Marketing for people actually building things.
Fractional CMO, go-to-market strategy, and entrepreneurial marketing grounded in the real world.
No decks for decks’ sake, vanity metrics, “let’s circle back.”
Just clarity, execution, and momentum, built under real constraints.
Low pressure. No pitch deck. We’ll know fast if this makes sense.
Trust Without Logos
Trusted by founders, executives, community builders, and teams who don’t have time for marketing theater.
Marketing for people actually building things.
I help founders, executives, and community builders turn messy ideas into shipped work, measurable growth, and momentum that lasts, not just slides.
Built companies. Led global growth. Taught entrepreneurial marketing. Launched real markets with real stakes.
If you’re overwhelmed, under-resourced, or quietly frustrated with marketing you’re not broken. Your system probably is.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This work is a fit if you are:
• A founder scaling faster than your marketing structure
• An executive who needs senior leadership, not another agency
• A team that needs clarity, traction, and accountability now
• A community or ecosystem builder where people are the platform
If you’re looking for trends, hacks, or vibes, this isn’t that.
ORIGIN STORY
I didn’t plan a career in marketing.
I needed rent.
In 2009, the economy collapsed. I had a fresh master’s degree, a strange but useful mix of experience (music, startups, journalism, art business, communications), and no roadmap. So I did what entrepreneurs do before they call themselves entrepreneurs: I knocked on doors, asked what was broken, and fixed it fast.
That accidental company turned into 15+ years of building brands, leading digital growth for global organizations, teaching entrepreneurial marketing, launching products and markets (literal and figurative), and guiding founders through the space between idea and impact.
The question that’s guided everything since:
What actually works in the real world, and why?
SERVICES
Fractional / Interim CMO (CMO-Level)
Senior marketing leadership without full-time overhead or agency noise.
Brand, positioning, go-to-market, demand generation, and dashboards that tell the truth.
Best when:
• Growth has stalled
• Messaging is muddy
• Execution is scattered
• Leadership needs a clear marketing owner
Go-To-Market & Growth Architecture
Integrated systems across:
• Website & conversion optimization
• Email & lifecycle marketing
• Paid, social, and search
• Partnerships, field, and events
Built to ship. Measured to matter. No vanity metrics.
Messaging & Narrative That Survives Reality
Positioning and storytelling that answers:
Why you?
Why now?
Why should anyone care?
For products, founders, and organizations that have outgrown their old story.
Community, Partnerships & Ecosystem Strategy
I build growth where people are the engine.
Downtowns. Universities. Founder networks. Regional ecosystems.
If trust, alignment, and participation matter, this work compounds.
Advisory, Coaching & Creative Reset
For moments when things are:
Stuck
Loud
Quietly on fire
Strategy, alignment, momentum, including the emotional side nobody budgets for but everyone feels.
THE ROAD
Music business hustler → Silicon Valley startups → SF art world → journalist in West L.A. → built a company out of necessity → adjunct professor (entrepreneurial marketing) → eight years leading global digital growth → executive director of a university entrepreneurship center → downtown economic development → farmers market co-conspirator.
Not the plan.
Absolutely the education.
This is why founders trust me when things get messy.
HOW WE WORK
Ways to work together:
• Fractional CMO leadership (20–30 hrs/month)
• 6–8 week go-to-market sprint (positioning → launch)
• 1–2 day strategy intensive (narrative, roadmap, cadence)
• Ongoing advisory or coaching
We move fast, tell the truth and ship.
PATHS BY AUDIENCE
For Founders
You’re building fast, juggling everything, and need clarity without corporate nonsense.
Best fit:
Fractional CMO • GTM Sprint • Founder Advisory
For Executives & Teams
You need senior marketing leadership and execution — not another agency deck.
Best fit:
Interim CMO • Messaging & Narrative • Growth Strategy
For Community Builders & Ecosystem Leaders
You’re building something bigger than a product — a place, a network, a platform.
If people are your growth engine, we should talk.
WRITING
I write about marketing, momentum, and the parts of building things most people edit out:
• Frameworks invented under pressure
• Shortcuts learned the hard way
• Post-mortems from real projects
MUSIC
I also make music as Sunset Sky, dance-leaning synth music for overthinkers.
Structure, motion, and therapy at 2:37am.
WORKING PRINCIPLES
Build for outcomes, not optics.
Make it real, then make it scale.
Stay weird. Build well. Remix when needed.
FINALLY
If you’re starting something, restarting something, or trying to find signal in algorithmic noise, same.
Talk it through (20 minutes)
Or contact me now
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paulmwarner
3 responses to “pmwarner | momentum, on purpose”
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