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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything below also lives on the page it's about — the audit report, fractional CTO, small business, and enterprise. This page just puts it all in one place.

The Audit Report

What is the Audit Report?

TL;DR

  1. A separate product: an audit of your site and online presence.
  2. A short brief and the full PDF by email: verified facts with sources, then labelled judgment.
  3. Every finding labelled with its evidence. The Base report runs 30+ pages.
The long answer

A separate product from our consulting: an audit of your site and online presence. You get a short brief and the full PDF by email. Part 1 is verified facts with sources. Part 2 is judgment, labelled as judgment. It's researched and quality-checked by our audit system; if you want a person's read, add an Expert review when you order. The Base report runs 30+ pages. The Base report covers site inventory, performance, security, SEO, accessibility, geographic scope and local position. The Full report adds competitors, positioning, pricing, marketability and more.

Where do I order it, and what does it cost?

TL;DR

  1. Order on audit.mdostal.com.
  2. The tiers and current prices are listed there.
The long answer

On audit.mdostal.com, which lists the tiers and current prices.

Do I have to hire you after the report?

TL;DR

  1. No. The report stands on its own, and you keep it.
  2. If you want help with what it turns up, a checkup, an audit, or fractional leadership start from there.
The long answer

No. The report stands on its own, and you keep it. If it turns up something you want help with, a checkup, an audit, or fractional leadership all start from there.

Fractional Leadership — The Basics

What does a fractional CTO do?

TL;DR

  1. Senior technology leadership, part-time or by project.
  2. Owns the technical strategy, guides architecture, and leads or advises engineering teams.
  3. The same work as a full-time CTO, structured around your needs and budget.
The long answer

A fractional CTO provides senior technology leadership on a part-time or project basis. They own the technical strategy, guide architecture decisions, lead or advise engineering teams, and represent technology at the executive level — the same work a full-time CTO does, structured around your company's current needs and budget. For startups, that often means being the first technical executive, defining the stack, making early hires, and building a foundation that scales. For established companies, it means an independent perspective on technology strategy without the overhead of a full-time executive.

How much does a fractional CTO cost?

TL;DR

  1. Strategic advisory starts at $4,500/month.
  2. Active fractional CTO leadership runs $10,000–20,000/month.
  3. One-off strategic sprints run $8,000–15,000 flat.
The long answer

Engagements start at $4,500/month for strategic advisory (8–12 hours/month) and scale to $10,000–20,000/month for active fractional CTO leadership (10–20 hours/week, at $250/hour). One-off strategic sprints — technology audits, architecture reviews, due diligence — run $8,000–15,000 flat over 4–6 weeks. Full interim CTO coverage is scoped individually. A full-time CTO costs $350,000–600,000/year with salary, equity, benefits, and recruiting. Fractional typically saves 60–80% while delivering the same leadership at the stage you need it.

When should a startup hire a fractional CTO?

TL;DR

  1. Usually before you need one.
  2. Common triggers: a non-technical founder, no senior technical leadership, a Series A ahead, or stalled velocity.
  3. Earlier means fewer expensive mistakes to unwind.
The long answer

The right time is usually before you need one. Common triggers: you're a non-technical founder making technology decisions without confidence; you've hired your first few engineers but have no senior technical leadership; you're heading into a Series A and need investor-ready technical due diligence; your codebase has accumulated significant debt and velocity has stalled; or you're making a platform decision (cloud provider, tech stack, data architecture) that will be hard to undo. The earlier you bring in senior technical leadership, the fewer expensive mistakes you'll need to unwind later.

What's the difference between a fractional CTO and a technical advisor?

TL;DR

  1. An advisor gives periodic guidance and doesn't own anything.
  2. A fractional CTO is operationally engaged and accountable for outcomes.
  3. A sounding board versus an executive who works part-time.
The long answer

A technical advisor provides periodic guidance — typically a few hours a month, often in exchange for a small equity stake. They answer questions and offer perspective but don't own anything. A fractional CTO is operationally engaged: they attend your leadership meetings, work directly with your engineering team, make decisions, and are accountable for outcomes. Think of an advisor as a sounding board and a fractional CTO as an executive who happens to work part-time.

What's the difference between a fractional CTO and an interim CTO?

TL;DR

  1. Fractional: 10–20 hours a week, for companies that don't need a full-time technical executive.
  2. Interim: full-time temporary coverage, 80–120+ hours a month, for an actual CTO vacancy.
The long answer

Scope and time commitment. Fractional CTO work runs 10–20 hours a week — weekly standups, architecture ownership, hiring support, executive reporting — for companies that need senior leadership but not a full-time seat. Interim CTO is full-time temporary coverage: 80–120+ hours a month, daily operational presence, full team management authority, board-level reporting, and hiring your permanent replacement. Interim is for a company with an actual CTO vacancy to fill; fractional is for a company that doesn't need a full-time technical executive at all.

Small Business

I'm not technical. Will I understand what you're doing?

TL;DR

  1. Yes. I write for business owners, not engineers.
  2. Every deliverable comes in plain English with clear next steps.
The long answer

Yes. I write for business owners, not engineers. I explain what I'm doing as I do it, and every deliverable comes in plain English with clear next steps. If you can read an email, you can work with me.

You built systems at Hertz and Wayfair. Why help small businesses?

TL;DR

  1. I've lived the small-company stage: employee 13 at a startup, and founder of my own companies.
  2. Tech decisions matter most here: a bad call at a small business is your rent.
  3. My decisions ship the week after we make them.
The long answer

Because I've been on your side of it — employee 13 at a startup I watched grow to 500 and get acquired, and the founder of my own companies. I'm not an enterprise guy slumming it; I've lived the small-company stage and I know what actually matters at it. And honestly, small businesses are where the tech decisions matter most: a bad call at a Fortune 500 is a line item buried in a quarterly report; at a small business it's your rent. Higher stakes, not lower — and my decisions actually ship the week after we make them. I enjoy it more, too: real problems, real people, real results.

How is this different from hiring a local web developer?

TL;DR

  1. A web developer builds websites. I build the whole system: site, analytics, marketing, automation, SEO.
  2. Every decision ties back to revenue.
  3. When the work is done, you own everything.
The long answer

A local web developer builds websites. I build the whole system — site, analytics, marketing, automation, SEO — and tie every decision back to revenue. I'm not trying to sell you a website. I'm trying to grow your business. And when the work is done, you own everything. No lock-in, no ongoing fees unless you choose them.

Will you work with my existing developer or team?

TL;DR

  1. Absolutely.
  2. I can audit their work, give them clear direction, or act as the technical leader who connects it to growth.
The long answer

Absolutely. If you already have someone you trust, I can audit their work, give them clear direction, or act as the technical leader who makes sure everything they build connects to growth. A lot of small businesses have great developers who just need someone thinking about the business side.

Everyone says I need AI. Do I? Or is it hype?

TL;DR

  1. Mostly hype for most small businesses.
  2. There are usually 2-3 places it saves real time or money.
  3. I'll tell you what's worth it, then set up the parts that pay off.
The long answer

Mostly hype — for most small businesses, 90% of the AI being pitched to you won't move your revenue. But there are usually 2-3 places it genuinely saves you time or money: automating the busywork, answering customer questions, cutting the manual data-shuffling. I've shipped real AI in production — on-device computer vision plus agent systems I've built — so I can tell you honestly what's worth it for YOUR business and what's a shiny distraction — then set up the parts that actually pay off. No hype, no FOMO tax.

Do you guarantee results?

TL;DR

  1. I guarantee effort, honesty, and real expertise, not growth.
  2. Nobody honest can guarantee your business will grow.
  3. I'm open to KPI-driven pricing tied to outcomes we agree on upfront.
The long answer

I guarantee effort, honesty, and real expertise. Nobody honest can guarantee your business will grow — and anyone who does is lying to you. What I can point to is 15+ years building the systems behind companies like Hertz, Costco, and Wayfair, and that same senior judgment applied to your business. I'm also open to KPI-driven pricing — tying part of my fee to specific, measurable outcomes we agree on upfront. The more risk I take on, the more the pricing reflects it. If you want skin-in-the-game alignment, that's a conversation.

I'm in Omaha. Do you meet in person?

TL;DR

  1. Yes. I'm Omaha-based.
  2. In and around Omaha, I prefer to meet in person at least once early on.
  3. Outside Omaha, everything works remotely.
The long answer

Yes. Omaha-based, with Austin clients served remotely. In Omaha and the surrounding area, I prefer to meet in person at least once early in the engagement. Outside Omaha, everything works remotely — and most of the work is remote anyway.

Enterprise

What's the difference between an audit, an advisory partnership, and a board seat?

TL;DR

  1. Audit: a structured, independent assessment of your stack and engineering process.
  2. Advisory: part-time architecture judgment, or an ongoing independent second opinion.
  3. Board seat: a formal board or advisory-board role.
The long answer

Four distinct engagements, same senior judgment. A Technology & Architecture Audit is a structured, independent assessment of your stack and engineering process — technical debt, risk, and a prioritized path forward, including technical due diligence for M&A and PE. Fractional Architecture Advisory is Fortune-500-caliber architecture judgment, part-time, on your hardest platform and build-vs-buy decisions, without a full-time seat. An Outside-Eyes Advisory Partnership is ongoing — an independent second opinion and technical partner in the room for board conversations and vendor decisions. A Board & Technical Advisory seat is a formal board or advisory-board role, plus technical due diligence for investors and acquirers.

Why one person instead of a partner-level pitch with a team of associates?

TL;DR

  1. Direct access to the person doing the work, end to end.
  2. No junior staffing and no account-management layer.
  3. NDA is standard, and deliverables are built to hand to your board or investors.
The long answer

Enterprise engagements often start with a partner-level pitch and end with a team of associates you never vetted. This is the opposite: direct access to the person doing the work — the same senior technical leader end to end, accountable for the audit, the recommendation, and the follow-through. No junior staffing, no account-management layer between you and the judgment you're paying for. NDA and confidentiality are standard practice, and deliverables are built to hand directly to your board or investors.

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