Service — The Scaling Retainer
The scaling retainer (fractional cmo): a month-by-month breakdown
Month by month, the Scaling Retainer looks like this: a scoped start, a working middle, a written output, and a review against the one number the owner agreed to own, reviewed every month.
7 min read · Reviewed by both partners
Knowing the shape in advance prevents the two common failure modes: expecting results too early, and quietly abandoning it too late.
What it produces: a fractional CMO function with both partners, governed monthly against one number.
Step by step
Month one: scope, inputs, and the honest inventory
Most of the surprises land here, and most of them are about what is not being measured.
Month two: the work itself
A fractional cmo function with both partners, governed monthly against one number. This is where the deliverable is actually produced.
Month three: circulate and act
The output reaches the people who act on it, and the first change ships.
Months four to six: the number moves
Or it does not, and that gets reported. Either way the decision at month six is evidence-based.
Beyond: hold the gain
Compounding requires governance. Without a monthly rhythm the improvement decays quietly.
Common mistakes
Judging it at month two
Nothing has reached the market yet. Month two is a process check, not a results check.
Letting it lapse at month five
The most common abandonment point, and usually one month before the number moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
The scaling retainer (fractional cmo): a month-by-month breakdown?
Knowing the shape in advance prevents the two common failure modes: expecting results too early, and quietly abandoning it too late.
What should a business owner do with this before booking an Assessment?
It sits under The Scaling Retainer in the Growth Scaling Method. The next step for an owner is the $1,500 Assessment, which reads your own numbers against everything described above.
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 delivers the work?
Both founding partners, every time — strategy from David Mitroff, Ph.D., systems and measurement from Steven Lockhart.
References
- www.bbb.org — primary source
- www.score.org — primary source
- www.ftc.gov — primary source
Know the shape before you start
Written expectations make month four a decision instead of an argument.
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.