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Services / operate / strategy

Fractional CTO Retainer

Seasoned technical leadership without the $300k headcount.A seasoned engineer-leader in your weekly leadership meeting, your architecture reviews, your hiring loop, and your investor calls. Two-day-a-week commitment. We help you make the bets, write the specs, set the bar, ship the right thing, and avoid the expensive wrong things. Cancel any month.

price

from $4,800/mo

timeline

Monthly · cancel any time

cadence

monthly

scope

Monthly retainer / cancel anytime

ArchitectureHiringRoadmapVendor selectionInvestor support
00// matrix position

Where this fits in the services matrix.

Every service page now names the buyer state, the commercial shape, and the next route. That keeps the catalog navigable instead of feeling like disconnected offers.

01 · best fit

Operate and improve an existing system every month.

02 · commercial shape

from $4,800/mo · Monthly · cancel any time · Monthly retainer / cancel anytime

03 · route logic

Use the diagnostic or book a call to confirm fit before scope is written.

04 · decide

Not sure this is the right service? Run the route finder and get the matching path.

00B// system flow

The offer is a route, not a loose task list.

This diagram gives every service page a concrete operating model: intake, system design, implementation, proof, and handoff.

service operating path

Surface ⇄ System

FitoperateScopefrom $4,800/moBuildMonthly · cancel any timeProof5 outcomesHandoffmonthly
Fractional CTO Retainer moves from fit check to scoped work, then into build/proof/handoff so the buyer can understand how the engagement actually runs.

Fractional CTO flow

The diagram is intentionally simplified: it shows the buying logic and operating path, not a decorative fantasy architecture.

price

from $4,800/mo

timeline

Monthly · cancel any time

cadence

monthly

01// what you walk away with

The outcome, not just the output.

  • 01Weekly leadership presence
  • 02Architecture decisions documented and signed off
  • 03Hiring loop with rubric, take-home, and debrief
  • 04Roadmap that survives contact with reality
  • 05Vendor/build decisions made fast and cheap
02// scope

Concrete artifacts you keep — and what we leave out.

Working code, written docs, dashboards your team owns. We also list what this engagement deliberately does not cover, so scope is honest before you click.

// deliverables
  • 2 days/week (typical 16 hrs across the week, flexible)
  • Weekly leadership meeting attendance
  • Monthly architecture review with written ADR (architecture decision record)
  • Hiring rubric + interview design + final-round attendance
  • Quarterly roadmap planning + retro
  • Investor / board technical talking points (when needed)
  • Slack co-presence during business hours
// not included
  • Hands-on implementation (use the productized engagements for that)
  • 24/7 on-call (separate retainer)
  • Fractional engineering — this is leadership, not capacity
03// methodology

How the engagement actually runs.

  1. 1Month 1

    Onboard + assess

    Get up to speed on the product, team, and roadmap. Identify the 3 highest-leverage decisions to push on.

    Onboarding docDecision priority listStakeholder map
  2. 2Month 2+

    Operate + lead

    Weekly leadership meeting, monthly ADR, ongoing architecture and hiring support.

    Weekly notesMonthly ADRQuarterly retro
// track record

Receipts, not promises.

2 days/wk
Committed time
~16 hrs
Monthly
Architecture ADRs
written + signed off
Cancel any month
No annual lock
sleep at night
04// questions

Common questions.

01How is this different from an advisor?
Advisors give you 1 hour a month and equity. We give you 2 days a week, written ADRs, and skin in the game on the actual decisions.
02Can we hire you full-time later?
Possible but unlikely — Sage Ideas is a studio. The retainer often bridges to a full-time hire we help you recruit.
03What if we need more time some weeks?
Add hours at $250/hr. Flagship engagements at the studio rate are billed separately when in flight.
// engage

Ready to start Fractional CTO?

A 30-minute call to confirm fit, scope, and timeline. No pressure, no slides.

strategy system

From offer to operating system.

Fractional CTO Retainer is presented as a real engagement, not a generic service page: the surface, backend shape, delivery artifacts, and conversion path are all visible before the first call.

Scope Fractional CTO

price

from $4,800/mo

timeline

Monthly · cancel any time

tier

C

Living architecture

Scope ⇄ Ship

The page now exposes how the engagement moves from buyer pain to production artifact, then into measurement and next-step routing.

Scope Fractional CTO
  1. 01Onboard + assessGet up to speed on the product, team, and roadmap. Identify the 3 highest-leverage decisions to push on.
  2. 02Operate + leadWeekly leadership meeting, monthly ADR, ongoing architecture and hiring support.

Conversion path

  1. 01

    Diagnose

    Confirm the real strategy constraint, current surface, and business goal before writing code.

  2. 02

    Design the system

    Turn the offer into screens, data, workflows, ownership boundaries, and a measurable delivery plan.

  3. 03

    Ship the artifact

    Deliver Fractional CTO as working code, docs, dashboards, or launch assets your team can actually use.

  4. 04

    Route the next move

    Decide whether the work becomes a one-time delivery, a care plan, or a larger product build.

Proof assets

Fractional CTO Retainer service visual

Asset slot

Service proof visual

Add a real screenshot, deliverable preview, or dashboard capture from a shipped engagement when approved.

pending real proof
Jason Teixeira, founder of Sage Ideas

Verified asset

Founder/operator photo

Real founder photo reinforcing principal-led delivery.

live

Asset slot

Client quote or logo

Add only permissioned testimonials or logos tied to this service category.

pending real proof
livebuild e86d2c52026-07-13 06:08Z
// solo studio// no analytics resold// every commit human-reviewed