Skip links

LET’S TALK
804-464-3622

GET STARTED
Wabash and Lake Consulting
Wabash and Lake - roadmap to success graphic
Wabash and Lake - Joe shaking hands graphic
Wabash and Lake - the details matter graphic
INSIGHTS & STRATEGY

Fractional CMO & Marketing Consulting Services for Businesses in Richmond, VA

You’ve probably had the conversation before…sitting across from an agency account manager who’s nodding enthusiastically, promising transformational results, and quietly hoping you don’t ask too many specific questions.

That’s not consulting. That’s a sales pitch with a retainer attached.

Real marketing consulting starts with an honest assessment of where you are, what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s quietly bleeding your budget. It means thinking like a business owner, not a vendor. And it means telling you the truth even when the truth is inconvenient.

That’s what we do. And we’ve done it for businesses across Virginia and nationwide since 2016.

Let's Talk

What a Fractional CMO Actually Does
(Hint: It's Not More Meetings)

A full-time Chief Marketing Officer costs $150,000 to $200,000 per year, and that is before benefits, bonuses, or the support team they'll inevitably need. Most small and mid-sized businesses aren't ready for that investment. But they still need that level of thinking.

A fractional CMO gives you executive marketing leadership at a fraction of the cost. Not a consultant who shows up with a slide deck and disappears. With Wabash & Lake, fractional CMO engagement means an embedded partner who knows your business, sits in your strategy sessions, and takes ownership of results:

High-Level Direction

High-Level Direction

We connect your marketing strategy to your sales goals, operational capacity, and revenue targets…not just your brand guidelines.

360-Degree Funnel Assessment

360-Degree Funnel Assessment

We identify where your pipeline is leaking and fix it before recommending a single new campaign.

Scalable Growth Planning

Scalable Growth Planning

We build the marketing infrastructure to support where your business is going, not just where it's been.

Transparent Reporting

Transparent Reporting

No jargon-heavy reports that sit in a folder. Clear communication with your leadership team, every step of the way.

Creative & Message Calibration

Creative & Message Calibration

Ensure your core value proposition is clear and uniform across every channel, turning casual brand impressions into long-term customer equity.

We Start by Finding What's Broken

Most businesses that come to us aren’t failing at marketing because they’re not trying hard enough. They’re failing because their efforts aren’t connected from a website that doesn’t convert, social media that doesn’t align with their sales message, ad campaigns targeting the wrong audience, or content that talks to everyone and compels no one.

Before we recommend anything new, we look at what you already have:

  • SEO, AEO, & Content Authority Audit: How your brand is found and whether customers can actually find you when it matters
  • Conversion Funnel Diagnostics: Where prospects drop out of your sales process and what messaging would keep them moving forward
  • Creative & Message Calibration: Whether your brand story is consistent, clear, and compelling across every touchpoint…or scattered and forgettable
  • Budget Efficiency Review: Whether your current marketing investments are pulling their weight…or quietly draining your budget

This isn’t busywork. It’s the foundation of a strategy that actually holds up.

Strategy Without Execution Is Just a Document

We don’t hand you a report and wish you luck. Wabash & Lake is built to bridge the gap between smart strategy and real-world execution. When consulting identifies the opportunity, our team is already in place to act on it.

That means you get one team instead of a strategist pointing fingers at a separate creative team, pointing fingers at a separate media buyer. One flat monthly rate. One point of accountability. And one shared goal: growing your revenue.

We work with B2B and B2C businesses across industries, from home services and professional services to multi-location retail and regional brands. The business type changes; the commitment to honest, results-focused marketing doesn’t.