Fractional Chief Growth Officer

Ross Kernez is a digital marketer, community builder, mentor, and author. He is the founder of NYC-based SEO Meetup, a group of 2900 marketing professionals who meet monthly to network and discuss the latest trends and happenings in the industry.

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Published: 07.11.2024

As a Fractional Chief Growth Officer, I bring over 15 years of proven expertise in driving business growth through innovative and strategic marketing initiatives. Whether you're a small business, start-up, or mid-sized company, my services are tailored to meet your unique needs without the commitment and cost of a full-time executive.Gain access to top-tier marketing leadership without the overhead of a full-time hire. My extensive experience spans various industries, ensuring your business benefits from the latest marketing trends and strategies.

By working with me, you gain access to top-tier marketing leadership and the ability to implement advanced marketing strategies that are tailored to your unique business goals. My expertise covers a wide range of industries, enabling me to bring a fresh, adaptable perspective to each client. From omni channel marketing and brand development to demand generation and go-to-market strategies, I ensure that your business stays ahead of the curve, benefiting from the latest marketing trends and insights. Whether you're looking to enter new markets, boost lead generation, or enhance your overall brand presence, I can help craft and execute a strategic marketing plan that aligns with your business objectives.

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Fractional Chief Growth Officer

"If you can work with Ross, make it happen — you won't regret it!"

— Jennifer Anderson

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Why Work With Fractional Chief Growth Officer

By partnering with me, you gain access to top-tier marketing leadership, empowering your business to implement cutting-edge strategies specifically tailored to achieve your unique goals. With over 15 years of experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge across various industries, enabling me to adapt seamlessly to the distinct challenges and opportunities your business faces. My approach is comprehensive, incorporating omni-channel marketing, brand development, and demand generation to ensure your business not only stays competitive but also thrives in an ever-evolving marketplace.

In addition to core strategies like lead generation and customer acquisition, I focus on enhancing brand equity, fostering customer loyalty, and optimizing the customer journey across multiple channels. My process is data-driven, ensuring that every decision made is backed by actionable insights, maximizing return on investment (ROI) and streamlining resource allocation.

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What can I bring to your company when you hire me as Fractional Chief Growth Officer

I find myself in a privileged position through hosting my SEO meetups, where I have access to a wealth of data alongside my fellow members. These gatherings serve as a fertile ground for the exchange of insights and information stemming from diverse industries. My team and I take it upon ourselves to meticulously gather and arrange this data, ensuring that every participant can reap the benefits from a broad pool of knowledge. As we all are aware, unstructured data holds little to no value, akin to unmined gold lying dormant underground, awaiting to be discovered and valued.

We delve into this data reservoir, sifting through to find and present the most valuable pieces of information — the golden nuggets that can offer substantial learning experiences to our attendees.

Would you be interested in granting your attendees access to this repository of golden opportunities?

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Experienced Fractional Chief Growth Officer

I have worked in numerous large enterprises within the marketing & SEO departments. Taking these businesses up the search engine result pages (SERPS), these roles formed the bases of my experience.

I have also been fortunate enough to advise & consult numerous smaller and medium businesses across a wide array of verticals and this also greatly enhanced my knowledge about the market and of course how to implement a ‘search’ strategy to garner visibility and generate revenue.

I have also been fortunate enough to participate in some more unique projects

Who is Ross Kernez?

With over 15+ years of experience, I specialize in building marketing systems that consistently attract and retain customers. My approach is rooted in meticulous processes, ensuring that every aspect of my work is efficient, scalable, and impactful. From complex tasks like SEO to comprehensive strategies, I design systems that minimize friction and cost while maximizing results.

Ross is deeply involved in the marketing and tech community, mentoring startups at organizations like Techstars and Starta. He is known for his expertise in search engine optimization, digital marketing, and leveraging data analytics for marketing success.

Here’s some feedback from someone who has worked with Ross

Working with a fractional Chief Growth Officer has been a game changer for our business. They immediately identified areas where we could improve our customer acquisition strategy and helped us implement data-driven solutions that increased our lead generation. What stood out was their ability to align the sales, marketing, and product teams toward a common growth goal, making the entire process seamless. Even though they weren't full-time, their strategic insights and ability to push key initiatives forward made it feel like we had a full-time growth leader. We've seen a significant boost in revenue and customer engagement since bringing them on board, and their expertise was exactly what we needed to scale effectively.

— Tremblay E.

Hiring a fractional CGO was one of the best decisions we've made for our company. We were at a point where we had hit a plateau in terms of growth, and they helped us break through it. The fractional CGO worked closely with our leadership team to develop a growth roadmap that focused on both short-term wins and long-term strategy. They streamlined our customer journey, optimized our pricing model, and introduced new revenue opportunities we hadn't even considered. The flexibility of having them on a part-time basis allowed us to tap into high-level growth expertise without the full-time cost. We're now seeing improved retention and a steady increase in market share.

— Davies R.

Our experience with a fractional Chief Growth Officer was transformative. They brought a fresh perspective to our growth challenges and quickly identified inefficiencies in our existing strategies. The CGO helped us adopt a more data-driven approach, refining our marketing and sales efforts to focus on what was actually delivering results. They also encouraged collaboration between departments, which streamlined our operations and ensured that everyone was aligned with our growth objectives. The impact was immediate, with measurable improvements in customer acquisition and revenue growth. Despite being part-time, their contribution felt like they were fully embedded in our team, driving change and delivering results we could see.

— Tracy O.

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My Process

Let's Collaborate

1. Describe your project

2.Schedule a Call

3. Develop Strategic High Level Plan

4. Accountability on both sides

What should you expect from your Fractional Chief Growth Officer

When working with a fractional Chief Growth Officer (CGO), you should expect a strategic leader whose primary focus is driving revenue growth, customer acquisition, and long-term business scaling. Their role involves identifying and implementing opportunities that accelerate growth across different areas of your business, including sales, marketing, customer success, and product development. A fractional CGO brings a deep understanding of growth strategies and tailors these to align with your company’s specific goals and market position, while offering the flexibility of a part-time executive role.

The fractional CGO will start by analyzing your current growth trajectory, identifying key areas where the company can expand its market share, enhance customer retention, or increase revenue streams. This analysis will help create a clear roadmap that outlines actionable steps to drive sustainable growth. They work closely with your leadership team to ensure that growth initiatives are aligned with the company’s long-term vision, integrating strategies that touch every department, from marketing and sales to product and operations.

Another critical aspect of the fractional CGO’s work is focusing on data-driven decision-making. They will implement key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress and identify the most effective tactics for customer acquisition, retention, and revenue generation. Using data analytics and market research, the CGO provides insights into customer behavior, emerging market trends, and competitor activity. These insights are crucial for optimizing campaigns, improving customer engagement, and refining product or service offerings.

Collaboration is key to the CGO’s role. They will work across various teams, ensuring that marketing efforts, product development, and sales initiatives are unified in their goal of driving growth. The CGO often acts as a bridge between departments, ensuring that growth strategies are holistic and take into account the entire customer journey, from initial awareness to long-term retention. By fostering cross-functional collaboration, they help ensure that all aspects of the business contribute to the overall growth strategy.

The fractional CGO is also responsible for identifying new revenue opportunities, whether by expanding into new markets, developing new products or services, or refining pricing models. They focus on understanding where the business can innovate or differentiate itself in the marketplace, helping to create a competitive edge that drives future growth. This could involve optimizing existing offerings, identifying new customer segments, or leveraging technology to streamline operations and improve customer experience.

A fractional CGO’s work is not just about short-term gains; they focus on creating sustainable growth. This means ensuring that customer acquisition costs are optimized, retention rates are maximized, and growth strategies are scalable. They help put systems in place that allow for consistent growth without overstretching resources or compromising on quality. Their approach balances quick wins with long-term strategic planning, ensuring that your business is well-positioned for future success.

In addition to strategy and execution, the fractional CGO also provides leadership by fostering a growth mindset throughout the organization. They create a culture that embraces innovation, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making, helping the company stay agile and responsive to changes in the market. Their role is to inspire teams to focus on growth initiatives and to ensure that everyone in the organization is aligned with the overall growth objectives.

Ultimately, a fractional CGO will deliver measurable results that contribute to the company’s bottom line, helping your business scale efficiently while improving customer engagement, expanding market share, and increasing profitability. They provide strategic direction and operational support in driving growth, ensuring that your business can adapt and thrive in a competitive landscape.

Topics that I can cover

Programmatic Marketing

Growth Marketing

Paid Search Marketing

Paid Social Marketing

Marketing Strategy

Digital PR

SEO Marketing

Social Media Marketing

FAQs

What is a Fractional Chief Growth Officer (CGO), and how does this role apply to businesses?

A Fractional Chief Growth Officer (CGO) is a senior-level executive hired on a part-time or project-based basis to help businesses identify, implement, and manage strategies for growth. This role focuses on the development of new revenue streams, the optimization of customer acquisition and retention, and the overall scaling of the business in a sustainable manner. The role of a CGO is critical in today’s fast-paced, competitive business environment, where companies must constantly adapt to market changes and seize new opportunities to grow.

The fractional aspect means that the CGO is not a full-time employee but works with the company on a flexible basis, which allows businesses to tap into high-level expertise without the cost of hiring a full-time executive. This is particularly advantageous for smaller companies, startups, or organizations in transition, as they can benefit from the experience and insights of a seasoned growth professional without the long-term commitment of a permanent position.

A Fractional CGO is responsible for ensuring that all growth initiatives align with the company’s broader strategic goals. They analyze the company’s current performance, evaluate growth opportunities, and design data-driven strategies to improve customer acquisition, retention, and revenue. The CGO’s work often involves looking at multiple areas of the business, from marketing and sales to product development and operations, to ensure that all efforts contribute to a unified growth strategy.

The CGO works closely with other members of the executive team, such as the CEO, CMO, and CFO, to ensure that growth strategies are aligned with financial and operational goals. By creating a growth roadmap that details the steps needed to achieve sustainable scaling, the CGO helps the company stay focused on its most critical objectives while remaining adaptable to changing market conditions.

One of the key functions of a Fractional CGO is to develop new revenue streams. This could involve identifying opportunities to launch new products or services, expand into new markets, or optimize existing offerings to better meet customer needs. The CGO is constantly analyzing the competitive landscape and consumer trends to uncover new growth opportunities. They also evaluate pricing strategies, customer segments, and sales processes to ensure that the company is maximizing its revenue potential.

In addition to generating new revenue, the CGO is responsible for improving customer acquisition and retention. A key part of this role is understanding the customer journey and identifying points where the company can improve engagement, conversion, and loyalty. The CGO may implement new marketing campaigns, refine sales processes, or introduce new customer success strategies to ensure that customers are satisfied and continue to return. This focus on both acquisition and retention is critical for long-term growth, as attracting new customers is only part of the equation; keeping them engaged and loyal is equally important.

Another important aspect of the Fractional CGO’s role is driving cross-departmental collaboration. Growth doesn’t happen in isolation, and for it to be effective, different teams within the organization need to be aligned and working towards the same objectives. The CGO works with marketing, sales, product, operations, and finance teams to ensure that their efforts are integrated and focused on achieving growth. By breaking down silos and fostering collaboration, the CGO ensures that everyone is on the same page and contributing to the company’s success.

Data-driven decision-making is a central element of the CGO’s approach. The CGO uses data and analytics to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), track the effectiveness of growth initiatives, and make adjustments where necessary. By relying on data, the CGO can ensure that growth strategies are working as intended and delivering measurable results. This helps the company avoid wasting resources on ineffective initiatives and focus on what’s actually driving growth.

The CGO also plays a significant role in fostering a growth mindset within the organization. This involves creating a culture where innovation, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making are encouraged. By promoting this mindset, the CGO ensures that the company remains agile and can quickly adapt to new opportunities or challenges. This cultural shift is often essential for companies looking to scale effectively, as it requires employees at all levels to be aligned with the growth objectives.

Overall, a Fractional CGO provides businesses with the strategic leadership they need to drive growth, improve customer acquisition and retention, and increase revenue in a sustainable way. Their focus on data, collaboration, and innovation helps ensure that the company can adapt to a changing market and continue to grow over the long term.

Why should a company hire a Fractional Chief Growth Officer instead of a full-time CGO?

There are several reasons why a company might choose to hire a Fractional Chief Growth Officer rather than a full-time CGO. One of the most significant reasons is cost efficiency. A full-time CGO typically commands a high salary along with benefits, bonuses, and other compensation, which may not be feasible for all businesses, especially smaller companies or startups. Hiring a fractional CGO allows the company to access the same level of expertise and strategic insight at a fraction of the cost. This is particularly beneficial for businesses that may not require full-time growth leadership but still need high-level support to drive specific initiatives or achieve growth milestones.

Flexibility is another key advantage of hiring a fractional CGO. Growth needs can fluctuate based on market conditions, business cycles, or the company’s development stage. For example, a company may require a CGO’s expertise during the launch of a new product, entry into a new market, or a specific customer acquisition campaign, but may not need that level of leadership on an ongoing basis. A fractional CGO can be brought in for specific projects or during critical periods, allowing the company to scale their involvement as needed. This flexibility ensures that the company has access to the right level of support without the long-term commitment of a full-time executive.

Another major benefit of hiring a fractional CGO is the diverse experience they bring. Fractional CGOs often work with multiple companies across different industries, giving them a broad perspective on growth strategies and best practices. This cross-industry experience allows them to introduce new ideas and innovative approaches that a full-time CGO, who may be focused solely on one company or sector, might not consider. By bringing in a fractional CGO, businesses can benefit from fresh perspectives and proven strategies that have worked in other environments, helping them stay competitive and agile in a rapidly changing market.

Hiring a fractional CGO also allows for faster results. Since these professionals are often brought in to address specific challenges or achieve particular goals, they tend to hit the ground running and can deliver quick wins. Whether the company is looking to improve customer acquisition, optimize pricing, or increase revenue, a fractional CGO provides the strategic leadership needed to drive these initiatives forward efficiently. Their ability to deliver immediate impact while also focusing on long-term growth ensures that the company sees measurable results in a short amount of time.

Additionally, a fractional CGO can provide leadership and mentorship to the company’s existing teams. For businesses that already have a marketing, sales, or product development team in place, the CGO can offer strategic guidance, helping to refine growth initiatives and improve team performance. By working closely with existing teams, the CGO ensures that growth efforts are aligned with the company’s overall objectives and that everyone is contributing to the company’s success.

Finally, a fractional CGO is ideal for businesses in transition or those experiencing rapid growth. For startups or companies going through a period of change, such as a merger, acquisition, or rebranding, the expertise of a fractional CGO can be invaluable. They can provide the strategic leadership needed to navigate these transitions, ensuring that the company remains focused on growth while adapting to new circumstances. Whether the company is preparing for a significant expansion or simply looking to scale more efficiently, a fractional CGO offers the flexibility and expertise needed to succeed.

What specific challenges does a Fractional Chief Growth Officer address for businesses?

Businesses face a wide range of challenges when it comes to driving growth, and a Fractional Chief Growth Officer is well-equipped to help address these through a combination of strategic leadership, data-driven decision-making, and a focus on sustainable scaling. One of the primary challenges that many businesses encounter is identifying and capitalizing on growth opportunities. In today’s fast-moving business environment, companies must constantly look for new ways to expand their market share, increase revenue, and improve customer retention. A fractional CGO helps businesses identify these opportunities by analyzing market trends, customer behaviors, and the competitive landscape. By providing insights into where the business can innovate, expand, or optimize, the CGO helps the company focus on the most promising areas for growth.

Another major challenge is customer acquisition. For many businesses, acquiring new customers can be expensive and time-consuming, especially in highly competitive markets. A fractional CGO works to develop customer acquisition strategies that are both effective and cost-efficient. This might involve creating targeted marketing campaigns, optimizing sales processes, or refining the company’s messaging to better resonate with potential customers. By focusing on the customer journey and identifying areas where the company can improve engagement and conversion, the CGO helps drive new customer growth while keeping acquisition costs in check.

Customer retention is equally important when it comes to growth, and many businesses struggle with maintaining long-term relationships with their customers. A fractional CGO addresses this challenge by developing retention strategies that keep customers engaged, satisfied, and loyal to the brand. This might involve implementing customer success programs, refining loyalty rewards, or creating personalized communication strategies that build stronger connections with customers. By improving retention rates, the CGO helps ensure that the company can continue to generate revenue from its existing customer base while reducing churn.

Another key challenge that businesses face is scalability. As companies grow, they often encounter difficulties in scaling their operations, processes, and resources to meet increased demand. A fractional CGO works to ensure that growth is sustainable by putting systems in place that allow the company to scale efficiently. This might involve optimizing internal processes, improving supply chain management, or automating certain tasks to free up resources. The CGO also focuses on ensuring that the company’s growth initiatives are scalable, meaning that they can continue to drive results as the business expands without overstretching its capabilities.

Data management and analytics are other areas where businesses often face challenges when it comes to growth. Many companies collect large amounts of data but struggle to analyze and use that data effectively to inform decision-making. A fractional CGO helps businesses implement data-driven strategies by using analytics tools to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and track the effectiveness of growth initiatives. By relying on data, the CGO ensures that growth strategies are based on real insights rather than assumptions, allowing the company to optimize its efforts and focus on what’s actually working.

Pricing strategy is another area where businesses may struggle, especially as they grow and expand into new markets. A fractional CGO helps businesses refine their pricing models to ensure that they are competitive while still maximizing profitability. This might involve conducting market research to understand customer willingness to pay, analyzing competitors’ pricing, or experimenting with different pricing structures to find the optimal balance. By refining the company’s pricing strategy, the CGO helps ensure that the company is not leaving money on the table and that it remains competitive in the market.

Cross-departmental collaboration is also a critical challenge that many businesses face when trying to drive growth. Growth doesn’t happen in isolation, and for it to be effective, different teams within the organization need to work together towards common goals. A fractional CGO works across departments to ensure that growth initiatives are aligned and integrated. This might involve coordinating efforts between the marketing, sales, product, and operations teams to ensure that everyone is contributing to the company’s growth strategy. By breaking down silos and fostering collaboration, the CGO ensures that all parts of the organization are working together to achieve growth.

Finally, businesses often face the challenge of fostering a growth mindset within the organization. In many cases, employees may be resistant to change or hesitant to embrace new ways of working. A fractional CGO helps businesses create a culture where innovation, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making are encouraged. This might involve providing training on growth strategies, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, or encouraging teams to test new ideas and approaches. By fostering a growth mindset, the CGO ensures that the entire organization is aligned with the company’s growth objectives and is motivated to achieve success.

How does a Fractional Chief Growth Officer help businesses with customer acquisition and retention?

Customer acquisition and retention are two of the most critical components of a company’s growth strategy, and a Fractional Chief Growth Officer plays a central role in optimizing both. The CGO focuses on developing customer acquisition strategies that are both effective and scalable, ensuring that the company can attract new customers in a cost-efficient manner. This often involves creating targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with specific customer segments, refining sales processes to improve conversion rates, and optimizing the customer journey to reduce friction.

One of the first steps the CGO takes in improving customer acquisition is understanding the target audience. By analyzing customer data, market trends, and competitor activity, the CGO identifies key customer segments and tailors acquisition strategies to meet their needs. This might involve creating personalized marketing messages, leveraging digital advertising, or implementing lead generation campaigns that drive qualified traffic to the company’s website or sales team. The CGO also focuses on optimizing the customer journey, ensuring that potential customers have a seamless experience from initial awareness to final purchase.

In addition to acquisition, the CGO works to improve customer retention, which is essential for long-term growth. Retaining customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, and loyal customers tend to generate more revenue over time. The CGO develops retention strategies that keep customers engaged and satisfied, reducing churn and increasing lifetime value. This might involve implementing customer success programs that provide ongoing support, offering loyalty rewards that incentivize repeat purchases, or creating personalized communication strategies that build stronger relationships with customers.

By focusing on both customer acquisition and retention, the CGO helps businesses create a sustainable growth model that drives revenue while building long-term customer loyalty.

In conclusion, a Fractional Chief Growth Officer provides businesses with the strategic leadership needed to drive growth, improve customer acquisition and retention, and increase revenue. Their flexible, part-time approach allows businesses to access senior-level expertise without the cost of a full-time executive, ensuring that growth strategies are effective, scalable, and aligned with the company’s broader business objectives. With a focus on data-driven decision-making, cross-departmental collaboration, and innovation, the CGO helps businesses navigate the challenges of growth and achieve long-term success in a competitive marketplace.

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Fractional Chief Growth Officer

Fractional Chief Growth Officer