The Mina Company

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  • Fractional CMO
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How Much Does a Fractional CMO Cost for a Small Business?

This is usually the first question we get, and it’s a fair one. You’re trying to figure out if this is even in the realm of possibility for your business—so let’s talk real numbers.

Two women brainstorming with sticky notes on a whiteboard

The wide range you’ll see everywhere

Search around and you’ll find fractional CMO pricing all over the map—anywhere from a few thousand dollars a month to well over $20,000, depending on the firm, the industry, and how many hours are included. Larger firms working with VC-backed or enterprise-level companies often quote retainers in the higher range, because their clients’ budgets (and complexity) are built for it.

That’s not the range most small and medium-sized businesses are working with, and it’s not the range we work in either.

What actually drives the cost

A few things determine what a fractional CMO engagement should cost you:

  • How much strategic direction vs. hands-on execution you need. A light monthly check-in costs less than a fully embedded team running your channels day to day.
  • Whether you already have marketing help in place. If we’re slotting in alongside an existing hire or vendor to provide direction, that’s a different scope than building your marketing from scratch.
  • How seasonal your business is. This is the one most pricing models ignore completely—and it’s the one that matters most for a lot of the businesses we work with.

What we actually charge

Here’s an honest truth: any fractional CMO or agency that gives you one flat number before understanding your business is guessing. So instead, here’s a real starting point.

Our retainers start at $1,300/month and scale up from there, based on how much strategic direction and hands-on execution you actually need. A light monthly check-in guiding an existing in-house hire costs less than a fully embedded team running your channels day to day—and that’s exactly why we don’t quote one number for every business that asks.

We also don’t do flat annual contracts, and we don’t lock you into a scope that made sense in January but doesn’t in July. We build a month-to-month retainer sized to what you actually need right now—which means during your busy season, you might have our full team running point across every channel, and during a natural lull, you scale back without penalty, without a contract fight, and without paying for capacity you’re not using.

The real comparison to make

Instead of asking “how much does a fractional CMO cost,” ask: “how much am I already spending on marketing that isn’t tied together?” A lot of the businesses we talk to are already paying for an ad budget, a website, some social support—just without anyone making sure it all adds up to something. Adding strategic ownership on top of that spend is often a smaller lift than starting from scratch.

Want a real number for your business, not a guess? Get in touch and we’ll talk through what your season actually calls for.

Follow us on the gram!

Ep. 8 is out now: Raising Girls and a Business 🩷 I started The Mina Company while I was pregnant with my youngest, and in those early days I planned client meetings around feeding schedules. Seven and a half years later, my girls are 11 and 7, and the business has grown up right alongside them. In this episode, I’m answering questions my team pulled about motherhood and running a company. I talk about what changed when the baby years ended, how I show up for two kids at very different stages, how being a working mom shaped Mina’s culture, and the leadership lessons I’ve learned from raising two strong girls. That includes the one in this clip: today’s best might look different than tomorrow’s, and that’s okay. If you’re building a business with your kids watching, this one’s for you. Listen wherever you listen to podcasts! #ConversationsInTheDark #RaisingGirls #WorkingMom #MomsInBusiness #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounder #Motherhood #Leadership #SmallBusinessPodcast
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Ep. 8 is out now: Raising Girls and a Business 🩷 I started The Mina Company while I was pregnant with my youngest, and in those early days I planned client meetings around feeding schedules. Seven and a half years later, my girls are 11 and 7, and the business has grown up right alongside them. In this episode, I’m answering questions my team pulled about motherhood and running a company. I talk about what changed when the baby years ended, how I show up for two kids at very different stages, how being a working mom shaped Mina’s culture, and the leadership lessons I’ve learned from raising two strong girls. That includes the one in this clip: today’s best might look different than tomorrow’s, and that’s okay. If you’re building a business with your kids watching, this one’s for you. Listen wherever you listen to podcasts! #ConversationsInTheDark #RaisingGirls #WorkingMom #MomsInBusiness #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounder #Motherhood #Leadership #SmallBusinessPodcast
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Are you a home builder looking for a marketing team who can make the most of your busy season? You’re not alone. This is the time of year most builders reach out to us. Custom homes are a long, high-trust sale. Buyers want to see your work, get a feel for how you build, and trust you before they ever pick up the phone. At The Mina Company, we help custom home builders and service-based contractors turn thoughtful design, quality work, and local reputation into a powerful marketing presence. That’s what’s behind these numbers. SEO that keeps builders on page one month after month. Websites and ads that turn searches into real inquiries. Social that shows off the craftsmanship before the first call. We do this for residential and commercial builders, here in Colorado and across the country. And we only partner with one builder per area. You’ll never share a strategy with the competitor across town. Ready to see what this could look like for your business? DM us or visit theminacompany.com #TheMinaCompany #HomeBuilderMarketing #CustomHomeBuilder #ConstructionMarketing #SEOforBuilders #BuilderMarketing #ContractorMarketing #NoCoSmallBusiness #FortCollinsMarketing #NorthernColorado
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Are you a home builder looking for a marketing team who can make the most of your busy season? You’re not alone. This is the time of year most builders reach out to us. Custom homes are a long, high-trust sale. Buyers want to see your work, get a feel for how you build, and trust you before they ever pick up the phone. At The Mina Company, we help custom home builders and service-based contractors turn thoughtful design, quality work, and local reputation into a powerful marketing presence. That’s what’s behind these numbers. SEO that keeps builders on page one month after month. Websites and ads that turn searches into real inquiries. Social that shows off the craftsmanship before the first call. We do this for residential and commercial builders, here in Colorado and across the country. And we only partner with one builder per area. You’ll never share a strategy with the competitor across town. Ready to see what this could look like for your business? DM us or visit theminacompany.com #TheMinaCompany #HomeBuilderMarketing #CustomHomeBuilder #ConstructionMarketing #SEOforBuilders #BuilderMarketing #ContractorMarketing #NoCoSmallBusiness #FortCollinsMarketing #NorthernColorado
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
Some seasons, the smartest spend is less. We've tested the alternative across every industry we work in. More ads, more SEO, more effort poured into the slow months. The season stayed slow anyway. Demand has its own rhythm, and no budget is big enough to argue with it. So we don't ask our clients to keep pouring money into a season that won't pay it back. We'd rather protect your budget for the stretches where it actually moves the needle, and ease off when it doesn't. Some of our clients pause entirely when things are quiet, and we pick right back up when their busy season returns. Your marketing should work with your calendar, not against it. Want a partner who'll tell you when to spend less? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
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Some seasons, the smartest spend is less. We've tested the alternative across every industry we work in. More ads, more SEO, more effort poured into the slow months. The season stayed slow anyway. Demand has its own rhythm, and no budget is big enough to argue with it. So we don't ask our clients to keep pouring money into a season that won't pay it back. We'd rather protect your budget for the stretches where it actually moves the needle, and ease off when it doesn't. Some of our clients pause entirely when things are quiet, and we pick right back up when their busy season returns. Your marketing should work with your calendar, not against it. Want a partner who'll tell you when to spend less? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
1 week ago
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3/5
Ep. 7 is out now: Creating the Vision & Mission 🧭 In the hallway between Erica’s bedroom and her daughters’ rooms hangs Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote, rewritten for women. The credit belongs to the woman in the arena, the one who dares greatly. It’s become the quote her whole life runs on, and it’s what pushed her to take a hard look at The Mina Company’s vision, mission, and purpose for the first time in years. In this episode, Erica breaks down the difference between the three, shares the new versions she wrote for Mina (including the line with a little bite: “even when it costs us”), and explains how she turned them into real, day-to-day decisions her team makes. She also shares a simple place to start your own: notice what you’re jealous of when you see it out in the wild. Listen here ericavandersande.com/podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts #ConversationsInTheDark #VisionAndMission #BusinessValues #DaringGreatly #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounder #Entrepreneurship #Motherhood #SmallBusinessPodcast
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Ep. 7 is out now: Creating the Vision & Mission 🧭 In the hallway between Erica’s bedroom and her daughters’ rooms hangs Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote, rewritten for women. The credit belongs to the woman in the arena, the one who dares greatly. It’s become the quote her whole life runs on, and it’s what pushed her to take a hard look at The Mina Company’s vision, mission, and purpose for the first time in years. In this episode, Erica breaks down the difference between the three, shares the new versions she wrote for Mina (including the line with a little bite: “even when it costs us”), and explains how she turned them into real, day-to-day decisions her team makes. She also shares a simple place to start your own: notice what you’re jealous of when you see it out in the wild. Listen here ericavandersande.com/podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts #ConversationsInTheDark #VisionAndMission #BusinessValues #DaringGreatly #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounder #Entrepreneurship #Motherhood #SmallBusinessPodcast
1 week ago
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4/5
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
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Follow
Most agencies are built to grow the invoice. More services, more add-ons, more reasons to keep you spending. It's just how the model usually works. We wrote our purpose around the opposite instinct: to always act in our clients' best interest, even when it costs us. That line only means something if we live it in the moments where doing right by you and making more money pull in different directions. So that's the standard we hold every decision to. When those two things conflict, you win. Not because it's the easy call, but because it's the one we'd want made if it were our own business on the line. It's a slower way to grow. It's also the only way to build an agency people actually trust.
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
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