You don’t need a CMO if....

What we'll cover this week

• CMO – Why you probably shouldn’t hire one (yet)

• Dream Business – Wooden watches + strong brand + big upside

• Quick Tip – AI isn’t a selling point anymore

Quick Tip to make you better

AI is not a USP anymore.

AI used to be a novelty in 2023 and before. It’s not anymore.

Everyone claims they “use AI”—but almost no one explains why that’s better than a spreadsheet or a well-built workflow.

If you want to stand out, skip the buzzwords and focus on outcomes. Tell me how your product actually makes my life better. Leave “AI-powered” for the footer.

No one brags that their website uses HTML & CSS.
Same goes for AI.

Short Disclaimer

Online Acquisition Weekly is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice. We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of third-party listings. Always conduct your own due diligence or consult a professional before making any investment decisions.

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You Don’t Need a CMO

Coming from someone who usually plays the CMO role in most businesses… you probably shouldn’t hire one.

At least not yet.

Unless you’re at a certain stage, a full-time CMO is the highest-paid person in your company doing $10 tasks. You’d be far better off with:

• A sharp strategic consultant on weekly calls

• A couple of high-skill channel specialists actually doing the work

Most CMOs Are Underutilized

I’ve seen it over and over. CMOs who spend their days bouncing between meetings, building decks, and trying to feel useful in between the quarterly strategy updates.

And honestly, that’s not their fault.

A true CMO isn’t supposed to write your Meta ad copy or micromanage the Google Ads guy. They’re supposed to define the brand’s direction, set the long-term vision, and make sure marketing stays aligned with business strategy.

The problem? Most companies aren’t set up to let them do that.

Instead, they’re buried in:

• Slack threads about CTA colors

• Review cycles for junior marketers

• Internal ops hell that pulls them further away from the big picture

And suddenly, the captain of the ship is busy shoveling coal in the engine room.

You’re Not Ready for a CMO (Yet)

Every company eventually needs a CMO, but most hire one way too early, and the result is a mid-level marketing manager wearing a fancy title and soaking up $150K/year.

They’re not bad. They’re just miscast.
You wanted strategy and seniority.
You got ops and PowerPoint.

A real CMO—the kind who adds rocket fuel—is going to cost you $250K+. And they don’t touch your product descriptions.

Until you can afford that, don’t force the hire. Use a fractional CMO instead. You’ll get high-level strategic thinking without straining the payroll or derailing execution.

Revenue Thresholds for Hiring a Full-Time CMO

(These are not hard rules—but if you're below this, you're probably not ready.)

For B2C eCommerce

$10–15M/year in revenue
Why? Margins are tight, and execution is everything. You need specialists more than high-level leadership.

For B2B SaaS or Tech

$5–8M/year
Why? Longer sales cycles and complex funnels benefit from a senior strategist earlier on—but you still need channel operators.

For Consulting or Service Businesses

$3–5M/year
Why? Your brand and positioning are your leverage. A strong CMO can elevate you early—but only if they’re not pulled into client work.

For High-Ticket B2B

$2M/year (if you’ve got high margins and repeatable sales)
Why? Strategy matters more than reach in niche B2B. But even then, a fractional CMO is probably the smarter play.

Bottom Line

Hiring a CMO isn’t about the job title—it’s about timing.
Until you’re ready for someone to sit back, steer the brand, and play the long game?

Don’t hand someone the captain’s hat and then ask them to swab the deck.

This Week’s Dream Business

Warning: If the numbers check out, this one might be a steal.

You’re looking at a wooden men’s watch brand with $2.7M in all-time sales and a current listing price of $366K, including $250K in inventory. That means you’ll get the brand and infrastructure for just over $100K if the rest holds up.

The catch is that they’re currently struggling with traffic and sales—which might be your opportunity.

TL;DR

• $2.7M+ total sales

• Listed for $366K (includes $250K inventory)

• U.S.-made wooden watches with a premium feel

• Strong organic UGC + press mentions (GQ etc.)

• Traffic & revenue in decline—but brand still holds weight

• Potential bargain if due diligence checks out

Why This Listing Stands Out

The listing price alone caught my attention. If you subtract inventory, you're effectively paying ~$116K for a proven brand, solid systems, and U.S. manufacturing.

They’ve also been featured in big publications like GQ, built a solid brand image, and collected strong organic user-generated content—real people showing off their watches, not fake lifestyle fluff.

From the outside, it looks like a premium DTC brand that just hit a rough patch, not a failing company.

What Could Be Improved

Social + Content (missed opportunity)

The blog has been dead for a year, which is a missed SEO play, especially with an aged domain. It wouldn't take much to rank content around sustainable fashion, watch culture, and gifting.

Social is an even bigger opportunity.

Their past posts got serious engagement. But then they stopped—no product shots, no real brand voice, no momentum. Watches are made for Instagram and TikTok. Why did they drop the ball?

This thing could come back to life with some basic consistency and UGC reposting.

The “Expansion Plan”

The owner listed several “growth levers,” including a subscription model for watches.

I’ll say it nicely: That’s dumb. Watches are not shampoo.

The one smart angle? Retail partnerships. That’s worth pursuing—but skip the rest of the buzzword salad.

What to Watch Out For

• Outstanding Loan – Top priority in due diligence. Don’t just ask if there’s a loan—ask:

  • What’s the balance?

  • Is it secured against the business or the inventory?

  • Can it be paid off pre-sale or used as a negotiation lever?

  Tip: You could ask for a price reduction equivalent to the loan amount or negotiate seller financing to absorb it over time.

• Inventory Value – $250K of inventory at a 69% profit margin = ~$800K in sales. But… they only did $210K last year. Are they projecting based on retail value instead of cost? Dig deep.

• Target Audience Confusion – Their demographic is mostly women buying men’s watches. Might be genius. Might be a fluke. Either way, understand the why.

• Retail Channel – They mention a retail presence in Georgia. What percentage of sales come from there? Is the deal tied to the current owner? If that deal walks, does your revenue walk too?

Due Diligence Checklist

Before you even think about making an offer, get answers to:

• Loan Details – Structure, balance, terms, and impact on sale

• Revenue Verification – Stripe, PayPal, and bank walkthrough (on video)

• Historical Sales – Can they prove the $2.7M? Or is it just fluff?

• Press Mentions – Ask for URLs, not just logos. Avoid legal messes.

• Seller Identity – Video call, LinkedIn, and basic vetting

• Traffic Quality – Google Search Console access

• Traffic Sources – Organic, direct, paid? Are they buying their way to baseline?

• Operational Setup – Who’s running day-to-day? How many hours a week?

• Team – Any contractors? Do they stay on?

What’s a Fair Price?

If the $2.7M revenue is real and the $250K inventory is actual cost, then $366K is a great price.

At that margin, you’re looking at less than a 1x profit multiple.

But personally, I’d assume the inventory is bloated, and I’d push for a price closer to $250K total, or negotiate a buy without the full inventory load.

This is the kind of deal where your diligence is the deal. Nail it, and you’re walking into a premium brand at clearance pricing.

Final Words

That’s it for this week. This week’s dream business is interesting and requires some heavy due diligence. If it pans out, though, you have a fantastic brand on your hands.

Got something on your mind? Hit reply and let me know—I’ll get back to you ASAP.

See you next time,
Tim