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09MARK1 / FIELD NOTES

Thinking for the point before the hire.

No trend reports. No content calendar. Just clear answers to the decisions founders face when marketing stops being a side task.

01
18 June 2026 · 6 min read

The four ways to solve marketing before you hire a head

The four real options when marketing has become too important to stay founder-led, but the function is not ready for a permanent head.

02
12 June 2026 · 5 min read

When to hire a head of marketing. And when it is too early.

The signals that a company is ready for its first senior marketing hire, the signals it is too early, and what to build first.

03
6 June 2026 · 6 min read

Fractional CMO, agency or building the function?

A practical comparison of three models founders use when marketing can no longer stay on the side of someone else's job.

04
29 May 2026 · 7 min read

How to build a marketing function from scratch

The order of work that turns scattered marketing activity into a function a company can run and a senior hire can inherit.

THE NEXT USEFUL STEP

If the problem is the function, start there.

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