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...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
Recent Notes
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,...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
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...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
I can feel a founder who is about to quit
I can feel a founder who is about to quit. They don't say, "I'm done." They say: "I just need to push through this month." "I can't justify the cost of help...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
Your MVP should embarrass you
Your MVP should embarrass you. If it doesn't, you're just late. But let's be clear on what "embarrassing" means. It doesn't mean broken. It doesn't mean...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
Your first tech hire is usually a mistake
Your first tech hire is usually a mistake. Most founders hire a developer first. They want code. Now. So they hire hands. Here is the trap: Devs are paid to...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
Founders often fail due to fear of looking stupid
Founders often fail due to fear of looking stupid. Not because of the market. I almost tanked my business protecting my ego. Then I read "Rejection Proof" by...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
You are optimizing the wrong thing
You are optimizing the wrong thing. Most tech founders are building a beautiful corpse. You spend 4 hours on a design system. Your onboarding flow has a 70%...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
You pay $10K for code
You pay $10K for code. You get $4K of building. You think the problem is time allocation. It's not. The breakdown: → $2,000: Meetings, standups, planning (20%)...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
