The Part-Time CMO Trap: Why B2B Growth Needs Strategy + Execution

By Kristin Oelke, Managing Director, Growth Services, Brightrose Ventures, and author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World

Here’s a popular move in scaling B2B tech companies: hire a part-time CMO and assume you’ve solved marketing. Makes sense, right? You get senior leadership at a fraction of the cost.

But here’s the trap: strategy without execution doesn’t move pipeline. A part-time CMO can build a beautiful GTM plan, but without a team to execute, it’s just another PowerPoint collecting dust.

Forrester recently reported that 65% of marketing leaders say lack of executional resources is their biggest barrier to delivering growth. Translation? Leadership without doers is like buying a Tesla without charging cables. Looks great in the driveway, but it’s not going anywhere.

The reality is, you don’t just need vision. You need demand-gen campaigns, content engines, sales enablement, and HubSpot automations humming in sync. And you need them delivered consistently.

That’s where the integrated, fractional model shines. You get strategy and execution - senior direction paired with expert-level doers across content, demand, and ops. The best part? It scales with you, instead of overwhelming your budget with senior headcount.

At Brightrose Ventures, we’ve reimagined the GTM function for small and mid-market B2B tech companies. Our Integrated, Fractional Marketing Team plugs in quickly, aligns strategy with execution, and actually delivers results. Because a PowerPoint alone doesn’t create pipeline - execution does.

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About Kristin Oelke

Kristin Oelke brings 20 years of experience modernizing and scaling marketing functions across Big Tech, high-growth startups, and global partner ecosystems. She partners with investors, founders, and C-Suite leaders to design and execute strategies that drive measurable revenue impact.

She is also a frequent speaker and the author of TRUST: Unlocking B2B Growth Strategies in Today’s AI World, where she explores how companies build credibility, reduce buyer friction, and scale predictably through transparent execution, public proof points, and trust-driven content.

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FAQs

What are the top reasons SMB and mid-market tech companies work with advisory firms?

Companies partner with advisory firms to tap into battle-tested expertise, access fractional support without long-term overhead, and gain faster connections to trusted resources proven to work with early-stage and scaling businesses. Advisory partners also bring fresh perspective, speed to execution, and the ability to build trust with investors through transparent reporting and measurable outcomes.

How are Brightrose Growth Services different from other tech advisory offerings?

Brightrose Growth Services combine proven operator experience with fast, execution-first support built for today’s AI-driven B2B environment. We help companies break through digital noise with content that educates and resonates, build scalable tech foundations, and deliver the proof points and reporting that earn trust with both buyers and investors.

What makes the Brightrose Growth Services fractional model more effective than hiring in-house?

Rather than relying on a single marketing leader, Brightrose Growth Services provide a senior-led team across demand gen, CRM, lifecycle, content, and analytics. We accelerate growth with integrated execution, a more efficient demand engine, transparent reporting, and trust-building content—all at a predictable monthly cost.

How can startups begin leveraging Brightrose Growth Services on a small budget?

Most begin with a Brightrose Assessment to get a clear, prioritized plan and identify immediate quick wins. From there, startups activate a fractional team that scales with the business—gaining early proof points, trusted content, a scalable tech stack, and investor-ready reporting without overinvesting.