You built the business.
Let's build a marketing engine that grows it.
Get strategic marketing leadership without the full-time hire.
You’ve got revenue, a team (or one in the works), and big plans for what’s next. But your marketing is a patchwork of tactics, dashboards, and ideas.
That’s not a tactics problem. That’s a strategy problem.
I’m Janice Hostager. I help growing businesses build the marketing engine their next stage of growth requires.
What is a Fractional CMO?
Think of a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) like your part-time secret weapon strategist–without the big salary or a corner office.
I compose the strategy, build the roadmap, and get stuff done–all while keeping an eye on your data to see what’s working.
And you can just stay focused on running your business.
Why a Fractional CMO?
You’ve maybe tried one of these options…
- Contracted with a $20k/month agency that delivered tidy reports, but didn’t increase revenue…
- Hired a junior marketer who needed lots of training that you didn’t have time to give…
- DIY-ed it after business hours, coffee in hand…
A jar can’t read its own label. That’s why so many in-house marketing departments struggle. And bringing in an agency is costly. And you certainly have too much on your plate to do your own marketing.
But there’s another option, which brings in the experience you need with an investment you can afford. And that layer is a Fractional CMO.
For roughly the cost of a part-time hire, you get senior-level strategy, an honest outside read, and someone who’ll own the marketing function — not just consult on it.
Who this is for…
This is built for you if:
- You’re past the startup or bootstrap stage. You have real revenue and you’re ready to scale.
- You want a strategist working by your side, not just someone churning out deliverables
- You’re done with disconnected tactics and ready for a marketing system that produces real revenue.
Who this is NOT for…
This isn’t for you if:
- You’re pre-revenue or still figuring out what you sell. (My Marketing Strategy & Plan is a better fit.)
- You want someone to just “do social media.”.
- You’re shopping for the cheapest option in the room, regardless of quality.
My Method:
The Trail to the Sale™
Often, marketing starts like this:
Someone says, “We should be on Instagram.” Then they add a newsletter. Maybe a few ads. And suddenly, marketing is a lot of activity, with not much direction. And not great results.
I start in a different place.
I use my Trail to the Sale™ framework to map the journey your customer takes—from the moment they first stumble across your business, to the point where they’re ready to buy, come back again, and tell their friends.
Because marketing works best when it meets people where they are—not when it shouts “Buy now!” at someone who just learned your name.
Eight stages on the trail:
- Awareness — Do the right people know you exist?
- Consider — Why should they pay attention?
- Compare — Why should they choose you?
- Evaluate — Can they trust this decision?
5. Sell — Are they ready to buy?
6. Supersize — What’s next for them?
7. Serve — Was it worth it?
8. Send — Who else should know?
Once we know where your customers are on the trail, we know exactly how to market to them, in what order, and what to say. No more “should we be on TikTok?” conversations. Just a clear path.
My Process
Evaluate
We start by taking a deep dive to assess what you're marketing and see how it's working.
- I start with a 90-minute deep-dive into your business. I look at your business the way your customers do — your market and competitors, your brand, your website and SEO, your social, your content, your email, your ads, and whatever else is impacting sales.
- I also dig deep into your ideal customer to create a 4d profile of who they are, what they need, and how to best communicate with them.
Recommend
Next, we make recommendations based on what we discover during your evaluation phase.
- I’ll create a 3-12 month marketing plan (depending on your needs) built around my Trail to the Sale™processes, so you’ll know what needs to be done for continued growth.
Implement
We guide you through implementation or provide a team of experts.
- You can use the plan and continue yourself with my weekly guidance, or hand off execution to my team of specialists. Either way, we’ll test, measure, adjust, and keep moving forward.
Do any of these sound familiar?
□ You’re making money, but growth has stalled
□ You’ve tried marketing — ads, social, email — but nothing’s sticking
□ You’re too busy running the business to also grow it
□ You want a real strategist–someone to show you what to do next– not just someone to hand you a report
If you’re nodding “yes” to two or more of these, let’s talk.
Results We've Seen
A nationally recognized research organization was sitting on a decade-old brand while their next big idea was quietly launching. We built a full marketing funnel around their new research, grew their email list by more than 1,200%, landed media coverage in Time, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal, and helped grow their new product line into more than 50% of their total revenue.
A fast-growing healthcare practice was expanding into major Texas hospital systems — but had no marketing infrastructure to match. We rebuilt their messaging, launched email automation with an 80% click-through rate, grew their list from zero to 4,000+ subscribers, and made their classes profitable for the first time.
A first-year berry farm with no brand, no web presence, and a tiny budget needed to sell berries fast. We built their brand from scratch, ran their launch campaign, and sold out on opening day.
FAQs
Most clients work with me for 6–12 months, but others for several year. The first 90 days are heavy on strategy and setup. After that, we shift into execution and optimization. You can stay month-to-month or scale up or down as the business changes. It all depends on your needs.
At the starter level: your complete marketing strategy, weekly working sessions, ongoing strategic guidance, and quarterly reviews. Higher tiers include execution from my team of specialists. We’ll scope what makes sense for your business on the call.
The Strategy & Plan is a one-time engagement that delivers your roadmap and hands you the keys. Fractional CMO is ongoing — I stay embedded, lead the marketing function, and own the outcomes alongside you.
Probably. I’ve worked across nonprofits, healthcare, startups, e-commerce, and B2B services. The Trail to the Sale™ applies to any industry because it’s based on buyer behavior. If it won’t work, I’ll tell you on the call.
Marketing can take time and testing to see results. That being said, if you’re not happy, we’re not happy. Our contracts only require a 30 days’ notice if you’re not seeing the results you hoped or it’s not working out.
Investment
Our fractional CMO services are designed for growing businesses who need experienced guidance – but are not ready for a full-service agency or an in-house marketing leader.
Engagements typically start at $2,000 per month and are scoped to fit your business.
If you’ve built something real and you’re ready to market it— let’s talk. Because this is a high-touch offer, we only work with a few clients at a time.