If you're about to build the first version of your product and aren't sure what it should cost, I can help you find out.
I've been on both sides of this. I ran a development agency for 15 years, and I've managed other agencies as the client. So I can usually tell quickly what's realistic, what it will really cost, and what to build first.
90-minute call, $500. Refundable in one click.
- Agency quotes that don't agree
- A feature list that keeps growing
- A contract waiting to be signed
- A quote you can check
- What to build first, decided
- Payments tied to features your users can use
What I usually find
Why it costs more than you expect
Custom software is closer to opening a car workshop than buying a car. In a showroom, you pay, take the keys, and drive. Building your own means setting up a workshop: hiring the mechanics, getting the equipment, trying different parts, and getting some decisions wrong before the car is safe to drive. It takes more iterations, and more money, than most people expect.
Where I come in
My job is to align this extra complexity with your business goals, simplify the build-or-buy decisions, and keep the iterations few and useful if we decide to build.
Estimates that add up
I also push back on estimates that don't add up. On one project, a quote for four developers for three weeks came down to about one developer for three to four weeks.
A note from me
Founders should focus on reducing risk vs saving cost. For example, hiring a low-cost dev who's estimating 2 months and might take 4, with associated risk on quality and architectural decisions (they'll be researching/learning along the way). Or finding someone who's done exactly what you need multiple times before, knows exactly what and how it needs to be done for your specific case, is more expensive, but will deliver within 2–3 weeks, and most importantly, with a significantly lower risk factor. Even if the upfront hourly billing rate is 4x or project cost is 2x, which is the cheaper option?
- Sachin
Some of the work
A New Jersey based e-commerce operation needed an app for its warehouse: picking, packing, shipping with several carriers, and label printing. I designed the core workflow, recruited the development team, and ran a fully AI-enabled development process. All the core product ideas went from concept to implemented and validated within a few weeks.
The founders had vibe-coded their whole AI app. I led a human review of the front end and the back end, and got it stable enough for a public App Store launch.
At a revived heritage travel brand, an in-house portal replaced several paid travel-booking tools in about three months, built around how their team actually works.
Clients stay unnamed here. I'm happy to walk you through any of these on a call.
How I work
What I look at first
What you're trying to achieve, and where things really stand. The quality of the work so far, and how the ground reality compares with how it feels to you. That can go either way: sometimes the work is worse than it looks, and sometimes it's much better than it feels, simply because it isn't finished yet. The skills the job needs against the skills on the team. Whether your timeline and budget estimates are realistic. And the gap between what I hear from leadership and what I hear from the people doing the work. That gap usually tells me the most.
Progress everyone can see
Status updates that say what's really done, in enough detail to act on, and a working build you can try every week. A lot of the misunderstandings I see start with updates that skip the details.
People who've solved it before
I look for people and tools that have already solved the exact problem you're struggling with, not just a good developer, a good marketing team, or a good CRM. A job post that says “great machine learning engineer” vs “a machine learning engineer who has worked on audio models, and plays a musical instrument” can turn a 3-month project into a 3-week sprint.
A team that doesn't need me
Knowledge moves to your team, and if you need a full-time CTO, I help you find the right one. By then, no part of your product should depend on one person, including me.
How we'd start
Everything starts with one paid call. By the end of it, we'll both know whether there's more to do, and which of the other two options fits.
A first call
- 90 minutes with me, working on your actual problem.
- Real answers and clear next steps on the calls themselves.
- Up to two follow-ups, with you or the people on your team.
- If it wasn't worth it, one click refunds the full $500.
The right first step for nearly everyone.
Some teams take the solutions and run with them on their own. That's a perfectly good outcome.
A fixed-price review
A close look at your idea and your plans, over two to three weeks.
- The architecture, the build-or-buy decisions, and any agency quotes
- Whether your timeline and budget estimates are realistic
- Solutions to the problems we find, worked out together with you and your team
Your fractional CTO
A few hours a week while the first version gets built. The monthly range depends on how much of my time you need.
- Architecture, hiring, and vendor calls
- Payments tied to features your users can actually use
- A planned hand-off to your own team
Bootstrapped and pre-revenue? Book a 40-minute Founder Call for $200. It doesn't include follow-up calls, and the same one-click refund applies.
Fair questions
Because it's working time on your problem, and you get real answers on the call itself. It also covers up to two follow-ups, including calls with people on your team if needed.
It doesn't have to be a full-time hire. I join a few teams at a time, usually for a few hours a week, and when you're ready for a full-time CTO, I help you hire one.
Sometimes, for a tricky performance problem or a code review. Mostly I make sure the right people are writing it, and that what they build is what you actually need.
Book your first call
Pick a time that works for you. If you have a co-founder, or someone already helping with the build, bring them along.
$500 for the first call
- 90 minutes with me, working on your actual problem.
- Real answers and clear next steps on the calls themselves.
- Up to two follow-ups, with you or the people on your team.
- If it wasn't worth it, one click refunds the full $500.
Need more than one person? Rawzor is my firm, a small senior team of experts that works alongside your people. Explore rawzor.com →