The Fractional vs Full-time Decision (part 1)

A founder's guide to evaluating whether fractional or full-time GTM talent is right for your business

Author

Jess Schultz
June 08, 2025

Hi friends - We’re going all in on the fractional GTM exec topic for the next few weeks.

This week we’ll dig into the fractional vs full-time decision for founders. 

Every company and situation is different, there are no universal right answers. I’ll do my best to give you guidance on how to evaluate your options and determine the best path for you.

And because this is a complex topic, I’ll cover it in 2 parts.

Let’s go!

The Fractional vs Full-time Decision (part 1)

Top variables to consider

Let’s start with the top variables to consider:

  1. Your maturity or growth stage (and subsequently your needs and budget)

  2. Your GTM expertise and capacity to manage the resources

Let’s unpack those further…

‼️ Reminder: All of this advice is tailored for B2B SaaS startups.

#1 Your maturity or growth stage, and subsequently your needs and budget

Needs

Stage

Needs

Fractional Resource

Full-time Resource

Other thoughts

$0-$500k in ARR

No one but you (founder) can be the CRO and AE at this stage. The founder is the best and only person who can close those first sales (imo). You’re still trying to find PMF - it’s messy and no one knows enough or cares as much as you.

Maybe. You’re forming an educated hypothesis and testing that hypothesis through a LOT of sales conversations (discovery). But only the founder can and should have those early sales conversations. A fractional exec could be a good sounding board and coach - but they won’t be able to support much of the ‘execution’ at this point.

Definitely not yet. It’s way too early for a full-time C-suite GTM exec and even premature for a full-time AE or mid-level marketer. The founder needs to trudge through this mud firsthand to get to PMF first.

I’d try to source a Growth Advisor or Sales Coach (for a small monthly retainer or equity) to help you, the founder, get better at sales discovery and deal management + some basic training on how to leverage your personal network for warm intros etc. Someone who you can be your sales teacher, sounding board, and objective sanity check.

$500k-$2mm ARR

You’ve closed some early customers and are seeing early signs of PMF - now you need someone to help you make it repeatable. Note: Make it repeatable, then make it scalable.

YES. This is the sweet spot in my opinion. A (good) fractional exec can help you 1) refine your strategy and positioning based on your early wins and data, and 2) build the infrastructure, processes, and professionalism you need to reach the next level.

Maybe. Hiring a fractional exec first will help you de-risk your first full-time hire(s) substantially by helping you properly scope and prepare (clarity on hiring needs + building infrastructure the FTE’s need to be successful).

You need a peer + a process builder. Someone who can help you with BOTH strategy and tactical execution. Someone who has lived and survived this phase of building many times. Someone who can (and will) roll up their sleeves and get shit done the same way you do as the founder. Rarely can you find a W2 like this…but fractionals are solopreneurs - they are builders and entrepreneurs.

$2mm-5mm

Make GTM scalable to grow faster. GTM engineers who can analyze, strategize, and execute to make everything better, faster, and stronger across your team, tech, and operations.

Maybe. This is when I think you need full-time talent. However, a fractional may be a good interim solution while you source the best full-time talent OR a good supplement to your full-time talent. For example, maybe you found a great VP of Marketing/Sales/RevOps who has a ton of promise but still needs some coaching before they are ready to fully lead in an executive capacity.

Definitely. This is when I’d be very strategically sourcing revenue leaders and engineers who are ready to lock in full-time and dig deep with you.

A fractional exec may still be a good interim or supplemental solution for a period of time, but this is the fractional offboarding ramp in most cases.

Budget

Of course the other factor that comes into play here is your budget.

Most fractional GTM execs I know do not charge by the hour, but their average effective hourly rate is $300-400. Many charge a fixed monthly fee or retainer based on the scope or work and total time they are pre-allocating for your business each month.

Fractional Rates

Seniority

Avg Effective Hourly Rate

Notes

C-Suite

$300-400

If your revenue is <$500k, you might only need 5-10 hrs a month of coaching and light support ($2-4k/month).

If your revenue is $500k-2mm, you likely need 20-30 hrs a month ($6-10k/month).

VP Level

$200-300

Most startups need 10-30 hrs a month depending on your revenue, desired growth rate, and the scope of work ($2-9k/month).

Mid-level GTM freelancer with a specific skill set (e.g. a good copywriter, or HubSpot/SFDC admin)

$125-150/hr

Variable based on what you’re asking of them

Full-time Rates

Note: I sourced this data from Pave.com on Jun 7, 2025 (Filters: All US companies, Private, Enterprise Technology, non-founder, total cash, 60th percentile).

Title

$1-5mm ARR

$5-10mm ARR

CRO

$300k

$357k

CMO

$275k

$290k

VP of Sales

$320k

$280k

VP of Marketing

$275k

$250k

So the average among all of these is ~$300k total cash annually. Let’s add a multiple of 1.3 for benefits = $390k ($32,500/month).

That’s before any equity grant folks!

So even though fractional execs might sound expensive at $10k a month…it’s a whole lot less expensive than full-time. Especially if your business is not yet to a maturity level where you truly NEED full-time VP or executive level GTM talent.

#2 Your GTM expertise and capacity to manage resources

After reading all that you might be thinking…

”Well, maybe I don’t need VP/exec level talent at all right now…maybe I can just hire mid or entry level sales and marketing talent. They’re cheaper and I can get them full-time for the same cost as a part-time senior person”.

So here is where I’d encourage you to consider your (the founder) -

  1. GTM expertise - how much do you really know or how much experience do you personally have with GTM strategy and execution?

  2. Capacity to manage - how much time do you have to manage the people you hire? Most founders I know are spread thin as it is…before they hire anyone else.

Why do I ask those questions?

Because if you don’t have the expertise personally…you shouldn’t hire entry to mid level resources. It will be the blind leading the blind. You need someone with true expertise to guide you and any other resources you hire in that functional area.

Because the less time you have to manage people, the more senior I’d encourage you to hire. Senior level hires have the leadership experience, knowledge, and executive presence to be more autonomous. You won’t have to babysit them or be overly directive - they will just come in and get moving.

Here is an image I like to depict this:

Ok, part 1 of this topic ✅ .

We’ll cover a few additional considerations for this decision next week! See you there!

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With love and gratitude, 

Jess Schultz

Founder & CEO

Amplify Group

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