Achievement Interactive Fractional CMO & Executive Operations Partner
Executive Edge for Growing Businesses

Senior-level support for work that needs to move.

Achievement Interactive helps small businesses and nonprofits accelerate important projects, sharpen marketing direction, and strengthen how work gets done — without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive hire.

Talk Through a Project Explore Services
3 active Fractional CMO clients
15+ clients across 6+ industries
Retainer or project-based
Small business & nonprofit friendly
Catharene Garula
Founder, Achievement Interactive

Strategic marketing and operations leader with a track record spanning media, digital strategy, CRM integration, biosciences, real estate, association management, and nonprofit sectors. Currently serving as Fractional CMO for three active clients across distinctly different industries.

15+
Client engagements since 2006
3
Active Fractional CMO clients
6+
Industries served
35+
LinkedIn recommendations
Fractional CMO Digital Strategy CRM Integration Go-to-Market Nonprofit Media & Publishing Biosciences Advisory Board Biz Development Public Speaking
Why it matters

A career built on doing the work, not just advising

Achievement Interactive is a relaunch built on a long, diverse track record across digital marketing, CRM strategy, business development, association management, media, and fractional executive leadership. I've launched businesses in new markets, built chapter networks nationally, directed digital strategy, managed campaigns across verticals, and currently serve as Fractional CMO in biosciences, senior transitions, and real estate.

What I bring to small businesses and nonprofits is the same strategic and operational thinking that larger organizations rely on — right-sized for your reality, without layers or overhead.

"Catharene is a breath of fresh air for any team. She moves with urgency on critical path tasks and meets strict deadlines while marching forward on a multitude of fronts. I love to have Cat on my team in any capacity!"
— Tonya McKee, Business Development & Communications Leader (managed Catharene directly)
"Her calm demeanor and cool head made her an absolute asset. Her clients loved her. I now question all potential new employees about their ability to remain cool under pressure to see how they compare to Catharene."
— Jeffrey Loehr, Manager at Value Click (managed Catharene directly)
How I help

Services built for real business challenges

The strongest engagements combine project management, marketing leadership, and operational support. Each service is practical, senior-level, and designed to move work forward — not add layers.

Primary traction area

Outsourced Project Management

For projects that matter but don't have a clear internal owner with enough time and bandwidth to drive them forward consistently.

  • Website development, redesign, and refresh projects
  • CRM selection, setup, migration & rollout coordination
  • Marketing campaign execution and vendor coordination
  • Go-to-market launches: product, service, or initiative
  • Cross-functional initiatives with shared or unclear ownership
  • Meeting cadence, task tracking, decision follow-up, accountability
  • Agency management and external partner alignment
Growth leadership

Fractional CMO

Senior marketing leadership that connects strategy, messaging, team activity, and measurable results — without the full-time cost.

  • Brand positioning, messaging architecture & market focus
  • Campaign strategy, planning & execution oversight
  • Digital marketing strategy: SEO, content, email, paid
  • Marketing performance dashboards and KPI visibility
  • MarTech stack evaluation and optimization
  • Agency, vendor, and internal team alignment
  • ICP development, targeting, and go-to-market planning
Operations support

Executive Operations Partner

Embedded operational support to improve how work moves across the business — the connective tissue between strategy and daily execution.

  • Operational workflow design and process improvement
  • Role clarity, accountability structures, follow-through systems
  • Cross-functional coordination and execution management
  • Decision clarity when priorities compete
  • Sales and marketing alignment
  • Hiring, onboarding, and team structure support
  • Leadership bandwidth and senior management consulting
Systems & people

CRM, Coaching & Nonprofit Support

Support for the systems, leadership habits, and structures that allow growth to hold and compound over time.

  • CRM evaluation, implementation, and adoption support
  • Dashboards, automated workflows & reporting infrastructure
  • Data hygiene and first-party data strategy
  • Executive coaching and decision support for founders
  • Board engagement, nonprofit governance & leadership training
  • Mission-focused operational structure for nonprofits
  • Grant-readiness and donor communication strategy

The strongest engagements go beyond a single service.

When project management, marketing leadership, and operational clarity work together, growth is faster, more sustainable, and far less stressful.

Start a Conversation
The Executive Edge approach

Executive-level thinking, without the overhead

Executive Edge is the lens behind every engagement — bringing clarity, alignment, and momentum to projects, marketing, and operations without making things more complicated than they need to be.

1

Clarify the real work

Define what actually needs to happen, what's slowing progress, and which decisions need to be made or unmade.

2

Connect the pieces

Align the project, people, vendors, systems, and business goals so effort isn't scattered or wasted.

3

Create forward motion

Build practical cadence, track next steps, and keep work moving without unnecessary complexity or drama.

4

Strengthen what remains

Leave the business with better visibility, improved processes, and clearer ownership when the engagement ends.

How a project moves

A structure that keeps work visible and manageable

Most small companies know their goal but lose speed when decisions, ownership, and communication are spread across too many people. This process changes that.

1

Define the outcome

Clarify success criteria, identify stakeholders, surface what's known, and map the risks that could slow the work down.

2

Build the working plan

Create a practical roadmap with milestones, responsibilities, decision checkpoints, and a communication rhythm that fits the team.

3

Coordinate execution

Manage tasks, vendors, meetings, and follow-up. Handle the details that create real progress rather than activity that looks busy.

4

Strengthen adoption

Support the handoff, internal use, and process changes needed so the project continues working after launch — not just at launch.

Who it's built for

Organizations with opportunity in motion

The best fit is a capable team with real goals and limited internal bandwidth — where senior-level coordination makes the difference between moving and stalling.

Founder-led small businesses

For owners who need important projects to move without being pulled into every detail — or who need senior marketing perspective without a full-time hire.

Teams with growth pressure

For companies where marketing, operations, systems, and execution need to work together more cleanly — and scattered effort is costing real momentum.

Nonprofits & mission-driven teams

For leaders balancing limited capacity, board relationships, program delivery, donor communication, and long-term sustainability.

Businesses at an inflection point

For organizations where growth has happened, but the business now feels harder to run — a signal that systems and ownership need attention.

Companies launching something new

For teams bringing a new product, service, or initiative to market needing go-to-market strategy, messaging, and a coordinated launch plan.

Leaders who need executive bandwidth

For executives and owners who need an experienced thought partner for decisions, growth challenges, or execution risk — without a full consulting engagement.

Client experience

A proven track record across diverse industries

Over a decade of fractional, consulting, and advisory engagements with organizations ranging from trade associations and media companies to technology platforms, biosciences firms, and real estate.

Current Clients
Propel Biosciences
Fractional CMO
Complete Sr. Transitions
Fractional CMO
Alan Fishman Real Estate
Fractional CMO & Sr. Management Consulting
Strategic Consulting Partners
Ongoing Sr. Management Consulting (former FTE)
Past Client Experience (Partial)
Key Digital StrategiesDirector of Partnerships
Digital Door KnockingDirector of Digital
MillionVoicesDigital Strategy Consultant
Hemp Industries AssociationBiz Dev, Marketing & Events
HH Management SolutionsFractional Marketing Director
KayCee MediaDigital, Display, Email & Social
Cohort Global / Pure ProfileAccount Director USA
Steinman MediaCRM Integration & Business Analysis
MBMCMarket Research & Data Acquisition
Rittenhouse Square MediaEmail Marketing
TalentFinders · LicenseTheMusicAdvisory Board
What clients & colleagues say

35+ LinkedIn recommendations — consistently

A selection of what people who've worked with Catharene — as clients, colleagues, managers, and direct reports — say about the experience.

"Catharene is a breath of fresh air for any team. She is energetic, enthusiastic, optimistic, flexible, and tenacious. She moves with urgency on critical path tasks and meets strict deadlines while marching forward on a multitude of fronts."

Tonya McKee
Business Development & Communications Leader
Managed Catharene directly

"Catharene was the best marketing director that I've had the pleasure of working for. She is a wealth of knowledge and would be a MAJOR asset to any company. She 100% went to bat for her team and was an amazing mentor."

Tyler Cruz
Graphic Designer, Greene Street Communications
Reported to Catharene directly

"Cohort was very lucky to find Catharene when it wanted to launch its business in the USA. She is well connected and respected within the industry and her drive and enthusiasm was key to successfully establishing Cohort in the USA."

Jon Ostler
CEO, Finder | Financial Services Marketing
Managed Catharene directly

"I have always appreciated Catharene's professional, yet personable approach to managing my campaigns. She is quick to respond and always presents solutions and recommendations. She shows a deep understanding of campaign objectives."

Rachel King
Director, Performance Media & Martech Strategy, Checkers & Rally's
Client

"Catharene has provided me with solid, effective lead generation and strategies that deliver profitable ROI. She understands the holistic aspect of marketing to ensure success. She is a real expert at qualified lead generation."

Lee Mills
CEO, Pixly | AI-Powered Visual Documentation
Client

"Susan B. Nichols, CEO of Propel Biosciences, praised Catharene as a top-tier subject matter expert whose presentations are energetic, professional, and entertaining — with step-by-step methodology that produces extraordinary, measurable results."

Susan B. Nichols
CEO, Propel Biosciences | Fractional Chief Commercial Officer
Client — current engagement

"Catharene is absolutely wonderful to work with. She is extremely knowledgeable and capable of managing large teams. Her professionalism shines through and her positive attitude is contagious."

Aubrey Bowman
Colleague
Worked together directly

"It would have been difficult building the Tennessee chapter into the largest nationally without her invaluable assistance. She is highly competent and most pleasant."

Joe Kirkpatrick
HIA Chapter Leader, Tennessee
Colleague at Hemp Industries Association

"Catharene is one of the finest sales professionals I've had the pleasure of negotiating with. Her ability to develop win-win relationships is outstanding. Couple that with her client management skills — my 5-star recommendation!"

Walter Kazmierczak
KMG Partners
Client
35+ LinkedIn recommendations spanning clients, colleagues, direct reports, and managers — across media, digital, biosciences, real estate, nonprofit, and association management. View all on LinkedIn →
What changes

What happens when work is managed well

A well-managed engagement does more than complete a project. It improves how the business operates and positions it for what comes next.

Projects move with less drag

Next steps, owners, and decisions are clear, so progress isn't dependent on memory, urgency, or a single person's availability.

Leaders regain bandwidth

Owners and executives stay involved where their judgment genuinely matters, without carrying the operational details of every initiative.

Marketing connects to results

Activity aligns with business goals, messaging speaks to the right buyers, and performance becomes visible and improvable.

The business gets stronger

Processes, systems, communication, and accountability improve as part of the work itself — not as a separate initiative later.

Decisions get made faster

Clear ownership, structured information, and an experienced thought partner reduce time spent stuck in ambiguity or avoidance.

Teams execute with confidence

When people understand priorities, expectations, and their role in the work, execution quality improves and stress goes down.

Ways to engage

Flexible structures for different kinds of need

Support can be built around a specific project, an ongoing leadership partnership, or focused advisory work — or a combination as needs evolve.

Most common starting point

Project-Based Engagement

Defined, scoped support for a website, CRM, campaign, operational improvement, or cross-functional initiative that needs clear ownership and consistent follow-through from start to launch.

Ongoing support

Monthly Retainer

Steady, continuous support as a Fractional CMO or Executive Operations Partner — for businesses that need ongoing strategic leadership, execution visibility, and a consistent thought partner.

Targeted guidance

Advisory & Coaching

Focused perspective and decision support for owners and leaders navigating growth challenges, operational friction, marketing direction, or execution risk — without a full ongoing engagement.

Let's talk about what needs to move.

If you have an important project, marketing initiative, CRM effort, or operational priority that needs structure and momentum, a short conversation can clarify the right next step — and whether this is the right fit.

Email to Start Schedule a Call ↗