Your Technology Needs Strategic Leadership

The Problem: You Need CTO-Level Thinking, But Not a Full-Time CTO

Your business has grown. Technology decisions are becoming more complex and more consequential. You're facing questions like:

• Should we migrate to the cloud? Which provider? What's the real cost?
• This vendor is pitching us a $200K system upgrade. Is it necessary?
• Our current software can't scale. Do we fix it or replace it?
• How do we protect against cybersecurity threats we don't fully understand?
• We need to integrate five different systems. What's the right approach?

These questions go beyond day-to-day IT support or development—they require strategic technology leadership that a CTO brings to the table.

But hiring a full-time CTO means:

• $180K-250K+ salary plus benefits
• Finding someone with the right experience
• Keeping them busy and engaged full-time
• Significant commitment if it doesn't work out

Most established SMEs don't need (or can't afford) a full-time CTO. They need experienced technology leadership when they need it—someone they can call for trusted advice.

That's what on-call CTO services provide.

What Are On-Call CTO Services?

On-call CTO services give you the same strategic technology leadership as a full-time CTO, but on a flexible basis. You get experienced guidance when you need it, whether that's in person at your office or remotely via call or video.

Think of it as having a trusted technology advisor who:

• Understands your business deeply through regular engagement
• Is available when you need them—in person or remotely
• Provides strategic guidance on complex technology decisions
• Reviews vendor proposals objectively (someone on your side)
• Creates technology roadmaps aligned with business goals
• Ensures your technology investments make business sense

You get CTO-level thinking without CTO-level cost or commitment. And you get someone you can actually talk to.

What On-Call CTO Services Include

Strategic Technology Planning

• Develop 1-3 year technology roadmaps
• Align technology investments with business objectives
• Identify opportunities for competitive advantage
• Plan for growth and scalability

Technology Budget Management

• Create realistic technology budgets
• Evaluate ROI on technology investments
• Identify cost optimization opportunities
• Prevent wasteful spending on wrong solutions

Vendor and Solution Evaluation

• Review vendor proposals objectively
• Negotiate contracts and pricing
• Manage vendor relationships
• Ensure vendors deliver what they promised

Security and Risk Management

• Assess cybersecurity posture
• Implement security best practices
• Ensure compliance with regulations
• Create disaster recovery and business continuity plans

Technology Architecture

• Design system integrations
• Evaluate build vs. buy decisions
• Ensure scalable, maintainable solutions
• Prevent technical debt accumulation

Team Leadership and Mentoring

• Guide internal IT team or manager
• Evaluate technical hires
• Set technology standards and processes
• Build team capability over time

What This Isn't

On-call CTO services are not:

• Day-to-day IT support (that's your IT team or managed service provider)
• A developer writing code (though I can oversee development projects)
• An emergency break-fix service (I help prevent emergencies through planning)
• A full-time employee (I'm a strategic advisor available when needed)

I work with your existing IT team, developers, or managed service providers—providing direction, oversight, and strategic guidance. In-person meetings when it matters, phone or video when that works better.

Who Needs On-Call CTO Services?

Growing Businesses (20-100 employees)

You've outgrown basic IT support but can't justify a full-time CTO. Technology decisions are becoming more complex and consequential. One wrong choice could cost you months and hundreds of thousands.

You need strategic guidance on cloud migration, system replacements, integration projects, security improvements—but not necessarily a full-time executive.

Businesses with Aging Technology

Your core systems are 10+ years old. They work, mostly, but they're holding you back. You know you need to modernize, but you don't know where to start or how to prioritize.

You need someone to assess your current state, create a realistic modernization roadmap, and guide implementation without disrupting your business.

Businesses Facing Major Technology Decisions

You're evaluating a significant technology investment: new ERP, CRM replacement, cloud migration, major custom development. The stakes are high, and you're not confident evaluating technical proposals or vendor claims.

You need an experienced advisor who's seen these projects before, knows where risks hide, and can guide you to smart decisions.

Businesses with Internal IT Teams

You have an IT manager or small IT team handling day-to-day operations. They're good at keeping things running but lack experience with strategic planning, vendor negotiations, or large-scale technology projects.

You need senior leadership to guide them, make strategic decisions, and handle situations beyond their experience level.

Non-Technical Founders and Executives

You run the business, but technology isn't your background. You're tired of feeling like you're making technology decisions blind, relying entirely on what vendors tell you.

You need a trusted technical advisor who can translate technology into business terms and ensure your tech investments support business goals.

How We Work Together

Monthly Retainer (Most Common)

Ongoing relationship with regular engagement:

Included:

• Fortnightly strategy sessions (in-person or video, 1-2 hours)
• Unlimited email/phone consultation when questions arise
• Vendor proposal reviews (someone on your side of the table)
• Technology roadmap development and updates
• Budget planning and oversight
• Available for ad-hoc advice as issues come up

Typical Investment: $1,000-4,000/month depending on business complexity and engagement level

Best For: Businesses ready to level up their technology capabilities—typically 6-18 months where we work together on strategic decisions while building internal knowledge and capabilities, whether that's training an existing team member or teaching you how to assess options, build context, and balance cost-benefit trade-offs

Project-Based Engagement

Focused engagement for specific initiatives:

Examples:

• Cloud migration strategy and oversight
• Software vendor selection process
• System architecture design
• Security audit and remediation plan
• Technology due diligence for acquisition

Typical Investment: $5,000-20,000 per project depending on scope

Best For: Specific technology initiatives with defined start and end dates

Hourly Consulting

Flexible support for occasional needs:

Examples:

• Review a vendor proposal
• Second opinion on technology decision
• Interview technical candidates
• Advise on specific technical challenge

Investment: Minimum 4-hour block ($800)

Best For: Businesses needing occasional expert input, not ongoing relationship

My Approach

I Start by Understanding Your Business

Technology strategy means nothing without business context. Before making recommendations, I need to understand:

• Your business model and revenue drivers
• Your growth plans and challenges
• Your competitive landscape
• Your budget constraints and priorities
• Your risk tolerance and compliance requirements

I'm not here to sell you technology. I'm here to help you use technology to achieve business outcomes.

I Provide Objective, Vendor-Neutral Advice

I don't sell software. I don't get kickbacks from vendors. I don't push specific solutions.

My only incentive is giving you honest advice that serves your business interests. If a vendor is overselling, I'll tell you. If their proposal has risks they're not mentioning, I'll flag them. If you don't need what they're selling, I'll say so.

You get an advisor on your side of the table, not another salesperson.

I Plan for the Long Term

I'm not just solving today's problem. I'm helping you build a technology foundation that supports your business for years.

Every decision considers:

• How this fits your long-term roadmap
• Whether this scales as you grow
• What this means for future integration needs
• How this impacts your total cost of ownership

I help prevent short-term fixes that create long-term problems.

I Work with Your Existing Team

If you have an IT manager, developers, or managed service provider, I work with them—not replace them.

I provide:

• Strategic direction they can execute
• Expertise they can learn from
• Oversight that keeps projects on track
• Backup when they face unfamiliar situations

Your existing team becomes more effective with proper strategic leadership.

I Communicate in Plain English

No jargon. No technobabble. I translate complex technology decisions into clear business terms.

You should understand why I'm recommending something, what it costs, what benefits it delivers, and what risks exist. If you don't understand my explanation, that's my failure, not yours.

Real-World Examples

Professional Services Firm (45 employees)

Challenge: Aging practice management system couldn't support growth. Partners overwhelmed evaluating replacement options. Three vendors, all pitching different approaches and price points from $80K to $300K.

How I Helped:

• Documented actual requirements vs. vendor-created wants
• Evaluated proposals against requirements and budget
• Identified hidden costs in proposals (met with vendors in person)
• Negotiated 25% price reduction with selected vendor
• Oversaw implementation to ensure delivery

Result: Right system chosen, properly implemented, $60K saved vs. initial proposal, project completed on time.

Engagement: 4-month project ($24K) then ongoing monthly retainer ($4K/month) for continued technology guidance.

Distribution Business (60 employees)

Challenge: Technology spread across disconnected systems—accounting, inventory, e-commerce, CRM. Manual processes everywhere. IT manager knew systems needed integration but didn't know how to approach it.

How I Helped:

• Mapped current technology landscape (on-site sessions with the team)
• Identified high-value integration opportunities
• Created 2-year integration roadmap
• Selected integration platform and implementation partner
• Provided technical oversight during implementation
• Mentored IT manager on integration best practices

Result: Five systems integrated, 15 hours/week of manual work eliminated, real-time inventory visibility, IT manager skilled up significantly.

Engagement: 6-month intensive project ($48K) then quarterly check-ins ($2K/quarter) for ongoing guidance.

Growing SaaS Startup (25 employees)

Challenge: Non-technical founders scaling product and team quickly. Needed technical leadership for architecture decisions, vendor selections, team hiring, security compliance.

How I Helped:

• Weekly strategy sessions (mix of in-person and video)
• Architecture review and guidance
• Technical interview support for hiring decisions
• Security and compliance roadmap
• Vendor evaluation and contract negotiation
• Mentoring technical team lead

Result: Successful Series A raise (technical due diligence support), team scaled from 3 to 12 engineers, achieved SOC 2 compliance, avoided several costly architecture mistakes.

Engagement: Ongoing monthly retainer ($6K/month) for 18 months until they hired a full-time CTO.

What You Get

Strategic Technology Roadmap

Clear 1-3 year plan showing:

• Current state assessment
• Future state vision
• Prioritized initiatives
• Budget forecast
• Success metrics

Updated as business evolves, not a static document gathering dust.

Vendor Accountability

Someone on your side:

• Reviewing proposals objectively
• Asking the hard questions vendors hope you won't ask
• Negotiating better terms
• Ensuring delivery matches promises
• Managing vendor relationships professionally

Informed Technology Decisions

Confident answers to questions like:

• Should we build or buy?
• Cloud or on-premise?
• Which vendor is the best fit?
• What's this really going to cost?
• What are the risks?

Make decisions based on experience and analysis, not vendor sales pitches.

Improved Technology ROI

Technology spending aligned with business value:

• Prioritize investments by business impact
• Avoid solutions that don't fit your needs
• Identify cost optimization opportunities
• Measure actual results vs. promises

Peace of Mind

You sleep better knowing:

• Someone experienced is watching your technology
• Major technology decisions have proper oversight
• Your IT team has strategic guidance
• Technology risks are identified and managed
• You're not alone figuring this out

Next Steps

Book a Discovery Call (no charge, 60 minutes) to:

1. Discuss your current technology challenges
2. Identify areas where strategic leadership would help
3. Review your upcoming technology decisions
4. Explain how we'd work together for your situation
5. Provide a proposal for ongoing or project-based support

We can meet in person (Melbourne and surrounds) or via video call—whatever works better for you.

No pressure. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about whether on-call CTO services make sense for your business.

You don't need a full-time CTO. You need the right level of strategic technology leadership, available when you need it.

Let's figure out what that looks like.