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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.
service graph
Surface ⇄ System
- price
- from $4,800/mo
- timeline
- Monthly · cancel any time
- cadence
- monthly
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
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.
- 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 - 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 CTOstrategy system
Surface ⇄ System
- price
- from $4,800/mo
- timeline
- Monthly · cancel any time
- tier
- C
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- 01Onboard + assessGet up to speed on the product, team, and roadmap. Identify the 3 highest-leverage decisions to push on.
- 02Operate + leadWeekly leadership meeting, monthly ADR, ongoing architecture and hiring support.
Conversion path
Surface ⇄ System
01
Diagnose
Confirm the real strategy constraint, current surface, and business goal before writing code.
02
Design the system
Turn the offer into screens, data, workflows, ownership boundaries, and a measurable delivery plan.
03
Ship the artifact
Deliver Fractional CTO as working code, docs, dashboards, or launch assets your team can actually use.
04
Route the next move
Decide whether the work becomes a one-time delivery, a care plan, or a larger product build.
Proof assets
Real only
Asset slot
Service proof visual
Add a real screenshot, deliverable preview, or dashboard capture from a shipped engagement when approved.
Verified asset
Founder/operator photo
Real founder photo reinforcing principal-led delivery.
Asset slot
Client quote or logo
Add only permissioned testimonials or logos tied to this service category.