Becoming a fractional CMO
A fractional CMO in the UK charges £700 to £1,300 a day and holds two to three clients at once. What follows is the arithmetic on that, the honest ceiling, and the cases where this seat does not work part-time at all.
What you would earn
Across 46 billable weeks rather than 52, because you will take holidays and because a year of unbroken client work is not a thing that happens.
| Day rate | 1 day a week | 2 days a week | 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out£700 a day | £32,200a year | £64,400a year | £96,600a year |
| Established£1,000 a day | £46,000a year | £92,000a year | £138,000a year |
| Top of the band£1,300 a day | £59,800a year | £119,600a year | £179,400a year |
Before tax, before your own costs, and assuming the days are actually sold. Most people starting out spend a good part of the first year at fewer days than they planned.
What moves you up the band
Higher end for category creation, rebrands and full funnel rebuilds.
How many clients the seat holds
Two to three. Marketing is less schedulable than finance: campaigns move, launches slip, and somebody always needs a decision on the day. Three is comfortable only when at least one is a light advisory arrangement rather than an owned number.
Where the first client comes from
A founder who has tried an agency and been disappointed, usually within your own network. The pitch that lands is not that you will do more marketing, it is that you will decide what the agency should have been briefed to do.
What the work actually is
Owning a number rather than a channel. The part that surprises people leaving a full-time seat is how much of the job is saying no: to channels, to campaigns, and to the founder's newest idea.
When this seat does not work fractionally
- There is no budget and nobody to execute. A CMO with neither becomes an expensive strategy document.
- The product has no market fit yet. Marketing amplifies what is there, and will faithfully amplify the wrong thing.
- They want leads next week. That is an agency or a paid-media freelancer, not this seat.
What people get wrong
- Selling strategy alone. Buyers want somebody accountable for a number, and the engagements that renew are the ones with a number attached.
- Inheriting an agency relationship without the authority to end it.
- Charging a project fee for what is really an ongoing seat.
The mechanics, briefly
Most UK fractional executives work through their own limited company and invoice per day or on a monthly retainer. Professional indemnity cover is worth having before the first engagement rather than after. Check what your last employment contract says about notice and restrictions before you start approaching anybody, particularly if a first client might be somebody you met there.
Employment status is the question that worries people most, and it is worth understanding properly rather than assuming: IR35 and fractional executives covers who decides, what gets tested, and the directorship point that catches people out.
Common questions
What should I charge as a fractional CMO in the UK?
£700 to £1,300 a day is the band on the bench, with a typical rate around £1,000. Higher end for category creation, rebrands and full funnel rebuilds. At £1,000 a day, two days a week is about £92,000 a year across 46 billable weeks.
How many clients can a fractional CMO hold at once?
Two to three. Marketing is less schedulable than finance: campaigns move, launches slip, and somebody always needs a decision on the day. Three is comfortable only when at least one is a light advisory arrangement rather than an owned number.
Where does the first client actually come from?
A founder who has tried an agency and been disappointed, usually within your own network. The pitch that lands is not that you will do more marketing, it is that you will decide what the agency should have been briefed to do.
When does a fractional CMO arrangement not work?
There is no budget and nobody to execute. A CMO with neither becomes an expensive strategy document. The product has no market fit yet. Marketing amplifies what is there, and will faithfully amplify the wrong thing. They want leads next week. That is an agency or a paid-media freelancer, not this seat.
Other seats
Hiring one rather than becoming one? What a fractional CMO covers and what one costs are the other side of the same numbers.
Listing is free and always will be
No subscription, no commission, and nothing taken from your rate. What listing costs, here and elsewhere, or put yourself on the bench.