Q1 2026

Fractional Marketing Leadership
Team Upskilling That Sticks

Get senior marketing leadership without the full-time headcount. I help founders turn junior marketers into confident operators with clear strategy, better systems, and execution that drives revenue.

The Advantage

Why Shift to Fractional Marketing?

The traditional hiring model is broken for growth-stage companies. You either overpay for a full-time executive or settle for junior talent.

The Old Way

Inefficient
  • $250k+ Annual CostSalary, benefits, equity, and severance packages bloat your burn rate.
  • Slow OnboardingTakes 3-6 months to find, hire, and ramp up a full-time executive.
  • High RiskIf they aren't a culture fit, you're stuck with a difficult exit process.

The Fractional Way

Optimized
  • Cost-EffectiveGet senior expertise for ~30% of the cost of a full-time hire.
  • Immediate ImpactI plug in immediately with proven playbooks. ROI starts Day 1.
  • Flexible TermsScale up or down as your business needs change. No golden handcuffs.

2.5x

Faster Execution

Zero

Recruitment Fees

100%

Aligned Incentives

Why Founders Choose Leadership & Upskilling Over Agencies

Agencies can ship deliverables, but they rarely build internal capability. Fractional marketing leadership team upskilling works because you get senior guidance, clear priorities, and mentorship that makes your team better — without bloated retainers or junior hand-offs.

Hands-On Leadership, Not Handoffs

Your team learns directly from the person setting direction — not an account layer passing tasks around.

Skills Tied to Outcomes

Training is built around pipeline, conversion, and ROI — not generic marketing theory or busywork.

One Playbook, One Standard

Messaging, SEO, web, and growth processes align under a single operating system your team can run.

Faster Execution, Less Rework

Better briefs, better decisions, and fewer loops — so output improves without adding more headcount.

Operator-Level Coaching

15+ years building, ranking, and converting websites — turning that experience into team capability.

Not anti-agency — anti-dependency, wasted spend, and unclear ownership of results.

Short call. Clear next steps. No pressure.

When Leadership & Upskilling Is the Right Move

I help founders who are facing specific growth-stalling challenges.

Execution Without Direction

Your team is busy, but priorities shift constantly and output isn’t connected to measurable outcomes.

Agency Dependence or Burn

You’re paying for external support, but knowledge stays outside and ROI feels unclear or inconsistent.

Junior Team Needs Mentorship

You have capable juniors, but they need senior guidance to make better decisions and execute well.

Founder Bottleneck

Marketing depends on you to approve everything, and progress stalls when you’re busy elsewhere.

What You Actually Get With Leadership & Team Upskilling

Upskilling isn’t a workshop. It’s a repeatable cadence of direction, feedback, and systems that turns marketing into a dependable function — with execution your founders can trust.

Direction, Priorities & Standards

A clear plan and quality bar your team can execute against.

  • Weekly priorities
  • Resource allocation
  • 90-day execution plan

Briefing, Messaging & Positioning

Sharper thinking that improves every campaign and asset.

  • Brief templates
  • Offer clarity
  • Funnel alignment

Channel Execution Coaching

Coaching across the channels that matter most. (SEO, Web, Paid, Partnerships)

  • SEO & content coaching
  • Website optimisation
  • Channel validation

Conversion & Workflow Improvements

Better process so output improves and results compound.

  • Landing page direction
  • Review cadence
  • Conversion bottleneck fixes

Measurement & Team Accountability

Clear metrics, clear owners, and fewer surprises.

  • KPI definition
  • Reporting clarity
  • Decision-ready insights

Common deliverables include:

Operating cadenceTeam playbooksWebsite guidanceConversion fixesTracking standardsMentorship & feedback

How Leadership & Team Upskilling Works

A simple, transparent process to get started.

1

Team Audit & Baseline

I review your team, workflow, channels, and results to pinpoint capability gaps and high-leverage improvements quickly.

2

Upskilling Roadmap

We build a plan that aligns priorities with business goals, sets standards, and defines what “good” looks like.

3

Coaching & Execution

I lead weekly priorities, improve briefs, and coach execution with your team so output quality increases consistently.

4

Systems & Autonomy

We install repeatable playbooks, improve tracking, and build confidence so the team performs at a higher level long-term.

Real-World Results From Leadership & Team Upskilling

These are not overnight wins. They’re examples of higher standards, better prioritisation, and consistent coaching that improves execution quality and drives business results.

B2B SaaS Team

Situation:

Marketing output existed, but quality and priorities were inconsistent across the team.

What we changed:

  • Set weekly direction and standards
  • Improved briefs and review cadence
  • Aligned website, SEO, and acquisition

Outcome:

Cleaner execution, faster iteration, and stronger pipeline momentum from the same team.

Ecommerce Team

Situation:

Busy marketing calendar, but unclear ownership and uneven performance across channels.

What we changed:

  • Installed a marketing operating rhythm
  • Upskilled conversion and CRO thinking
  • Built retention and repeat purchase flows

Outcome:

Improved conversion rates, better LTV, and a team that executes with more confidence.

Local Services Team

Situation:

Junior marketer was overwhelmed and the founder had to approve everything to move forward.

What we changed:

  • Created repeatable processes and templates
  • Improved website and local lead flow
  • Added lead follow-up and nurturing

Outcome:

More consistent lead flow, fewer founder bottlenecks, and better team autonomy.

Results vary based on market, offer, and execution pace.

Don't just take my word for it.

I've helped founders transform their marketing from a cost center into a revenue engine.

"We were burning cash on ads with zero ROI. Within 90 days of bringing him on as a Fractional CMO, we doubled our leads and cut costs by 40%."

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

CEO, TechFlow Solutions

"It feels like having a full-time executive partner. The strategy was clear, the execution was flawless, and the results spoke for themselves."

Michael Ross

Michael Ross

Founder, Apex Gear

"The flexibility of the fractional model was exactly what our startup needed at Series A. High impact, low overhead."

Elena Rodriguez

Elena Rodriguez

COO, Lumina Health

Monthly Revenue

+127% Growth

About Your Embedded Growth Partner

I build growth engines for founders who want momentum — not marketing noise.

Hi, I'm Shounak Gupte based in Melbourne. I’m not an agency. I’m not a freelancer farming work out to juniors. I embed directly with a handful of companies at a time and take ownership of the plan, the priorities, and the outcomes.

After 15+ years across B2B SaaS and fintech, I’ve learned the pattern: growth isn’t more channels — it’s better focus. When strategy, SEO, website, and conversion are aligned, results compound and CAC stabilises.

My work comes down to three things: profitable acquisition, scalable systems, and transparent measurement. No fluff. No theatre. Just revenue.

15+

Years in Marketing & Growth

3–5

Active Clients Max

90-Day

Growth Cycles

Senior-Only

Strategy & Execution

Get in Touch

Let's Discuss Your
Growth Engine

Ready to stop guessing and start scaling? Fill out the form or reach out directly to schedule a discovery call.

Location

Melbourne, Australia
(Serving clients globally)

Availability

Response time: Within 24 hours.

Ready to Scale?

Stop guessing and start growing. Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call to see if a leadership and upskilling model is right for you.