A Fractional CMO delivers the expertise and strategy of a full-time marketing executive without the full-time cost

Bishop Linville is a Fractional CMO Agency helping B2B companies unlock growth through creative, customer-obsessed marketing strategy and orchestration of existing marketing talent and resources

James Burdine is a successful marketing leader, strategist, and craftsman who blends proven growth strategies and voice of the customer insights to drive sales and build brands for companies that demand results.

James offers clients the learning and success from more than 20 years of corporate, international, and venture-backed start-up experience as a hands-on growth strategist and driven brand-builder.

James has worked with:

The Name - Why Bishop Linville?

Bishop Linville is an intersection on the Eastside of Detroit. These four corners, 1920s era cement rounded smooth were where the neighborhood kids skateboarded, played baseball, and launched our imaginations. We conjured those four corners into every sort of space and dream — from planets to a skatepark to Tiger Stadium (known for its own corner back then).

Today Bishop Linville sits at the intersection of future promise, rigor, creativity, and smarts.

“Bishop Linville is a pleasure to work with and we continue to reap the benefits of the positioning James developed for 7 Knots Digital.

We trusted James to interview our clients and we couldn’t be more pleased with the refreshed, targeted messaging across our digital channels.”

JAMES KARKLINS | PRESIDENT | 7 Knots Digital

benefits of a fractional cmo

  • Experience

    Your Fractional CMO provides deep marketing and managerial experience and is seen as the executive level marketing strategist who helps organizations achieve their marketing goals.

  • Marketing Leadership

    Your Fractional CMO is the natural leader of the marketing team. To scale growth, a company needs a marketing leader with a point of view on short-term and long-term strategy, and the ability to mentor the marketing team to implement, adapt, and grow.

  • Scale Revenue

    Your Fractional CMO will focus on improving performance-based marketing, retention and LTV, and promoting your brand to drive near-term sales and long-term growth.

  • Improve Margin and ROI

    Your Fractional CMO, when compared with hiring a full-time CMO, represents significant cost savings that can be redirected to growing the business thru technical marketing talent or ad spend, or held back to improve margins.

  • Fresh Set of Eyes

    Your Fractional CMO provides fresh perspective on growth opportunities, marketing strategy, strategic partnerships, and how to mentor junior team members.

  • Access to Network of Technical Marketers

    Your Fractional CMO has the experience and the network to bring in the expert freelancer help your company needs to plug gaps — SEO, Content, Retention, and Design to name a few.

fractional CMO in the press

“Fractional CMOs are also unlike consultants in that they are expected to develop and implement comprehensive marketing plans while working to earn the trust of internal staffers”

— Wall Street Journal

“The great thing about fractional CMOs is that they go beyond consulting to being a part of the team, but not so far as being an employee. They have specific deliverables to produce over a given period of time, and they are in and out relatively quickly -- usually within a year.”

— Inc.

“Fractional executives can also focus narrowly on key initiatives instead of getting sucked into day-to-day distractions or office politics. Fractional executives are there to get the job done, providing the benefits of specialization at a fraction of the cost.”

— Fast Company