AboutMarketing WebsitesBranding Case StudiesResources Contact Book a call →
A Bristow & Hardy product

mission
control.

strategic command. on demand.

The senior brain behind your in-house marketer. Strategic leadership and full agency delivery, in one retainer.

The senior tier

your marketer ships.
who steers?

They are shipping. But shipping is not steering. Mission control gives them a Fractional CMO and a full delivery team to lean on, without you hiring either. Built around your marketer, not over them.

A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader on retainer: strategic direction, accountability and rhythm, without a full-time hire.

Fractional CMO + agency, bundled
mission control.
£2,500 + VAT
per month
3 months rolling. no 12-month lock-in.
Get started →
The USP

two layers. one retainer.

The leadership your marketer doesn't have yet, and the delivery they don't have time for.

Leadership

fractional cmo.

Strategic direction for your marketing function, without hiring a CMO.

What's included
  • Monthly senior strategy session with you and your marketer
  • Quarterly strategic review (full deep-dive)
  • Direct access to a senior recruitment marketer (Sam, until we scale)
  • A senior sounding board for your in-house marketer
  • Roadmap setting and rhythm enforcement
Execution

agency delivery.

Production firepower for the high-value work your marketer can't ship alone.

What's included
  • Creative production: designs, assets, branded collateral, sales tools
  • Channel execution for 1 - 2 priority channels (you choose)
  • Customer Success Executive for the day-to-day
  • The full B&H specialist roster, on demand
  • Optional: the liftoff engine (lead scoring + routing) as an add-on
fractional cmo, leadership only
£5,600/mo
mission control: leadership + delivery
£2,500/mo

Industry Fractional CMO retainers start at £5,600/mo for leadership alone. Mission control includes leadership and delivery, for £2,500/mo.

The senior brain

meet your CMO.

The senior brain behind mission control.

8 yrs

recruitment marketing, and nothing else

2018

founded bristow & hardy

100+

recruitment agencies served

Before founding Bristow & Hardy, Sam was a high-billing recruiter himself, so he knows the industry from the inside. He started B&H in 2018 after watching agencies waste money on generalist marketing that didn't understand them. Eight years on, B&H does only one thing: marketing for recruitment companies. He now leads mission control personally for every client. Until we scale, you're getting him directly.

What Sam personally delivers
  • Monthly senior strategy session
  • Quarterly strategic review
  • Direct line (Slack, WhatsApp or email)
  • Roadmap accountability with your marketer
Fit check

who mission control is for.

We're not for everyone. That's by design.

you're a fit if.

  • You've already hired a marketer (in-house, freelance or part-time)
  • Your marketer is delivering, but you sense the strategy could be sharper
  • You don't want to replace them. You want to amplify them
  • You want senior agency input without a long full-service retainer
  • You're a recruitment agency

you're not a fit if.

  • You've no marketing capacity in-house. try liftoff.
  • You only need one specific project done. try ignition.
  • You want us to run everything. try b&h+.
  • You're after £100/hour ad-hoc support. We're not it.
What changes in your business

not more marketing. better marketing.

The five things recruitment agency owners tell us they actually want from marketing leadership.

01

better marketing decisions.

Senior judgement on every call, so you stop guessing and start backing the work that actually moves revenue.

02

clearer priorities.

A roadmap that says what to do next, and what to ignore. Your marketer stops firefighting.

03

better use of internal resource.

Your marketer spends their time where they're strongest, with senior backup for everything else.

04

consistency.

Marketing that runs to a rhythm every month, not in bursts whenever someone finds the time.

05

accountability.

One senior partner owns the outcome alongside you, reviewed properly every quarter. The buck stops somewhere.

The maths

two roles. one price.

ComponentSolo market price
Fractional CMO2 days/week, UK market floorfrom £5,600 / mo
Wraparound agency deliveryproduction + priority channelsfrom £2,000 / mo

sum of parts: from £7,600 / month, bought separately.

1

kick-off.

Sam runs a strategy intensive with you and your marketer. Roadmap locked in week one.

2

rhythm.

Monthly senior strategy session. Quarterly strategic review.

3

delivery.

Your marketer keeps the day-to-day. We deliver the production muscle and 1 - 2 priority channels.

4

review.

Quarterly review. Re-scope, re-direct, or roll on.

bundle and save
mission control.
£2,500 + VAT
per month
3 months rolling. no 12-month lock-in.
Get started →

save 67%.

Same leadership. Same delivery muscle. One retainer.

The Bristow & Hardy ladder

five ways to work with us.

Start where you are. Move up when you're ready.

What clients say

don't just take our word for it.

"B&H played a huge part in us having our best ever year."

Steve McNamee
Managing Director, Exchange Street

"Their expertise and dedication has rebuilt our confidence in marketing."

Nathan Darnell
Managing Director, DeFinitive Talent

"They have integrated brilliantly into our business and are very much an essential part of our team."

Tamsin Millns
Managing Director, Step Recruitment

"launchpad has literally set the stall out for the Qui Recruitment team to really enhance our brand."

Lysha Holmes
Founder, Qui Recruitment

"The team took time to understand our industry and craft a campaign that aligned perfectly with our brand."

Ben Beesley
Managing Director, CRG

"Their knowledge of the market is second to none and our monthly catch ups are always a laugh."

Nick Bamber
Founder, Bamber Education
FAQ

the honest answers.

Everything you need to know before getting started.

What is a Fractional CMO?
A Fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader on retainer: strategic direction, accountability and rhythm, without a full-time hire. With mission control you get that leadership plus a full delivery team, in one retainer.
Does mission control replace my marketer?
No - it's built around your marketer, not over them. They keep the day-to-day. We provide the senior strategic direction they don't have yet, and the production firepower they don't have time for.
Who actually delivers the senior input?
Sam Hardy, personally, for every client - until we scale. That means a monthly senior strategy session, a quarterly strategic review, a direct line on Slack, WhatsApp or email, and roadmap accountability with your marketer.
How long is the commitment?
3 months rolling. No 12-month lock-in. Every quarter we review, re-scope, re-direct, or roll on.
What delivery is included?
Creative production - designs, assets, branded collateral and sales tools - plus channel execution for 1 - 2 priority channels of your choice, a Customer Success Executive for the day-to-day, and the full B&H specialist roster on demand. The liftoff engine (lead scoring + routing) is available as an optional add-on.
How does the price compare to hiring this separately?
Industry Fractional CMO retainers start at around £5,600 per month for leadership alone, and wraparound agency delivery from £2,000 per month. Bought separately that's £7,600+ a month. Mission control bundles both for £2,500 + VAT per month - a saving of 67%.

ready to take command?

Book a free call and we will walk you through exactly what mission control looks like alongside your marketer.