometimes full-time is the right call.
Hire a full-time leader when:
- You have a team for them to run, or the budget to build one
- Your marketing and sales already work, and the job is to grow what's working
- You can define the role clearly: what they own, what success looks like and how you'll measure it
- You can carry a senior salary, benefits and the time it takes them to ramp up
Fractional leadership fits better when:
- The strategy and systems aren't built yet, so a new hire would spend their first year building them
- You're not sure yet whether you need a marketing leader, a sales leader or both
- Marketing has been handled by sales, operations or the founder, with no clear owner
- You need senior thinking now, but the budget can't carry a full-time executive yet
Most of the founders we talk to are in the second group, and many of them were about to hire anyway.
Are you ready to hire?
A quick readiness check
Comparing the options
Full-time, agency or fractional?
| Full-time executive | Agency | Wise Fox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to impact | Months to hire, months to ramp | Fast on tasks, slow on strategy | Plan and first changes live within 90 days |
| What you pay for | A salary, benefits and often equity | Hours and deliverables | Senior leadership and the work to execute the plan |
| Who owns the strategy | The executive | Usually you | We do, with you |
| How they're accountable | Performance reviews | Deliverables completed | Business results, with part of our pay tied to growth |
| Commitment and exit | Long-term; costly to undo | Contracts vary | Cancel with 30 days' notice |
The bridge to your next hire
Before you hire, not instead of hiring
We're often the step before a full-time leader, and the bridge to one.
- Step 1
The 90-Day Growth Launch
Builds the strategy, systems and baseline that a future hire inherits.
- Step 2
Ongoing Growth Leadership
Runs and improves the engine while you grow into the role.
- Step 3
When you're ready to hire
We help define the role and hand off the system we built, so your new leader starts strong.
There's no long-term contract, so we never stand in the way of the hire.
Proof
The fractional model in practice
At a growing technology services firm, a part-time growth leader rolled out a new CRM and built an RFP program that won 6+ annual recurring municipal contracts, without a full-time executive hire.
And Matt has built and led sales teams for three decades, including growing one from 3 to more than 10 reps.
FAQ
Common questions
How does the cost of a full-time CMO compare with fractional?
A full-time executive means a salary, benefits, often equity and recruiting costs, plus months before they're fully up to speed. With fractional leadership you pay a monthly fee for senior leadership and the work, part of it tied to growth, and you can stop with 30 days' notice. We'll walk through what fits your situation on the call.
Can a fractional leader manage my team?
Yes. We lead your marketing and sales people day to day, set priorities and hold them to clear goals.
What if we hire someone during the engagement?
We'll help define the role, then hand off the strategy, systems and reporting so they start strong.
Do you help with hiring?
Yes, though we're not a recruiting firm and don't run formal executive searches. We help you define the role, write the profile and onboard your new leader.
Can we cancel?
Yes, any time, with 30 days' notice.
Get a 30-minute growth review
Not sure if you're ready to hire? Let's talk it through.
In 30 minutes, a partner will look at where you are, where your next growth should come from and the first step to get there. No obligation.