Fractional CMO for Small Businesses
Fractional Growth Leadership from a founder who has sold two companies
At a glance: Provider: Dalai Group. Offer: Fractional Growth Leadership. Led by: Pilar Lazzati, 4X founder with two exits. Audience: small businesses. Time: part time, usually 10 to 20 hours a week.
A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with your company part time, usually 10 to 20 hours a week, instead of joining full time. Dalai Group's Fractional Growth Leadership puts a four-time founder in charge of strategy, pipeline and your team's priorities, tied to revenue.
Leadership tied to revenue, not activity
Founders do not need more marketing. They need revenue growth with someone senior accountable for it. Pilar sets the plan, runs the team or the agencies, and reports in numbers a founder cares about: pipeline, conversion, payback.
What a fractional CMO from Dalai Group does
- Sets go-to-market strategy and one revenue goal for marketing and sales
- Owns positioning, offer and channel mix
- Leads your marketing team, freelancers or agencies
- Fixes the handoff from marketing to sales and the reporting behind it
- Brings in AI and automation where they save real time
- Gives you a clear weekly rhythm and a plain-language report
When it makes sense
- You’ve outgrown doing your own marketing but you’re not ready for a full-time CMO. Founders do not need more marketing. They need revenue growth with someone senior.
- Growth is flat, or paid spend is up and results are not
- You are in a sale, a raise or a PE hold period and need marketing that stands up to diligence
- Your CMO left and you need leadership now
Fractional CMO vs agency vs full-time CMO
| Fractional CMO | Agency | Full-time CMO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Senior leadership and a plan | Execution of channels | Dedicated leader on full payroll |
| Time | Part time, flexible | Per project or retainer | 40+ hours a week |
| Cost | Scoped to need | Retainer plus media | Salary, benefits and equity |
| Best for | Small businesses that need leadership | Companies with a strategy and no hands | Companies with scale and a team |
For a longer side-by-side, read our fractional CMO vs agency vs full-time CMO comparison.
Industries
Fintech and financial services (Citi and Bank of America experience), payments, martech and adtech, media and entertainment, consumer brands, healthcare services, B2B services and SaaS, and PE-backed portfolio companies.
Why Pilar
Pilar Lazzati is a 4X founder with two exits. She co-built MailCreations and sold it to Livedoor, a public company, for more than $6 million. She grew 1001 Consejos from under $1,000 to 20 million visitors a month with no ads, pure SEO. She ran Dalai Group for 21 years with brands including HBO, Citi, Nestle, eBay, MTV, Johns Hopkins, Volvo, AT&T, Bank of America, Disney, Oracle, 3M, PayPal, Marriott, Adidas and McCormick, and has led HubSpot and Salesforce migrations. For the last three years she has built AI revenue systems and agents: pipeline follow-up, editorial and HR engines, an AI Chief of Staff, an AI CMO, an AI marketing brain and a GTM engine.
Start with the Revenue Audit
Most engagements begin with the Revenue Audit, so you know the first fix before you commit to ongoing leadership.
Questions founders ask
What does a fractional CMO do?
Leads marketing strategy and execution part time, accountable for revenue results.
How many hours a week?
It depends on need. Engagements are scoped to the problem, not sold as a fixed package.
What does it cost?
It is scoped to your needs. For market context see our fractional CMO cost guide.
Fractional CMO or agency?
An agency does the work. A fractional CMO decides what work is worth doing. Many companies use both.
Can you work with our existing team?
Yes. That is the usual setup.