JOC · OB · 2026.05
Accepting
Operating Brief

Johnny O’Connor

Operator ·Advisor ·Fractional CMO

Below $50M, the marketing seat is the operator seat.

Most fractional CMOs stop inside marketing. I run it hands-on and build the systems that carry the operating layers around it: commerce, ops, reporting, the team layer. Less headcount, more leverage.

Record

Eat Clean Bro · Employee #1 · ~$200K to $20M+ ARR, bootstrapped without outside capital. Owned marketing, e-commerce, logistics, BD, brand, vendors, IT, and a team of five managers alongside the CEO and COO. Built the lifecycle program to $9M in attributed annual revenue. Scaled online ordering 488% in 18 months.

I Status Now I / IV

I help businesses grow. Looking for the next big build at a founder-led brand below $50M, a PE portco, or a search-fund acquisition.

Active
Engagements
Fractional CMO + Operating Advisor. One or two seats at a time.
Building
AI & Automation
Production AI and workflow systems that carry work a team would otherwise do. Built to reduce manual work, reporting drag, and premature hiring.
Open to
The right W2
Full-time operator role with a founder, PE sponsor, or board that wants the operator seat, not just marketing.
II Scope Layers II / IV

In a sub-$50M company, marketing doesn’t stay in one lane. It touches the site, the customer, the tools, the vendors, the team, and sometimes the warehouse. Six layers, mapped here.

L1
Marketing
BrandContentPaidSEO
Own
L2
Lifecycle
EmailSMSCRMAttribution
Own
L3
Commerce
SiteCheckoutConversionMerchandising
Own
L4
Fulfillment
OpsLogisticsVendorsReturns
Coordinate
L5
Systems
StackITAutomationReporting
Build
L6
Team
HiringManagersCadenceHandoff
Lead
III Engagements How it works III / IV

The work is the seat, not the deck. I sit in the marketing function and run the operating layers below the founder — until the seat doesn’t need me anymore.

  1. I diagnose the system before touching marketing.
  2. I get reporting in before adding people.
  3. I get the conversion engine working before chasing paid channels.
  4. I work across marketing, commerce, ops, and the team in the same week.
  5. I use production systems to carry the routine work.
  6. I hand back a working layer with an owner.

Two engagements at a time. First conversation is direct: fit, stage, constraint, and whether I can help. No deck, no kickoff theatrics.

Start the conversation
IV Selected Previous Work Operating & Contract IV / IV

Operating role at one. Contract engagements at the rest.

Operating
Eat Clean Bro
Contract
Interpublic Group
Contract
Meadowlands R&E
Contract
Enlighten Mobility
Contract
3Spine SEZC
Contract
Mosaic Sales Solutions

// End of Brief