Abigail Barnes

I step in as your part-time marketing director. I build the strategy, lead the team, and make sure marketing is driving real commercial results, not just activity.

📞 Book a Strategy call with Abigail

• • Over a decade in financial services marketing (investment, asset management, hedge funds, banking)
  • BA Business and Marketing, Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (CIM)
  • Certified in coaching and neuroscience
  • Founder of Success by Design Training, est. 2013
  • Creator of the 888 Formula and host of The Time Management Podcast
  • Author & Paid International Keynote Speaker

My Role as a Fractional Marketer

A fractional CMO is a senior marketing leader who works with your business part-time, on a contract basis. You get the strategic thinking and leadership of a Chief Marketing Officer, without paying a full-time salary, package and overheads.

Unlike an agency, I don't just run campaigns. Unlike a consultant, I don't hand you a strategy document and walk away. I sit inside your leadership team, set the direction, and stay to make sure your marketing team can actually deliver it.

It's probably a good fit if

• • You're an office-based or growing business that needs senior marketing direction, but isn't ready to hire a full-time CMO
  • Your marketing exists, but it isn't consistent, isn't tied to commercial goals, or isn't being measured properly
  • You have a marketing team (or are about to build one) that needs a strong, experienced leader to develop and manage them
  • You want marketing that shows up in the sales pipeline, not just in likes and shares
  • You can offer some in-person time for the right fit, with flexibility to discuss

What you get (scope of work)

Why work with me

Hi, I'm Abigail. Before I started my business, I spent over a decade in financial services marketing, working across investment, asset management, hedge funds and banking, including senior marketing roles at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Lloyds Banking Group, First State Investments and GAM. High pressure, high performance environments, where time and budget were always the scarcest resource and results were scrutinised closely.

Then in February 2012, a near-death experience on a work business trip stopped me in my tracks. It forced me to rethink everything I believed about success, time and priorities. That's how the 888 Formula was born, a practical system for cutting out wasted effort and focusing on what actually moves the needle. It's the same thinking I now bring to every fractional CMO engagement: clear priorities, no wasted activity, and a marketing function that delivers against your commercial goals.

I'm also the founder of Success by Design Training and the host of The Time Management Podcast, where I explore what really drives results with guests and experts across science, psychology and strategy.

If your marketing team is working hard, doing all the right things, but the results aren't showing up where it counts, I'd love to help you find out where the time, budget and effort are actually going, and reset the clock.

Some Testimonials

James Wood | Financial Adviser at REVOLUTION WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD

We engaged Abigail to help us create a new sales funnel, and internal systems and processes to handle a large influx of new Facebook Ad Leads. We needed to design a work flow that would educate these prospects about our offering and improve the conversion rate of our sales calls.

In the processes we also updated content on our website, messaging in our email marketing campaigns, created new email funnels and we're able to restructure our team, roles, responsibilities and sales plans off the back of  full day Strategy Session we had with her at our Offices and 30 day implementation sprint.

Abigail took the time to deeply understand our mission, vision, working and learning styles, was available to solution challenges and delivered a successful project outcome. She also helped us understand our leadership and working styles through the lens of Human Design, we can't recommend her highly enough.

How it works

• • Time commitment: [e.g. 2 days a week, or a set number of days a month]
  • Contract basis: part-time, contract, with an initial period of [x months] and rolling terms after that
  • Working style: I work directly with your leadership team and marketing team, in your office or remotely as agreed, with flexibility for the right fit
  • What we agree upfront: goals, reporting rhythm, and how success will be measured

Ready to talk?

Book a short call to talk through where your marketing is now, and whether a fractional CMO is the right next step.

📞 Book a call with Abigail → calendly.com/abigailbarnes

📩 Email → enquiries@successbydesigntraining.com

FAQs

How is this different from hiring a marketing agency? An agency executes campaigns. I set the strategy, lead your team, and make sure everything your agency or your team does is pulling in the same direction.

How is this different from a full-time CMO? You get senior-level thinking and leadership without the full-time salary, benefits and overheads. It's a cost-effective way to get experienced marketing leadership at the stage you're at.

Do you work with our team, or replace them? I work with your team. Part of the role is developing and mentoring them, so the capability stays in your business.

What if we're not ready for a CMO at all? That's a fair question to raise on the call. If a lighter-touch option is a better fit, I'll tell you.

Abigail Barnes: 135+ Linkedin Recommendations