Your Revenue Is Stuck. It's Time to Make a Decision.
You're at $10M-$15M in revenue. Growth has slowed. You need revenue leadership—someone who owns the entire revenue machine, not just sales.
This is one of the most consequential financial decisions you'll make. Let's do the math.
The Full-Time CRO: The Real Cost
- Base Salary: $180K-$280K
- Performance Bonus: $50K-$84K
- Equity: 0.25%-1.5%
- Recruiting: $40K-$80K
- Time to Hire: 3-6 months ($30K lost productivity)
- Onboarding Ramp: $45K-$70K during ramp
- Benefits & Overhead: $15K-$25K
Year 1 Total: $380K-$790K (before impact).
A wrong hire costs $200K-$400K plus 12-18 months lost time. ~30% of first CRO hires don't work out.
The Fractional CRO: The Real Cost
Year 1 Total: $120K (working from day one). No recruiting cost, no severance, no equity dilution, productive in 2-4 weeks.
The Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | Full-Time | Fractional |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Cost | $380K-$790K | $120K-$180K |
| Time to Hire | 3-6 months | 2-4 weeks |
| Cost of Wrong Hire | $200K-$400K+ | $30K-$40K |
| Speed to Impact | 4-8 months | 4-8 weeks |
The Better Model: Fractional CRO + AI
Combined cost: $132K-$204K annually. Forrester TEI: 248% ROI with payback under 6 months [2]. Blue Prism TEI: 330% ROI over 3 years [3].
Real example: $2.5M service business invested $77K in fractional CFO, achieved $653K value—8.5x ROI. A manufacturer got 11x ROI from $192K investment [1].
When Full-Time Makes Sense
Above $50M revenue, complex multi-channel revenue, board requirement, or proven prior relationship.
Your Decision
If you're at $10M-$50M and need revenue leadership—book a 20-minute call. The math is clear.
