How I Work — Engagement Models
Most fractional CTOs bill by the hour. I don't have to.
Engagement models that share your risk
When you are stuck on a data or AI project, the last thing you need is a meter that rewards slowness. I have spent 30 years integrating people, process and data — long enough to know when I can stand behind an outcome. So I offer more than one way to work together, including models where I put my own skin in the game and share your risk.
Burned by open-ended consulting?
The problem with time & material only
Most small and medium organizations I meet are not stuck because their people lack talent. They are stuck because a well-meaning data or AI initiative turned into an open-ended time & material engagement — where scope drifts, budgets stretch, and the consultant carries none of the downside.
The uncomfortable truth is that hourly billing quietly rewards the wrong things. The longer it takes, the more it earns. That is a poor alignment of interests when you simply need results.
I think you deserve a choice. Below are the three ways I work — and I will always tell you which one honestly fits your situation.
Three ways to work together
Pick the alignment that fits your situation
Maximum flexibility
Time & Material
Pay for the hours you use
Straightforward and flexible: you pay for the time and effort spent, scaling up or down as needs change. It suits exploratory or fast-moving work where scope is genuinely hard to pin down. The honest caveat — the meter's always running, so the incentive to move fast sits with you, not with me.
Budget with certainty
Fixed Price
Agreed scope, agreed price
We define the outcome together, then I quote a single fixed price for it. If the work runs longer than expected, that overrun is my risk to absorb, not yours. You budget with certainty and I carry the pressure to deliver efficiently. This is where the incentives finally line up — and for most stuck projects it is the differentiator that matters.
Real skin in the game
Sweat Equity / Risk-Share
A reduced fee, tied to your success
When I believe in the journey, I will trade part of my cash fee for a stake in the outcome. For fundable scale-ups that usually means equity; for revenue-generating SMEs it means a success fee tied to agreed results. Either way I am invested in your upside, not just my invoice — the strongest possible alignment of our interests.
Why I can share your risk
Evidence over adjectives
Sharing risk is only credible if you have earned the right to. Over 30 years — including transformation and program leadership at UBS and Credit Suisse, and co-founding and serving as CTO at Ferris Labs — I have learned to read a project honestly and commit only where I can deliver.
The track record is why I can put price and outcomes on the line:
130 → 6 — I have taken a sprawling technology estate and cut it down to six core building blocks, without compromising on client or business expectations.
36x — change delivered by taking the right small steps at the right time, rather than one heroic big bang.
200% faster — time-to-market roughly doubled by staying agile and refusing to let complexity creep back in.
Because I have seen where these projects fail, I can estimate them, price them, and stand behind them. That is what lets me offer fixed-price and risk-share terms rather than hiding behind an open-ended hourly rate.
Let's find the right model for you
Start with a free diagnostic
There is no fixed price on this page for good reason — the right number depends on your situation, and I quote it only after a free diagnostic. Book a short discovery call and we will talk through where you are stuck, which engagement model fits, and what a fair, aligned arrangement looks like. If you would rather browse first, see what you can buy on the offers page and how it is structured on pricing.