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  "description": "Real day rates, monthly retainers, and what drives the spread for a fractional CMO, CFO or CXO. (See the updated 2026 version linked inside.)",
  "path": "/blog/how-much-does-a-fractional-executive-cost/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-06-30T11:52:37.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.livain.com",
  "tags": [
    "Connect with Remco Livain on LinkedIn",
    "Schedule a meeting",
    "Visit my contact page"
  ],
  "textContent": "It’s fair. You’re probably comparing options:\nDo you hire a full-time CMO?\nA freelancer?\nTry to patch things together with agency support?\nOr maybe, just maybe, work with someone part-time who’s done it before.\n\nSo here’s how I think about cost — and more importantly, value — when it comes to fractional executive work.\n\n## Why This Question Comes Up So Often\n\nHiring a full-time executive isn’t just a salary decision. It’s a signal to your company, your team, and even your investors that you’re placing a long-term bet on a person. That can be the right move — but only if the timing, role definition, and support structure are already clear.\n\nMost of the companies I work with are _not_ in that position yet.\nThey know they need help.\nThey know the team isn’t operating at its potential.\nAnd they know they can’t afford another six months of drift or indecision.\nBut hiring a full-timer feels like too big a step — and honestly, too big a risk.\n\n> That’s where fractional leadership makes sense:\n> not as a cheaper version of the real thing — but as a sharper version of what’s actually needed.\n\n## My Pricing Model — and Why It’s Built This Way\n\nI keep things straightforward. Every engagement includes:\n\n### A Fixed Monthly Retainer\n\nThis covers my direct involvement with your business. Some clients want one day a week — a steady cadence to keep leadership focused. Others need 3–4 days, either to reset a growth engine or to manage through a change.\n\nWe scope that together, based on real priorities — not a menu of services.\n\n### A Sales-Based Success Fee\n\nEspecially in commercial roles, I tie part of my compensation to real-world outcomes. If we agree on revenue goals or marketing KPIs, I’ll back that with skin in the game. You win — I win.\n\n### A 15% Coordination Fee\n\nIf your internal team needs extra support, I bring in specialists — designers, content creators, CRM experts — from my trusted network. You can pay them directly or through me. Either way, I coordinate their involvement and apply a 15% markup to cover the time and accountability I take on. It’s not margin for margin’s sake — it’s what allows us to move faster without the chaos of new vendors every time.\n\n## Is It Worth It?\n\nLet me ask you this:\nWhat does it cost to hire the wrong person for a leadership role?\nOr worse — what does it cost to **not make a decision at all**?\n\nI’ve seen companies waste quarters — even years — stuck in this loop:\n\n  * Hire a mid-level person who’s overwhelmed\n  * Bring in an agency that doesn’t challenge you\n  * Burn through budget without clarity or results\n\n\n\nAnd it’s not because the team lacks talent.\nIt’s because there’s no one steering.\n\nWhen you bring me in, you don’t just get a few consulting hours.\nYou get leadership.\nYou get someone who plugs into the system, makes the hard calls, and helps your team move — not stall.\n\n> I don’t charge by the hour.\n> I charge to **take ownership** of the one or two things that matter most — and get them unstuck.\n\n## Every Company Is Different\n\nSome clients need one intense quarter to reset their marketing structure.\nOthers want long-term sparring as they scale.\nIn every case, I show up with full attention, real perspective, and a clear plan.\n\nThe numbers are simple. But what you’re paying for is momentum, focus, and honest leadership.\n\n* * *\n\n## About Me\n\nI’m Remco Livain — a fractional executive with more than 20 years of experience in marketing, growth, and commercial leadership. I work with teams around the world, helping them build systems that scale and teams that thrive.\n\nI specialize in helping companies through messy in-between phases:\nwhen growth has slowed, priorities are unclear, and the org needs structure — fast.\n\n* * *\n\n## Let’s Talk\n\nNot sure what level of support you actually need?\nLet’s start with a conversation — no slide decks, no fluff.\n\n👉 Connect with Remco Livain on LinkedIn\n📅 Schedule a meeting\n🌐 Visit my contact page",
  "title": "How Much Does a Fractional Executive Cost?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-15T13:37:40.685Z"
}