§ Tool 04 — Fractional ROI Calculator

Fractional vs agency
vs full-time.

The honest arithmetic. Every assumption below is editable — put in your own market's numbers. The calculation runs on this page; nothing is submitted.

Start from your market
Your assumptions
Annual cost, side by side
Full-time hire — Agency retainer — Fractional growth engineer —
Option A

Full-time hire

—
per year, fully loaded
  • 40 hrs/week of one person's focus
  • 3–6 months to hire and ramp
  • One skill profile — rarely ads + tracking + web + data in one head
  • Full cost regardless of workload
Option B

Agency retainer

—
per year, incl. % of spend
  • Team coverage and continuity
  • Account management layer between you and the work
  • Juniors execute; seniors present
  • Fee often scales with spend, not results
Option C

Fractional growth engineer

—
per year, at your settings
  • Senior operator, hands on keyboard
  • Ads + tracking + web + data — one person, no handoffs
  • Starts in days, not months
  • Deliverable: a system your team keeps

Fair caveats

This compares cost, not value — a great agency beats a mediocre fractional, and a full-time hire wins once there's 40+ hours a week of proven playbook to run. Fractional fits the stage before that: when the playbook still needs building and the work is senior, varied and part-time by nature. If the calculator tells you full-time is right for you, hire full-time.

Talk through your numbers 20 minutes · no pitch if it's not a fit