👨💻 One-on-One Consultation
Introduction
If you’re a startup founder, you know that the early stages of a company’s growth can be both exciting and challenging. From raising capital to building a product to scaling your team, there are a million and one things to worry about. And that’s where I come in. As a veteran CTO, I help early-stage and scale-up startups with the specific challenges they’re facing — mostly related to software development.
[Update July 2023]: I’ve started getting inquiries about consultations from people who are just starting their software engineering career and would like to get some guidance on how to approach life/development/growth/career problems. The answer is yes — if you’re looking for developer mentorship you can contact me here.
The process
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a deadline looming on the horizon, or maybe you’re unsure if your product is technically viable — I’m here to help with a quick, no-nonsense solution.
The first step is sending me your questions and organizing a 1-hour online session to understand what the issue is and what the next steps should be.
After we have a general outline, we will agree on the next steps, sign an NDA, and proceed with taking a deep dive into your team and practices. I want to understand your business goals, objectives, and development practices. This means interviewing people working with you and looking at your infrastructure and code.
We’ll have a follow-up meeting after I’ve taken a look at everything to present my findings and talk about what you can do or how I can help you fix the issues (if there are any). So contact me if you’re ready to take your business to the next level. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
What I can help with
Solving technical debt.
In the haste to turn a great idea into a reality, it’s easy to cut corners and take shortcuts — that’s understandable once the priority is getting your product to market. This can lead to what is known as “technical debt,” which is essentially the accumulated cost of all those shortcuts and compromises.
I’m familiar with the business world and the software development process, so I can help you find the right balance between meeting deadlines and ensuring quality. I can also help you prioritize which areas of your code need to be cleaned up first and which can wait for another day.
Scaling teams correctly without chaos in processes.
Hiring is a very tedious process – there’s no doubt about it. But making a bad hire can be even more harmful, especially in the Product Development field. That’s where I come in. I can help you scale your team correctly, establishing best practices so you hire the best and onboard them to your team properly. Getting them to come is relatively easy compared to making them stay. That’s where the fun starts — you need to keep tons of things in mind to make sure their lives are as efficient as possible and as pleasant as possible.
Solving efficiency bottlenecks.
I am a magician at solving efficiency bottlenecks in software development. More importantly, I am good at bringing underperforming teams to success. If you have a team that is not delivering the product on time or providing enough output, then I can help solve this issue. I have a very systematic and analytical problem-solving approach, allowing me to identify inefficiencies and develop strategies to improve performance quickly.
In addition, I am a very effective communicator and have a lot of experience working with different personality types. Over the years, I have learned how to build good relationships with team members and encourage them to work together more effectively. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you want someone to help you bring your team up to its full potential.
Setting up proper procedures
During my time as a software developer, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to have procedures in place so that everyone on the team knows their role and expectations. It’s incredible how much of a difference it can make in the software quality that a team produces. Even something as simple as having a code review process can make a big difference. Similarly, having a strategy for handling customer feedback can help to ensure that problems are addressed quickly and effectively.
Proper procedures — not only in coding but in the company — are essential for efficient product development, and I can help you get everything in order. So if you’re ready to take your software development to the next level, contact me.
And more..
Product Roadmap Development: I can help your startup develop a clear and strategic product roadmap. This includes defining the product vision, setting goals, and planning the product’s evolution over time. I can put your vision into actionable stories that developers can take and build upon.
Security and Compliance: I can help you establish robust security measures and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. I’ve working with finTechs and health applications, so I know how to approach the handling of personal data. This includes implementing secure coding practices, setting up data protection measures, and ensuring adherence to privacy laws.
Mentorship and Training: As an experienced CTO, I can provide consulting to your startup’s tech team. Imagine this as me coming in and helping your current CTO/VP/Tech leads get a better view of the forest — I bring fresh perspective and some subjective opinions that can be beneficial. This includes talking about the stuff that failed and making sure your tech team doesn’t make the same mistakes I did a decade ago.
Investor Relations: I can consult your startup in communicating with investors, especially when it comes to explaining the company’s technology strategy and product roadmap. I can be present during the investor meeting as an interim CTO. My expertise can help build investor confidence in the startup’s tech capabilities.
Vendor Management: I can help you manage relationships with agencies, tech vendors, negotiate contracts, and ensure that the services provided meet the startup’s needs. If you have someone in mind, but unsure if the quote that you received makes sense — you can get a consultation from me and highly likely get a better quote after I talk with them.
You can learn more about my practices:
- How I build remote teams so the stay efficient.
- Managing technical debt at agile companies.
- Teaching developers to estimate software projects
- Handling process debt at big old companies that grew over the years.
But wait, there’s even more..
I’ve been building software products for decades, and in that time, I’ve encountered and solved many different problems. I’m confident I can help solve other people’s problems because I’ve probably already solved a similar situation myself.
I’m not just talking about technical problems, either – I’ve also dealt with many business and product-related issues over the years, so I have a well-rounded perspective. If you’re struggling with something, there’s a good chance that I can help.
And even if I can’t solve your specific problem, I might be able to offer some helpful advice. So feel free to reach out – you never know what might happen.