Notes on leading yourself, ruthless simplicity, and AI.
Seventeen years of building teams, burning out twice, and starting over, written down.
All notes
- Fractional vs. full-time CTO. The real math
Fractional vs. full-time CTO. The real math. Everyone says, "You need to hire a CTO." Let me show you the receipt before you sign the contract. Option A: The...
- Your dev with no accountability wasted 6 months
Your dev with no accountability wasted 6 months. I've watched this kill 40+ startups. But here's what most founders miss: Accountability without clarity is...
- You've delayed 11 product decisions this quarter
You've delayed 11 product decisions this quarter. Not because they're hard. Because you called it validation. You seek opinions from investors. You ask...
- Your CTO is lying to you
Your CTO is lying to you. The rebuild isn't a tech problem. 1. Rebuilds fail if you repeat the original problems You had 2 auth providers because product and...
- Early September, I was completely demoralized
Early September, I was completely demoralized. Dead market. Zero offers. September 15, I stopped asking for permission. I launched my Fractional CTO offer. Not...
- The best teams deploy 208 times more than you
The best teams deploy 208 times more than you. Not because they are larger. Because they removed the part where humans break things. Your deployment process is...
- Stop protecting a reputation you don't have yet
Stop protecting a reputation you don't have yet. You delay shipping. You're scared of looking amateur. You polish a feature nobody asked for. You design for a...
- Build vs. buy is the wrong question
Build vs. Buy is the wrong question. Ask this instead: Every founder asks: Should we build or buy? Better question: Should we care? Auth? Buy. (Clerk,...
- I hate proposals. Custom pricing. Scope creep
I hate proposals. Custom pricing. Scope creep. They kill leverage. They kill speed. I also realized: "I cannot scale to more than 3 clients if I continue to do...
New notes by email.
A short note when I publish something new. Unsubscribe anytime.
Your developers are busy and the product is stuck?
Book a free 25-minute call to see whether working together makes sense.
Prefer writing? Email me at hello@nicolascava.com. I'll reply within one business day.