Senior marketing leadership.
Built around your business.
For established businesses ready for their next stage of growth. Work directly with Steve Mills to set the direction, align your people and partners, and turn priorities into action.
When the business needs stronger marketing leadership.
Growth has become harder to direct.
You have an established offer and customers, but the next stage needs clearer choices about markets, positioning, investment and acquisition.
The founder is carrying the marketing function.
Your team and agencies need decisions, briefs and feedback, and you need a senior partner who can take ownership of the marketing plan.
Activity is fragmented.
Different channels and partners are busy, but priorities, accountability and commercial reporting need to come together.
A strong fit for considered purchases and complex customer journeys.
My experience spans residential building, building products, retail and ecommerce. These are businesses where customer research, brand positioning, acquisition and operational delivery all influence growth.
The best fit is an established business with an owner or leadership team ready to collaborate, access to relevant performance information, and the capacity to act on an agreed plan.
Explore relevant client work ↗Your team. Your partners. A shared direction.
Your business owner & leadership team
Business goals, commercial context and key decisions
Steve Mills · Fractional CMO
Marketing direction, priorities and coordination
Your internal team
Customer knowledge, day-to-day delivery and sales feedback
Your agencies & specialists
Creative, channels, websites and technical delivery
Direction, coordination and delivery.
Set the priorities.
Translate your commercial goals into a focused marketing plan. Clarify the audience, offer, channel roles and investment decisions.
Lead the marketing conversation.
Coordinate internal teams and external specialists. Establish useful briefs, ownership, review meetings and a clear path for decisions.
Stay close to execution.
Review campaigns, customer journeys and reporting. Get directly involved where my performance marketing, data and AI experience can help.
What the first 90 days can look like.
Understand & prioritise
Review the customer journey, marketing activity and measurement. Agree the decisions that matter first.
Align & activate
Set responsibilities and channel roles. Begin agreed improvements and address measurement gaps.
Review & refine
Interpret the evidence, resolve outstanding decisions and agree the next quarter’s priorities.
An indicative sequence, adapted to your business and agreed scope.
See an illustrative leadership roadmap ↗Choose the right level of involvement.
Ongoing fractional CMO
A continuing leadership partnership covering agreed marketing priorities, team and agency coordination, investment review and performance discussions. Suitable when the business needs consistent senior involvement.
Strategy & roadmap
A defined engagement to assess the current position, clarify priorities and create an actionable marketing roadmap. Suitable when you need direction before committing to a broader programme.
Transition & growth leadership
Focused support during a leadership gap, market expansion or a change in the marketing function. Suitable when your team needs continuity, coordination and a clear handover.
Scope, working cadence, fees and review points are agreed before work begins.
“Steve is humble, extremely responsive, makes decisions based on facts/qualitative data”
Before we work together.
What does a fractional CMO do?
A fractional CMO provides senior marketing leadership on a part-time basis. The role connects business objectives, customer priorities, budgets, teams and measurement, with an agreed level of involvement in delivery.
Can you work with our marketing manager or agency?
Yes. I can support your existing team with direction, priorities and review, and coordinate external partners around a shared plan. Responsibilities and decision-making authority are agreed at the start.
How much involvement will we receive?
We agree the working cadence, responsibilities, availability and deliverables before beginning. The scope depends on your priorities and the capability already in the business.
What happens during the first 90 days?
The initial focus is understanding the business, agreeing priorities and beginning delivery. The roadmap is adapted to the situation; a turnaround, expansion or leadership transition may require a different sequence.
How do you measure success?
We agree commercial measures and supporting indicators together. Depending on the business, these may include qualified pipeline, customer acquisition, conversion, retention and the reliability of reporting. Activity alone is not the measure of success.
Do you also manage campaigns?
I can stay directly involved in performance marketing, measurement and improvement. The engagement defines which work I deliver, which work remains with your team and where specialist partners are needed.
How are fees and commitments agreed?
After discussing your requirements, I propose a scope with fees, responsibilities and review points. Advertising spend, third-party tools and specialist delivery are identified separately where relevant.
Are you based in Melbourne?
Yes. I’m based in Melbourne and work with Australian businesses. We agree how remote collaboration and any in-person meetings will work as part of the engagement.
Give your marketing a clear direction.
Tell me about your business, your priorities and where you need stronger leadership. We’ll explore whether there’s a fit.