Emily Krause: From Corporate Marketing Leader to Fractional CMO

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, Emily Krause, Founder and Chief Marketing Strategist of Amped Up Marketing, shares her transition from a 25-year in-house marketing career to launching her own consulting practice. Having led marketing efforts across nonprofit, legal, IT consulting, finance, and professional services sectors, Emily built a reputation for bringing outside perspective into industries often stuck in “marketplace sameness.” When the opportunity arose in early 2024 to step into consulting full-time, she leaned on preparation, mentorship, and her strong professional network to launch Amped Up Marketing — growing from one nonprofit client to nine clients in her first year.Emily dives into her sweet spot as a fractional CMO, providing senior-level strategic marketing leadership to nonprofits and small-to-mid-sized organizations that need executive insight but can’t justify a full-time C-suite hire. She discusses the power of relationships in business development, the importance of continuous learning, and her ambitious goal to increase revenue by 40% while securing additional long-term anchor clients. Reflecting on her journey, Emily shares a powerful lesson: fear often lives in the unknown — and sometimes the best move is to jump sooner.