The hardest part of being a fractional CMO isn't creating the strategy or even the tactical execution. It's building trust with clients who resist change, forget the ‘why’, and make you feel like you're constantly running defense.

Wendy Wilburn knows that dynamic well, but more importantly, she knows how to break the cycle. She's the founder of Wendistry, her fractional practice, and a Certified StoryBrand Guide. In this episode, Wendy joins Randi Beth, Monica, and Branden to talk shop about how to create a sustainable (and enjoyable!) career as a fractional CMO.

Together, they explore how to work alongside a client while maintaining the strategic “outsider” perspective that fractionals are hired for. Wendy shares tangible tips for how to drive results through education and storytelling. She also outlines exactly how she uses the StoryBrand framework to create ‘aha moments’. Plus, Wendy closes with direct advice to fractionals: trust your experience and stay radically consistent in your message and presence.

Episode Outline

(01:49) Wendy’s early entrepreneurialism and unconventional path to fractional marketing

(09:45) A simple way to stay grounded and reconnect with your North Star

(14:34) Communicating the value of the varied experiences you bring to the table

(20:54) How to work WITH resistance instead of AGAINST it

(25:21) Why business owners see marketing as a necessary evil — and what to do about it

(32:07) Challenging the the narrative that the CMO position is the least respected one in the C-suite

(35:18) The teaching side of the fractional role nobody talks about

(41:52) What we can learn from Lululemon about target customers and product iteration

Additional Resources

Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes Hardcover by Elizabeth Lesser

StoryBrand

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You grow companies for a living, but your own business gets the crumbs.

The fractional executive space has grown 57% since 2020, which means more competition, more noise, and more pressure to land clients while serving the ones you already have. Most fractional CMOs are riding revenue highs and scrambling through the lows, usually alone, with no real system and no one to call when a client goes sideways.

In this episode, Branden, Monica, and Randi Beth pull back the curtain on 14 years of building a multi-fractional practice. They cover the mindset shifts and systems that separate fractional marketers who build lasting client relationships from those who burn through them. Plus, the team speaks on hard-won lessons, like how to earn the CMO title and spot bad-fit clients before they drain your time and confidence.

Episode Outline

(02:35) Reflecting on how the ‘fractional’ role has evolved in the past 5+ years

(07:45) Shifting from consultant to integrated leader

(19:16) Tips for building trust through 12-month roadmaps, self-accountability, and servant leadership

(25:55) How to know when it’s time to break up with a client

(34:34) The simple shift turned a 2-year drought into 100 deals sold in a year

(39:27) Budget-friendly ways to scale through community

Additional Resources

The Snowball System by Mo Bunnell Join us Mondays at 2:30pm EST for Fractional Marketing Biz Dev sessions Join us Wednesdays at 12pm EST in The Bourbon Room

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Too often, marketing is treated as the "department of pretty things" or quick fixes, rather than strategic drivers of business growth. In this episode of the Atlas Rose Podcast, we’re joined by Mitch Lewandowski, a Certified Pinnacle Guide, to discuss how to claim your seat in the boardroom by integrating into the business’s operating system rather than just pitching another campaign.

Mitch challenges the belief that marketing leaders need to be independent heroes who have all the answers. Instead, we discuss the freedom found in interdependence. For the fractional marketer, this means dropping the facade of being the smartest person in the room and leaning on a team (and a proven framework) to drive value.

Monica and Branden also reflect on how Atlas Rose operated before implementing a framework, describing the shift from frantic whiteboard sessions to strategic clarity. We wrap up with a reality check on vetting clients, discussing how to distinguish between business leaders who want a true strategic partner and those who simply want a vendor to execute on ideas.

Episode Outline

(02:16) How to click your marketing system into a business’s operating framework

(04:05) Mitch’s wake-up call: Why high revenue doesn't mean a healthy business

(10:58) Interdependence > independence

(16:45) Why trying to be the smartest person in the room kills your credibility

(25:54) Using structure to create the mental freedom to innovate

(32:24) Unpacking the objection that systems are too expensive

(43:33) How to respond to a client who is only looking for marketing magic tricks

Additional Resources

Learn more about Pinnacle

Learn more about Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

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More From Atlas Rose

Learn more on the Atlas Rose website

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Watch this episode on YouTube