Map
What marketing work the business needs and who does it today.
What's included
- Team design. What marketing roles your business needs now and in two years, and which work stays in-house versus with partners.
- Role definitions. Clear job descriptions, responsibilities and success measures for each role.
- Hiring support. Help writing the posting, screening candidates, designing a practical assignment and interviewing finalists.
- Onboarding. A 30-, 60- and 90-day plan so new hires are productive quickly.
- Management and coaching. Ongoing direction for your marketing staff, so they're working on the right things and growing in the role.
- Documented processes. The playbooks and systems that let marketing run without depending on any one person, including you.
Hire, outsource or both?
Most owner-led businesses do best with a small in-house team, often one coordinator or marketing manager, led by a fractional CMO and supported by a few specialists. A full-time CMO usually makes sense only once revenue grows well past $10 million. I'll give you a straight answer on what fits your business, even if it means less work for me.
Why it matters at exit
Buyers discount businesses where everything runs through the owner. A marketing function with defined roles, documented processes and people who can run it without you is one of the clearest signs that growth will survive the sale. See pre-exit marketing positioning.
How it fits the Ronin Method
Build
The team design, role definitions and processes.
Grow
Hiring, onboarding and managing the team.
Multiply
A team that runs the system and improves it without you in the middle.
Who it's for
Owner-led businesses doing $1 million to $10 million a year, especially home services businesses, law firms and professional services firms ready to build or rebuild a marketing team.
Pricing
Marketing org design and hiring is part of a fractional CMO engagement, which runs $2,500 to $10,000 a month, priced by scope and outcomes, not hours.
Who you'll work with
I'm Justin Smith, founder of Ronin Communications. I spent more than 20 years in strategic communications and marketing for the federal government and run an M&A advisory practice alongside Ronin. Ronin is based in Woodbridge, Virginia, and works with owners nationwide.
Related: fractional CMO services · vendor and agency management
Marketing org design and hiring FAQ
Who should my first marketing hire be?
Usually someone who can execute well, not a senior strategist. With a fractional CMO setting direction, a capable coordinator or manager can get a lot done.
Do you recruit candidates?
I help you define the role, write the posting, screen and interview. Recruiting firms can be added for hard-to-fill roles.
Will you manage my marketing staff?
Yes. Directing and coaching in-house staff is part of the engagement.
When should I hire a full-time CMO instead?
Usually once revenue is well past $10 million and marketing needs a full-time executive. Until then, a fractional CMO is typically the better fit.