Most fractional CMOs recommend SaaS tools and forward vendor invoices. This approach is different: Custom-built marketing systems deployed into your business in days, operating at $50/month instead of $1,000+/month in subscriptions.
Strategic leadership + Built systems + Hands-on execution
Complete Hub & Spoke system: Smart Database (Google Sheets as central hub) + Terracotta™ enrichment engine + OpenForm™ qualification + Concentric Circles Method™ network intelligence. Deployed into your business. Not rented. Built.
Positioning, messaging, go-to-market planning, channel selection, content architecture, funnel design. Everything designed around measurable business outcomes—not vanity metrics.
SEO engines, referral loops, community flywheels, trust mechanisms, content distribution systems. Infrastructure that compounds over time—not campaigns that expire after 30 days.
Built ABBI AI chatbot in 2018—six years before ChatGPT existed. Experience deploying AI for lead qualification, content generation, customer support, and research. Practical implementation, not buzzwords.
Every tactic, message, and channel vetted for regulatory compliance. Growth strategies that work within constraints—not around them. For businesses where traditional marketing is banned or heavily regulated.
Direct access for urgent decisions. Weekly strategy sessions. Monthly reporting and optimization. This isn't consulting where someone disappears after the deck—it's fractional CMO leadership where decisions get made.
Built systems, not rented SaaS. Deployed in days, not months.
After 15 years paying $1,000+/month for marketing tools that didn't work in regulated industries, these four interconnected systems were built from scratch. Operating cost: ~$50/month in API fees. When working together, access to these systems is included—deployed directly into the business.
Google Sheets architected as a marketing operating system. Central hub pulling data from enrichment APIs, storing network scores, tracking outreach sequences, feeding every tool in the system. No CRM subscription. No vendor lock-in. Intelligence you own.
Waterfall API enrichment: Hunter.io → Apollo → Clearbit → GPT-4. When one fails, tries the next. Built for regulated industries where standard tools don't work. Costs $0.03-0.20 per contact enriched vs $800+ via Clay for 500 contacts.
Smart surveys that write directly to Smart Database, trigger Terracotta enrichment, auto-calculate network value scores. Instant knowledge of job history, social reach, Super-Connector status. No manual data entry. No CSV imports.
Network mapping using graph theory to find 8-12 Bridge Connectors—people sitting between non-overlapping communities. Triangle patterns, structural holes, Eigenvector Centrality. Manual analysis that can't be automated by bots.
These tools are a competitive advantage. When working together, they become yours.
Real constraints. Real solutions. Real results.
Advertising completely banned. No Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or any digital advertising. Payment processors won't work with cannabis. Can't make health claims. Delivery times mandated by state law.
Built Yelp SEO dominance engine. Created referral system for dispensaries. Built ABBI AI chatbot (2018) for 24/7 customer support and qualification. Turned delivery constraints into route optimization competitive advantage.
Facebook/Google ads banned for crypto. Complex tokenomics difficult to explain to mainstream audiences. Regulatory uncertainty creating fear. No clear product-market fit examples to reference in the market.
Community-first launch strategy via Discord and Twitter. Built NFC-enabled physical goods creating real-world utility (not just JPEGs). Simplified messaging around physical-digital bridge. Navigated regulation via product design, not legal gymnastics.
Fractional CMO engagement structure
6-month minimum engagement
Traditional CMOs learned marketing in permissionless environments. When told "we can't run ads," they freeze. 15+ years building growth in environments where traditional marketing is illegal or heavily regulated. This is the specialty.
Agencies execute tactics. This approach builds systems. Agencies optimize campaigns. This approach architects growth engines that compound over time. And there's no delegation to junior AEs—direct access to the operator building your systems.
Every constrained industry thinks their constraints are unique. They're not. The Toolbox works because it's constraint-agnostic. Specific limitations get mapped and systems get architected around them. Cannabis couldn't use standard tools, so custom systems were built. Now other businesses benefit from those systems.
Both. Strategy gets developed AND systems get built. No deck handoff and disappearing act. Implementation, optimization, and growth happens every week.
If unlimited Facebook ads can be run with no compliance issues, this probably isn't the best fit. The specialty is constrained environments. If traditional marketing works, use traditional marketers.
Revenue. Not vanity metrics. Not "brand awareness." Systems get built that generate measurable business outcomes. If it doesn't drive revenue, it doesn't matter.
30-minute discovery call. Specific constraints get mapped and honest assessment given on whether this is the right fit. No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity.
Most discovery calls reveal 2-3 quick wins within the first 15 minutes