Will Gray

I take the CMO seat at B2B SaaS and AI companies, and at founder-led multi-location consumer brands, that have marketing running but nobody senior owning it. I rebuild measurement first so reporting reconciles to booked revenue and pipeline, then run the function off numbers the CEO and CFO both trust. My most recent seat was a multi-location restaurant group, where I rebuilt measurement so reporting reconciled to POS revenue and restructured the creative agency against KPIs the CEO signed off on. If your platforms, your agency, your CRM, and your books all report different numbers, that is where I start.

I take the CMO seat at companies that have marketing happening but nobody senior owning it.

That means the whole function rather than a channel. The annual and quarterly plan, budget allocation, positioning and offer architecture, the agency and vendor bench, lifecycle and retention, the first marketing hires, and one set of numbers the CEO and CFO both trust. Weekly leadership call, monthly executive review, every channel on one page against pipeline and booked revenue.

I came up as an operator, not a consultant. As Head of Marketing for a national location-based entertainment brand I built the in-house performance team, directed five outside agencies, closed 200+ brand partnerships, and grew the brand from about $2M to $60M+ in revenue across 20+ markets in four years. Earlier I ran business operations for a national lifestyle publication, doubling subscription revenue in six months and closing its largest distribution deal, into 22 countries.

MOST RECENT SEAT A multi-location restaurant group. I opened with a full-funnel diagnostic across paid, lifecycle, SEO, and their guest-data platform, and reframed the problem from pricing to new-guest acquisition and churn. From there I rebuilt measurement so reporting reconciled to POS revenue, restructured the creative agency against KPIs the CEO signed off on, and replaced an underperforming web vendor. Leadership finally had one set of numbers tied to booked revenue.

THE PROBLEM I KEEP GETTING HIRED FOR Your ad platforms, your CRM, your agency, and your books all report different numbers, so nobody can say what marketing actually returned. I rebuild measurement first, including server-side tagging, conversions API, CRM and pipeline attribution, and warehouse reporting on your own fiscal calendar and definitions. Then I run the function off numbers your CFO will sign.

WHERE I DO MY BEST WORK B2B SaaS and AI companies running real budgets, with a sales motion, a team or agency already in place, and nobody senior to direct marketing. Also founder-led multi-location consumer brands (restaurants, hospitality, location-based entertainment, multi-unit retail) that need the same measurement and leadership.

HOW I WORK Roughly two days a week, front-loaded in the first 60 days. Weekly leadership call and scorecard, monthly executive review. I direct creative, web, and media vendors rather than produce or buy. Most engagements open with a diagnostic covering a full-funnel audit, a measurement review, and a 90-day roadmap you keep either way. Scope and pricing are set on a call.