Why Bill Woods?

Full-Stack Fractional CMO Services Backed by 25 Years of Doing, Not Just Advising

There are plenty of marketers who offer fractional CMO services. Most come from one industry, one corporate role, or one vertical. They’ve got deep experience, but have often stayed in narrow lanes. They understand their playbook, but they haven’t had to rewrite one from scratch, build one across industries, or apply it under real-world constraints like time, budget, or
operational chaos.

That’s where I’m different.

I’m Bill Woods, founder of xbillwoods and 50 Marketing, and for the last 20+ years, I’ve done a little bit of everything—and a whole lot of what you’re trying to solve right now.

A Business Owner,
Not Just a Marketer

I’ve launched, owned, and operated multiple businesses, including three successful exits. I understand the pressure of making payroll, hiring the right people, navigating growth, cutting expenses, managing seasons, and making the big decisions that affect more than just the marketing department. I’m not here to give theory. I’ve lived execution.

When I sit at the table as your Fractional CMO, I’m thinking like a business owner because I am one. Every strategy I develop accounts for revenue, risk, capacity, and cross-department collaboration.

A Cross-Functional Executive

I’ve held multiple corporate roles inside larger firms, including Chief Operating Officer, VP of Marketing, Sales Manager, Purchasing Director, and Marketing Manager. I’ve been responsible for far more than marketing. I’ve seen how operations, sales, logistics, finance, HR, and executive leadership all intertwine. I’ve been on the floor. I’ve been in the boardroom. I’ve been the one asked, “What are we going to do?”

This cross-functional view is what makes my marketing strategies work in the real world. They work within your system and support other departments, especially sales.

I’ve also done the work on the front lines: janitor, retail clerk, construction laborer, farmer. I understand the people doing the work. That makes a difference when marketing to labor-intensive industries or communicating real value to decision-makers who started just like I did.

M&A and PE Experience at the Table

I’ve participated in over 35 M&A transactions across two rollup efforts. I’ve seen how companies position themselves for acquisition, navigate due diligence, and face post-merger challenges. I understand what increases valuation and what tanks it. I’ve helped companies clean up their positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy to become more attractive to acquirers or integrate more effectively after an acquisition.

Whether you’re preparing for growth or navigating change, I bring M&A and PE insight to
the strategy conversation.

25 Years of Experience

An Agency Founder Who Sees Inside 100s of Companies Across a Range of Industries Every Day

I’ve owned and operated 50 Marketing for over 20 years. Every single day, I see what’s working—and what isn’t—across 100+ manufacturing and B2B companies. When something shifts in marketing trends—whether it’s in search, social, AI, email, brand, or lead gen—I see it and adapt fast.

I also have access to something most CMOs don’t: a massive knowledge bank. Not just from our own work, but from a network of partner agencies, experts, creatives, and strategists. I can pull in the right perspective or resource when needed, without delay and without the cost of a bloated internal team. You get the benefit of that network when you work with me.

Discovery, Planning
& Strategy That Gets to the Core

Over the years, I’ve completed thousands of discovery and strategic planning sessions for start-ups, challenger brands, high-growth companies, and even multibillion-dollar enterprises.

I know how to ask the questions that matter and I know how to uncover what’s missing. I know how to develop a plan that aligns leadership, builds consensus, and gets things moving.

My process is designed to accelerate clarity, remove confusion, and give you a comprehensive marketing roadmap that aligns with goals ranging from growth to profitability to preparation for exit to
operational sanity.

Why Bill Woods Is Different from Other Fractional CMOs

Most fractional CMOs come from one vertical.

They’ve spent 20 years inside one kind of company, one business model, one customer type.

Most have only corporate experience.

They know how to operate inside a marketing department, but they’ve never owned the outcomes of the
whole business.

Most are strategists, but not executors.

They can map out a vision but can’t help implement it with the speed, flexibility, or nuance that the market now demands.

That’s not me. I bring the unique blend of:

Fractional CMO to B2B, manufacturing, and investment-backed companies
Co-founder of 50 Marketing (2003-present), serving hundreds of clients
Sales Leader - doubled market share and led #1 global dealer ranking for John Deere

M&A Operator - 20+ transactions, including a 14-dealer rollup
VP of Marketing & Operations - leadership in a 400-employee enterprise
Failed Founder - lessons from ventures that didn't succeed

If you're a CEO, owner, or executive looking for marketing leadership that drives real business outcomes—someone who’s sat in every seat from strategy to sales to operations—you’ll feel the difference right away when we work together.

Your CMO.
Fractional by Design.
Full Strength by Nature.

If you need clarity, momentum, and measurable results from your marketing, let’s talk.

I'm not here to fill a seat. I'm here to help you build a growth engine, a strategic direction, and a marketing function that finally works.

CONTACT BILL

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