Engage an operator who has run the P&L, not a slide deck about it.
For suppliers selling into major retail and distribution, brands entering or scaling in the US, and commercial organizations in building materials, MRO, and industrial distribution. Fractional and interim commercial leadership, standing advisory retainers, and diligence support, contracted directly with the firm.
Four ways to put an operator to work.
Most relationships here settle into a retainer. Many of them started as a single short project, which is a perfectly reasonable way to begin.
Fractional and interim commercial leadership
RetainerA senior operator in the seat while you build, replace, or turn around a commercial organization. Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, interim VP of Sales, interim commercial or general manager, and fractional HR leadership. Typically a recurring monthly commitment across several months, sized to the number of days per month you need.
Standing advisory retainer
RetainerOngoing counsel to a CEO, owner, or executive team on channel strategy, commercial structure, pricing and program economics, and senior hiring decisions. A set number of days per month, with direct access in between. The model most engagements settle into once the first project proves useful.
Diligence and investor support
ProjectCommercial due diligence for private equity, family offices, and strategic acquirers looking at building products, MRO, and industrial distribution platforms. Channel risk, customer concentration, supplier scorecard exposure, and an assessment of whether the commercial team can carry the plan. Usually a defined multi-week sprint.
Short-term project or expert consultation
Entry pointA single question answered properly: a line review strategy, a channel entry decision, a compensation or coverage model, an org design review, or a candid read on a market you are about to enter. Scoped in hours or weeks. Often how a longer relationship starts.
The intermediary sells you a resume and keeps the relationship. Working direct, you get the operator, the institution behind him, and a scope you can actually hold someone to.
Both sides of the same house.
Most fractional revenue leaders have carried a number but never owned the org chart. Most fractional HR leaders have owned the org chart but never carried a number. This record covers both, at board level, in the same industry.
The commercial side
Head of Sales and Operations for a commercial B2B distribution portfolio spanning the continental United States, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and export markets. Owned the number, the coverage model, and the operation that had to deliver it.
The people side
Head of Human Resources for a $3B North American distribution subsidiary, at board level, through a period of major world events and economic disruption. Owned the org design, the leadership bench, and the workforce decisions that carried the business through it.
In practice that means the whole commercial operation, not one function of it:
The question is not the title. It is whether it has been done when it was hard.
Integrations and acquisitions
Bringing acquired organizations onto a common commercial model without losing customers or selling days.
Rollouts and build-outs
Standing up new programs, branches, and coverage models, and the hiring sequence each one needs.
Budget pressure and downturns
Protecting revenue and the customer relationship while cost comes out of the operation.
Business continuity through disruption
Moving an entire inside sales and corporate organization from fixed desktop workstations to fully remote operation, including hardware procurement and systems adaptation, without stopping the selling day.
Competitive share battles
Defending and taking position in categories where the customer had a credible alternative.
Supplier programs at scale
Supplier onboarding and recognition programs, national sales conventions for audiences in the thousands, customer and prospect events, and VIP hospitality programs at events including the Masters and the FIFA World Cup.
Sectors and subject matter.
The common thread is a commercial organization selling through retail, distribution, or a national account structure, and the leadership that has to run it.
Building materials and building products
Manufacturers and suppliers selling through big-box retail, pro dealers, and specialty distribution. Category structure, program economics, line reviews and resets, and the commercial team that has to execute them.
MRO and industrial distribution
Maintenance, repair, and operations suppliers and industrial distributors. Coverage models, national account strategy, inside and outside sales structure, and the economics of serving large multi-site customers.
Commercial sales and go-to-market
B2B and commercial sales organizations of any size: territory and coverage design, national account management, sales operations, forecasting discipline, incentive and compensation structure, and channel conflict.
Retail and pro channel strategy
Winning and defending a position at major retailers and distributors: line review preparation, scorecard and OTIF performance, vendor compliance, chargeback exposure, and the difference between the retail and pro channel.
Human resources and organizational leadership
Fractional HR leadership, organization design, workforce and talent strategy, leadership assessment, succession planning, and the people side of a restructuring or integration.
US market entry for international brands
Manufacturers and brands entering or scaling in the United States. Route to market, channel selection, commercial hiring sequence, and the operational readiness large US customers expect before they will list a new vendor.
The plan, the people to run it, and the systems to support it.
An advisory engagement that ends in a slide deck is a cost. Here the same firm can staff the plan and build the systems it depends on, which is why most engagements continue past the first scope.
The operator and the bench
The Managing Director leads the engagement, supported by a curated bench of vetted senior independent operators: sales leaders, revenue officers, building-materials and distribution executives. Work is scoped to the right person, so an engagement is not limited to one person's availability.
The talent engine
Loom Haven Advisors, the firm's owned executive and professional search practice, staffs the plan. When advisory work identifies a seat that has to be filled, the search runs in house under a separate agreement rather than being handed to a third party.
The systems partners
Established AI and engineering partners build the commercial systems the plan depends on: CRM and data infrastructure, outbound and enrichment pipelines, reporting, and workflow automation.
Simple to start, simple to contract.
Procurement friction is the usual reason a company routes a direct hire of expertise through a marketplace. It does not need to be complicated.
Start with a call
A short, direct conversation about the problem, not a discovery process. If it is not a fit, you will be told in that call.
Get a written scope and a fixed fee
A one-page scope: what gets done, over what period, what it costs, and what you have at the end. The fee is agreed in writing before any work begins, and it does not move unless you change the scope.
Retainers, not a running meter
Fractional, interim, and standing advisory work is a flat monthly retainer sized to the days per month the role needs. Projects and diligence sprints are a fixed fee for a defined scope. Nothing here is billed as an open-ended hourly meter, so there is no incentive to stretch the work and no invoice you did not expect.
Contracting stays simple
Engagements run on a straightforward services agreement. Your paper or ours, direct with the firm. Certificates of insurance and standard vendor onboarding are handled as part of setup, without a marketplace in the middle.
Start small if you prefer
Most long-term relationships here began as one project. A short engagement is a reasonable way to find out whether a longer one is worth it.
What buyers ask first.
Can I engage NovusMarc directly rather than through a consulting marketplace or staffing firm?
Yes. Engagements are contracted directly with the firm on a standard services agreement. Working direct means the person you evaluated is the person doing the work, and there is no intermediary margin between the scope you agreed and the work you receive.
What does a fractional or interim engagement usually look like?
A recurring monthly commitment over several months, sized to the days per month the role genuinely needs. Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, interim VP of Sales, interim commercial leader, and fractional HR leadership are the most common. Scope, duration, and fees are agreed in writing before anything starts.
Do you take short-term or single-question assignments?
Yes. A defined project, a diligence sprint, or a single expert consultation are all normal starting points, and are often how a longer advisory relationship begins.
Which industries do you work in?
Building materials and building products, MRO and industrial distribution, commercial and B2B sales organizations, retail and pro channel suppliers, and international brands entering the US market. The common thread is a commercial organization selling through retail, distribution, or a national account structure.
How quickly can an engagement start?
That depends on scope and current commitments, so no fixed timeline is promised here. Short consultations typically start quickly. Fractional and interim engagements take longer to scope properly. The first call will give you a straight answer on timing.
How are fees structured, and what will this cost?
Fractional, interim, and standing advisory engagements are a flat monthly retainer, sized to the days per month the role genuinely needs. Projects, diligence sprints, and single consultations are a fixed fee for a defined scope. The exact fee depends on scope, duration, and how much of the month the work requires, so it is quoted per engagement rather than listed here. You get that number in writing, before anything starts, and it does not change unless you change the scope.
Do you bill hourly?
No. Retainers and fixed-scope fees only. An open-ended hourly meter rewards slow work and produces invoices clients cannot forecast, which is the opposite of how a senior engagement should run. You will always know the monthly or total number in advance.
What size of engagement is this built for?
Organizations ready to commit to a defined scope or a multi-month retainer, where the decision in question is worth senior operator attention: a channel strategy, a commercial reorganization, a market entry, a diligence decision, or a leadership gap in a revenue-critical seat. For a single tactical question, a short consultation is the right entry point and is usually the better use of the first conversation.
We are an international brand entering the US market. Is that a fit?
Yes, and it is a recurring engagement type. The work covers route to market, channel selection between retail, pro, and distribution, the commercial hiring sequence, pricing and program economics, and the operational readiness large US customers expect before they will list a new vendor. It is usually a defined project first, moving to a retainer through launch.
Is this one consultant, or a firm?
A firm. The Managing Director leads engagements, supported by a curated bench of vetted senior independent operators, an owned executive search practice for staffing the plan, and established engineering partners for the systems. Scope is matched to the right people rather than to one person's availability.
Can you also hire permanent people for us?
Yes, through Loom Haven Advisors, the firm's owned executive and professional search practice. Advisory work frequently surfaces a permanent seat that needs filling, and that search is run under a separate agreement.
Tell us what the problem actually is.
A short call, a straight answer on whether this is a fit, and a written scope if it is. If a different firm is better suited to the problem, you will hear that instead.