Why I Stopped Calling Myself a Fractional CTO

For years, I called myself a fractional CTO. It's what the market understood. Non-technical founders searching for help typed "fractional CTO" into Google, and I wanted to be there when they did.

But the title never quite fit. And I finally stopped using it.

The Fractional CTO Promise

The typical fractional CTO pitch goes like this: "Get executive-level technical leadership without the full-time cost. I'll set your technical strategy, manage your developers, and make sure you're building the right thing."

Sounds great. Here's the problem.

Most bootstrapped founders don't need an executive. They need a builder.

What Founders Actually Need

When a non-technical founder at $10K-50K MRR reaches out for help, they usually need someone who can:

• Write code (not just review it)
• Ship features (not just plan them)
• Fix bugs at 11pm when something breaks
• Stick around for years, not quarters

A fractional CTO manages. A technical partner builds.

The Title Attracts the Wrong People

Here's the other problem: "fractional CTO" attracts founders who want to feel like they have a real company with a real executive team.

That's not who I want to work with.

I want to work with bootstrapped founders who have revenue, customers, and real problems to solve. Founders who care about shipping, not titles. Founders building businesses, not playing startup.

The title "fractional CTO" pulled in too many pre-revenue founders with pitch decks and no customers. They wanted the credibility of saying "we have a CTO" without the fundamentals of having a business.

Technical Partner: What It Actually Means

When I say "technical partner," I mean:

I build. I write code. I ship features. I fix things. I'm not above any task that moves your product forward.

I stay. This isn't a 3-month engagement. My shortest client relationship is 2 years. My longest is 8. I'm looking for founders I can work with for the long haul.

I care. Your product's success is my success. I think about your architecture in the shower. I notice when your error rates spike. I proactively suggest improvements you didn't ask for.

I'm honest. If you're about to make a mistake, I'll tell you. If your idea won't work technically, I'll explain why. If you should use a no-code tool instead of custom development, I'll point you there.

The Economics Are Different

Fractional CTOs typically charge $200-400/hour for 10-20 hours/month. That's $2K-8K/month for someone who tells your developers what to do.

A technical partner relationship looks different. We agree on a monthly retainer that covers ongoing development, maintenance, and strategic guidance. You get a builder and an advisor for one predictable cost.

No hourly tracking. No scope negotiations for every feature. Just a partner who's invested in your success.

Is This Right for You?

The technical partner model works best for:

• Bootstrapped SaaS founders doing $10K-100K MRR
• Non-technical founders who need a technical counterpart, not a subordinate
• Founders who value relationships over transactions
• Products that need continuous development, not one-off projects

It's not right for:

• Pre-revenue startups who need to validate before building
• Founders who want to micromanage every decision
• One-time projects with a clear end date
• Companies that need a full engineering team

The Difference in Practice

Fractional CTO conversation: "Here's the technical strategy. Here's what your developers should build. Let me know if you have questions. See you next month."

Technical partner conversation: "I shipped that feature yesterday. Found a bug in the payment flow and fixed it. I've been thinking about the performance issues—want to walk through some options? Also, I noticed a competitor launched something interesting. Worth discussing."

One is oversight. The other is ownership.

Building a bootstrapped SaaS and looking for a technical partner who stays? I work with a small number of founders doing $10K-100K MRR. Let's see if we're a fit →