Service — The Scaling Retainer
How the scaling retainer (fractional cmo) fits with the other six deliverables
The scaling retainer consumes the output of whatever precedes it and emits a fractional CMO function with both partners, governed monthly against one number — that dependency, not a preference for tidy process, is why the ladder has a fixed order.
6 min read · Reviewed by both partners
Think of the seven deliverables as a dependency graph rather than a menu. Each node needs its parent’s output as an input.
Buy one out of order and it has to invent the missing input, which it will do silently and confidently.
Step by step
Inputs it requires
The diagnosed constraint and the written standard. Without both, this deliverable is working from assumptions dressed as requirements.
What it produces
A fractional cmo function with both partners, governed monthly against one number — one artifact, dated, owned by the client.
What consumes that output
Whatever the Plan of Action scheduled next. If nothing does, the Plan should not have scheduled this.
Where it sits in cost terms
From $5,000/mo, inside a $4,500 Foundation and a $5,000 monthly recurring floor.
What breaks when it is skipped
The next node fabricates its input. The error surfaces two steps later, priced higher and harder to trace.
Common mistakes
Reading the ladder as a price list
It is a sequence with dependencies. Seven line items you can pick from is a different, worse product.
Buying every recurring program at once
The Plan usually names one. Three simultaneous programs make attribution impossible and cost triple.
Frequently Asked Questions
How the scaling retainer (fractional cmo) fits with the other six deliverables?
Think of the seven deliverables as a dependency graph rather than a menu. Each node needs its parent’s output as an input.
How does this connect to the Growth Scaling Method, and what’s the next step with Growth-Scaling?
It sits under The Scaling Retainer. For every business it is the Assessment. What comes after is the part that varies. The $1,500 Assessment is where that gets read against your own numbers.
What would this cost us?
Start at $4,500 for the diagnosis, standard, and route. Ongoing engagement is optional, quoted by the Plan, and floored at $5,000 monthly.
Who will we actually be talking to?
Both partners, on every engagement. That is the structural reason the firm stays small and the reason the engagement list is short.
References
- www.census.gov — primary source
- www.federalreserve.gov — primary source
- www.uspto.gov — primary source
Find out which node you need first
For every business it is the Assessment. What comes after is the part that varies.
Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm. It is not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical and does not provide medical, legal, financial, or contracting services; all industry content on this site is marketing and growth guidance for owners in those fields. Figures describing past engagements refer to specific businesses under specific conditions and are not a prediction of any future result. No outcome is promised.
Written by Steven Lockhart, reviewed by David Mitroff, Ph.D. Figures and regulatory details reflect the cited public sources; requirements vary by state and situation. Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm, not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical.