Fractional marketing leadership
Senior marketing leadership. Accountable to business results.
The JL Garrett Group (JLGG) provides fractional marketing leadership for businesses that need senior direction without a full-time executive hire. James T. Acuff leads the strategy, directs the work, and connects marketing activity to qualified opportunities and revenue.
Based in Frisco, Texas. Working with businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth and nationwide.
The mandate
- Who leads
- James T. Acuff, Founder and Chief Growth Officer
- What changes
- Clear priorities, directed execution, and revenue-linked measurement
- How it starts
- A 20-minute consultation, followed by a defined scope and fee
Fit
Your team needs direction, not another pile of tactics.
This engagement fits a business with marketing activity but no senior owner of the plan. It also fits an open marketing leadership seat, an agency relationship without clear accountability, or a business preparing to build its first marketing function.
Strategy and priorities
Define the buyer, positioning, offer, channel choices, budget priorities, and the sequence of work.
Team and agency leadership
Set briefs, ownership, review standards, and a working cadence across employees and external partners.
Demand and sales alignment
Agree on qualification, follow-up expectations, and the handoff from marketing into the sales process.
Measurement and decisions
Track qualified opportunities, conversion, pipeline contribution, and closed revenue where data permits. Treat lead volume as an input, not the result.
Choose the mandate
Fractional CMO or fractional CGO?
The scope determines the role. A broader title is not a substitute for a clear assignment.
Marketing leadership
Choose a fractional marketing leader when the primary need is marketing strategy, demand generation, team direction, agency accountability, and marketing measurement. Sales leadership remains with the agreed internal owner.
Cross-functional growth leadership
Choose a fractional CGO when the assignment spans sales, marketing, revenue operations, and the operating decisions behind growth. Authority must match the outcomes the role is expected to own.
Explore fractional growth leadership
Your executive
Experience belongs to the person doing the work.
James T. Acuff brings senior marketing and growth leadership experience at AWS and AT&T to JLGG engagements. He works alongside your people, directs internal and external resources, and leads execution within the agreed mandate.
Ask for evidence relevant to your business and the role being proposed. Prior corporate accomplishments should not be confused with outcomes achieved for a JLGG client.
Read James T. Acuff's backgroundStarting point
Define the assignment before adding activity.
- 01
Clarify the constraint
Discuss business goals, current marketing, sales handoffs, team capacity, and the decisions that lack an owner.
- 02
Agree on authority and scope
Define the reporting line, decision rights, time commitment, execution resources, fee, and success measures.
- 03
Lead the work
Establish priorities and a review cadence. Direct the work and adjust using evidence rather than activity counts.
- 04
Build lasting capability
Document the process, develop the team, and plan the transition or ongoing leadership model.
If the underlying constraint is unclear, start with a Growth Assessment rather than assuming a leadership retainer is the answer.
Buyer guidance
Evaluate the fit, not the claim to be best.
A fractional leader is not the right answer to every marketing problem. If you already have strong leadership and only need specialist production, an agency or contractor may be a better fit. If you require continuous daily executive availability, consider a full-time hire.
Use the fractional leadership selection scorecardWhat is fractional marketing leadership?
Fractional marketing leadership gives a business a senior marketing executive on a part-time basis. The leader sets priorities, directs internal teams and outside partners, manages the agreed marketing scope, and connects marketing performance to qualified opportunities and revenue.
Does JLGG provide fractional CMO services?
Yes. When the mandate is marketing, JLGG provides fractional marketing leadership with a CMO-level scope. When the mandate spans sales, marketing, revenue operations, and cross-functional growth priorities, fractional Chief Growth Officer leadership is the better fit. Decision rights and responsibilities are agreed before the engagement starts.
Who leads the engagement?
James T. Acuff, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of The JL Garrett Group, leads the engagement. His background includes senior marketing and growth leadership at AWS and AT&T. His prior executive experience is distinct from results delivered in JLGG client engagements.
Will you work with our existing agency and team?
Yes. The engagement can include leading your existing team and coordinating agency or contractor work. JLGG sets priorities, briefs, decision rights, and measurement around the agreed business objectives. Specialist execution is scoped separately when needed.
How much does fractional marketing leadership cost?
Fees depend on time commitment, team and agency responsibilities, business complexity, and the scope of execution. A 20-minute consultation establishes the need before JLGG proposes a scope and fee. Media spend, software, and specialist production are identified separately rather than assumed to be included.
Is JLGG limited to Dallas-Fort Worth?
No. JLGG is based in Frisco, Texas and works with businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the United States. Remote and on-site arrangements are agreed around the work.
How should I choose the best fractional marketing leader?
Choose by the problem you need solved, not a universal ranking. Verify who will do the work, relevant experience, decision authority, team leadership, evidence of results, measurement, and the transition plan. JLGG publishes a selection scorecard so buyers can evaluate any provider, including JLGG.
Put a clear owner behind your marketing.
A 20-minute conversation can clarify whether the gap is leadership, execution, or the growth system around both.