Independent design studio · Chicagoland · since 2005 Now booking new projects →
Fractional CMO

A fractional CMO who’s
already done it.

When your product works but the marketing is scattered, i3 steps in to own the strategy, the channels, and the number — the way a great CMO would, without the full-time hire. Senior leadership that’s already doubled companies. Twice.

Start a conversation See the work
The moment you need one

You’ve got traction. What you don’t have is someone who owns the growth.

Maybe marketing is a pile of freelancers and half-finished tactics. Maybe you’re pouring money into ads with no idea what’s working. Maybe you’re the founder still running it all yourself. A full-time CMO is $300K+ and a long bet. A fractional CMO gives you that judgment now — owning the plan, directing the work, and answering for the results — at the level your stage actually needs.

What i3 owns

Not advice from the sidelines —
the whole engine.

i.

Strategy & positioning

The story, the audience, the go-to-market. What you sell, to whom, and why it wins.

ii.

Channels & campaigns

Organic first — content, social, email, SEO — then paid media to amplify what’s already working, at a strong ROAS.

iii.

E-commerce & growth

Real store operations on Shopify and BigCommerce — merchandising, conversion, and the numbers behind them.

iv.

Brand & creative

Identity, packaging, and the creative direction that makes the marketing land — built in-house.

v.

Team & vendor leadership

Direct your in-house people, agencies and freelancers — i3 leads teams it doesn’t own, and has for 20 years.

vi.

Reporting & operations

KPIs you can act on — and, when needed, the operational side too (i3 has run fulfillment and P&L as a fractional COO).

The proof

It’s a playbook — run twice, on purpose.

100%+

Annual growth, four straight years — then again at a second company, three years and counting.

Millions

In e-commerce sales driven, across two decades of clients.

2

E-commerce platforms i3 builds and runs — Shopify and BigCommerce. Most marketers can’t effectively run one.

25+

Years building and growing brands — two clients for two decades each.

Dave Herda, fractional CMO at i3

Your fractional CMO is Dave Herda — founder of i3, and the operator behind that record. He’s been a brand’s VP/COO and fractional CMO, helped name, brand and launch multiple best-selling products (WUNDERball and Banneker’s top-selling styles), and managed millions in ad spend without ever just renting sales. He builds organically, moves fast with AI, and works at every level — founder, C-suite, or marketing team.

How it works

Right-sized to your stage.

Ongoing

Fractional CMO retainer

Senior marketing leadership on a monthly basis — owns the plan, directs the work, reports on the numbers. The core engagement.

Focused

Advisory sprint

A short, intensive push: positioning, a go-to-market plan, a growth audit, or a rebrand strategy. Big clarity, fast.

Interim

Embedded / interim

Step in to lead an existing team through a launch, a gap, or a scale-up — and hand off clean when it’s time.

Who it’s for
—Founders post-revenue and pre-scale, where the product works but the marketing is scattered.
—Companies that need a CMO’s judgment but aren’t ready for a full-time hire.
—Consumer and DTC brands ready to grow e-commerce on Shopify or BigCommerce.
—Teams that have the people or agencies — and need someone senior to actually lead them.
Start a conversation

Let’s own the growth.

Tell us where the marketing stands today — and pull up a seat at the table.

Start the conversation