You don't need a strategy to recover
You don't need a strategy to recover. You need to do something stupid. You lose the client. The co-founder quits. You stare at the ceiling at 3 AM. Your brain...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
Recent Notes
No-code is a high-interest loan
No-code is a high-interest loan. It feels like free money at the start. But the compounding debt kills you later. You launched in 4 weeks. You felt smart....
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
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...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
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...
Nicolas Cava
Fractional CTO
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
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
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
