Part-time CMO for owner-led businesses
A part-time CMO is a senior marketer who leads a company’s marketing for a set number of hours each week.
At Firefly the part-time CMO is Saad Afsar, and a standard engagement is about five hours a week. A part-time CMO and a fractional CMO are two names for the same arrangement.
The table shows where those hours go in the first three months, which is the minimum term.
The first three months, month by month
| Month | What the hours go on | Hours (about) | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Saad spends the first two weeks on an audit. He maps how customers reach the business, which channels bring them and what the data shows. He then writes a plan for the next 90 days in order of priority, with a target and an owner for each item. | 20 | $2,000 |
| Month 2 | Saad directs your staff and your agencies as they carry out the plan, and he manages the marketing spend. You receive a report each week, and Saad reviews the strategy once a month. | 20 | $2,000 |
| Month 3 | The weekly and monthly work continues. At the end of the quarter Saad resets the plan against the revenue figures. | 20 | $2,000 |
| Minimum term | 60 | $6,000 |
What a part-time CMO covers in five hours a week
Saad spends the hours on decisions and direction. Your staff and your agencies carry out the daily work between his hours.
- The plan
- Saad writes a quarterly marketing plan that is tied to your revenue targets. The plan sets what the business says and to whom, which channels it uses, the budget and the order of priorities.
- The budget
- Saad decides where the marketing budget goes across advertising, search, email, social media and local listings. He cuts spending that is not producing a return.
- Your staff and your agencies
- Saad gives your marketing staff and your agencies one brief. He judges each of them by results.
- AI in the daily work
- Saad brings AI tools into content, design, email and reporting, so that the same people produce more.
- The weekly report
- You receive a report each week. It measures the marketing against revenue, using the figures in your own systems.
Five hours a week do not give you a marketing head who is present all week. A business that needs someone for forty hours a week needs a full-time hire.
When a part-time CMO fits
A part-time CMO fits a business that has a marketing budget and has staff or agencies to carry out the work. Such a business has no senior person who decides where the budget goes and answers for the result.
A business that only needs tasks carried out does not need a part-time CMO. An agency or a marketing coordinator is the better choice for that work.
A single location with a small marketing budget may be too early for this arrangement. Our page Too early for a fractional CMO? lists five free things to do first.
The terms of the engagement
A part-time CMO engagement with Firefly has the same terms as a fractional CMO engagement.
The fractional CMO at Firefly is Saad Afsar. He has 15 years of marketing experience, has led marketing for 40+ brands, and has enterprise experience at Unilever and Samsung.
Firefly works with owner-led businesses in Toronto and New York: hospitality groups, professional firms and independent brands.
Our page on what a fractional CMO costs compares these terms with published market rates.
- Rate
- $100 an hour
- Standard engagement
- $2,000 a month
- Time
- About five hours a week
- Minimum term
- Three months
Results from fractional CMO engagements
Each result is measured in the client’s own system, over the period shown.
- Two Boots New York pizza, since 1987 +12% same-store net salesyear over year · Toast POS
- YYZ Law Aviation and travel law, Toronto 4.3× organic search clicksover three years · Google Search Console
- Boqueria Spanish tapas, multi-city US +73% private-events revenueyear over year · Tripleseat
- Paperchase Accounting and CFO advisory, NYC and London +69% website visitsyear over year · Google Analytics
Questions and answers
Is a part-time CMO the same as a fractional CMO?
Yes. Both names describe a senior marketer who leads a company’s marketing for part of the week. Firefly uses the name fractional CMO on the other pages of this website.
What can a part-time CMO do in five hours a week?
Saad uses the hours for the marketing plan, the budget, the direction of your staff and agencies, and a weekly report. Your staff and your agencies carry out the daily work.
What happens in the first month?
Saad spends the first two weeks on an audit of how customers reach the business, the channels and the data. He then writes a 90-day plan with a target and an owner for each item.
How much does a part-time CMO cost?
Firefly charges $100 an hour. The standard engagement is about five hours a week for $2,000 a month, and the minimum term is three months.
Can the engagement be more than five hours a week?
The hours are set for each engagement. Five hours a week is the standard, and Firefly charges one rate of $100 an hour.
When is a part-time CMO the wrong choice?
It is the wrong choice for a business that needs a marketing head for forty hours a week, and for a business that only needs tasks carried out and has no budget to act on a plan.
Is a CMO for hire or a CMO consultant the same thing?
Yes. Some owners look for a CMO for hire or a CMO consultant. At Firefly both names describe the same engagement, which you hire by the month with a minimum term of three months.
Book a call, or write first
You can book a discovery call on Saad Afsar’s calendar.
If you prefer to write first, send a few details in the form and Saad will reply within 24 hours.