Fractional CMO for Growth-Minded Startups.

Story Mode embeds a Fractional CMO directly into your startup. You get the strategy, team direction, and AI-powered systems of a full marketing department — led by one senior operator with 19 years of hands-on experience.
19yr
In growth marketing
100+
Clients led personally
$20M+
Raised & earned
Trusted by founders at
GroundfloorRaiinmakerBlockonomicsBitrefillDSCVRTHORChainTradeZeroStep3

What this looks like in practice.

Pipeline quality improved in one quarter.

A fintech startup was spending across five channels with no attribution model and a marketing team executing without strategic direction. Story Mode embedded as Fractional CMO, rebuilt the funnel from ICP definition through conversion tracking, and aligned the team around pipeline-qualified metrics instead of vanity numbers.

3x pipeline growth in 90 days
Shifted from vanity metrics to qualified growth.

A Web3 protocol had built a large community but couldn’t convert engagement into product adoption. Story Mode redesigned the community-to-product funnel, introduced qualification gates, and built an activation sequence that turned Discord members into active users.

Community-to-product conversion strategy deployed

What they said.

Deep knowledge in marketing with a deep passion about crypto. Always quick to produce results.

Sergej Kotliar, CEO, Bitrefill

Helped kickstart our marketing strategy from concept to new product launch.

Nick Casares, Head of Product, Step3

Brings creativity and enthusiasm — helping with submissions, promotions, and content delivery.

Ajay Kishore, Founder, Stareable Festival NYC

You’ve been here before.

1
Your founder is playing CMO, and it’s eating their roadmap alive.
2
You’re running disconnected tactics with no strategy tying them together.
3
You’ve hired agencies and freelancers — but nobody owns the outcome.
4
Channels are running without clear pipeline impact or attribution.
5
You’ve tried AI tools, but without strategic direction they just create more noise.

Story Mode fixes the leadership gap. Not with more tools \u2014 with the right operator.

Strategy to system.

A Fractional CMO from Story Mode doesn\u2019t just advise \u2014 they embed. 10\u201320 hours per week, leading strategy, directing your team, and building the systems that scale output without scaling headcount.

01
Growth Strategy & Roadmap

Market positioning, channel prioritization, and a growth plan tied to revenue outcomes — not vanity metrics.

02
Team Direction & Execution

Your marketers, designers, and agency partners get a senior leader who sets priorities, runs standups, and removes blockers.

03
AI Agent Workflows

Custom AI agents built on n8n and OpenClaw to automate research, content ops, campaign execution, and reporting.

04
Funnel Optimization

Conversion bottlenecks identified, rapid experiments launched, and performance lifted across acquisition, activation, and retention.

05
Messaging & Positioning

ICP refinement, narrative architecture, and a messaging framework that gives your team clarity on how to talk to the market.

06
KPI Framework & Reporting

Dashboard setup, weekly operator-level reporting, and a decision framework so you know what’s working and what to kill.

How it works.

Week 1–2
Discover

Audit your positioning, funnel, channels, and metrics. No assumptions — just signal.

Market auditChannel assessmentOpportunity mapping
Week 3–4
Story

Define your narrative architecture and messaging framework — who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

Brand positioningMessaging frameworkContent strategy
Month 2
Build

Ship the systems that turn strategy into traction — growth experiments, AI agent workflows, landing pages, and funnels.

Experiments liveAI workflowsFunnels built
Month 3
Scale

Measure, iterate, and compound what works. Growth becomes a repeatable operating cadence, not a series of guesses.

Performance reviewOptimization cyclesPlaybook handoff

How we work together.

Fractional CMO

Embedded marketing leadership on a monthly retainer. Reggie joins your team as your CMO — setting strategy, directing execution, and owning the growth outcomes.

10–20 hrs/week embedded
Full marketing roadmap
Team direction & execution
Growth experiment sprints
Monthly performance reviews
Optional: AI agent workflows
Slack/async communication
Month-to-month, no lock-in

Not a team stat — Reggie has personally led every one of these engagements across 19 years. This is founder-led, hands-on marketing leadership.

Questions.

What does a Fractional CMO actually do?
A Fractional CMO provides the same strategic leadership as a full-time Chief Marketing Officer — market positioning, growth strategy, team direction, budget allocation, and performance accountability — but on a part-time, retained basis. You get senior marketing leadership without the full-time executive salary and benefits overhead.
How is this different from hiring an agency?
Agencies execute deliverables from the outside. A Fractional CMO leads from the inside — embedded in your team, attending standups, setting priorities, making decisions. The difference is ownership. Reggie owns the outcome, not just the output.
Who should hire a Fractional CMO?
Startups that need strategic marketing leadership but aren’t ready for a full-time CMO hire. This model works especially well for Seed to Series B companies with some traction that need senior direction — not just more hands on keyboards.
What industries do you work with?
Deep focus in fintech, blockchain/Web3, AI, and SaaS — but the methodology works across sectors. Past clients include proptech, healthtech, consumer apps, and enterprise SaaS. The pattern recognition is what matters, and 19 years across 100+ engagements builds a lot of it.
Where are your clients based?
Globally. Most clients are in the US, with others across Canada, Europe, and Asia. Story Mode is remote-first and time-zone flexible. Reggie is based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
How quickly can you start?
Usually within one week of the first strategy call. The Discover phase begins immediately — auditing your current state and identifying leverage points while onboarding into your team’s tools and rhythms.
What outcomes should I expect in 90 days?
By the end of 90 days you’ll have a clear growth strategy, defined positioning, live experiments generating data, and a repeatable operating cadence. Most clients see measurable pipeline improvement within the first quarter — the exact lift depends on your starting point and market.

Let's develop
your story.

One 30-minute call. No pitch decks. Just an honest conversation about what your marketing needs next.

Book a Call
hello@storymode.co· Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON · Remote-first worldwide