Build vs Buy

Hire Full-Time or Go Fractional? Here's the Math.

Building an in-house growth team is the end goal for most companies. The question is timing. Here's an honest comparison of fractional vs. in-house at different stages.

Side-by-Side

Annual Cost
In-House Growth Team

$350K-$500K (Head of Growth + Engineer + tools)

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

$60K-$120K (3-6 month engagement)

Time to Hire
In-House Growth Team

3-6 months to find and close senior talent

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

1-2 weeks to kick off

Ramp-Up Time
In-House Growth Team

2-3 months for new hires to understand your business

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

Week 1: audit. Week 3: first system live.

Expertise Breadth
In-House Growth Team

1-2 people = 1-2 skillsets

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

Full team: strategy, engineering, SEO, automation

Risk
In-House Growth Team

Bad hire = 6+ months and $100K+ lost

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

Month-to-month engagement with clear milestones

Knowledge Retention
In-House Growth Team

If they leave, knowledge walks out the door

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

Full documentation and code ownership from day 1

Long-Term Fit
In-House Growth Team

Best for established growth function (>$10M ARR)

Fractional Team (GTM Root)

Best for building the foundation ($500K-$10M ARR)

The Verdict

Start fractional, then hire in-house. Use a fractional team to build the systems, validate the channels, and create the playbook. Then hire a full-time team to run and iterate on what's been proven.

Fractional first: validate channels and build systems before committing to full-time headcount
Knowledge transfer: everything a fractional team builds should be documented and transferable
Hire in-house when you need daily iteration, not when you need the foundation built

Build the Foundation First

Let us build the growth systems, validate the channels, and create the playbook. Then you hire the team to run it.