You’ve built something that’s working. Customers are buying, revenue is growing but the technology and team that got you here are starting to show strain.
Maybe your platform is getting complex and fragile; every change takes longer and breaks something else. Maybe you’re spending more time on technical debt than new features. Maybe your team needs structure but you’re not ready for a full-time CTO hire.
I work with companies on these transitions. I’ve spent 25+ years building platforms at scale, making these decisions, and living with the consequences.
What This Looks Like In Practice
Your platform can’t keep up with growth
Three months ago you could ship features weekly. Now every change takes three weeks and something breaks. Your architecture worked brilliantly before, but now it’s groaning.
What we’ll do together: Assess your current architecture against your growth trajectory, identify the highest-impact improvements, and create a migration roadmap you can execute without stopping the business.
You’re facing build vs buy decisions with no clear framework
Every vendor says their platform will solve your problems. Every engineer wants to build it themselves. You need someone who’s made these calls at different scales and lived with the outcomes.
I know what integration really costs, what “customisation” actually means, and when building yourself makes sense.
What we’ll do together: Map your actual requirements, model the true cost of each option including hidden integration work, and give you a decision framework based on your constraints.
Your team is growing but slowing down
Your team has grown but somehow velocity has halved. Or you need to hire but aren’t sure what roles you actually need. The team dynamics that worked when everyone sat together don’t work anymore. I’ve scaled teams through rapid growth and built distributed global organisations. I know where friction shows up and what actually makes a difference.
What we’ll do together: Diagnose where the bottlenecks really are, design a team structure that matches your delivery model, and create hiring plans that account for ramp-up time and team dynamics.
How We Work Together
Discovery Engagement (2–4 weeks)
This is the starting point. I spend time with your team, review your architecture and codebase, understand your roadmap and constraints. You get a clear picture of what’s actually going on and specific recommendations with cost and timeline estimates.
Fixed scope. Fixed price.
From there, we work together in whatever way makes sense:
Fractional CTO
Regular strategic support, usually 1–2 days per week over 3–6 months. I can help you make ongoing technical decisions, coach your technical leaders, and navigate challenges as they emerge.
When this works: You need consistent technical leadership but aren’t ready for a full-time CTO hire, or your current technical leader needs senior support and a sounding board.
Technical Architecture Partner
Project-based work on specific technical challenges - platform migrations, vendor evaluations, architectural reviews, integration strategy.
When this works: You have a defined problem to solve and need deep expertise for 4–8 weeks, then you’re back to business as usual.
Strategic Advisor
Periodic check-ins and guidance for companies that need experienced counsel without ongoing hands-on support - typically monthly or quarterly.
When this works: You have technical leadership in place but want someone to pressure-test major decisions or provide strategic input at key moments.
Investment
Engagements are fixed-scope and fixed-price where possible.
Fractional and advisory arrangements are scoped based on time commitment and engagement type. I’m happy to discuss what makes sense for your situation in an initial conversation.
Who This Works For
You’ve outgrown your first technical chapter. The scrappy approach isn’t cutting it anymore. You need architecture that scales, but you’re not sure what that looks like for your specific situation.
Your challenges are tangled up with organisational questions. It’s not just technology - it’s team structure, hiring strategy, technical debt prioritisation, and delivery process. You need someone who understands how these pieces fit together.
You want practical guidance, not a framework. You need someone who’s made these decisions, seen what works, and can help you navigate your specific constraints.
You value transparency. I’ll tell you when I think you’re making a mistake, when I don’t know something, and when you don’t actually need my help.
Not sure if this is right for you?
The companies I work with aren’t facing catastrophic failure. They’re in the much more frustrating situation where everything still works, but getting anything done feels like wading through treacle.
If that sounds familiar, it’s probably worth a conversation.
Let’s Talk
No sales pitch. No commitment. A straightforward conversation about what you’re dealing with and whether I can help.